The Construction Corner

Dillon Mitchell

We Cover Commercial Construction. If you are in commercial construction as an Architect, Engineer, Contractor or Owner, this is the show for you. Hosted by Dillon Mitchell, PE, Founder of Kowabunga Studios

  1. 10h ago

    #447 - Why Electrical is the Trade of the Decade — And What That Means for Your Career

    In this episode of the Construction Corner podcast, host Dillon breaks down why electrical is arguably the fastest-growing and most future-proof trade you can enter right now — and what aspiring tradespeople need to consider before choosing their path. Dillon opens with a striking data point: Google just reported $205 billion in capital expenditures for 2026, all flowing into infrastructure — and for the first time since going public, the company is cash flow negative, a sign of just how aggressively the tech industry is building. With the US sitting at roughly one-eighth of China's energy production capacity, Dillon makes the case that electrical infrastructure spend isn't slowing down anytime soon. From there, he walks through the four main paths within the electrical trade — utility/lineman work, data center electrician, commercial/industrial, and residential — breaking down the tradeoffs of each in terms of job stability, lifestyle, travel, and earning potential. He explains why he tends to steer people toward commercial and industrial work: longer projects, bigger budgets, and less dependence on the housing market's boom-and-bust cycles. Dillon also zooms out to remind listeners that electrical isn't the only trade with a bright future. Plumbers, sheet metal workers, HVAC techs, carpenters, and structural tradespeople are all critical — and often overlooked — as infrastructure projects grow in scale and complexity. The episode wraps with a candid reminder: the "right" trade depends as much on where you live and what kind of life you want as it does on market demand. Whether you're in a rural area or near a major metro, the trades offer a path — you just have to choose the one that fits your goals.

  2. 5d ago

    #446 - Building Client Relationships in a Labor-Short World

    In this episode of the Construction Corner podcast, Dillon and John pull back the curtain on what drives Vertical Design Services — and what drives them personally. With 15 years of experience in electrical engineering, Dillon shares why he thrives on the front end of projects: crafting proposals, sizing equipment, and building the one-line diagrams that most contractors struggle to put together on their own. Dillon also reflects on his background in software and automation — spending nearly a decade in Revit building layout tools for commercial projects — and how stepping back from that technical side allowed him to grow into his true strengths: client relationships, project management, and business development. They open up about the day-to-day reality of juggling 20+ projects at once, why picking up the phone beats email every time, and how Vertical Design Services differentiates itself by sweating the details other firms leave on the table — like ladder tray routing that typically gets passed off to contractors. Finally, they look ahead at what scaling the business means over the next 6–12 months: building out the sales side, cultivating new partnerships, and continuing to grow in markets where blue-collar relationships and trust are everything.

  3. Aug 4

    #445 - Vertical Design Build Summit: Innovation, Networking & Leadership for Every Contractor

    In this episode of Construction Corner, Dillon and John give a full breakdown of the Vertical Design Build Summit 2026 — coming to Chicagoland on October 1st. Fresh off a successful inaugural event in Madison with nearly 70 contractors in attendance, they're leveling up with an incredible speaker lineup that includes workforce development leaders from Quanta Services (the world's largest electrical contractor at ~$46 billion), Helix Electric, and senior project directors from McCarthy Construction. Add in a 17-year Green Beret Special Forces veteran talking leadership under pressure, and a speaker addressing workplace wellness and mental health in the trades — and this is unlike any construction event out there. But it's not just about the speakers. The hosts break down why they're capping attendance to keep things intimate, why contractors of every size — from a few million to hundreds of millions — have something to gain, and how the relationships formed at an event like this could be the ones that catapult your company to the next level. No matter the size of your operation, there's something to take away. Come for the education, stay for the network.

  4. Jul 30

    #444 - Seizing the Opportunity: From Apprentice Electrician to Engineering Entrepreneur

    In this episode of Construction Corner, host Dillon sits down with his business partner John Molak, who took anything but a traditional path — from a short stint in college to becoming a licensed journeyman electrician, then pivoting into lighting sales, and eventually co-founding a fast-growing electrical engineering firm in Chicago. The conversation covers his journey from doing demo work for a buddy's uncle to traveling the country on industrial job sites, landing in distribution sales, and spotting a gap in the market that nobody else was filling: engineering services sold direct to contractors. With 10X growth on the horizon in year three, he breaks down what it actually takes to build a company from scratch — bootstrapping cash flow, finding the right people, building a real culture, and never being afraid to seize an opportunity. They also get into the importance of networking (including how the Arete Syndicate connected them), the challenge of hiring engineers who are willing to talk to clients, and why "people is the business." Whether you're a tradesperson thinking about making the leap or a contractor looking for a better way to work with engineers, this episode is packed with hard-won lessons from someone who figured it out by just going for it.

  5. Jul 16

    #443 - Inside VDS: Automating Construction Engineering from the Ground Up

    In this episode of Construction Corner, host Dillon sits down to discuss how Vertical Design Services (VDS) is redefining what an electrical engineering firm can be. From vertical integration and AI-powered workflows to accelerating the learning curve for engineers, Dillon breaks down the flywheel model driving VDS's growth — and why working directly for electrical contractors, rather than owners or architects, changes everything. Whether you're in construction, engineering, or just curious about how technology is reshaping the trades, this episode is packed with practical insights on building a faster, smarter, and more consistent business.

  6. Jul 14

    #442 - The Future of Construction: AI, Prefab, Design-Build & Why Contracts Change Everything

    In this episode of the Construction Corner podcast, host Dillon looks ahead at what the construction industry will look like over the next decade. He breaks down why licensed professions — engineers, lawyers, doctors — aren't going away despite AI, and how the real shift will come from better integration between designers, engineers, and contractors through prefabrication, design-build delivery, and detailed 3D modeling. Dillon also digs into why misaligned billing incentives (hourly vs. fixed fee) are one of the biggest blockers to innovation, and why aligning everyone's interests around speed and quality is the key to transforming the industry. The episode wraps with a look at the labor shortage in the trades, why $200 million in new craft training investments from Meta and Google is a promising sign, and why — just like every major technological leap before it — AI will likely create more jobs than it eliminates.

  7. Jul 9

    #441 - Plugged In or Gassed Up: America's Energy Debate

    In this episode of the Construction Corner podcast, host Dillon dives into the rapidly shifting energy landscape — starting with a fresh FERC press release that brings new regulatory guidance on how data centers and large power users connect to the grid. From there, the conversation covers the growing consumer rejection of electric vehicles (outside of Tesla), why hybrid technology is winning, and the infrastructure challenges holding EVs back. Dillon also weighs in on the gas vs. electric appliance debate, California's push to mandate all-electric new construction, and whether that policy actually makes sense in a city like San Francisco where you barely need AC. The episode wraps with a look at where U.S. power actually comes from — natural gas, nuclear, coal, hydro — and why Dillon thinks the resilience of fossil fuel infrastructure gets unfairly overlooked in the rush to electrify everything.

  8. Jul 7

    #440 - Big Firm vs. Small Firm: What Actually Matters for Your Career

    In this episode of the Construction Corner podcast, host Dillon sits down to discuss the big firm vs. small firm debate in engineering — breaking down what each type of company actually offers early-career professionals, how culture and company values shape your experience more than size alone, and why smaller firms often push you to do real work faster. Dillon also shares VS Engineering's ambitious goal of becoming a top 20 electrical engineering firm nationally, breaks down revenue numbers from the industry's biggest players, and talks about how they're building a flat, efficient org structure designed to serve electrical contractors at scale.

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4.7
out of 5
22 Ratings

About

We Cover Commercial Construction. If you are in commercial construction as an Architect, Engineer, Contractor or Owner, this is the show for you. Hosted by Dillon Mitchell, PE, Founder of Kowabunga Studios

Information

  • Creator
    Dillon Mitchell
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    447
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Dillon Mitchell
  • Show Website
    The Construction Corner