The SiteVisit

Send us Fan Mail Business runs on people, and people do not leave their real lives at the door. We’re joined by Cayley Van Hemman, Business Manager at Turner Construction in Vancouver, to talk about what work-life integration actually looks like in a high-accountability construction leadership role and why mentorship only works when we bring the whole context, not just the job title. Cayley walks...

Send us Fan Mail Profit can feel weirdly random in construction: one month you’re slammed, the next you’re chasing late payments, and somehow “growth” still doesn’t show up in your personal bank account. We sit down with Dr. Ben Ashikoi, the Profit Doctor, to name the problem and fix the thinking behind it: profititis, when revenue rises but net profit stays flat or slides backward. We dig into a...

Send us Fan Mail Keeping the wrong person “because replacing them is hard” is one of the most expensive decisions a construction company can make. We sit down with leadership coach and operator Ron Cox of RC Development Solutions to talk about what actually works when you’re trying to scale a team, protect culture, and keep projects moving even when the jobsite fights you every day. We connect Ste...

Send us Fan Mail BC can feel like a place where everything is needed and nothing gets built. Housing affordability gets worse, major infrastructure takes forever, and even when demand is obvious, shovels stay out of the ground. I wanted to understand why, so I sat down with Chris Gardner, President of the ICBA, to talk through what he’s seeing from the front lines of British Columbia’s constructio...

Send us Fan Mail Pressure is rising on today’s job sites—and promotions often arrive faster than the tools needed to lead well. We sat down live at BuildX Vancouver with Ian Baird and Tim Gonzalez of Caliber Projects to unpack a practical solution: a cohort-based leadership program built inside the industry, for the industry. From the first foreman promotion to the seasoned superintendent, they sh...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when an island’s growth runs faster than its infrastructure? We sit down with Rory Kumala of the Vancouver Island Construction Association to unpack the real levers behind affordability, from ferry redundancy and the Malahat chokepoint to five-year permit timelines, shifting building codes, and the uneasy math that keeps pro formas on the edge. It’s a candid tour thro...

Send us Fan Mail Recorded live on the floor at BuildX Vancouver, we catch up with original co‑host Christian Hamm to explore how a multifamily builder navigates a market reset while protecting its people and purpose. Christian pulls back the curtain on his role in corporate development at Caliber Projects, why the team shifted from a private‑developer pipeline to non‑market housing with BC Housing...

Send us Fan Mail A chance meeting on the show floor turned into a deep dive on one of the fastest-moving opportunities in clean energy: giving retired EV batteries a second life as commercial storage that slashes peak demand costs and keeps critical operations online. We sit down with Moment Energy to unpack how they test, package, and deploy end-of-life EV packs into safe, high-voltage systems th...

Send us Fan Mail What if the very traits that make construction crews unstoppable are the same ones pushing too many workers to the edge? We sit down with veteran carpenter and superintendent Trevor Botkin to unpack mental health in the trades, from ADHD and school struggles to the pride and purpose found on site—and the hidden costs of powering through. Trevor traces how culture formed: overtime...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered who’s actually safeguarding a multi‑million‑dollar condo tower when the council is made of volunteers? We sit down with strata lawyer Katherine Uppal to unpack how buildings age, costs climb, and decisions get made under the Strata Property Act—often with limited time, thin records, and 200 skeptical neighbors watching. We dig into the governance flashpoints that der...

Send us Fan Mail Money delays break projects long before rebar hits the deck. We sit down with Katie from Fairly Strategies to dig into how BC’s Prompt Payment framework could shift construction’s culture from excuses to accountability—and why it won’t magically rain cash. Drawing on lessons from Ontario, we look at why change orders power half of adjudications, how clearer timelines create levera...

Send us Fan Mail Ever feel like “labor shortage” misses the point? We sit down with John Reid of Faber to map the real bottleneck in construction hiring: connection. From their scrappy days building a trade show booth out of sheet goods to a platform with over 100,000 signups, John shares how faster matching, transparent skills, and clean performance data can move people from downloads to dependab...

Send us Fan Mail We explore how construction can close the gap between field expertise and business execution as AI accelerates change. Chris shares a candid path from project manager to GC to educator, laying out practical steps to protect margins, grow teams, and build resilient firms. • AI as a copilot for estimating, not a replacement • why labor shortages persist in hot markets • field-to-exe...

Send us Fan Mail The view is flawless. The math isn’t. From the BuildX Vancouver floor, we dig into how a supplier can hit a record year while the broader market stumbles—and what that says about the next chapters for construction in British Columbia. Our guest from Midland Appliances pulls back the curtain on the orders behind the headlines: why luxury renovations still move, how long lead times...

Send us Fan Mail The skyline looks the same, but the rules have changed. We sit down with Dan from Reliance Properties to unpack what really moves leases in Vancouver right now—from AAA towers with destination-worthy amenities to character spaces that trade polish for soul and identity. Dan has lived the market from both sides, brokering deals and now operating a deep downtown portfolio, so the ta...

Send us Fan Mail We explore how ADHD shows up on jobsites and in leadership, why admin feels harder than building, and how to design simple systems that create focus without brute force. We share tactics for working memory, notification overload, and consistent growth that fit ADHD brains. • what ADHD looks like across life, not just school • inattentive, hyperactive, and combined types clarified...

Send us Fan Mail Price isn’t the villain—unclear communication is. We sit down with Jeff Borovitz of Sandler to explore how a psychology-led sales process helps construction companies stop chasing bad-fit bids, avoid unpaid change orders, and build trust that holds up once shovels hit dirt. Jeff breaks down the biggest trap he sees on both residential and commercial teams—premature presentation—an...

Send us Fan Mail Construction companies possess an extraordinary yet frequently overlooked opportunity to build substantial wealth—one that extends far beyond simply increasing revenue or improving profit margins.  Paul Atherton, founder of Highspire, reveals the powerful secret that separates thriving construction business owners from those merely keeping pace: leveraging construction expertise i...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Site Visit Podcast , host James Faulkner welcomes Russell Cook of Modular Interiors by Cook’s for a future-forward conversation on how modular construction is reshaping the commercial real estate and construction industries. From raised access floors and demountable wall systems to integrating smart technology and sustainable design, Russell shares deep insi...

Send us Fan Mail The mental health crisis sweeping through construction has reached alarming proportions, with suicide rates among workers soaring to five times the national average. But what's driving this crisis, and why aren't more industry leaders talking about it? Ryan Englin, a 15-year veteran consultant and author of "Hire Better People Faster," brings powerful insights...

Send us Fan Mail Imagine mastering your craft for years, then discovering that running a business requires an entirely different skillset you never learned. That's the reality for thousands of construction business owners who find themselves trapped in what business coach John Neuenberg calls the "E-Myth" - the entrepreneurial myth that technical expertise automatically translates t...

Send us Fan Mail The cement industry is at a crossroads. As global construction demands soar, so do the sector’s carbon emissions—contributing nearly 8% of global CO₂ output. But Markus Kritzler, Chief Revenue Officer at Carbon Upcycling Technologies, believes there’s a way to build a better future—literally. Markus has found purpose in a game-changing innovation: a technology that transforms indu...

Send us Fan Mail What if the key to solving your construction workforce challenges was hidden in plain sight? Tracy Austin, Chief Talent Officer at Elevated Talent Consulting and host of the People Strategy Podcast, reveals that the complaints you hear on job sites contain valuable information about what your team actually needs to succeed. Traci offers a profound shift in perspective that can tra...

Send us Fan Mail In this enlightening conversation, Glyn Lewis, Founder and CEO of Renewal Development, reveals the surprising economics behind home relocation: each rescued home contains 100 tons of raw materials and 23 tons of embodied carbon that would otherwise go to waste. His company operates as a comprehensive service provider—handling demolition contracts for developers, coordinating the c...

Send us Fan Mail Roberto Cervantes, CEO and co-founder of Flowlly, takes us on a fascinating journey into the world of AI agents for construction, revealing the crucial distinction between automation and true artificial intelligence. "Automation is a set of steps that are executed with no leeway to deviate," he explains, while AI brings the flexibility to navigate obstacles and find alte...