#6 - Adam Hall: From Bankruptcy To Building a $100M Brand in Construction

#6 - Adam Hall: From Bankruptcy To Building a $100M Brand in Construction

In Episode 6 of Behind the Facade, Jake Gorry from Proline Group and Daniel from Complex Facade Install Pty Ltd sit down with their first ever guest, Adam Hall, Managing Director of AH Fencing. They have a raw conversation about the brutal realities of scaling a subcontractor business, nationwide expansion, trade cash flow, leadership, and what it really takes to survive the early years. This episode dives into the true story of how Adam and his business partner Matt built a multi-state company from scratch after a previous employer went bust. They share the massive wake-up call of losing $200,000 in year one, waking up to find the ATO had wiped their bank account to $0, and how they recovered to build a highly profitable nationwide operation. They also break down the transition from a gun tradie to a world-class leader, the power of organic growth versus acquisition, building custom ERP software using Claude, dealing with cultures of entitlement on site, and why you need a level of sustained delusion to back yourself in this industry. If you work in construction, fencing, project management, site management, subcontracting, fabrication, or business ownership, this episode is packed with hard-learned, practical insight from people living it every day. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro: Welcoming first guest Adam Hall 01:08 - Organic growth vs interstate acquisition 02:24 - Building culture and setting standards across multiple states 08:14 - Leadership structures and fixing the site to office disconnect 14:31 - Extreme ownership, actionable core values and positive reinforcement 19:54 - Setting clear expectations and avoiding the entitlement loop 27:04 - The origin of AH Fencing: Two tradies with zero money 29:27 - Wiped to $0: Surviving the first year loss and the ATO wake-up call 35:17 - Trading tools for coaching and introducing commercial acumen 42:58 - Subbie metrics: Knowing your costs vs the danger of undercutting 53:50 - Why gun workers don't always make great business leaders 01:04:57 - Using AI to build custom tools and accelerating your path to $100M ABOUT BEHIND THE FACADE Behind the Facade is a construction podcast hosted by Jake Gorry, Director of Proline Group, and Daniel from Complex Facade Install Pty Ltd. The podcast goes behind the scenes of the facade, cladding, glazing and construction industry, sharing real conversations about business, leadership, site work, project delivery, culture and the people building the industry from the ground up.

#5 - Australia's Construction Industry Is About To Explode: Nobody Is Ready

In Episode 5 of Behind the Facade, Jake Gorry from Proline Group and Daniel from Complex Facade Install Pty Ltd sit down for a raw conversation about business growth, leadership, fabrication, work ethic, mentorship, and what is coming next for the construction industry. This episode dives into the real day to day of running fast moving facade and construction businesses. Jake and Daniel break down their early morning routines, how they structure their days, how Proline’s in house fabrication division has changed the business, and why the next 12 to 24 months could be a massive period for construction. They also talk about the importance of saying no to the wrong jobs, choosing the right clients, building strong teams, bringing pride back into the craft, and why mentorship needs to become a bigger part of the industry again. If you work in construction, facades, cladding, fabrication, project management, site management, subcontracting, or business ownership, this episode is packed with practical insight from two people living it every day. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro and Episode 5 01:22 - Why structured conversations matter 03:10 - Recording meetings, notes, AI and action items 04:31 - Tracking time, structure and productivity 07:03 - Why routine matters in work, business and life 08:53 - Daniel’s daily routine in season 15:02 - Jake’s daily routine and Proline Fab operations 20:39 - Building practical systems inside the fabrication shop 25:03 - How Proline Fab changed the business 34:23 - Why construction is about to get extremely busy 38:23 - Being selective with work and knowing when to say no 52:20 - Finding the missing link inside the business 54:54 - The handwritten resume story 01:01:43 - Mentorship, pride in the craft and quality workmanship 01:10:21 - Project highlights, biggest wins, pressures and shout outs ABOUT BEHIND THE FACADE Behind the Facade is a construction podcast hosted by Jake Gorry, Director of Proline Group, and Daniel from Complex Facade Install Pty Ltd. The podcast goes behind the scenes of the facade, cladding, glazing and construction industry, sharing real conversations about business, leadership, site work, project delivery, culture and the people building the industry from the ground up. FOLLOW THE PODCAST Subscribe for more conversations from inside the construction industry. Follow Jake Gorry and Proline Group Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-gorry-87b30628b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-gorry-87b30628b/] Company LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/proline-aus [https://au.linkedin.com/company/proline-aus] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prolinegroupau/ [https://www.instagram.com/prolinegroupau/] Follow Daniel Alizzi and Complex Facade Install Pty Ltd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/complex-facade-install/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/complex-facade-install/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/complexfacadeinstallptyltd/ [https://www.instagram.com/complexfacadeinstallptyltd/] #BehindTheFacade #ConstructionPodcast #FacadeIndustry #Cladding #ConstructionAustralia #MelbourneConstruction #ProlineGroup #ComplexFacadeInstall #ConstructionBusiness #ProjectManagement #Fabrication #ConstructionLeadership

#4 - The Ugly Truth About Relationships In Construction (And Why Most People Get It Wrong)

Jake and Daniel are back for Episode 4. The conversation gets real about one of the most misunderstood parts of the construction industry: relationships. Are they just cliques and back-scratching, or is there something more to it? The boys break down how work is really won, what separates the subbies who keep getting the call from the ones who don't, and why delivering a job matters infinitely more than just knowing the right people. Along the way they get into cutting edge fabrication technology that's threatening to make offshore manufacturing obsolete, the debate around work weeks and RDOs, apprenticeship culture, modular prefab, and what overcommunicating on site actually looks like in practice.

#3 - The Truth About Family In Business: Standards, Loyalty & The Long Game

Family in business is one of the most rewarding things you can do. It's also one of the hardest. In Episode 3 of Behind The Facade, Jake and Daniel get into what it really takes to run a construction business with family involved, including the standards you have to set, the conversations nobody warns you about, and why getting it right can become your greatest competitive advantage. This episode covers the full reality of running and scaling a construction business right now. From tracking job data weekly versus monthly, to building leaders from within versus buying them in, to what it actually means to stop being a busy idiot and start making decisions that move the needle. This is one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show. Jake Gorry is the Director of Proline, one of Melbourne's leading facade and cladding companies, delivering some of the most technically demanding projects in Victoria. Daniel Alizzi is the Operations Manager of Complex Facade Install, bringing decades of hands-on experience across some of Australia's most iconic builds. Together they cover: ◼️ Why hiring family can be your greatest asset or your biggest mistake ◼️ The non-negotiable standards that keep family and business relationships intact ◼️ Why leaders should always be built from within and when to buy them in ◼️ How weekly data tracking transformed the way they run their businesses ◼️ The difference between being busy and being productive ◼️ Why the standard you set on day one is the standard you're stuck with ◼️ What best for the business really means when it's personal Timestamps 0:00 Introduction & Episode Kick Off 3:00 March Recap: Hitting 1000 Panels & Topping Out 100 Franklin 19:00 Pre-Planning & Front End Investment 25:00 Building A Coordination Team That Works 51:00 The Six Week Focus Block System 1:03:00 The Weekly Tracking System & Live Job Data 1:16:00 Building Leaders From Within vs Buying Them In 1:21:00 Family In Business 1:26:00 The Standards That Keep It All Together 1:31:00 When Family Becomes Your Greatest Asset 1:34:00 Rapid Fire & What's Next

#2 - Construction Is Changing: The Warning Signs Every Leader Is Ignoring

Welcome back to Behind The Facade. What does it actually take to perform when the pressure is at its highest? In this episode, Jake and Daniel come back fresh off one of the most complex facade installs they've ever attempted. 9,700 kilo concrete panels, crane crews, last-minute engineering changes, and a plan that had to be torn up on site. This conversation explores what it really looks like when the job is hard, the stakes are high, and you have to adapt in real time. But beyond the job site, this episode goes deep on the things that actually build great companies. Culture, leadership, work ethic, and what it means to develop people who want to stay for the long haul. Jake opens up about writing a leadership book for his team and why putting it on paper changed the way he leads. Daniel breaks down the lessons from a month that tested everything. Most people see the finished buildings. Very few understand the decisions, sacrifices, and hard lessons required to build them. This episode is a raw look at what it takes to operate at the highest level in one of the toughest industries there is. Welcome back to Behind The Facade. Timestamps * 0:00 — Introduction * 4:02 — What The Last Two Weeks Really Looked Like * 7:00 — The Response To Episode One * 10:46 — Inside The Melton Hospital Project * 18:53 — How To Actually Run A Job Site * 27:30 — The People Behind The Business * 1:04:41 — Writing A Leadership Playbook For Your Team * 1:17:50 — The Billy Story Topics discussed: Construction industry Running a construction business Leadership and team culture Developing people in the trades Work ethic and attitude Performing under pressure Facade and cladding industry Building systems and processes Leadership development in construction