Precon Geeks

Can you relate to these stories? In this special episode of Precon Geeks, Beck Technology Content Team intern, Iman had a few questions of some of our employees who are “recovering estimators,” as Lauren likes to put it. We discovered precon is so much more than counting things, amiright? You guys have to be insanely detailed, know how to talk to so many different types of people, you provide a cu...

On this special episode of Precon Geeks, in celebration of Construction Inclusion Week, John hosts the Founder and CEO of Tough Leaf, Wissam Akra. Like Beck Technology, Tough Leaf serves the preconstruction community by connecting construction companies with diverse, local, and small firms. Tough Leaf also relies on huge databases for their innovative software. This episode of Precon Geeks is a ca...

“If in doubt, leave it out,” isn’t what will grow your career path in precon. On today’s episode of Precon Geeks, John hosts Aman Singh, Director or Preconstruction at Barry-Wehmiller Design Group to discuss the shifting mindset of what precon professionals and estimators can and need to be. For the best project outcomes and to mitigate risk, Aman says you need to think about how to build it, coll...

How can we use data to provide unique solutions? The small margins in construction make it difficult to invest in adding value to the construction process; however, to win more work, you need to differentiate yourself from the others. The construction industry is slow to evolve but there are efficient and innovative ways to build better. Aaron and John talk about the challenges in construction and...

“The preconstruction team is where the dreams of a project start to meet reality.” Mike Boren, Chief Product Officer at Beck Technology joins John on today’s episode to talk about typical precon problems and how the construction industry can overcome there. Mike is a tech guru who comes from a construction background and is extremely passionate about helping elevate precon teams. Precon teams can...

Does your company have goals? We’re betting they do. Is your current process going to help you reach those goals? What about exceeding those goals? John hosts Jonathan Wade, a Beck Tech account executive to talk about how technology helps precon departments add value to the overall business goals and how you can begin your estimating software evaluation.

What can we do to make the precon process better? How can we eliminate risk, train younger estimators, and create a better product with less effort? Are precon teams able to do all of this? John hosts Scott Higgins, Senior Vice President Preconstruction Services at Pepper Construction to talk about the innovative technology that precon teams are using to improve productivity, add value to owners,...

This week, the Precon Geeks are on a short break, so we are replaying an earlier episode about value engineering and bringing back the art of estimating. Value engineering is about how estimators can add value to owners and not just chopping things from the project to keep costs down. In this episode, John speaks the hard truth about how precon teams have traditionally isolated owners and how you...

On this episode of Precon Geeks, we shake things up some! John Reich hosts Patrick Tansey, Vice President of Construction at Schwob Energy Services. Schwob focuses on oil and gas construction and have some new, innovative technology they are building that is producing a neutral source of energy, eliminating methane and CO2 emissions at landfills. They are also working on fuel cell technology. Thes...

With over 200 preconstruction managers across 10 offices, Douglas Lee, Preconstruction Operations Manager at Brasfield & Gorrie stays busy! In a nutshell, Douglas manages leveraging Brasfield & Gorrie’s best practices and elevating their level of consistency. In this conversation, him and John talk about how Douglas navigates the challenges with aligning multiple offices and the innovative...

John hosts Greg O’Bryan, Senior Preconstruction Analytics Manager at The Beck Group. Greg manages all of The Beck Group’s construction historical cost and estimating data. He helps support the preconstruction team’s efforts in analyzing that data and using it to make the best project decisions. Greg talks about the roadblocks and the lessons learned on starting a process of capturing and utilizing...

“Sometimes it just takes being kind to get that relationship started.” We love this advice from Matt Hammer, Chief Estimator at Haselden. On this episode, John and Matt talk about how Haselden has successfully built a list of about 500 trusted specialty contractors. As Matt says, you have to focus on relationships. Haselden hosts a meet and greet every Friday morning with their subs, they reach ou...

Today we’re talking about the use of artificial intelligence in preconstruction. How are tech companies adopting AI? How can precon use AI to their advantage? What is the future of the use of AI in preconstruction? We answer these questions, plus discuss how precon teams can overcome the challenges of adopting AI. (Spoiler alert: You know when those secret scenes roll at the end of the credits of...

Garrett Join(s) John on this episode of Precon Geeks to talk about how best to tell the precon story of how a project got from point A to point B.  To learn more about DESTINI Estimator’s integration with Join, click here: DESTINI Estimator Integration with Join (beck-technology.com)

John hosts Jeff Ratcliff, Construction Manager at Edifice. The two met working together in preconstruction at The Beck Group and now that both have new positions at new companies, the two catch up about their time working on healthcare projects, dealing with the nuances of estimating, effective ways to lead different teams, conceptual estimating, and how golf is like precon.

Today, John and Suzanne talk about the best thing you and your team can do when you lose a bid. Don’t worry, no one sings “Let it go” in this episode. (But we bet you have it stuck in your head now. You're welcome.)

Hey there, podcast pals! 🎙️  On today’s episode, our host John is joined by none other than  Chris Reeder , the  Preconstruction Technology Manager  at  Brasfield & Gorrie . 🚀 Now, let me tell you, Chris is a  precon wizard —he’s got the whole tech game on lockdown! As the go-to guru for all things tech in his precon team, he’s like the  Captain Marvel of construction software . 💪 What’s his...

This is one of our funnest episodes! Recorded on the day of the total apocalypse, whoops, we mean eclipse, John hosts Ted Solomon and the two talk about the eclipse, the New Jersey earthquake and the worst preconstruction mistakes the two experienced during their careers as estimators. Listen in to hear some precon disasters and feel Ted and John’s pain. What is the worst precon disaster you’ve ex...

Even if you aren’t using the latest and greatest software or other innovative construction tech, without data and technology, you wouldn’t be able to do your job. Okay, you might be able to technically do it, but it wouldn’t be done right at all. On this episode of Precon Geeks, John hosts Ale Macias, a Preconstruction Specialist at Ryan Companies. Ale holds a unique position in the preconstructio...

We’re in a risky business and anything that can help us mitigate that risk is worth evaluating. On this episode of Precon Geeks, John hosts ProNovos founder, CEO, and Chief Data Scientist Bruce Orr. ProNovos, like DESTINI Estimator construction estimating software, is a data-driven construction software. ProNovos helps teams standardize their workflows and identify and stop financial risks in proj...

Preconstruction and estimating is such a challenging and rewarding career but what’s the best path to get there and how do you transition out? Every estimator’s story is different depending on how they got into precon. For some, construction is in their blood, others just fell into precon. John hosts our own Andrew Holt to talk about what’s the best way to move into estimating, what skill sets do...

John hosts Ted Solomon, Beck Technology Implementation Specialist on this mind-blowing episode of Precon Geeks. Ted is very passionate about innovative technology, specifically virtual reality and augmented reality. He recently demo’ed the Apple Vision Pro. With his previous experience with other VR devices, he sees how VR technology can revolutionize the construction industry. Listen in to learn...

John hosts Robbie Gronbach, Vice President of Preconstruction at Willis Smith based in Sarasota, Florida. John asks Robbie about what he’s seeing in the industry today in Florida, what he predicts for 2024, and the two reminisce about how precon used to be versus what it’s like now. Listen in and see if you can relate.

On this special episode of Precon Geeks, John hosts Brett Backus, COO and Cam Delahoussaye, Chief Estimator at Eleven Western Builders, Inc. The three trade stories about how to be successful at building and maintaining relationships with subs.

John hosts Taimoor Khan, Vice President of Preconstruction at Satterfield & Pontikes and adjunct professor at the University of Houston. Taimoor has a passion for innovation and is an advocate of exploring construction technologies and growing the next generation of preconstruction professionals. He is an experience leader and has developed successful tactics on how to grow and retain younger...