Mass Construction Show

In this episode we speak with Jesse Conklin  of BOND Brothers who has a background in the utility space and in particular the building and planning of Co-Gen plants for college campuses. This episode is going to be a bit more educational in nature discussing what Co-Generation (sometimes called CHP Combined Heat and Power) is?  As well as, the benefits such as resiliency, cost savings and environmental impact.  Before you listen I’m going to express in my primitive way what is Co-generation and how I’d describe it is; the burning of fuel to spin a turbine to create electricity and then capturing the heat from burning the gas to produce steam or hot water to heat and/or cool a building. Beyond that there’s a number of other ways that more of the energy is extracted from the process, but that exceeds my pay grade and is why a guy like Jesse is on the show. The is Part 1 where we cover the basics and come back for Part 2 when we go broader and discuss bigger subjects like environmental impact (renewables), uses for/ setting up district energy plants, breaking down a use case for viability of a Co-Gen Plant.  Enjoy the show!

This is Part 2 of our sit down with Kelsey, In Part I of this interview she described what the Smart Lab is and talked about the various forms of technology that Suffolk is implementing on their projects. In this episode we move deeper into the tech and the process Suffolk uses to adopt, implement and potentially standardize technology on their projects. We also talk about AI, standardization of data, and Suffolk’s use of Virtual Reality. Enjoy the show!

In Part I of this interview Kelsey describes what the Smart Lab is and talks about the various forms of technology that Suffolk is implementing on their projects. She also discusses field or project generated discovery of technology versus Smart Lab generated technology and how that plays out in the adoption of new tech. If you go to @Mass.Construction on Instagram or Joseph Kelly on Linkedin I’ve posted photos from the lab so you can see some of the tech we are referring to. It’s quite impressive what Suffolk is doing, not only adopting new tech and methods of innovation but having data analyst in house is taking things to the next level. If you want a glimpse into how are future looks, listen up.  Enjoy the show!

In this episode Mike speaks about having “Large company sophistication, with small company love” and how that plays out in his firm. During our conversation it becomes clear that Dellbrook JKS focuses heavily on investing in their people’s; education, health and growth opportunities. Mike uses the words grit, accountability and integrity but more often uses the words fun, family and love. Words you don’t hear that often from CEO’s which makes a lot of sense when you hear how much his employees enjoy working for him. Investing in people seems to be working out well for the team at Dellbrook JKS, going over the $400M mark this year means we should probably pay attention to what Mike has to say.  Enjoy the Show!

This episode should be an education for construction professionals as to how attorneys interface with your companies. We cover the basic roles they play, drafting good contracts, and what avenues are available when something goes wrong. Paul has a wealth of expertise in representing owners, GCs, and subcontractors, so his unique perspective is pretty thorough. Furthermore, being an accomplished litigator means he can cover the entire process. Enjoy the show!

In today’s episode we speak with Fran Colantonio who falls into the unique camp of being a true GC that never drifting during the CM age. Because of that, it’s interesting to hear his perspective on self performing, risk mitigation as an entrepreneur, and the type of work Colantonio Inc. does. We also dive into whether college is the right choice for so many students, and how we can encourage people to look differently at our profession. We throw around terms like; critical thinking, helicopter parents, occupy wall street, homeschooling and the establishment. So it’s safe to say we just weren’t talking construction. Enjoy the show! Intro and outro music by Sound Revolution

In this episode we cover a lot of ground with Mike. Including building a business, company culture, effective use of social media and a lot of time on digging deep on lean principals, pre-fabrication and limiting waste. Now we’ve finally let a subcontractor on the show and nobody better than to start with than Mike Weber. Enjoy the show!

In this episode our discussion covers pre-construction quite extensively, and how the role blending pre-con and operations came about. Josh also brings up the lost position of a field engineer, staffing hurdles, and then we have some plain old construction talk about really cool projects with thing like specialty aggregate concrete and slinging steel over operating rooms. Enjoy the show! Walsh Brothers

In this episode we finish our conversation with Peggi and Alex covering cost, structural elements acting as finish materials, concrete and wood composite floors, and the experience contractors had with new products.  Here's a link to the time lapse video Alex mentioned and view @mass.construction on instagram to see the photos referenced.  Enjoy the show!

In this episode we chat with Senior Lecturer Alex Schreyer and Associate Professor Peggi Clouston who are both tremendously accomplished in their fields. Please click the links to read their full bios, but I will say that between the two of them there is a tremendous amount of study, research, practice, and publications on various topics within timber construction. They bring an expertise in Mass Timber that is unparalleled in our area.  Alex was kind enough to offer me a tour of the Olver Design Building which is a first of it’s kind Mass Timber academic building that consists of an exposed glulam frame, CLT shafts and CLT and Concrete composite floors. We talk quite a bit about the building itself, the construction process, cost , and Mass Timber in general.  If you want an education on the newest trend in construction it’s your lucky day.  Enjoy the show.