BUILD St. Louis

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith discusses the critical need for connectedness in the construction community with Jeff Kiefer, National Director of Commercial and Industrial Sales at Milwaukee Valve. Jeff emphasizes the importance of collaboration and training in four key areas: labor, regulations, technology, and the supply chain. He shares insights on leveraging suppliers for training, adapting to regulatory c...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith welcomes Jane and Mike Megown from Elastizell of St. Louis to discuss lightweight cellular concrete. They explore the material's composition, diverse applications including backfill for MSE walls and pipe abandonment, and its cost-effectiveness compared to traditional materials. The Megowns highlight a project in Nashville as an example of the material's efficiency in filling gap...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, the guest is Clinton Murphy, the Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) Manager at Holland Construction Services. They discuss the concept of VDC and its difference from Building Information Modeling (BIM). Clinton explains that while BIM uses 3D models to manage and optimize construction, VDC goes beyond that to include coordination, managing design, and other processes. He also talks about the b...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith interviews Jeremy Rodriguez, president of Crossroads Construction Services. They discuss Jeremy's expertise in environmental abatement and demolition services. Jeremy explains that his company primarily focuses on removing hazardous materials and conducting interior demolitions to create safe spaces for builders and developers. He mentions the various types of materials they hand...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith welcomes Tom Ray, a first vice president at CBRE, to discuss the state of California Class A office leasing in St. Louis in mid-2023. They explore the impact of remote work on the office market and how it has changed the traditional playbook of office space usage. Tom highlights the opportunities and challenges for landlords and tenants in this evolving landscape, including the f...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith interviews Randy Bueckendorf, the president of BEX Construction Services. Randy shares his expertise on the state of the construction material supply chain, discussing the ongoing supply chain issues in the industry. He mentions that while the supply of raw materials like lumber, steel, and copper has improved, there are still significant challenges with electrical switchgear and...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith interviews John Flynn, Safety Director at Contegra Construction, about the importance of staying safe on the job site. They discuss Contegra Construction's safety culture, which is characterized by collaboration and involvement from all levels of the company, including the leadership team. John highlights the company's commitment to employee safety and the implementation of measu...

In this episode of the BUILD St. Louis podcast, host Kerry Smith interviews Brendon Buckley, leader of building intelligence and integration services at IMEG. They discuss the topic of big data and its life-saving power in the context of design and construction. Brendan explains the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) and how it relates to big data. He shares examples of how big data and IoT are being leveraged in different ind...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith interviews Patrick McKeehan, the economic development director for the city of O'Fallon, Missouri. McKeehan discusses the importance of creating a balanced community and how economic development is the creation of wealth. He explains the role of economic assets and the importance of matching them to the needs of businesses looking to invest in the area. For more information, vi...

In this episode of the BUILD St. Louis podcast, Kerry Smith interviews Tomislav Zigo, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Clayco, a global full-service, turnkey real estate architecture, engineering, design, build, and construction firm. They discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on the built environment, including its potential to optimize processes throughout the project delivery cycle, from design to han...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith speaks with Matt Stack, President of Russell Co. St. Louis office, and Jill Niebuhr, Russell Co.'s Talent Acquisition Manager, about their strategies for recruiting and retaining the best people in the construction industry. They discuss how Russell Co's philosophy of investing in people before technology growth has helped them grow sustainably, as well as the importance of core ...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, Kerry Smith interviews Julie Powers and Lisa Bedian from the city of St. Peter's, Missouri, about their FasTrac program for expedited development and permitting for businesses. They discuss how the program was created and how it has helped both large corporations and small mom-and-pop businesses. The key to their success is their process of bringing the right people in the room early on and being...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, Kerry Smith interviews Geri Boyer, founder and president of Kaskaskia Engineering Group (KEG). Boyer discusses the unique culture at KEG, which emphasizes flexibility, work-life balance, and service to humanity. She also shares her experience as a woman in the engineering field and how she started KEG with the intention of creating a different work model that was more conducive to women and men w...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, Gant Harper, President of St. Louis Bank, discusses the financing of construction projects in the St. Louis area. He notes that while the pandemic slowed down construction, it also gave businesses the opportunity to plan for expansion or repurposing of their properties. Harper also discusses the trend towards mixed-use buildings, why construction projects have become more expensive and his advice...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith speaks with Brian Corry, an acoustic consultant and partner at Kirkegaard, and Unitey Kull, vice president of marketing and audience experience for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, about the renovation and expansion of Powell Hall.

They discuss the challenges of modernizing a structure on the National Register of Historic Places, and the importance of preserving the beauty and h...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith interviews Leonard (Len) Toenjes, President of the Associated General Contractors of Missouri (AGCMO), about excavation safety and the Missouri One Call 811 system. Toenjes discusses the importance of the One Call system and the need for modernization to improve effectiveness and safety. He also mentions the federal study that ranked Missouri near the bottom of the list in terms ...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith interviews Todd Imming, the Chief Marketing Officer at the Korte Company, a design build firm based in Highland, Illinois. They discuss how B2B companies in the architecture, engineering, and construction space can tell their stories in compelling ways. Todd emphasizes the importance of genuine storytelling and sophisticated grit, which is the hard work and challenges involved in...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith speaks with Ron O'Connor, owner of O'Connor and Partners, about reputation management in the architecture, engineering, and construction industries. Ron defines reputation management as the process of managing a firm's reputation as an asset and emphasizes the need for a long-term and proactive plan to manage reputation. He also shares insights on crisis management best practices...

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith interviews Steve Houston, Founder and Owner of Compass Communications LLC, about building effective working relationships with the news media in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. Houston shares insights on how to make a project newsworthy, when to approach the media, and communicating with clients about deadlines. He also emphasizes the importance of strat...