EPISODE 409: Imagine a construction job site where every worker feels heard, and seen, where leadership is not about barking orders but about understanding and empathy. That’s what our guest came in for.

In this week’s special Pause for the Cause episode, I sit down with Matt Ohley, a seasoned general superintendent from Ajax Paving Industries of Florida.

With a solid 27 years of experience in the industry, Matt shares the dramatic changes he has seen in the construction industry over the years. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of mental health, empathy, and leading with vulnerability and how these three key factors can lead to higher productivity and a happier construction workplace.

Curious to know more?

Tune in now!

Key Takeaways:

Introduction (00:00)

Meet Matt Ohley (00:47)

How has the construction industry changed over the years (01:56)

The real value of construction workers (06:08)

Leadership and empathy in construction (11:27)

The importance of mental health and servant leadership (16:52)

Work-life balance and changing priorities (22:26)

Handling workplace conflicts and emotional intelligence (28:05)

The significance of empathy in leadership (38:54)

How to build trust and a supportive work environment (42:00)

Episode wrap-up (46:00)

Additional Resources:

Listen to the show at: https://thecontechcrew.com

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecontechcrew

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Follow Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-ohley-a89769107/

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The ConTech Crew is a construction news podcast dedicated to keeping you up to date with all the latest in construction technology.

Give us a follow so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 408: Have you ever struggled to find good housing while on work travel?

We all did at some point.

With all these mega projects going on around the country, workforce housing is a very serious challenge. But most people don’t realize that bad housing conditions significantly impact traveling workers’ morale, especially those in construction. So, how are we supposed to address this silent crisis?

In this week’s episode, my co-host Nathan Wood and I have the pleasure of interviewing Yeves Perez, a branding expert turned innovative and visionary CEO.

Yeves is the CEO of WorkBnB, a B2B SaaS platform providing workforce rental homes for millions of traveling workers in the U.S.

Today, Yeves shares his journey and how a call from his mother led him to revolutionize short-term vacation rentals to workforce rentals, highlighting the importance of proper branding.

We also talk about the broader impacts of such housing solutions on employee morale and talent recruitment and retention in construction, what makes WorkBnB different from other booking platforms, and much more.

Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways:

Introduction (00:00)

Meet Yeves Perez (01:23)

From vacation rentals to workforce rentals (03:56)

Market shifts and rental business strategies (08:06)

What makes WorkBnB different from other rental platforms (11:13)

Pivoting to mid-term workforce rentals vs. long-term (21:59)

Improving traveling workers’ quality of life and morale (30:03)

Branding vs. marketing in construction (43:13)

Keep up with Yeves Perez and WorkBnB (47:02)

Construction technology news of the week (48:38)

Additional Resources:

Listen to the show at: https://thecontechcrew.com

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecontechcrew

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Follow Yeves on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yeves-perez-workbnbceo/

Visit WorkBnB for more information: https://www.workbnbapp.com/

Watch WorkBnB’s Techstars Demo Day Pitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olek69P8suc

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See this week’s news articles! 🗞️⬇️

➡️ DBIA Data Sourcebook

https://dbia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DBIA-Data-Sourcebook-2023-Update.pdf

➡️ Applying Design for Manufacture & Assembly to Residential Construction

https://blog.framecad.com/blog/applying-design-for-manufacture-assembly-to-residential-construction

➡️ Government Inaction Fueling the Housing Crisis

https://www.kope.ai/blog/government-inaction-fueling-the-housing-crisis

➡️ AECInspire- Free Personal Pro Plan Trial

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7174050117803556864/

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The ConTech Crew is a construction news podcast dedicated to keeping you up to date with all the latest in construction technology.

Give us a follow so you never miss an episode!

EPISODE 407: Are you struggling with inaccurate construction layouts? Well, say hello to precise projections!

In this week’s episode, my co-host Jonathan Marsh and I sit down with William St-Pierre, co-founder and CEO at Mechasys, to discuss his journey from 3D printing to laser projection technology for construction layouts.

Discover how this laser technology from Mechasys facilitates precise, efficient, and collaborative construction processes across multiple surfaces.

Together, we dive into how laser projection works, its manufacturing and assembly processes, why it works better (even for non-BIM users), and much more.

Whether you’re an expert in the field or just starting to explore new technologies, this episode is jam-packed with insights on why laser technology is crucial in construction layouts!

Let’s get started!

Key Takeaways:

Introduction (00:00)

Meet William St-Pierre (01:19)

The process of pivoting business direction (03:23)

Importance of collaboration in product development (07:19)

Laser projection technology explained (10:37)

Why laser projection works better (18:20)

Overview of the manufacturing and assembly process (26:24)

The other things you can do with laser projection (29:10)

What does the future look like for FramR™? (34:39)

How fast can someone learn laser projection (39:53)

Keep up with William (42:29)

Construction technology news of the week (42:50)

Additional Resources:

Listen to the show at: https://thecontechcrew.com

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecontechcrew

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Follow William on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-st-pierre-840316b2/

Reach out to William at: williamstpierre@mechasys.ca

Visit Mechasys for more information: https://mechasys.ca/

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See this week’s news articles! 🗞️⬇️

➡️ In Praise of Boring AI

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/in-praise-of-boring-ai

➡️ The Global Race for Humanoid Robots: A New Space Race of the 21st Century

https://newo.ai/the-global-race-for-humanoid-robots-a-new-space-race-of-the-21st-century/

➡️ Apple Quietly Buys AI Startup, Adds Execs to AI Division

https://www.pcmag.com/news/apple-quietly-buys-ai-startup-adds-execs-to-ai-division

➡️ YouTube ordered to reveal the identities of video viewers

https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/03/youtube-ordered-to-reveal-the-identities-of-video-viewers

➡️Gen Z is losing interest in email jobs

https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2024/04/02/gen-z-is-losing-interest-in-email-jobs

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The ConTech Crew is a construction news podcast dedicated to keeping you up to date with all the latest in construction technology.

Give us a follow so you never miss an episode!