The Preconstruction Podcast - Commercial Construction.

Wharton Smith Senior Estimator Zackery Batt joined Gareth McGlynn at Advancing Preconstruction 2026 in Phoenix. A carpenter by trade, Zackery went from using no AI at all to running a custom preconstruction AI system built inside Claude Cowork, all in the space of nine months. Discussion Highlights: From Carpenter to AI Builder:  How spotting a LinkedIn post from Turner Construction's head of...

Spencer Thompson, Lead Estimator at Cardinal Civil Contracting, joined Gareth McGlynn at Advancing Preconstruction 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. As a self-performing heavy civil contractor operating across the Carolinas, Cardinal Civil works in some of the most geologically unpredictable terrain in the country. Key Topics Covered: Earthwork Pitfalls: The lack of geotechnical report data as the biggest...

Marc Apicella, Co-founder and CEO of Belidor, joins Gareth McGlynn at Advancing Preconstruction 2026 in Phoenix. A product designer by background with graduate research in recommendation systems at Google DeepMind, Marc is building AI-powered tools to take the friction out of scope generation and bid leveling in preconstruction. Discussion Highlights: Founding Story:  A GC brother in upstate New Y...

Gareth McGlynn sits down with Luigi La Corte, Co-Founder and CEO of Provision, recorded live at Advancing Preconstruction 2026 in Phoenix. Provision is an AI platform built to solve scope gaps in preconstruction, a problem La Corte describes as costing GCs an estimated 0.5–2% of total project cost. Key Topics Covered: Career Path to Provision:  From civil engineering at Arup, to infrastructure fin...

Wyre AI Founder and CEO Sunil Dorairajan sat down with our host, Gareth McGlynn, at Advancing Preconstruction 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. A construction project manager turned entrepreneur, Sunil brings a contractor's perspective to AI-powered preconstruction tools. Key Topics Covered: From Field to Founder:  His ten years in heavy commercial construction, the founding of Pipe in 2017, its acqui...

Gareth McGlynn speaks with Nate Weeks, Director of Estimating at Jewett Construction, a commercial general contractor based in Southern New Hampshire with operations across New England, upstate New York, and into the mid-Atlantic. Jewett has been in operation for over 50 years and remains family-owned into its second generation. Discussion Highlights: Career Progression: From zero estimating backg...

Gareth McGlynn speaks with Nathan Schafer, Estimating Manager at Cornerstone General Contractors, at Advancing Preconstruction 2026 in Phoenix. A self-performing GC based in Alaska, Cornerstone gives Nathan a hands-on perspective on preconstruction that is grounded in real field conditions. Key Topics Covered: Nathan & Cornerstone:  Working across healthcare, hospitality, and federal military...

Recorded live at Advancing Preconstruction 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona, this episode features Steve Dell'Orto, Founder and CEO of Concentric. A construction industry veteran who built the platform from the GC side, Dell'Orto brings the perspective of someone who has lived the inefficiencies he is now working to solve. Key Topics Covered: The Excel problem:  Most precon teams still running dis...

Kyle Stewart, Senior Manager of Estimating at Exyte, joins our host Gareth McGlynn for a conversation on preconstruction and estimating within the semiconductor and advanced technology space. An applied mathematics graduate with a stint teaching high school calculus before moving into project controls at Jacobs Engineering, Kyle now leads estimates on some of the most technically demanding constru...

We’re back with a new episode of The Preconstruction Podcast and it’s a strong one to kick things off. Gareth McGlynn sits down with Elliot Christiansen, Sr. Vice President of Operations at Cleveland Construction, after a recent move that caught a lot of attention across the industry. With so much noise around AI and new tech, this episode focuses on what’s actually working in practice, from real...

Our host, Gareth McGlynn, sits down with Ted Rusch, Vice President of Preconstruction at Batson-Cook Construction, for a conversation shaped by more than 26 years in the industry. Ted’s path from a decade in project management to leading preconstruction at one of Atlanta’s major healthcare builders gives him a perspective rooted in both field delivery and front-end planning. Discussion Highlights:...

Our host Gareth McGlynn sits down with Samuel Liesmer, Hyperscale Estimator at National Technologies (a Connex Company), to discuss the growing demand for low voltage expertise in hyperscale data center construction. Discussion Highlights: The surge of AI and data center growth driving electrical and low voltage packages. Understanding Division 27 low voltage systems in large-scale builds. The com...

Recorded live at Precon World 2025 in Irvine, Texas, this episode features Nick Papadopoulos, Founder and CEO of Eos Group, as he shares practical takeaways from his session “Demystifying AI: Practical Predictive Analytics for Better Estimates.” Nick unpacks how preconstruction teams can apply AI with structure, governance, and purpose. Discussion Highlights: Governance and structure around AI imp...

Our host, Gareth McGlynn, catches up with Brent Pilgrim, National Director of Preconstruction at The Beck Group, recorded live at Precon World 2025 in Irving, Texas. Brent returns to the podcast after two years to share major progress in his long-term work on integrated estimating workflow — a model-based estimating process he has been refining for over 15 years. Brent has now demonstrated—through...

In this episode, Gareth McGlynn sits down with Ale Macias of Ryan Companies during Precon World 2025 to discuss the growing influence of AI and technology in preconstruction and how teams are adapting to new ways of working. Key Takeaways: AI and Preconstruction Technology: How innovation is shaping today’s estimating and planning workflows. Career Journey: From ballet to construction and becoming...

Recorded live at Precon World 2025 , this week’s episode features Stewart Carroll , Chief Customer Officer at Beck Technology . Host Gareth McGlynn sits down with Stewart to talk about significant developments shaping the company and its vision for the full preconstruction lifecycle. Discussion Highlights: Pamlico Investment: What the recent investment means for Beck Technology’s future direction...

Gareth McGlynn sits down with Daniel Beatty, Founder of Constructive Leadership Solutions, to talk about leadership, management, and growth in construction. With 36 years in heavy civil infrastructure, Daniel brings a wealth of perspective on what it takes to strengthen organizations from the inside out. The critical role of middle management in construction and why it is often overlooked Defining...

Ben Evelsizer, Senior Preconstruction Manager at Poettker Construction, joined Gareth McGlynn for a conversation recorded at Advancing Preconstruction 2025 in San Diego. Ben shares his perspective on several core aspects of preconstruction, from logistics planning to engaging trade partners. Discussion Highlights: Site Logistics in Estimating : How much attention it requires during preconstruction...

Our host, Gareth McGlynn, sat down with Ben Neff, Director of Preconstruction at Motz, during Advancing Preconstruction 2025 in San Diego. Together, they discussed the complexities behind creating world-class sports turf systems. Discussion Highlights : Beginnings in Construction : From studying business at the University of Kentucky to a pivot into construction management and early hands-on field...

Gareth McGlynn catches up with Andrew Zukoski, CEO & Co-Founder of JOIN, at Advancing Preconstruction 2025 in San Diego. Andrew returns to The Preconstruction Podcast to share updates on JOIN’s progress since his last appearance, with discussion around: New features and market momentum Feedback from general contractors Future vision for JOIN His passion project book - his book Not All Builders...

Gareth McGlynn speaks with Matt Boeggeman, Senior Preconstruction Manager at Holder Construction, during Advancing Preconstruction 2025 in San Diego. Discussion Highlights: • Early career experience in HVAC and its value in data center projects • Holder’s role as one of the largest data center builders in the U.S. • Key challenges: inflation, supply chain, electrical demands, land, power, and sche...

Gareth McGlynn sits down with Paul Christen, Preconstruction Director at McCarthy Building Companies in Los Angeles, for a live conversation recorded at Advancing Preconstruction in San Diego. This episode centres on culture and middle management -two areas that play a key role in building strong preconstruction teams. Discussion Highlights: The importance of middle management in selling preconstr...

Bid leveling is handled differently in nearly every company, with plenty of confusion and no clear standard across the industry. After a recent pre-con roundtable webinar on the topic, Gareth McGlynn sat down with Dan Shaw, CEO & Co-Founder at Bridgeline, at Advancing Preconstruction in San Diego to get straight answers on how technology can simplify this essential step. Discussion Highlights:...

Sean Boyer, VP of Preconstruction at Pomerleau, joins Gareth McGlynn for a conversation recorded live at Advancing Preconstruction 2025 in San Diego. As the only GC to present on AI at the conference, Sean brings a unique perspective on how artificial intelligence is actively reshaping the preconstruction process. He shares: What it meant to be the only GC presenting about AI at the event His team...

Gareth McGlynn sits down with Geoff Devlin, EVP – Head of Growth at SUSA International, to discuss how sustainability is becoming a strategic advantage in preconstruction. SUSA International may be new - just three years in - but they’re already making an impact. Specialising in sustainability, they step in during the decommissioning phase of a project to recycle materials and resell them, helping...