Design Development

Thank you for joining the Design Development community. Subscribe to capture insight from the latest episodes dropping every Wednesday.  Our goal is to help people like you identify opportunities for growth by sharing the journey of industry leaders. There is no one path. Success isn't a straight line. There is something to learn from everyone's story.  Let's go! Leave your thoughts...

This week on the Design Development show, Rens Hayes sits down with Robert Yuen, the CEO and Co-founder of Monograph, for an exciting and insightful conversation. Join them as they delve into the world of digital product design and how Monograph is revolutionizing the architecture and engineering industry. Discover how Monograph's innovative platform helps teams create, collaborate, and manag...

Prepare to be captivated by the extraordinary story of Joshua Brandt, the mastermind behind the renowned architecture, construction, and real estate development firm, Stack + Co. In this riveting episode, Joshua unveils the secrets behind their incredible success and shares how a series of fortunate accidents led him to embark on a remarkable journey in the construction industry. From his humble b...

Prepare for an extraordinary episode of Design Development as Rens Hayes brings you an in-depth conversation with the renowned Kevin Deabler, Principal at RODE Architects. Get ready to be captivated by their engaging discussion that will not only educate but also inspire you to take your own architectural journey to new heights. To provide context, Rens prompts Kevin to delve into his remarkable b...

Join Rens Hayes and William Mandara Jr., CEO of Mancini Duffy, for an exciting conversation about how they are shaking up the architecture industry on the Design development. Mancini Duffy is a full-service architectural firm that has been around for over 100 years, but William and his partners acquired it in 2017 and have been reinventing it ever since. With offices in New York City and New Jerse...

Stan leads GeoEngineers USA’s development work in the Boston market. It takes more than just technical experience to succeed in this fast-paced environment, it takes people skills. Stan takes pride in both. He specializes in geotechnical design and construction, especially shallow and deep foundations, but his greatest passion is for the people and relationships on which this business is built. St...

Nancy Ludwig is an architect who has been working at ICON Architecture for 40 years, and has been president for the past 15. ICON is a woman-owned business located in downtown Boston, and they specialize in multi-family housing and municipal projects. Nancy was originally brought on to do architecture, and was involved in the New York Urban Cultural Parks Plan, as well as historic resource plannin...

In this episode of the Design Development podcast, host Rens Hayes interviews Eric Crews, Founder & CEO of Crews & co., who has built two businesses around painting and is now running his own business consulting firm. Eric shares his trade and service background, revealing how his family has been entrepreneurs for generations. The conversation revolves around the concept of entrepreneurshi...

In this episode of the Design Development podcast, host Rens Hayes sits down with Adam Dunn, a managing director at Berkadia in their Boston office, to discuss the ins and outs of raising equity for real estate development projects. Adam Dunn, who has been in the investment sales business for the last 15 years, shares his personal story and explains the role of his team in helping developers ident...

In this episode, we bring you an exciting conversation with Dartagnan Brown, the founder of a Boston-based architecture firm, to discuss the importance of collaboration and teamwork in business. Dartagnan shares about his background and how his upbringing and experiences have influenced his work as an architect. He also talks about the success of his company, EMBARC, and the importance of deliveri...

In this episode, we sit down with Dena Prestos, the brilliant architect and civil engineer who is leading the charge against sea-level rise and its devastating impact on our coasts. Dena shares her journey from the untouched wilderness of Alaska to the bustling New York Harbor, where she is working tirelessly to adapt our infrastructure to the changing natural environment. With sophisticated monit...

In this episode, we welcome Greg Hart, the President of PSMJ Resources, a company that offers a wide range of services to the architecture and engineering industries. From educational services and events to consulting and mergers and acquisitions, PSMJ has become a well-known name in the business world. Greg discusses the importance of paying bills upfront in the architecture and engineering indus...

With over 25 years in the construction industry, Roger has extensive experience on both the construction and development sides of the real estate business. Prior to starting FC Modular within Forest City Ratner Companies, Roger spent 12 years at Forest City Ratner Companies as SVP of Mixed Use and Residential Development, entitling and planning over 1,000 residential apartment units integrated int...

 Steve Dell’Orto is the founder and CEO of ConCntric, a preconstruction platform that is transforming the fractured preconstruction environment by unifying data, people and processes. ConCntric acts as a single source of truth for all preconstruction stakeholders by providing a dynamic view of the project that ensures a certainty of outcome. As a 26-year construction industry veteran who has lived...

In this week's episode of our podcast, Rens sits down with Peter Bartash, the founder of Port One Companies, a dynamic multidisciplinary firm. Peter shares how he discovered his passion for problem-solving through his background in architecture and how it has helped him in his current role. Rens and Peter discuss how taking on big challenges can lead to greater opportunities and the importanc...

In this episode, we sit down with John Wheaton, a successful entrepreneur and, podcaster, and author, to explore his insights on leadership, entrepreneurship, and building a solid company culture. John shares his perspectives on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and provides practical advice for creating a positive work environment and mentoring other business leaders. He also offers s...

In this electrifying episode of the podcast, the host welcomes Patrick Haydon, the founder, and owner of Haycon, a premier construction and design/build firm based in Boston. With a passion for sustainable building techniques and a wealth of knowledge about the industry, Patrick is sure to provide listeners with an insightful and engaging discussion about his background and career. The conversatio...

Ricky Beliveau is a highly successful entrepreneur and real estate expert based in Massachusetts. He is the owner of several real estate businesses and has made a name for himself in the industry with his innovative ideas and passion for building real estate assets. Ricky is the founder of Volnay Capital, a venture capitalist company that invests in rental properties and condo projects with a focu...

Anthony Fasano is the founder of the Engineering Management Institute. Like many engineers, he aimed to become a high-level executive in my engineering organization.  When observing the leaders in my company, it is evident that they possessed skills in addition to their technical skills, namely excellent people management or ‘soft’ skills.  So, he set out to develop my ‘soft skills,’ a move that n...

Marc Savatsky is a Boston-based developer, broker and licensed contractor Marc Savatsky knows real estate. Marc specializes in identifying and assessing development sites, financial modeling, zoning analysis, project permitting plus construction cost estimating and project management. He has a BS in construction management from Purdue University and is currently completing coursework in Boston Uni...

Benji Moll is the CEO and founder of Arts Urban. They've entered Boston real estate and carved out their unique market corner. The episode highlights creative capital stacks and debt financing and the relationships it takes to really find a way to create affordable housing, help people, and invest in long-term real estate assets. Benjie founded Arx Urban in 2014 and is responsible for the c,...

In today's episode, we will be discussing mass timber and introducing our guest, Ricky McClain, an expert in the field from WoodWorks. We will also explore the most suitable applications for mass timber and learn more about Ricky's background. Ricky is WoodWorks’ in-house expert on tall mass timber buildings, providing analysis and guidance on architectural, fire and life safety, and str...

Lisa Nickerson is the CEO & Founder of Nickerson, an international, award-winning, full-service branding, marketing, PR, and communications agency with offices in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. Lisa also serves as the CMO and CRO of Infinityy, an online platform transforming real estate decision-making into a collaborative online experience. Lisa was recognized as a 2022 GlobeSt Rea...

Our guest today is Nick Schiffer, the owner and founder of NS Builders. Nick is a seasoned construction professional with over a decade of experience in the industry. He has a passion for creating high-quality, functional spaces for his clients, and takes great pride in his work. In addition to running NS Builders, Nick is also an active member of his community, volunteering his time and resources...

Expanding ARCO National New England from two employees in 2018 to 22 in 2022 while growing the business from $10 million in revenue to $300 million in revenue – and having a ton of fun while doing it. George Green wanted to be an engineer from a young age, and I grew up around heavy equipment since my dad managed a gas company’s equipment fleet, so working for a design-build construction firm was...