The Mobile Workforce Podcast

2021 was a big year for construction. This begs the question: what might 2022 hold? WorkMax's 2021 In Review series aims to answer just that. Featuring our most popular guests, each week we will be reviewing highlights from the year and discussing what could be around the corner in 2022.   Today's episode features Ajoy Krishnamoorthy , the executive vice president of products and CSO at Acumatica...

As 2021 comes to a close it is important to reflect on the past year and look forward to what will be coming in 2022. Our 2021 in review series aims to do just that with our most popular guests. Each week we will be reviewing our past predictions for 2021 and what actually happened this year. In addition, we will dive into how you can have a successful 2022! Our first episode is with Trent Cotney...

Technology is an integral part of growing your construction business. Construction professionals don't always know what technology is needed for their business, or the best practices to install and adopt it.    Fortunately, host Mike Merrill welcomes Mark Oden, the CEO of BIM Designs , a building information modeling (BIM) company, to join him on the Mobile Workforce Podcast. In this episode, Mark...

 Building information modeling (BIM) and visual programming (VPL) are transforming the construction world by giving construction professionals the ability to visualize their projects and provide more insight into the pre-construction process than ever before. Each new development in these technologies helps to eliminate errors in pre-construction and the building process, therefore increasing prod...

The Mobile Workforce Podcast is a year old! To celebrate this momentous occasion, the podcast did something special! Instead of Mike Merrill hosting, he sat in the hot seat and was interviewed on highlights from the podcast over the past year.  In this special episode, Frank Di Lorenzo Jr. , the client relationship manager at Preferred Strategies ,  was our guest host. Frank asked Mike about the t...

It's critical for construction professionals to be able to visualize a completed project in advance. Fortunately, we have tools that can provide detailed and thorough plans and schematics  –– these allow owners, architects and general contractors to see a project as it will be before ground is even broken. But there has always been a limit. Until recently, you could only represent a three-dimensio...

The statement "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" couldn't be more true for the construction industry. Technology has made contractors more productive and effective on the job site than ever before. But that doesn't matter if the plan isn't good enough to keep up and causes confusion and delays. So how can contractors make sure that the schedules and plans they have are actually practical? On...

Drone technology, also known as aerial vehicles, have become a game-changer for the construction industry. Curious about what this technology can do and how it can improve your projects? On today's episode of the Mobile Workforce Podcast, host Mike Merrill chats with Keyona Wells, a freelance drone pilot and VDC specialist at Choate Construction , a technology-forward general contractor based in t...

Apprenticeships have been a staple in construction for thousands of years. To this day, the benefits of mentorship and coaching are apparent, but at the same time, they're becoming more challenging to pull off. Why? People get stuck in the busyness trap and delay, delay, delay. But like all relationships, mentors and coaches require time and commitment to grow and flourish. With the fourth quarter...

The relationship between the health of the construction industry and the economy is undeniable. In fact, many economic reports use construction activity as an indicator of economic health. How can this data help contractors get the most out of their business today?  Host Mike Merrill asks this question and more to today's guest Dr. Anirban Basu , the founder and CEO of Sage Policy Group , a firm t...

The construction industry knows data is a top priority, but there remains confusion around how to collect it, how to store it and what to use it for. Still, it's an intimidating undertaking, which is why many construction business leaders get overwhelmed and put data collection and analysis on the backburner. But, as the saying goes, if the best time to start was yesterday, the next best time is t...

Managing your previous, current and future customers can be overwhelming for any business. Especially in the construction business when there are a million other things that require your attention immediately. Fortunately, there is a type of software out there that can manage and automate the process of staying connected with your customers - a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. Havi...

Have you ever wondered how successful managers and contractors keep their teams and projects on time and under budget? It boils down to collaboration, specifically on job sites and in the technology solutions they use. David Swider is an industry advisor at InEight Inc. , an Arizona-based company that helps construction companies visualize, estimate and manage all aspects of their projects from st...

Construction technology, just like any technology, is at risk for data breaches if not properly protected.  While most of us are comfortable using a safe or filing cabinet to keep physical paperwork safe from prying eyes, digital protection is a foriegn language. Fortunately, simple steps can be taken to avoid having a security breach .  Wayne Newitts is the Marketing Director at Viewpoint - a TRI...

The success of any construction project starts with accurate planning and management. Unfortunately, the margin for error has shrunk down to a point where traditional methods for pricing out and running a job can easily put any project into the red. In part two with Anne Pfleger, she explains how technology has changed to meet these planning and management needs head-on.    Anne Pfleger   is the E...

From live field data to IoT, the entire construction industry is changing with technology. But that's not the only area of construction that is evolving. In fact, there is nowhere changes are more important and impactful than how the industry is changing for women. Anne Pfleger is the President of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), an organization that has been providing fe...

Construction Technology doesn't just track your budget and give you information on the progress of your projects. Technology is now integrated with your equipment giving feedback on utilization, early alerts and warnings. Ajoy Krishnamoorthy joins host Mike Merrill to explain how the Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the job site forever. Ajoy is the Executive Vice President of Products and Chi...

The adoption of construction technology gained momentum over the last year as companies grappled with the pandemic and how to keep their businesses on track. Today, with hybrid teams as "the new normal," construction leaders face another challenge: how to make the most of their newfound technologies while getting the most from their teams, whether in person or remote.   Host Mike Merrill welcomes...

As construction technology continues to develop, the options and customizations available can give a contractor the exact stack of solutions they need to be as effective as possible on the jobsite. But if implemented incorrectly, all of the options can create a confusing jumble that no one on the team can use effectively and ultimately doesn't get used. Fortunately, Eric Tucker joins us on this ep...

Construction leaders are masters of their trade, but at their core, they're also entrepreneurs. Fortunately, as different as industries may be, there are several immutable laws of running a business – and that's something Cody Rich knows all about. A serial entrepreneur, Cody is the founder of the Backcountry Fuel Box and host of the Rich Outdoors Podcast . With two successful companies under his...

As an industry with a reputation for being behind the eight ball on technology adoption, there are a number of trends taking place that many contractors may not be aware of. This is a problem, especially when these technology trends have implications on the future of the construction business. Fortunately, Nathan Wood joins host Mike Merrill to touch on the latest conversations about technology in...

A few months ago, Stuart Binstock , CEO and President of CFMA , joined the Mobile Workforce Podcast to discuss why mental health and construction safety go hand-in-hand. If you missed that episode, listen to it here . In today's episode, Stuart joins host Mike Merrill to dive deeper into how mental health struggles and even suicide impact the construction industry, company culture and employee pro...

Today's construction technology is more sophisticated than ever before, with better offerings to help construction leaders run their businesses smoothly. The downside? Some of the software options inadvertently get ignored or underutilized. But to get the most out of any technology investment, companies need to make sure employees are using all of the available features.  Judy Coker is a consultan...

Construction safety is an issue important to Chad Hymas' heart. Twenty years ago, Chad's life was changed forever when a 2,800 pound bale of hay fell on him, shattering his neck and leaving him a quadriplegic. Devastating as this was, Chad dedicated his life to being an advocate for safety, especially on construction sites.   In today's podcast, Chad joins host Mike Merrill to discuss the right me...

There's no denying construction technology is changing the industry for the better, so it's no surprise companies are increasingly implementing software solutions and digitizing their processes. Curious where you stand in this migration toward digitization and what you need to be at the top of the game? James Benham is more than an expert in construction technology. He's the founder and CEO of JBK...