The Art of Construction Devon Tilly / The Art of Construction

“The one thing that I always say about modular is that it’s a blessing and a curse…for a successful modular project you have to work through so many things before the project can begin…The blessing is that you know what it’s going to cost if you effectively work through all those things...You have a lot more work to do, but if it’s done the right way you can hit that budget.”

Join Devon this week as we talk about modular home building in Colorado with Nathan Peterson of Vederra!

Nathan Peterson is the CEO and Founder of Vederra Modular. Vederra Modular is a new 140,000 sqft modular housing factory in Aurora Colorado dedicated to supporting the affordable housing organizations in Colorado. Vederra recently received a funding award from the State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. 

Nathan has been a fixture in the modular home industry in Colorado since 2005. Over that time, he has built one of the states largest modular dealerships and development companies utilizing modular technology. Since 2005, Colorado Modular Homes has completed over $250 Million dollars in modular housing projects all over Colorado. In addition to this retail business, Mr. Peterson currently has over 140,000 ft2 of affordable housing projects in various stages of development. 

Nathan is well versed in all aspects of real estate development and modular construction techniques, holding Class A, B, and C general contracting licenses. Nathan holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines and has an MBA in Finance and Accounting. He has been appointed to the Division of Housing’s rule making committee for modular industry oversight for the past 10 years. and was appointed by Governor Polis to the Board of Directors at Colorado Housing and Finance Authority where he served as Vice Chair, additionally he served as Chairman of Credit Unit of the Rockies for over 7 years . He has a passion for creative housing solutions and helping those underserved and disadvantaged communities in Colorado.

"My goal for SSLLC is to have a company that doesn't provide stress to somebody's home life or them personally. So the only way that can happen is to teach leadership and lean into those stresses {to find a solution}..."

Join Devon as he chats with Scott Sypniewski Sr. & Jr. about leadership!

SSLLC was founded on August 1, 2021, by Scott and Kathleen Sypniewski. Scott and Katheen operated a plumbing business in Chicago, from 2000-2018, while raising 4 children. Scott grew up in his father’s multifamily plumbing business. In 2018, as their youngest was graduating high school, Scott and Kathleen gave their business to a trusted employee and moved to Colorado. In May of 2021, Scott read the book Extreme Ownership. The book impacted his life and gave him the knowledge necessary to run a large scale business. When the opportunity was presented in July of 2021, Scott was ready for the challenge. With the support of Kathleen, they formed SSLLC and began to assemble their team. As of April 2024, SSLLC has 20 people on their management team and 50 plumbers. Extreme Ownership has provided the foundation for success. They have built a strong culture that people believe in. That foundation allows them to develop processes that structure their operation, i.e., project manuals, 3 week look a heads, quarterly customer reviews, QA/QC implementation and implemented safety procedures, to name a few. 

A testimonial from their Leadership coach and advisor, Marcus Aurelius Anderson:

“Working with SSLLC as a Leadership Advisor over the last year, I can say that I've never seen a company that genuinely values culture as much as SSLLC. Their employees don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk and lead by example daily. They've made culture the cornerstone of all they do, it's the foundation upon which they've built everything from the ground up. There are plenty of companies that say how important cultivating relationships, caring for their people, and culture are but then fall flat when it comes time to execute. SSLLC has used extreme ownership and self leadership to be great problem solvers through teamwork, simplicity, prioritizing execution, and building every member of the company into better leaders. All of these skills have made SSLLC a tremendously successful company in a short amount of time.”

A testimonial from the leadership group, Echelon Front:
One of the things I really respect about SSLLC plumbing is that they’re consistently looking for ways to improve as leaders.  A good leader understands that you must make time to educate and train your team, this starts with the leaders making time to educate and train themselves.  One of the areas the SSLLC leadership team is very strong in is continuing to develop as leaders and most importantly taking action with implementing this same concept with their team. A really good attribute with any leader is having an open mind to new ways of doing things or different perspectives, The Sypniewski’s are always open minded with new ideas and concepts, especially when it comes to taking care of their team and people. ~ Steve Ward. Former U. S. Navy Seal, Combat Leader, and Leadership instructor at Echelon Front. 

"If you’re going to base your career on crunching numbers, I hope you’ll be satisfied with a salary of 2 cents now."

Join Devon this week as he talks with René Morkos from ALICE Technologies about AI!

René Morkos is the founder of ALICE Technologies. He obtained his Ph.D. in artificial intelligence applications for construction as a Charles H. Leavell fellow at Stanford University. He is a second generation civil engineer with over 15 years of construction industry experience that is divided between industry and academia. His professional experience includes working as a project manager in Afghanistan, underwater pipeline construction, automation engineering on a $350 million gas refinery expansion project in Abu Dhabi, ERP system implementations, and various Virtual Design and Construction projects.

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“Often we share problems…It can’t stop there, and too often it does…We have to come to the table with ‘Here’s an idea that might work.’ The moment we start thinking about the future in terms of potential solutions…those conversations start adding up. That habit makes the collaboration work better, and it will get us to a point where we can make an impact.”

This podcast episode features a conversation with Nolan Brown, the founder of ADL Ventures, about decarbonization and the challenges of implementing clean energy solutions in the construction industry. This episode is also happy to introduce Jason Blanker as the co-host! The conversation covers topics such as the role of drones in construction, the lack of adoption of innovation in the industry, and the future of technology in construction.

Nolan is a seasoned entrepreneur and research leader with 15 years of C-Suite experience in energy, buildings, and transportation sectors. A 5-time founder, he brings a wealth of innovation and strategic insight to his roles. He has driven organizations to success as a board member of building materials manufacturer and offsite leader Sto Corporation, and Lead Contractor for High Performance Computing for Manufacturing at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He also co-founded and served as Managing Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy and showcased his success in implementing new technologies, notably through his $40M+ living laboratory project. His expertise spans industries including building materials, automotive, and renewable energy. As founder of ADL Ventures, he guides companies not only in upscaling and business development but also in applying for government grants that fuel innovation and growth. Watch Nolan's TedX Talk!

Jason Blenker is a cowboy and a visionary who finds the edge of the frontier a fascinating place to navigate and explore. The son of a carpenter and a home builder, he learned firsthand about building homes, businesses, and relationships from his parents whom he worked with in building a world-class, vertically integrated, offsite construction solutions company in the Midwest. After selling the business, he now guides others looking for solutions and is on the hunt for great innovation that will help address the housing affordability crisis we face today. He's on a mission to “Build Something Great®”. The first half of his career he spent focused on building great buildings – homes, apartments, commercial buildings, and off-site manufacturing where he found his true passion – building great teams and pushing innovation and automation. By focusing on culture, engaged leadership, and the team, he successfully grew a family business from 7 “employees” to over 300 “Team Members” and learned over 1 million wrong ways of doing things. He enjoys sharing stories of his bumps, bruises, and scars to help people find creative and inventive solutions to problems. When he's not working with a team, he enjoys spending time with the love of his life, Jenny, teaching and raising 3 crazy kids on a hobby farm, snocross racing, or at a rodeo. Not being much of a procrastinator, he does not believe in a bucket list that you’ll get around to one day, you should live each day to its fullest. He tries to give his free time and talent to various charities and has even been talked into riding a 2000# bull at a rodeo to help support the local food pantry (much to the dismay of his wife).

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This week's episode was created and recorded for The ConTech Crew podcast, hosted by Jeff Sample, with our host, Devon Tilly, as the guest! This is a great episode to learn more about Devon and the Master Facilitator Community! 

Jeff Sample is a technology evangelist, speaker, podcaster, and passionate advocate for construction. He has been working in the Technology Industry for the past 25+ years. He has taken specific care to work with and understand the diverse components of a successful business and how technology can enhance those workflows. He has designed and implemented solutions for diverse teams emphasizing functionality and fiscal responsibility. He joined a software development team to understand the software life cycle and become a better technology provider for the organizations he supports. He helps individuals and companies reach their full potential through technology innovation. 

As owner of MVWD, Devon Tilly fulfills clients' dreams with project management expertise in windows, doors, and hardware. Through social media and video, he has created an information platform for the building industry. He hosts the #1 rated podcast for contractors and architects, "The Art of Construction." They partner with high-end designers, architects, and builders utilizing the highest quality manufacturers to bring an art and science approach to the building industry. When you partner with MVWD, you have access to the highest quality products with a high level of expertise. He also knows "what not to do" and exceeds high-end project expectations. They have a culture of continuous improvement and a progressive commitment to excellence. They seek to add value with every interaction.

Their business partners and clients receive the highest level of service, industry expertise, and a guide to assist them from start to finish.

Follow MVWD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mountain-view-window-&-door/
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“Start with 'why?' Why should I care about this data in the first place?" 

Join us this week as Devon chats with Nathan Wood from SpectrumAEC about data, technology, and their relationship with the construction industry. 

Nathan C. Wood is the Executive Director of Construction Progress Coalition (CPC), a grassroots non-profit initiative to educate AEC professionals about the need for open interoperability standards between project delivery stakeholders. Nathan’s experience with Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), Lean process improvement, and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) has led him to realize how even proven technology solutions can result in lost ROI when the needs of people and process are not addressed. Nathan balances his passion for data insights and stakeholder empathy through pragmatic adoption strategy, driving digital standards adoption in design and construction. When not fighting for open standards, Nathan also supports construction transformation as Chief Enabling Officer of SpectrumAEC, delivering speaking engagements, research publications and Design Thinking workshops.

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