The Builder Nuggets Podcast

Every job candidate has a set of hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills can be trained, but soft skills are natural inclinations that are difficult to teach. This episode explores how the soft skills that veterans have cultivated in their service career translate well to working in the construction industry. Our guests are from a familiar company, 84 Lumber, and today Joe Jena and Jason Hinsken join us to share how 84 Lumber has thrived by recruiting veterans and retaining them through offering a true career path where they can rise through the ranks.

Show highlights include:

• 00:30 Introduction to 84 Lumber and Guests

• 02:30 Personal Journeys: From Military to 84 Lumber

• 05:30 The Culture of 84 Lumber: A Family Atmosphere

• 07:25 Recruitment Strategies: Attracting the Right Talent

• 09:20 Identifying the Right Candidates: Traits and Skills

• 14:50 The Value of Hiring Veterans

• 17:20 Differences Between Military and Civilian Work Environments

• 20:30 Advice for Small Builders: Attracting Veterans

• 24:40 Opportunities for Veterans in Construction

• 29:45 Looking Ahead: Future Growth and Personal Aspirations

You can learn more about Joe and Jason at https://www.84lumber.com/.

Social media:

Instagram

Joe’s LinkedIn

Jason’s LinkedIn

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

HVAC design and indoor environmental quality is an often overlooked part of home design and construction. Code continues to sluggishly push forward, but doesn’t reach a high standard for comfort and efficiency in most home builds. Today’s guest is the founder and lead engineer of TE2 Engineering and he works diligently to educate others about how to design beyond code. Ross Trethewey joins us to discuss the key elements of HVAC design, the benefit of heat pumps, and what new technologies are going to drastically change the industry in the near future.

Show highlights include:

• 03;55 Introduction and Background

• 06:35 Building Science and HVAC Design

• 8:30 Indoor Environmental Quality and Comfort

• 11:00 What drives code? Efficiency vs Comfort

• 21:00 The Benefits and Future of Heat Pumps

• 30:00 Emerging Technologies in HVAC Design

• 32:50 Geothermal Systems and Solar Integration

• 34:45 What’s coming up next and how to connect

You can learn more about Ross at https://te2engineering.com/.

Social media:

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

Today’s guest shares his journey from the family chocolate business to becoming a sought-after builder in Rhode Island. Jeff Sweenor, founder of Sweenor Builders, delves into the evolution of his business, the importance of intentional client selection, and the transformation of his company culture. This has led to attracting and retaining talented individuals and an incredible opportunity to be involved with This Old House. Through over 30 years of challenges and obstacles, Jeff has learned most lessons that any successful builder has to learn. Listen in and you can learn them too.

Show highlights include:

• 03:10 The Journey of Sweenor Builders

• 08:40 Intentional Client Selection: The Key to Building Success

• 12:35 Determining your ideal client

• 15:45 Where does the budget come from?

• 19:15 How to choose your projects?

• 20:55 Ways the business has changed

• 23:00 The Role of a Chief Performance Officer

• 26:00 The Negative Impact of Being Too Nice

• 32:45 Elevating the Workforce for Talent Attraction

• 38:00 This Old House

• 43:30 The best advice - use social media 

• 46:35 What’s coming up next and how to connect

You can learn more about Jeff at https://sweenorbuilders.com.

Social media:

Instagram

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

Human-centric, sustainable, green, high-performance and fully-supportive are the buzzwords of the last few years in custom home design. Today’s guest has been incorporating these elements into her home designs for decades - before there were labels to define the trend. Jenny Pippin, founder of Pippin Home Designs, shares what it means to incorporate the specific needs of clients with the natural harmony of location and space. The popularity of bringing the outdoors in and maximizing efficiency in new homes is only growing in demand. Listen in as we hash out the building science behind the trend.

Show highlights include:

• 02:05 Introduction to Jenny Pippin and Pippin Home Designs

• 06:00 Early days of full supportive homes

• 07:10 Creating Fully Supportive Homes: A Human-Centric Design Approach

• 11:30 How do clients figure out their priorities in how a home supports them?

• 14:00 How important is the lot?

• 14:53 Ideal clients and finding each other

• 16:50 What surprises people about a Supportive Home?

• 18:40 The standard must be met

• 20:00 Building Science in homes and the trends

• 24:00 Examples of client experiences

• 29:55 Navigating Rising Construction Costs and Budgeting Challenges with great design

• 35:25 The Importance of Team Collaboration in Home Design

• 40:00 What excites you about the next year 45:35 How to connect

You can learn more about Jenny at https://www.pippinhomedesigns.com/.

Social media:

LinkedIn 

Facebook

Instagram

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

We’ve invited back a special guest to give our annual economic update on the housing industry. Danushka Nanayakkara, Assistant Vice President for Forecasting and Analysis at the NAHB, joins the podcast again to share the annual outlook. Listen in to learn the trends for the next 18 months, where the industry is struggling most, and the direction the interest rates are headed next.

Show highlights include:

• 02:45 Introduction and Background

• 4:40 What was surprising economically this year?

• 07:55 Interest Rates and Inflation Outlook

• 14:35  Affordability Challenges and the Need for More Affordable Housing Units

• 24:55 Creative housing solutions and zoning

• 32:00 Economic trends for the next 18 months

• 38:40 Getting young buyers into the market

• 41:15 What does the industry look like 5 years down the road?

• 44:00 What excites you about the next year

• 45:35 How to connect

You can learn more about Danushka at https://eyeonhousing.org/.

Social media:

LinkedIn 

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

These two childhood friends took a leap of faith and started their own custom home building business over two decades ago and never looked back. Weathering the turbulent Great Recession in ‘08 and, now, Covid, these two home builders have joined us to share the hard lessons they’ve learned and the tools they’ve used to build success. Chris Ehrenfeld and Jason Dell cover the trends that are taking their market by storm, and how they keep their customers happy.

Show highlights include:

• 02:30 Childhood Friends Turned Business Partners

• 07:35 Bold Construction the journey

• 09:01 Navigating the Great Recession and Pivoting

• 11:15 Implementing Systems and Processes with EOS

• 18:30 The behavior of buying habits and what clients what

• 22:15 The Impact of Remote Work and Commuting

• 25:37 The Importance of Customization and Design

• 30:20 Navigating the Overwhelming Choices in Home Building

• 34:40 Current trends in homes

• 39:45 What excites you about the next year

• 44:50 How to connect

You can learn more about Jason and Chris at https://buildboldnc.com/.

Social media:

LinkedIn 

Facebook

Instagram

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

2024’s SORCI Report is an incredibly useful source of data that our guest today helped design at The Association of Professional Builders. Russ Stephens joins us for another year to go over the annual report and share the new industry trends he’s seeing, along with the biggest challenges facing builders and remodelers this year. This is an episode you can’t afford to miss. 

Show highlights include:

• 01:15 Introduction of the Guest

• 02:32 Importance of Participating in the SORCI Survey

• 05:45 Highlights from the 2024 SORCI Report

• 07:30 Marketing Challenges for Builders

• 13:00 Content Creation and Marketing Strategy

• 19:55 Importance of Accurate Financial Reporting

• 22:25 Trends in Talent Acquisition and Employee Retention

• 25:55 Trends in the Residential Construction Industry

• 35:55 Accessing the SORCI Report

• 36:45 Exciting Developments in the Industry and Personal Life

You can learn more about Russ at https://associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/.

You can download this year’s SORCI report here.

Social media:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-association-of-professional-builders/

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx3f5Njk_SkTIh7zEbg7qcA

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/apbbuilders/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/apbbuilders

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/associationofprofessionalbuilders/

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

Doors and windows complete every home, and today’s guest knows first hand how competitive the market is for selling these products. Alan Lockuff, Business Development Manager with Andersen Windows and Doors, shares the benefits of a good company culture, building a strong team, and investing in business development. Even large companies had to build a strong foundation in order to thrive.

Show highlights include:

• 04:00 Alan’s Background

• 06:55 Andersen Windows and Doors: Changes and Focus

• 10:15 Identifying Ideal Customers

• 11:35 Providing Value Beyond Price

• 14:30 Delivering a World-Class Customer Experience

• 18:20 Building a Strong Team

• 25:00 The Importance of Involvement in Associations

• 31:00 Moving for Your Job

• 35:35 Outlook for 2024 and Beyond

• 37:35 Excitement for the Year Ahead

• 40:22 How to connect and what’s coming up next?

You can learn more about Alan at alan.lockuff@andersencorp.com or at ttps://www.andersenwindows.com/.

Social media:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@andersenwindows

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lockcuff.alan

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

Distribution partners are integral to the custom home building and remodeling industry, and today’s guest is no exception. Scott Thomas, Director of Sales at Parksite, originally started in the industry as a Tyvek specialist before working his way up. Today he joins us to share his thoughts on the value of distribution partners, the newest industry products, and the importance of building strong relationships.

Show highlights include:

• 00:00 Introduction and Background

• 02:34 Scott's Journey in the Building Industry

• 03:24 Transition to Consulting and Salesforce

• 05:00 Starting and Selling a Consulting Company

• 06:00 Entrepreneurial Roots and Education

• 09:20 Return to Parkside and Reasons for Coming Back

• 11:02 Overview of Parkside and Scott's Role

• 12:45 Value Provided by Distributors

• 21:20 Trends and New Products in the Industry

• 23:43 Focus on Sustainability and Green Products

• 26:40 Impact of the Pandemic on Distribution

• 29:52 Importance of Face-to-Face Relationships

• 32:40 Building Loyalty and Allegiance

• 34:48 Creating a Strong Team and Delivering a Great Experience

• 36:18 Future Plans and Excitement

• 39:50 How to connect and what’s coming up next?

You can learn more about Scott at https://www.parksite.com/.

Social media:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/scottthomas08/

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.