Get the kNACk : A National Academy of Construction Podcast

In this episode of the Get the kNACk podcast, host Sue Steele brings together leaders from academia and industry to explore a central theme: "safer does not always mean safer." Joining her are NAC members Jesus M. de la Garza, Professor and Director of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at Clemson University, and Craig Martin, retired CEO and President of Jacobs....

In this episode of the Get the kNACk podcast, host Sue Steele welcomes Stuart Harrison, NAC member and Executive Director of the Charles Pankow Foundation, to discuss some of the Foundation's latest initiatives and its ongoing efforts to drive innovation across the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. The Charles Pankow Foundation has long been a leader in AEC industry resea...

In this episode of Get the kNACk , host Jerry Eyink welcomes Dr. Bill O’Brien, Associate Director for Technology at the Construction Industry Institute and Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Known for his research in construction productivity, advanced work packaging, and supply chain management, Dr. O’Brien disc...

In this episode of the Get the kNACk podcast, host Jerry Eyink welcomes Maggi Walker, recipient of the 2025 NAC Richard L. Tucker Outstanding Service Award, alongside NAC 2025 scholarship recipient Catherine Caputo, a graduate student in Construction Engineering and Management at Virginia Tech. Maggi reflects on her remarkable 36 year career at Dow, where she held numerous leadership roles, includ...

Construction Safety Week 2026, taking place May 4–8, brings the industry together to spotlight the importance of health and safety. In this episode of Get the kNACk , host Sue Steele welcomes Adam Jelen, President and CEO of Gilbane Building and Chair of Safety Week 2026, alongside NAC member and Non-Executive Chairman of Gilbane, Steve Halverson. Steve offers his perspective on leadership’s role,...

In this episode of Get the kNACk , host Jerry Eyink is joined by leading construction attorneys Wendy Veniot, Boston Office Managing Partner at Cozen O’Connor, and Shelly Ewald, Partner at Watt, Tieder, Hoffar & Fitzgerald, LLP. Drawing on extensive experience with complex disputes across the U.S. and internationally, they share practical insights on avoiding unnecessary conflict. They describ...

In this episode of Get the kNACk , host Bill O’Brien welcomes Jamie Gerbrecht to share insights on the Construction Industry Institute’s latest research on safety. Jamie, who recently retired as Executive Director of the Construction Industry Institute, has been a dedicated advocate for safety throughout his career. In this episode, he shares how CII recognized the need to update its best practice...

Host Sue Steele welcomes back Sandy Hamby, President and CEO of MOCA Systems Inc., and introduces Brett Adamczyk, President of MOCA’s Software Division, which provides Touchplan®. Together, they continue the conversation on the growing demands of the data center industry and the role of construction technology in meeting them. In the last episode, the discussion focused on the many factors driving...

The National Academy of Construction’s 2025 Symposia Series, Introducing and Embedding Safety Culture Concepts in Undergraduate Education, brought together faculty, students, and industry professionals to introduce undergraduate students to the concept of safety culture. The goal was to promote safety as a core professional value, equip future professionals to uphold ethical standards, and reinfor...

Construction workers have been considered nearly twice as likely as those in other industries to experience substance-use challenges, with alcohol playing a particularly prominent role. To spotlight alcohol awareness in the construction industry, host Kevin Hilton welcomes back Cal Beyer, Senior Director of SAFE Workplaces for SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic). In this conversati...

In this episode of Get the kNACk , host Sue Steele welcomes Sandy Hamby, President & CEO of MOCA Systems, Inc. and NAC member, along with Brandon Michalski, Chief Economist at MOCA Systems. Together, they explore how the rise of data centers is transforming construction and what this shift means for the industry, and for NAC’s vision of transforming the industry to build a better nation. Sandy...

In this episode, host Jerry Eyink welcomes Paul Giroux, a leading construction historian with decades of experience on mega projects and a professor of engineering practice at the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Purdue University, to discuss the current challenges facing engineering education. Paul explains that engineering programs are facing growing industry complexity and...

Host Kevin Hilton welcomes back Cal Beyer, Senior Director of SAFE Workplaces for SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic), to continue their powerful conversation on mental health and suicide in the construction industry. In this episode, they explore the intersection of substance use, mental health, and suicide to raise awareness of how these issues deeply impact individuals and commu...

In the construction industry, half of all companies don’t make it past five years. In this episode of Get the Knack , host Jerry Eyink welcomes Jeff Ehret, founder and chairman of PENTA Building Group, to discuss starting and sustaining a construction company. Jeff shares his personal experience starting his own company and the lessons he learned along the way that allowed him to turn challenges i...

In recognition of Suicide Prevention Month, host Kevin Hilton welcomes Cal Beyer, Senior Director of SAFE Workplaces for SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic), for an important conversation on mental health and suicide prevention in the construction industry. They discuss the severity of this issue and the urgent need for action to combat this growing epidemic. Cal discusses the init...

Host Sue Steele welcomes back Lucian Niemeyer, CEO of Building Cyber Security and former Assistant Secretary of Defense, for the final episode of a three-part series on cybersecurity in construction. In the previous episodes, Lucian discussed the importance of establishing a cybersecurity standard of care and integrating cyber safety considerations into the design phase. In this final installment,...

Artificial intelligence is transforming the construction industry. In this episode of Get the kNACk, host William O’Brien is joined by Dr. Burcin Kaplanoglu, Vice President of Oracle’s Industry Lab, to explore the evolving role of AI in construction. Burcin shares insights on where AI is delivering value, its current and future applications, and how emerging technologies are reshaping the industry...

Construction Safety Week brings the industry together to promote safety, celebrate its importance, and strengthen safety culture across all jobsites. In this episode of Get the Knack , host Jerry Eyink is joined by Mike Choutka, CEO of Hensel Phelps and 2025 Chair of Construction Safety Week, to recap the week’s impact and share key takeaways. Mike discusses how the focus has expanded beyond compl...

Careers in the skilled trades not only address critical workforce gaps but also provide long-term opportunities for growth, stability, and impact within the construction industry. In this episode of Get the Knack , hosts Sue Steele and Jerry Eyink are joined by Don Pohl, President of Ranken Technical College, for an insightful discussion on the value of technical education. Don shares why a studen...

In this episode, host Bill O’Brien is joined by Keith Molenaar, Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, for a conversation on the evolving landscape of project delivery and risk management in the construction industry. Drawing on decades of experience, Keith reflects on how industry values have shifted and how modern delivery methods are helpin...

In this episode of Get the Knack , host Jerry Eyink is joined by Dr. Sam Ariaratnam, professor and program chair at the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University, and Mackenzie Schmader, a 2024 NAC Scholarship recipient and the 2025 Outstanding Graduate of ASU’s School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment. Together, they share valuable insights on the impact of...

In this episode of Get the kNACk, host Sue Steele is joined by Michael Loose, the 2024 recipient of the Ted C. Kennedy Award, to discuss leadership in construction. Mike was honored with the Ted C. Kennedy Award for outstanding career achievement that has measurably improved the design and construction industry. He is a retired Vice Admiral and former Deputy Chief of Naval Operations in the U.S. N...

Host Sue Steele welcomes back Lucian Niemeyer, CEO of the nonprofit Building Cyber Security, for the second episode of a three-part series on cybersecurity in the built environment. In the first episode, Lucian emphasized the importance of taking a proactive approach to cybersecurity threats. Now, he builds on that foundation by exploring how the engineering industry can reduce risk during the des...

In this episode, host Jerry Eyink welcomes Lillian Borrone to share valuable insights on career choices and lessons learned in the construction industry. Lillian retired from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as Assistant Executive Director and served over 12 years as Director of the Port Commerce Department, overseeing the New York and New Jersey Marine Terminals. She also served as a...

In this episode, host William O’Brien welcomes Doug Omichinski for a discussion on leading change within project organizations in the construction industry. Doug recently retired as a Principal Vice President and Corporate Manager of Construction for Bechtel. He has an extensive background in implementing best practices and technological innovations on projects and within organizations. In additio...