Deliberate Words

David Stutzman and Steve Gantner
  • 5.0 (1)
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by Conspectus, Inc. - decision managers, word masters, aggregators. There is tremendous power in a word that is perfectly placed at the best location, at the best time, during the design and construction process of a project. Deliberate words can manage success, build trust, and provide transparency that every member of the project team craves. As decision managers of the team, Conspectus explores the notion of how transparency transforms three main components of every project: behavior, content, and outcomes, through the appropriate usage of words. Behavior of every participant, is the foundation communication and collaboration, through deliberate words. It will transform the team, and build strong relationships. Content, the documentation built on these relationships, containing deliberate words, is then transformed. The outcome is a successful project, with a legacy of ultimate collaboration. Join us as we chat with members of the architectural, engineering, construction, and owner communities to learn how deliberate word shape their contributions, their projects, and their world! Through these conversations, words aggregate decisions, and transforms perspectives on transparency in the decision-making process.

  1. 2d ago

    What A Week! Learn to Think Like a Specifier

    What does it really take to understand specifications, not just pass a certification exam? In this episode of What a Week, Elias Saltz and Steve Gantner welcome Conspectus senior specifier Marty Thornton for a look inside Conspectus’  specification education class. While the course can help participants prepare for CSI certification, its larger goal is teaching how specifications are developed, coordinated, maintained, and used throughout a project. Marty shares some of the real-world discussions already emerging in class, including Basis of Design, acceptable manufacturers, finish schedules, phased projects, maintaining office masters, and preserving design intent. The conversation demonstrates what makes the class different: it connects specification principles to the decisions and problems practitioners actually encounter on projects. At its core, the class is about building better specifiers through education, experience, conversation, and mentorship, while passing that knowledge to the next generation. Learn more about the class: https://www.conspectusinc.com/study

    What A Week! Learn to Think Like a Specifier

  2. Sep 8

    The Labor Day Lineup

    What do Labor Day, fantasy football, and fewer RFIs have in common?  This week, the Steve Gantner, Elias Saltz and David Stutzman mix up some fun with a practical look at why better coordination leads to better projects, plus how a little friendly competition keeps a remote team connected. Listen in for a few laughs and a reminder that sometimes the simplest ideas make the biggest difference.

    The Labor Day Lineup

  3. Aug 31

    From Columbus to the Final Frontier, Featuring Paul Fatkins and Nick Karakaian of Arcfluence

    From Columbus to New York City, from the moon to Mars and back again, this episode covers some ground. Our guests are Paul Fatkins and Nick Karakaian, principals of Arcfluence, an architecture firm based in Columbus, Ohio, and hosts of the Arcfluence podcast. You may have heard Dave and Steve on their show on July 26. This time, we swapped guest spots and get to take a deep dive into their world. This is the Deliberate Words podcast with David Stutzman and Steve Gantner, leaders at Conspectus, the specifications company, where we believe words have power. The right words can create trust and transparency, transform the design and construction process, and significantly impact the success of a project and its team. Paul and Nick have been friends since studying architecture at Kent State University. After graduation, their careers took them in different directions, from Chicago and New York City to construction, high-rise design and real estate investing, before eventually bringing them back together to launch Arcfluence in Columbus. We talk about why they chose Columbus, how design can influence communities, the value of thinking like both an architect and an investor, and why better decisions often start with better conversations. We also get into the realities behind HGTV renovation shows, Nick's appearance on Beach Flip, their shared love of Star Trek, and one very important question: When architecture reaches the final frontier, which one of them is actually willing to leave Earth?

    From Columbus to the Final Frontier, Featuring Paul Fatkins and Nick Karakaian of Arcfluence

  4. Aug 31

    What A Week! Is the ABI Telling the Whole Story?

    This week’s What a Week takes a closer look at the Architectural Billings Index (ABI) and asks a provocative question: Is it still a reliable indicator of where the design and construction industry is headed? Historically, the ABI has been viewed as a leading indicator for construction activity, with scores above 50 signaling growth and scores below 50 signaling decline. But architectural billings have remained below 50 for an extended period, while inquiries have generally remained stronger. That picture doesn’t necessarily match what the team is seeing firsthand. Conspectus is experiencing record proposal activity, a relatively steady win rate, more active projects, and work across multiple regions and market sectors. That raises questions about what the ABI is actually capturing and whether certain firms, project types, or rapidly growing sectors may be underrepresented in the data. Dave Stutzman, Steve Ganter and Elias Saltz also explore the unusual dynamics behind today’s market. Data centers are booming, competition for projects appears intense, and contractors continue searching for skilled employees. Meanwhile, architecture firms are actively looking for specifiers, a role that has historically been difficult to fill and may become even more important as workloads increase. That leads to a second issue hiding underneath the economic conversation: where will the next generation of specifiers come from? The team discusses the need to develop talent through specification education, including Conspectus’ own spec-writing course and efforts to introduce specification coursework into university architecture programs. Ultimately, the episode doesn’t declare the ABI obsolete. Instead, it asks whether an industry that has changed considerably needs a more nuanced way to measure its health. If billings are declining according to the index while firms, contractors, and specialized sectors remain busy, perhaps the more useful question isn’t simply “What does the ABI say?” It’s “What might the ABI be missing?”

    What A Week! Is the ABI Telling the Whole Story?

  5. Aug 24

    What A Week! Specified. Tested. Proven? CA Experiences

    A specification can name the right product and still miss the performance the project actually needs. In this episode of What a Week, Elias and architect/specifier Chad Hanley dig into how construction administration experience sharpens technical specification decisions. Using real project examples, they examine a hospital fountain where treatment chemicals degraded the specified waterproofing and a Las Vegas casino where a proposed floodproofing substitution lacked testing and warranty coverage for the conditions it was intended to resist. The discussion gets to the heart of performance specifying: understand the exposure, verify the testing, scrutinize warranty limitations, and confirm that the product can perform under actual project conditions. It’s a technical look at why specifications require more than selecting a familiar product, and how lessons from the field lead to better questions, better research, and better specifications on the next project.

    What A Week! Specified. Tested. Proven? CA Experiences

  6. Aug 17

    What A Week! Efficiency Without Assumption

    This week on What a Week, Dave Stutzman, Steve Gantner, and Elias Saltz explore how specification teams can create efficiencies when working on multiple projects for the same architect or owner. When projects share standards, assemblies, and delivery methods, there is an opportunity to build from common information rather than starting from scratch each time. But efficiency comes with a warning: reused information can easily be mistaken for finished information. When a specification already looks complete, project-specific differences may receive less scrutiny, allowing outdated or incorrect requirements to slip through and potentially lead to conflicts or RFIs. The conversation looks beyond simply copying projects and considers a more intentional approach: developing common requirements once, then using tools such as tagging to manage the differences between individual projects. Done well, that shared source can support multiple projects and potentially evolve into an owner guide specification. But it still requires ongoing review and maintenance as codes, materials, products, and project needs change. The takeaway: efficiency comes from building on what you know, not assuming what worked before will work again.

    What A Week! Efficiency Without Assumption

  7. Aug 7

    What A Week! The Precedent Answered the Question

    What happens when the drawings and specifications don't agree? In this episode of What a Week, the team tackles a seemingly simple contract provision with potentially significant consequences: giving drawings precedence over written specifications. Using real project examples involving roofing assemblies and window requirements, Dave Stutzman, Steve Gantner, and Elias Saltz explore how an order-of-precedence clause can resolve a conflict in a way the design team or owner never intended. Instead of prompting an RFI, the contract may effectively answer the question for the contractor, potentially leaving specified performance requirements or materials behind. The discussion explains the importance of treating drawings and specifications as complementary documents, questioning precedence clauses when they appear, and protecting the design intent through better-coordinated contract documents.

    What A Week! The Precedent Answered the Question

  8. Aug 3

    What a Week! Matching the Past: Restoring Historic Terrazzo

    Terrazzo may be one of the longest-lasting flooring systems in the built environment, but restoring it is rarely straightforward.  In this episode, the team is joined by senior specifier Chris Ricke to discuss the unique challenges of refinishing historic Portland cement terrazzo, from matching decades-old materials and aggregates to deciding when restoration, patching, or contrasting new work is the better approach. Along the way, the conversation explores how resources like 4specs, industry associations, and early collaboration with specialty contractors can help project teams make better-informed decisions. It's a practical look at why preserving a century-old floor often requires as much expertise as installing a new one.

    What a Week! Matching the Past: Restoring Historic Terrazzo
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About

by Conspectus, Inc. - decision managers, word masters, aggregators. There is tremendous power in a word that is perfectly placed at the best location, at the best time, during the design and construction process of a project. Deliberate words can manage success, build trust, and provide transparency that every member of the project team craves. As decision managers of the team, Conspectus explores the notion of how transparency transforms three main components of every project: behavior, content, and outcomes, through the appropriate usage of words. Behavior of every participant, is the foundation communication and collaboration, through deliberate words. It will transform the team, and build strong relationships. Content, the documentation built on these relationships, containing deliberate words, is then transformed. The outcome is a successful project, with a legacy of ultimate collaboration. Join us as we chat with members of the architectural, engineering, construction, and owner communities to learn how deliberate word shape their contributions, their projects, and their world! Through these conversations, words aggregate decisions, and transforms perspectives on transparency in the decision-making process.

Information

  • Creator
    David Stutzman and Steve Gantner
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    104
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Deliberate Words
  • Show Website
    Deliberate Words

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