In the latest episode of the Design-Build Delivers podcast, we sit down with Anna Pridmore, LaDrena Dansby and Barbara Wagner to discuss the impact and future of women in the AEC industry and how design-build is well-situated to support and elevate women. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, from the challenges women face in the industry to the unique skills and perspectives they bring.

Our guests share their experiences and insights, highlighting the importance of soft skills, mentorship and advocating for diversity. They also offer advice for young women and non-binary individuals interested in pursuing careers in construction, emphasizing the value of confidence, taking risks and building a productive and supportive network.

Tune in to learn more about the role of women in shaping the future of the construction industry and how DBIA can better support and encourage diversity of thought.

Stay tuned for more from this episode with Design-Build Delivers Bonus Content, longer conversations with our guests. Coming soon!

Guests, in order of appearance:

LaDrena Dansby, PE, DBIA
PM/CM Program Director
AECOM

Anna Pridmore, Ph.D., PE, DBIA
Vice President – Pipeline & Water Infrastructure Solutions, Strategic Market Development
Structural Technologies

Barbara Wagner, LEED AP, FDBIA
Executive Vice President
Clark Construction Group, LLC

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.

DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.

Discover the latest in design-build legislative developments with special Design-Build Delivers Podcast Bonus Content. In this bonus content, we delve into the recent legislative landscape in Virginia, a topic also touched upon in our March episode, "Fighting for Design-Build Authorization in Your State? DBIA Has Your Back with Resources and Lessons Learned." 

Richard Thomas, DBIA’s Director of State and Local Legislative Affairs, provides insights into Virginia bills that could have significantly impacted design-build practices. He explains how these bills, if passed, would have restricted the use of design-build and codified practices that are not in line with industry standards. Through strategic advocacy efforts, DBIA successfully preserved design-build authority and ensured crucial criteria, such as past performance and experience, remain integral to the process.

March guests Vince Campanella and Mike Meredith also join the minisode, offering their perspective on how to approach similar bills that could threaten design-build authority at the state level. They emphasize the importance of being proactive, understanding the motives behind such bills and leveraging resources such as DBIA's model legislation and state statute report.

Design-Build Delivers Podcast Bonus Content goes beyond regularly scheduled episodes of the Design-Build Delivers Podcast to bring deeper insight, additional guests and thought-provoking debate that didn't make it into the first cut. 

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.

DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.

Over the last few months, we’ve talked a lot about the new Guide for Enactment of Design-build Legislation, Model Legislation and updated 2023 State Statute Report. From blog posts to podcasts, we’ve been celebrating legislative victories across the country –– Virginia, California, Florida and several other states. In this episode of the Design-Build Delivers Podcast, East Coast Region Vice President of Operations for Lydig Construction Vince Campanella and Vanir Construction’s Vice President and Director of Design-Build Program and Services Mike Meredith talk about those advocacy resources once again, this time focusing on their application and conceptualizing them within the industry and legislative arenas broadly.

Stay tuned for more from this episode with Design-Build Delivers Bonus Content, longer conversations with our guests. Coming soon!

Guest(s):

Vince Campanella
Vice President of Preconstruction
Lydig Construction

Mike Meredith, LEED AP, CCM, FDBIA
Vice President and Director of Design-Build Program and Services
Vanir Construction 

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.

DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.

Sometimes, our chats with podcast guests go long, dive into some deep stuff or – every so often – get a little weird. The topics we discuss are also multifaceted and can only go so far in a single episode, so we’re introducing a new way to bring you some of the better content that ends up on the cutting room floor. 

Listen now to the newest Design-Build Delivers Podcast Bonus Content on your favorite podcast app. In February’s episode, A Bridge Too Far?: Contextualizing DBIA’s New Position Statement on Bridging Documents and Prescriptive Requirements, we talked to Shailendra Patel (Virginia Department of Transportation) and Bill Kent (Mortenson) about our newly released position statement on performance based requirements over bridging documents. There was more to the conversation, though. In this Bonus Content, we talked about the controversy about bridging versus performance based requirements, a little on the Spearin doctrine and why DBIA entered the chat.

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.

DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.

Last month, DBIA released Prescriptive Design and the Use of Bridging Documents, a new position statement that aligns with DBIA’s Design-Build Done Right® Best Practices. By encouraging Owners to limit prescriptive requirements and bridging documents in favor of requirements based on performance, the guidance provided in the new position statement allows for the flexibility and innovation design-build is known for. 

But how this works in practice can be a bit confusing. What do we mean by “extensive?” What should Owners do instead? Is there a happy medium? 

We invited Bill Kent, LEED AP, FDBIA, and Shailendra Patel, PE, FDBIA, to the February 2024 episode of the Design-Build Delivers Podcast, brought to you by USCAD, to answer those questions and more. Their insights answered several questions about the new position statement and helped illustrate just where it fits into the greater design-build landscape. 

Guest(s):

Bill Kent, LEED AP, FDBIA
Market Executive
Mortenson

Shailendra Patel, PE, FDBIA
Alternative Project Delivery Division Administrator 
Virginia Department of Transportation 

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.

DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.

Sometimes, our chats with podcast guests go long, dive into some deep stuff or – every so often – get a little weird. The topics we discuss are also multifaceted and can only go so far in a single episode, so we’re introducing a new way to bring you some of the better content that ends up on the cutting room floor. 

In the January episode titled “Tackling State Design-Build Legislation: California’s PDB Bill as a Starting Point,” we spoke with Brandon Dekker (Cannon Design), Chris Sullivan (Sundt Construction), Marianne O’Brien (SmithGroup) and Beau Biller (Platinum Advisors) regarding SB 706 in California. While we've previously covered this 2023 bill's expansion of PDB authority, the podcast episode went further into understanding how their successful efforts in the DBIA-Western Pacific Region could serve as a blueprint for success nationwide. The episode also unveiled the updated State Statute Report and generated anticipation for the upcoming release of DBIA’s Model Legislation.

Regrettably, we couldn't fit all the inside baseball from Dekker and Sullivan's time in the episode. Enter Bonus Content, where this extended interview with Dekker and Sullivan sheds more light on their specific contributions to steering SB 706 across the finish line.

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.

DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.

Sometimes, our chats with podcast guests go long, dive into some deep stuff or – every so often – get a little weird. The topics we discuss are also multifaceted and can only go so far in a single episode, so we’re introducing a new way to bring you some of the better content that ends up on the cutting room floor. 

In the January episode titled “Tackling State Design-Build Legislation: California’s PDB Bill as a Starting Point,” we spoke with Brandon Dekker (Cannon Design), Chris Sullivan (Sundt Construction), Marianne O’Brien (SmithGroup) and Beau Biller (Platinum Advisors) regarding SB 706 in California. While we've previously covered this 2023 bill's expansion of PDB authority, the podcast episode went further into understanding how their successful efforts in the DBIA-Western Pacific Region could serve as a blueprint for success nationwide. The episode also unveiled the updated State Statute Report and generated anticipation for the upcoming release of DBIA’s Model Legislation.

Regrettably, we couldn't fit all of Marianne's great stories into the episode. Enter Bonus Content, where this extended interview with O'Brien gives a little exciting behind-the-scenes look at working with the California State Assembly.

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.

DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.

Sometimes, our chats with podcast guests go long, dive into some deep stuff or – every so often – get a little weird. The topics we discuss are also multifaceted and can only go so far in a single episode, so we’re introducing a new way to bring you some of the better content that ends up on the cutting room floor. 

In the January episode titled “Tackling State Design-Build Legislation: California’s PDB Bill as a Starting Point,” we spoke with Brandon Dekker (Cannon Design), Chris Sullivan (Sundt Construction), Marianne O’Brien (SmithGroup) and Beau Biller (Platinum Advisors) regarding SB 706 in California. While we've previously covered this 2023 bill's expansion of PDB authority, the podcast episode went further into understanding how their successful efforts in the DBIA-Western Pacific Region could serve as a blueprint for success nationwide. The episode also unveiled the updated State Statute Report and generated anticipation for the upcoming release of DBIA’s Model Legislation.

Regrettably, we couldn't fit everything Beau knows into the episode. Enter Bonus Content, where this extended interview with Biller gives you a little more of a look into the life of an advisor who's worked on legislative efforts alongside DBIA for more than 15 years.

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.

DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.

When DBIA was first established 30 years ago, only three states allow the use of design-build for public projects, so advocating for design-build authority became vital to DBIA's mission.

In 2023, more than 78% of design-build related bills at the state level were passed, up from 25% in 2022. Among the 160 design-build related bills introduced in 2023, there were a record number of progressive design-build or PDB bills, including SB 706, in California, which was led by DBIA’s Western Pacific region.

In this episode of the Design-Build Delivers Podcast, brought to you by USCAD, we talked to a few of the people who made that bill happen, expanding PDB authority to all agencies in California. We take what they learned and we discuss ways to scale it and apply those lessons along with DBIA resources like our updated State Statute Report and our upcoming Model Legislation to guide other states to successfully pass bills to advance design-build authority.

Stay tuned for more from this episode with Design-Build Delivers Minisodes, longer conversations with our guests. Coming soon!

Guest(s), in order of appearance:

Brandon Dekker, M.S., DBIA
Principal, San Diego and Irvine Office Practice Leader
Cannon Design

Christopher Sullivan
Preconstruction Project Manager
Sundt Construction

Marianne O'Brien, FAIA, LEED AP, DBIA
Principal, Architect
SmithGroup

Beau Biller
Lobbyist
Platinum Advisors

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.

DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.

Join DBIA's CEO, Lisa Washington, and National Board Chair-Elect, Dana Pomeroy, in a captivating year-end podcast episode. Reflect on 2023's milestones and discover exciting plans for 2024. From celebrating the 30th anniversary with resource releases to exploring fresh ways to connect with MWDBEs, regions, partner organizations, design professionals, young professionals, students and more, this episode encapsulates a year of growth and sets the stage for the next chapter in design-build excellence. Don't miss this insightful conversation marking the close of another year on the Design-Build Delivers Podcast.

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.

DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.

November 2023

In this supersized episode of the Design-Build Delivers podcast, DBIA celebrates the winners from the 2023 Design-Build Conference and Expo. We caught up with Chair’s Award winner Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Project of the Year 1021 O Street State Office building and the winning National Design-Build Student Competition team from the University of Florida. Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award winner Bill Hasbrook and Distinguished Leadership Award winners Linnell Stanhope, Kathy Tuznik and Nick Ulliman reflected on their awards as well. Relive the 2023 Design-Build Conference and Expo through their excitement in our special episode.

Guest(s) (in order of appearance):

Nia Rubin
Director of Real Estate Development, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)

Jeff Wellenstein
Project Manager, Hensel Phelps

University of Florida's Team Cypress Construction

• Christopher Fettes
• Tristan Henderson
• Ava Standridge
• Nassay Jimenez
• Maria Cocco
• Russell C. Walters, William G. and Aneice R. Lassiter Instructional Assistant Professor, M.E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management, University of Florida

Bill Hasbrook, Jr., MEMS, TCFM, FDBIA

Linnell Stanhope
Business Development, Crowder Construction

Nick Ulliman, PE, MBA, DBIA
Senior Project Manager, Ulliman Schutte Construction

Kathy Tuznik, Assoc. DBIA
Senior Deputy General Counsel, NYC Department of Design and Construction

Access all our free design-build resources and learn more about Design-Build Done Right® at dbia.org.

DBIA members are shaping the future, one successful collaboration at a time.