Today on the Tim Faller Show, Tim and Greg are joined by David Parraquirre, a presenter at JLC Live this year. They discuss the abundance of skilled craftsmen in the Latino world, particularly in the metro areas where many sub trades comprise diverse cultures. David also provides a recap of the JLC Live Spanish Speaking program.

David Parraguirre is the Owner and founder of Pro Builder Solutions and Mexicancarpenter.com. He is based out of the DMV area roughly 20 minutes from the nation’s Capital and has served his community as a builder for over 20 plus years. David’s work has garnered some notoriety over the years because of his extraordinary attention to detail. You can see some of his remarkable content on social media by simply searching @themexicancarpenter or going to mexicancarpenter.com and learning more about what he does.

David, Tim, and Greg talk more about:

• JLC Live Spanish Speaking program
• Barriers that need to be broken
• And more…

The production professionals that we work with in our Roundtables Peer Group Program for Production Managers are creatively solving problems and finding new ways to manage jobs.

Whether it is motivating their teams, finding new way to drive profit or measuring dollars with a new metric, sometimes we just hear about a cool idea. During our fall meetings, we heard a few new concepts and strategies that we wanted to learn more about.

Therefore, in the spirit of talking with people that are solving challenges, we welcome back a former guest, Chris Peterson, VP of Production at Schloegel Design Remodel in Kansas City, MO to talk more about how he and his team address and handle constraint management.

Chris has been with Schloegel for 24 years and has served in every role on the production side of the business. Three years ago, Chris and his business partner, Charlie Schloegel, purchased the business, which just celebrated 40 years in business!

Tim, Steve and Chris talk more about:

• Background and description of Schloegel Design Remodel (size of team, type of work, etc.)
• What constraint management is and how Schloegel handles it.
• How you spot the constraint and what to do when you know where it is.
• Does the constraint ever really go away?
• Being proactive with constraint management.
• And more…

Change can be very elusive. Podcasts, seminars, books, classes, webinars, virtual classes all give us great ideas for improving processes. But how many actually take root and become what we do as a regular habit or process? 

Maybe we just don’t know how to change, so we substitute other activities.  In a recent training, guest Doug Howard of Remodelers Advantage discussed LEAN with a company and one of the concepts that he outlined may be beneficial to us all.  

Doug is an experienced leader, entrepreneur and business consultant with over 25 years of success in leading organizations, starting new companies and assisting client businesses as they start-up, grow or transition. Doug joined Remodelers Advantage as Director of Consulting Services in 2017, and now specializes in helping remodeling company owners develop strategic plans, streamline processes, improve profitability, and navigate growth.

Tim, Steve and Doug talk more about:

• The principles of LEAN
• The value stream map
• Creating a successful flow of communication
• And more…

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Doug Panozzo joins the show. Doug shares the many facets of incentives and ways he has been successful in motivating his team.

Doug is the production manager at Hogan Design and Construction and joined their team in 2017 after several years managing projects for a technology company.  He brings leadership, communication, organization, and attention to detail to his job and we hear all about it in this episode.

Tim, Steve and Doug talk more about:

• Creating a bonus structure
• What it means to have a winning team
• Setting realistic schedules for success
• The Project Manager Bonus Structure Document (PDF)
• And more…

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Tim and Steve go solo to discuss production system shifts and the changing world of the lead carpenter and project manager. Tim talks about the most significant challenge facing the remodeling industry: increasing sales with the lack of skilled labor. The challenge comes from controlling growth with a limited number of people to handle that growth.  This is causing many companies to reevaluate their project management systems.

Tim and Steve talk more about:

• Lead carpenter systems
• Changes in the remodeling industry
• Hybrid systems
• And more…

On today’s episode of the Tim Faller Show, Jake Carter is a guest to discuss how the construction industry can address the challenges of a shortage of skilled trades workers and a lack of training opportunities. Jake advocates for a collaborative approach within local communities, with support from regional and/or national partners. Many local Home Builders Associations (HBAs) are playing a crucial role by offering scholarship programs to attract young people into the trades. Jake is currently exploring how Habitat can provide hands-on training through its volunteer program, where volunteers can complete most of the labor on construction sites.

Jake Carter started working with Kitsap Habitat 5 months ago. They are based in Bremerton, WA, and serve Kitsap County through our affordable new home construction. Jake has 12 years of experience in a variety of roles in property management, development, and construction, with his core competencies being in project management. Jake came to Kitsap Habitat with a desire to scale their home-building production to better serve our community. Along with his role at Habitat, Jake is passionate about recruiting and educating new tradespeople as he sees a direct correlation between housing affordability and the trade shortage. Jake is on the board of the Kitsap Building Association and co-chair of our Workforce Development Committee.

Jake, Tim, and Greg talk more about:

• Experiences with volunteers
• How Habitat works with trade schools to give the students real-life experience
• And more…

We welcome guest Emma Kraft to the show to discuss the struggles of bridging the gap in a male-dominated field as both a woman and a daughter.  

Emma Kraft is the President of Kraft Custom Construction, Inc., located in Salem, Oregon.  The company was started by Emma’s father, Robert Kraft, in 1982. In 2001, he made a conscious decision to down-size the company and focus on completing fewer, higher revenue-producing projects. Kraft is a design/build company that does remodeling, additions, and historic restoration work. 

Tim, Steve, and Emma talk more about:

• Biases against women in construction
• Some of the challenges exclusive to women
• How others can help bridge this gap
• And more…

We are pleased to welcome Chris Fox today to discuss the process of hiring an estimator in the remodeling industry. Chris Fox is the Sales and Design Manager at Fox Home Innovations located in Manhattan, Kansas.

As the company’s Director of Design and Sales, Chris is heavily involved with the management of all design projects from inception to completion. Additionally, he actively cultivates and manages leads, working tirelessly to find new projects and business for the team.

Tim, Steve and Chris talk more about:

• What can prompt the need for an estimator
• Creating clear expectations
• The benefits of prioritizing estimating
• And more…

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Paul Cardis of ON3, joins the show to discuss the enormous challenge of proper staffing in the remodeling industry and how proper education, teaching, and coaching can expand the pool of qualified employees and help you retain current ones. Paul states that one of the most effective methods of “training” is to combine digital learning with live mentorship.AI technology allows for this by allowing for the creation of customized learning paths for individual employees.

Paul Cardis is the co-founder and acting CEO of ON3 in Madison, WI. Paul came up with the idea for On3 following the sale of his previous company Avid Ratings. His goal was to solve a pervasive problem within the industry – creating a mobile, AI-based source of truth for construction knowledge serving builders, remodelers, and trade contractors.

Paul, Tim, and Steve talk more about…

• Fixing the staffing challenges with training and coaching
• Using a combination of AI with personal mentorship for the most effective training, teaching, and coaching
• How to apply learning science to training and coaching
• And more…

In today’s competitive business world, preconstruction is a crucial process that can make or break a company’s success. Tim and Greg, in their numerous podcasts, have shared valuable insights on how companies can achieve better results by improving their preconstruction process. One of the key factors, they point out, is having in-house designers, which allows for efficient management of the process. However, what if you use subcontracted designers? To address this, Sarah Walker is joining the show today to share her perspective as an outside designer.

Sarah Walker is the owner and principal designer of Nuance Interior Design in Seattle, Washington. She has close to 20 years of experience specializing in luxury and sustainable interior design, holding degrees in interior design, business, and art, as well as certification in construction management. Her full-service design studio is committed to streamlining the process through detailed construction documents, cutting-edge software, and collaboration with trades. Nuance’s showroom features 3,000 square feet of sustainable cabinetry, finishes, fixtures, window treatments, and furniture exclusively available to clients. Sarah’s award-winning, sophisticated interiors have been published locally and nationally. On a personal level, Sarah was born and raised in Dubai and loves to bring a global and holistic point of view to her projects.

Sarah, Tim, and Greg talk more about:

• Why use outside designers
• Design schedules and impact on the contractor
• And more..

Nathan Morris and Sara Hadden, seasoned professionals from CG&S Design Build, have crafted a unique approach to processes that helps management control the way things are done, named the CG&S Way. Tim and Greg delve into the origins of this innovative system and how these experts garnered widespread acceptance.

Sara Hadden is the Design Manager at CG&S Design Build, located in Austin, Texas. Sara and Nathan have both worked for CG&S for 10 years. Sara started as a project architect and was given the opportunity to manage the Design Studio about 5 years ago. Nathan and I were instrumental in bringing The CG&S Way to fruition.

Nathan Morris is the Production Manager at CG&S Design Build in Austin, TX. CG&S is a Residential Design-Build Firm that has been in business for over 65 years and is focused more on renovations than new builds. Nathan has been with the Company for 10 years this year. He started out as a Project manager and moved into the Production Manager role 7 years ago.

Sara, Nathan, Tim, and Greg talk more about:

• Process that created the CG&S Way
• Results from the CG&S Way
• And more…