The Builder Nuggets Podcast Duane Johns & Dave Young

These two childhood friends took a leap of faith and started their own custom home building business over two decades ago and never looked back. Weathering the turbulent Great Recession in ‘08 and, now, Covid, these two home builders have joined us to share the hard lessons they’ve learned and the tools they’ve used to build success. Chris Ehrenfeld and Jason Dell cover the trends that are taking their market by storm, and how they keep their customers happy.
 
Show highlights include:
 
02:30 Childhood Friends Turned Business Partners
07:35 Bold Construction the journey
09:01 Navigating the Great Recession and Pivoting
11:15 Implementing Systems and Processes with EOS
18:30 The behavior of buying habits and what clients what
22:15 The Impact of Remote Work and Commuting
25:37 The Importance of Customization and Design
30:20 Navigating the Overwhelming Choices in Home Building
34:40 Current trends in homes
39:45 What excites you about the next year
44:50 How to connect




You can learn more about Jason and Chris at https://buildboldnc.com/.




Social media:
LinkedIn 
Facebook
Instagram





Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  


To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

2024’s SORCI Report is an incredibly useful source of data that our guest today helped design at The Association of Professional Builders. Russ Stephens joins us for another year to go over the annual report and share the new industry trends he’s seeing, along with the biggest challenges facing builders and remodelers this year. This is an episode you can’t afford to miss. 
 
Show highlights include:
 
01:15 Introduction of the Guest
02:32 Importance of Participating in the SORCI Survey
05:45 Highlights from the 2024 SORCI Report
07:30 Marketing Challenges for Builders
13:00 Content Creation and Marketing Strategy
19:55 Importance of Accurate Financial Reporting
22:25 Trends in Talent Acquisition and Employee Retention
25:55 Trends in the Residential Construction Industry
35:55 Accessing the SORCI Report
36:45 Exciting Developments in the Industry and Personal Life




You can learn more about Russ at https://associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/.
 
You can download this year’s SORCI report here.



Social media:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-association-of-professional-builders/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx3f5Njk_SkTIh7zEbg7qcA
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/apbbuilders/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/apbbuilders
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/associationofprofessionalbuilders/





Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  


To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

Doors and windows complete every home, and today’s guest knows first hand how competitive the market is for selling these products. Alan Lockuff, Business Development Manager with Andersen Windows and Doors, shares the benefits of a good company culture, building a strong team, and investing in business development. Even large companies had to build a strong foundation in order to thrive.
 
Show highlights include:
 
04:00 Alan’s Background
06:55 Andersen Windows and Doors: Changes and Focus
10:15 Identifying Ideal Customers
11:35 Providing Value Beyond Price
14:30 Delivering a World-Class Customer Experience
18:20 Building a Strong Team
25:00 The Importance of Involvement in Associations
31:00 Moving for Your Job
35:35 Outlook for 2024 and Beyond
37:35 Excitement for the Year Ahead
40:22 How to connect and what’s coming up next?





You can learn more about Alan at alan.lockuff@andersencorp.com or at ttps://www.andersenwindows.com/.




Social media:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@andersenwindows
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lockcuff.alan




Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  



To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.
 

Distribution partners are integral to the custom home building and remodeling industry, and today’s guest is no exception. Scott Thomas, Director of Sales at Parksite, originally started in the industry as a Tyvek specialist before working his way up. Today he joins us to share his thoughts on the value of distribution partners, the newest industry products, and the importance of building strong relationships.
 
Show highlights include:
 
00:00 Introduction and Background
02:34 Scott's Journey in the Building Industry
03:24 Transition to Consulting and Salesforce
05:00 Starting and Selling a Consulting Company
06:00 Entrepreneurial Roots and Education
09:20 Return to Parkside and Reasons for Coming Back
11:02 Overview of Parkside and Scott's Role
12:45 Value Provided by Distributors
21:20 Trends and New Products in the Industry
23:43 Focus on Sustainability and Green Products
26:40 Impact of the Pandemic on Distribution
29:52 Importance of Face-to-Face Relationships
32:40 Building Loyalty and Allegiance
34:48 Creating a Strong Team and Delivering a Great Experience
36:18 Future Plans and Excitement
39:50 How to connect and what’s coming up next?






You can learn more about Scott at https://www.parksite.com/.




Social media:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/scottthomas08/



Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  


To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

 
Standing out in a crowded industry, especially one that struggles with a poor reputation is an age old problem for business owners in the construction field. Building a brand is the foundation for growing your business into something that employees are proud to work for, and clients are proud to work with. Today, Natalie Harper joins the show to share her best tips for success when it comes to not only standing out - but standing up for something bigger.
 
Show highlights include:
 
2:50  Natalie’s start in PR and all about hockey
5:50 Getting started in marketing
8:50 Fundamentals of building a brand
11:25 How to build a foundation
14:11 Investing in knowing who you are early on
17:22 Like attracts like
21:14 Five C’s
26:20 Identifying which communities are important
30:05 What have the best brands done well to be successful?
32:14 Is it what you build or how you build it?
34:30 Your personal brand vs. the company brand
42:20 What have you learned from working in the custom construction industry?
51:20 Appreciate each other and your partners
54:35 How to connect and what’s coming up next?






You can learn more about Natalie at https://www.harperpr.com. Get inspired at alairmagazine.com. 



Social media:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalieharperpr/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/harper_pr/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HarperPR/





Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  



To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.
 

Today’s episode features a familiar voice. To kick off Season 4 we’ve brought back the annual favorite - Steve Barkhouse, owner of Amsted Design|Build. This year we’re treating you to his company’s step by step process for delivering the ultimate customer experience during a custom home building or renovation project. If you’ve been struggling as the industry has shifted from the ease of the pandemic building boom to what it is today - this is an in-depth look at what’s working and why it works.
 
Show highlights include:
 
2:00  What’s happened in the last year?
3:00 Homebuilders and remodelers are no longer order takers
4:05 Shifts in the permit market
6:10 Defining the client experience plan
11:00 How did you design the experience?
12:55 The first real touch
16:33 The In Home Consultation
22:45 A modest investment of time and professionalism
25:22 Diving into development
27:00 Presenting to the client and design agreement
29:37 Helping clients understand budget in the current economic climate
35:15 Having fun and signing the contract
36:48 Handoff process
39:30 Discovery After Demolition
41:30 Trusted advisors and solid teamwork
44:10 Electrical walk throughs are important
44:50 Critical 10 - the last ten percent
47:10 Completion date, payment, and celebration meeting
53:50 How to connect and what’s coming up next?






You can learn more about Steve at https://www.amsted.ca/.
 
Social media:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebarkhouse/?originalSubdomain=ca




Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  



To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.