Nov. 5, 2024
Ep 167: A Path for Veterans
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 cul…
Oct. 1, 2024
Ep 166: Indoor Environmental Quality
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 b…
Sept. 3, 2024
Ep 165: Getting Intentional
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 …
Aug. 6, 2024
Ep 164: Paradigm Changers with Jenny Pippin
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 - …
July 2, 2024
Ep 163: NAHB Economic Update 2024
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 ann…
June 4, 2024
Ep 162: The Importance of Home
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…
May 7, 2024
Ep 161: 2024 State of the Industry
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 ne…
April 2, 2024
Ep 160: Customer Lifetime Value
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 benef…
March 5, 2024
Ep 159: It’s a Big Small Industry
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…
Feb. 6, 2024
Ep 158: Your Brand is Your Foundation
Standing out in a crowded industry, especially one that struggles with a poor reputation is an age old problem for business owners in the construction field. Building a brand is the foundation for growing your business into …
Jan. 2, 2024
Ep 157: The Customer Experience
Today’s episode features a familiar voice. To kick off Season 4 we’ve brought back the annual favorite - Steve Barkhouse, owner of Amsted Design|Build. This year we’re treating you to his company’s step by step process for d…
Dec. 26, 2023
Ep 156: Best of 2023
It’s the end of 2023 and today Duane and Dave recap some of the most memorable moments from Season 3. This highlight reel revisits a few of the best nuggets from this year. We hope to hear from our Builder Nuggets community …
Dec. 19, 2023
Ep 155: Be Your Word
Becoming successful doesn’t happen alone. It often takes support and mentorship - two things which can be difficult to find and cultivate. Our guest today is Chris Thomson, Head Coach at Student Works, who helps young entrep…
Dec. 12, 2023
Ep 154: Gravitating Towards the Hard Stuff
It’s a fact that women and minorities are underrepresented in the construction industry. Our guest today has been working to change that and making waves across the country. Today, Nora El-Khouri Spencer, founder and CEO of …
Dec. 5, 2023
Ep 153: The AI Opportunity Zone
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the amount of new technology available daily. AI is taking the world by storm and it’s not always clear how it can be used to help the building sector. Today Jonathan Porter-Whistman with P…
Nov. 28, 2023
Ep 152: A Great Big Huge Partnership
The relationship between a builder and their client is the most important part of a build or renovation project. Cultivating trust and practicing positive communication are invaluable skills in a builder’s arsenal, and are t…
Nov. 21, 2023
Ep 151: The Luxury Experience
For many, the term luxury is a matter of status. Ted Bainbridge with Build Magazine joins us today to discuss not just the meaning of the word luxury, but what he sees trending across the board in the luxury market with both…
Nov. 14, 2023
Ep 150: NAHB Economic Update 2023
It’s that time of year again when we bring you an economic update from the National Association of Home Builders. Danushka Nanayakkara, Assistant Vice President for Forecasting and Analysis at the NAHB, joins us to share the…
Nov. 7, 2023
Ep 149: Moving in a Positive Direction
Planning for retirement is often a low priority among younger business owners. There are even established builders and remodelers that think retirement is a far off reality they don’t have time to prepare for. The truth is t…
Oct. 31, 2023
Ep 148: The Tru$t Factor
The adage of robbing Peter to pay Paul has been a part of the building industry for far too long. It’s eroded the trust of customers and trades who are constantly fearful of their bottom line. Builders and remodelers who man…
Oct. 24, 2023
Ep 147: The Ladder of Opportunity
The business of recruitment has changed dramatically in the last few years. The talent pool has shifted, and inevitably the employers must shift as well. David Fisher, Director of Talent Acquisition at 84 Lumber, joins us to…
Oct. 17, 2023
Ep 146: Housing 2.0
The myriad of problems facing the housing industry can sometimes feel insurmountable. The push towards high performance, the need for affordability, and the continuing rise of inflation and costs for business owners might le…
Oct. 10, 2023
Ep 145: Consistent Joy
**Trigger Warning** This piece briefly discusses suicide and suicidal ideation, and some people might find it disturbing. If you or someone you know is suicidal, please, contact your physician, go to your local ER, or call t…
Oct. 3, 2023
Ep 144: It’s What Makes the House
Taking over for a sick general contractor who was supposed to be building her home led today’s guest to become a general contractor and business owner herself. Meghan Billings talks about her unconventional journey into the …