Crushing It In Construction

#127 What Farming Taught One Architect About Accountability and Building Projects Start to Finish With Alastair McDonald

Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!This week, I’m joined by Alastair McDonald from EDG Projects: a building design, architecture, and project management firm based in Echuca.Growing up in a farming family in regional Australia, Alastair learned early what it means to take ownership of your work, especially when the risk is real and the consequences can land directly at your feet. Now, as CEO and Director of EDG, that same mindset continues to influence his leadership.We talked about EDG’s humble beginnings in Alastair’s parents’ spare room, what it took to build a serious business outside the major capitals, and how EDG stays involved from the designing process to construction on site.Alastair also shared his perspective on post-COVID quality in the industry and how he approaches developing people without creating bottlenecks in the business.This one is about patience, accountability, and building something that lasts.Connect with Alastair McDonald:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastairmcdonald/Website: https://edgprojects.com.au/Connect with Jordan Skinner:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/Do you have an influential personal brand?Take the quiz to find out:http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz

#126 Inside ConTech's Hype Cycle: What a Masonry Veteran Learned About Tools That Actually Work With Jeff Sample

Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!This episode is a bit of a crossover between construction and technology, and it’s one I’ve been looking forward to.I sat down with Jeff Sample, who works with Bluebeam and is also the host of the ConTechCrew podcast. Jeff has spent the last decade operating at the intersection of construction and technology, helping contractors make sense of tech without the hype.Jeff’s time working inside a masonry contractor gave him a clear view of how technology actually lands in the field, not just how it is sold. That experience shaped how he thinks about tech adoption, process, and where most construction businesses go wrong.We talked about why construction tech exploded so quickly, how venture capital misunderstood the industry, and why many contractors became sceptical after being sold tools that promised everything and delivered very little.Jeff also shared what genuinely excites him about where construction is heading, including the shift toward prefabrication and design for manufacturing, and why that change could reshape the industry far more than any new app.Connect with Jeff Sample:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ironmanofitPodcast: https://thecontechcrew.com/Connect with Jordan Skinner:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/Do you have an influential personal brand?Take the quiz to find out:http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz

#125 How a Craigslist Masonry Ad Turned Into a $25M Exterior Cladding Powerhouse With Tyler Vander Vegt

Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!Today, I’m joined by Tyler Vander Vegt from DM Construction.Tyler’s story is a good reminder that construction careers don’t always start with some grand plan. His dad wasn’t even in construction. He was in corporate operations and equities. Then the 2008 crash hit, everything shifted, and they ended up finding a masonry business for sale on Craigslist. Yeah, Craigslist.That business was Dutch’s Masonry. Tyler came in a couple of years later as the second employee. Fast forward to today, and they’ve rebranded to DM Construction, expanded into multiple states, and grown into a full turnkey exterior cladding contractor doing $20M to $25M a year.We talked about what it’s like building a business in cold-weather markets where wrapping buildings is normal, and how something that keeps crews productive can also turn into a safety nightmare if it’s done wrong.Tyler’s big on being intentional. Knowing who you are, what you do best, and being willing to walk away from the wrong work, even when it’s tempting to say yes just to keep people busy.Tyler’s also training for a full Ironman next year, which feels pretty on brand for someone who likes doing hard things the hard way.Connect with Tyler Vander Vegt:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-vander-vegt-58388446/Website: https://www.dmconstruction.com/Connect with Jordan Skinner:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/Do you have an influential personal brand?Take the quiz to find out:http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz

#124 The Former Marine Teaching Construction Companies How Leadership Actually Gets Built With Wally Adamchik

Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!Today, we’re sitting down with Wally Adamchik, a leadership speaker, coach, author, and consultant who works closely with construction and infrastructure companies on the people side of the business.He grew up around construction, spent ten years in the Marine Corps, and now helps leadership teams develop the skills they’re rarely taught but constantly expected to have when the pressure’s on.A big part of this conversation is about how leadership actually gets learned in construction. Most people are promoted because they’re good at the work, then expected to figure everything else out as they go.Wally’s big on the idea that leadership isn’t about having all the answers. We talked about why middle management is the real leverage point in construction, the impact of ego and burnout on teams, and why investing in people is no longer optional if you want a sustainable business.We also covered Wally’s time as the University of Notre Dame’s mascot… and it’s exactly as entertaining as you’d expect.Connect with Wally Adamchik:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wallyadamchik/Website: https://www.wallyadamchik.com/Connect with Jordan Skinner:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/ Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/Do you have an influential personal brand?Take the quiz to find out: http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz

#123 Why This Contractor Built Fat-Finger Friendly Construction Software With James Baker

Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!Civil construction has communication and cost-control problems. Everyone knows it. Very few people actually try to fix it.That’s what led James Baker to build Varicon, a construction management software platform designed specifically for civil contractors.James didn’t come into tech chasing hype or investor buzz. He came into it frustrated. After years of working as a contractor for principals and administering contracts, he kept seeing the same issues everywhere.Too much admin. Too much paper. Too many spreadsheets. And way too much friction killing relationships and cash flow.So, Varicon was born.In this episode, we talked about James growing up in Tasmania, chasing elite rowing overseas, working in Brazil during the oil and gas boom, and how seeing construction from every angle gave him a clearer view of what was broken.And somehow, we also ended up talking about home-brewing beer... and how it nearly landed him a trip to Antarctica.Connect with James Baker: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshsbaker/ Website: https://varicon.com.au/Connect with Jordan Skinner: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/ Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/Do you have an influential personal brand?Take the quiz to find out:http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz