Builders, Budgets, and Beers

Build A Business That Buys Back Time with Brad Stokes

Reece sits down with Brad Stokes of Highspire to talk about the shift from owner operator to strategic owner, and why top-line revenue alone does not mean a construction business is healthy. They get into real estate development, market timing, KPIs, org charts, gross profit tracking, and the systems that give owners more time to think clearly instead of constantly reacting. This episode is about building a tighter business first, so bigger opportunities do not break what you already built. https://www.highspire.com [https://www.highspire.com] Register for the webinar here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517803406883/WN_i02wixcGTJSDljlo4uCRsQ#/registration [https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2517803406883/WN_i02wixcGTJSDljlo4uCRsQ#/registration] Show Notes: 00:00 Show Intro 01:40 Brad’s Wild Backstory 04:39 Learning Real Estate 08:58 What HighSpire Does 12:08 Finding The Right Market 16:47 Keep The Model Simple 21:10 Revenue Versus Health 27:14 Track The Right Work 32:25 Buying Back Time 38:57 The Owner’s Brain 43:51 Choose Better Tools 45:52 Strategic Owner Shift Find Our Hosts: Reece Barnes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reece-barnes-aa84b884/] Matt Calvano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcalvano/] Podcast   [https://www.motifmedia.com/post/case-study-modern-craftsman-podcast]Produced By: Motif Media [https://www.motifmedia.com/]

How Building Science Reduces Costly Callbacks with Sam Myers

Reece sits down with Sam Myers of Retrotech to talk about why comfort issues, humidity problems, and buckled floors often turn into expensive callbacks for builders. They cover how air tightness, HVAC design, ventilation, and testing all work together, and why code minimum is not always enough to protect the homeowner or the contractor. If you build homes and want fewer surprises after move-in, this conversation is a practical reminder that measuring the house matters. https://retrotec.com [https://retrotec.com] Show Notes: 00:00 Show Intro 00:47 Meet Sam Myers 04:34 Who Retrotech Helps 05:53 Building Or Mechanical? 07:41 Why Code Falls Short 10:05 Smarter Homeowners 13:44 Commercial Testing Uses 15:54 Missing Residential Commissioning 19:25 Moisture Creates Costs 23:40 Testing Prevents Callbacks 25:34 Old Habits Pushback 30:15 Where Builders Learn 33:01 Building Science Answers Find Our Hosts: Reece Barnes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reece-barnes-aa84b884/] Matt Calvano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcalvano/] Podcast   [https://www.motifmedia.com/post/case-study-modern-craftsman-podcast]Produced By: Motif Media [https://www.motifmedia.com/]

How Contractors Can Adopt AI Agents Without Chaos with Ryan Rademann

Reece is joined by Ryan Rademann from Wipfli to talk about why contractors cannot treat technology, AI, and systems as random tools anymore. As builders grow, weak integrations, messy data, and outdated processes can quietly limit cash flow, reporting, and scale. They get into AI agents, cloud systems, process mapping, accounting workflows, and why the right tech stack has to support the way a construction business actually runs. This conversation is about using technology with intention so contractors can make better decisions, protect their team, and grow without creating more chaos. https://ryanrademann.com [https://ryanrademann.com] Show Notes: 00:49 Show Intro 05:04 Ryan’s Background 07:25 Wipfli’s Tech Evolution 11:12 Contractor Tech Adoption 13:23 Systems And Handoffs 18:38 Structured Data 21:21 AI Agent Opportunity 24:16 Contractor Pain Points 28:44 Process Before AI 34:13 Technology Company Mindset 41:01 Scaling With Systems 47:13 Robotics And AI 50:03 Finding Ryan Find Our Hosts: Reece Barnes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reece-barnes-aa84b884/] Matt Calvano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcalvano/] Podcast   [https://www.motifmedia.com/post/case-study-modern-craftsman-podcast]Produced By: Motif Media [https://www.motifmedia.com/]

Your Tech Stack Needs To Start With Strategy with Dustin Stephens

Reece sits down with Dustin Stephens, CEO of Alliance Solutions Group, to talk about why contractors cannot treat AI like a shortcut around broken systems. As labor gets tighter and construction businesses get more complex, the companies that understand their tech stack, data, and back office will be in a better position to compete. Dustin shares what he is seeing across construction ERP, cloud accounting, project management, preconstruction, AP workflows, and AI adoption. The big takeaway: start with the business problem, understand the process, then use technology to make the work faster, clearer, and more human. https://www.alliancesg.com [https://www.alliancesg.com] email: dstephens@alliance-sg.com Show Notes: 00:48 Meet Dustin 02:23 Field To Tech 06:21 Innovation Pressure 09:20 Where Contractors Invest 11:38 Building The Stack 13:12 Cloud Resistance 16:22 Operational Tools 17:39 Where To Start 21:36 Strategic Operations 24:26 Back Office Triggers 27:55 Faster Business Insight 30:39 AI And Critical Thinking 37:02 Contractor Advice Find Our Hosts: Reece Barnes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reece-barnes-aa84b884/] Matt Calvano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcalvano/] Podcast   [https://www.motifmedia.com/post/case-study-modern-craftsman-podcast]Produced By: Motif Media [https://www.motifmedia.com/]

How AI Speeds Up Profitable Bids with Deepti Yenireddy

Reece sits down with Deepti Yenireddy, founder and CEO of Boon AI, to talk about the real business case for AI in estimating: tighter bid timelines, thin margins, and why speed matters when builders are chasing more work. They get into how Boone handles preconstruction from plan review to takeoff, why specialized AI beats generic tools in construction, and why the best estimators are becoming better reviewers and decision-makers, not obsolete. If you want to understand where AI actually helps builders today and how to stay competitive without buying the hype, this episode gives you a practical place to start. https://www.getboon.ai [https://www.getboon.ai] Show Notes: 00:45 Meet Deepti 02:35 Physical World Data 05:03 Boone Workflow 07:37 GC vs Trades 09:30 Data And Benchmarks 14:27 Estimating Bottlenecks 18:54 AI And Jobs 28:54 Estimator Skill Shift 31:42 Why Trust Lags 35:47 AI Partners 39:12 Keep Learning Find Our Hosts: Reece Barnes [https://www.linkedin.com/in/reece-barnes-aa84b884/] Matt Calvano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcalvano/] Podcast   [https://www.motifmedia.com/post/case-study-modern-craftsman-podcast]Produced By: Motif Media [https://www.motifmedia.com/]