The Build Up

The AI boom is here. It's making major waves in every industry, including construction. At least, that's what Himanshu Bari, Co-Founder of InstinctIQ, believes. His AI-driven start-up tackled some of the most inefficient parts of a PM/CM firm and is on its way to building a full automation platform. He explains why the leaps in AI-backed tech has allowed for products that weren't possible 4 years...

On this episode of The Build Up we sit down with Chowdary Gondy, Co-Founder of CES. As a former VDOT and CalTrans alum, he's spent his career learning the ins and outs of infrastructure and project controls. He's here to walk us through the state of infrastructure in America from an AEC business perspective and share all his insights on everything from federal funding and PPPs to the looming needs...

On this episode of The Build Up we sit down with Whitney Stowell, CEO and Founder of Cribworks. He's an expert in selling to the government, and he guides his clients through navigating the turbulent world of government contracting. He's here to do the same for all of us today. He lays out where the opportunities are, what changes lie ahead, and how government contractors big and small can come ou...

here is a critical lack of affordable housing options in the US. Dr. Andrew McCoy and his team of researchers at the Virginia Center for Housing Research are trying to tackle that problem with an unexpected Solution: Giant robots. More specifically, 3D concrete printers. He'll be the first to tell you, it's still early days, it still costs more to build a house this way. But they've produced 4 hou...

Building quality relationships is often the key to success. That's true in business and in life. Procon know that' first hand from the many joint ventures we've embarked upon, including most recently with the Impact Group. That pairing came together because Procon's co-founder was long-time personal friends of Sulaiman Harris, the co-founder of the Impact Group. On this episode of The Build Up the...

The last decade has seen double-digit growth year after year for the AEC industry, all while the GDP has hovered around 2 or 3 percent. But can it last? That's question AEC industry expert Steve Gido is here to answer. On this episode of The Build Up, host Kyu Jung and Steve discuss all the forces at play, how we've seen so much success and so much consolidation, and what might happen now. The fut...

Donald Trump was just sworn in as President of the United States, again. Regardless of what your feelings might be, one thing is clear: major changes are ahead. No one is quite sure what will happen now and speculation is rampant. With so much uncertainty for the implications for the the AEC industry we've brought on Tom Williams who has extensive experience on The Hill, including serving as the D...

This is part two of our conversation with the President and CEO of the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), Andrea Rutledge.  The Build Up host Kyu Jung and Andrea discuss the success of the association, including their rebranding to encompass program management, the most recent national conference which was the biggest to date, and what the future holds. Then they dive into Andr...

In the first half of this two-part conversation, The Build Up host Kyu Jung discusses the state of the construction industry with the President and CEO of the Construction Management Association of America, Andrea S. Rutledge, CAE. They breakdown the successes and challenges the industry has faced for many years including growing attention and value being placed on the profession of construction m...

Welcome to the future of innovation in construction. In this special episode of The Build Up we're in the newly constructed Procon Innovation Center at the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech. This new lab facility will be the home for the next generation of technological advances in construction. And we couldn't be joined by a more fitting guest than the recently retired Professo...

On this episode of The Build Up, host Kyu Jung sits down with his personal mentor Philios Angelides, former President of Alpha Corp to have a heartfelt conversation about mentorship and lessons learned from one of the industry's most accomplished and respected professionals.     Check out the video version of our podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3NDROZM_eLyCm8VL8AgHwZpak...

Early in his career he quit because of the company culture – even though they paid double what he made previously. Years later he was convinced to come back. Now he's CEO of that very company and it has award-winning company culture. So how did he do it? CEO of ATCS, Young Ho Chang talks with The Build Up host, Kyu Jung, on what is means to be a true leader and how to actually turn around a compan...

He had a bold idea for an innovative software company that kept him up at night. So he set out to prove to himself that he *SHOULD NOT* do it. After all, he was a construction expert with zero software development experience. He's the last person that should be doing this, right? Until it worked. That's the story of how ProjectTeams Founder Ty Witmer unexpectedly found himself at the helm of a tec...

Ever wonder what's underneath one of our most iconic national landmarks? Up until recently, it's been essentially a dingy forgotten basement. But that's all about to change. Procon is helping the National Park Service build a brand new museum in Abe's basement. From afar it will look as if nothing has changed, but come 2026, the way the monument's 8 million annual visitors can experience this land...

Atul Apte, CEO of APSI Construction Management, joins us on this episode of The Build Up. While at the 2023 CMAA National Conference in National Harbor Kyu sat down with Atul to talk about his career path, the conference, and how to tackle recruiting and retention.

Anne Edwards-Cotter, President of Cotter Consulting joins us on this episode of The Build Up. While at the 2023 CMAA National Conference in National Harbor Kyu sat down with Anne to talk about why she started her own firm and the freedom she found in doing so. She shares how forging her own path was her answer to finding the flexibility she needed to juggle the career she loved while raising her f...

A lot of companies claim to have a good origin stories, but we gotta say, Procon might have one of the best. This is inaugural episode recorded from the brand new Procon podcast studio in recently completed HQ space in Tysons Corner, VA. We thought it would be fitting to christen our new space and reflect on how far Procon has come by having The Build Up host Kyu Jung sit down with his Co-Founder...

The construction labor shortage is nothing new, but the need to address is only growing more pressing. Steve Daves, President of RW Murray and Board Member for the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech share his thoughts with us on what can be done.   Big thanks to University Club at Virginia Tech for allowing us to use your space.     Check out the video version of our podcast on Y...

We're at the Society of American Military Engineers Small Business Conference in Nashville. In this episode first we hear from conference attendees on the exhibition floor to hear about their experiences. Then we talk with Albert Romano about his takeaways.     Check out the video version of our podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3NDROZM_eLyCm8VL8AgHwZpakYBBlhmZ   GET IN T...

Kyu and the team are at the Construction Management Association of America national conference in San Diego and glad to be back in person for the first time since covid. This is one of our favorite conferences and we were so excited to hear from our friends and colleagues about their experience. We talk with CMAA Board Member Ed Pogreba about the history of the conference and the value being a CMA...

In this episode, we head back to the birthplace of Procon, Virginia Tech. The Procon team is at the Myers-Lawson School of Construction Fall Career Fair. We got to hear from students about what inspired them to go into the construction field and what excites them for their futures. We also sit down with Procon's Head of Recruitment, Akeem Parker to talk about Procon's Recruitment Philosophy.   Che...

Welcome to The Build Up. In our first episode, The Build Up Host and Procon's President & Co-Founder, Kyu Jung, sits down with our very own Director of Technology Steve DeVito. They're talking 360 progress monitoring, a method of capturing construction progress by taking immersive 360 photos. What started as a 10 site pilot project for The General Services Administration of US Federal Governme...

The Build Up is a brand new podcast from Procon Consulting, specializing in construction management and program management services based out of Arlington, VA. On The Build Up we’ll be talking all things construction from cutting-edge technology to getting started in the field, all hosted by our Co-Founder and President Kyu Jung.