Construction Genius

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  Selling to Your Employees: How ESOPs Work for Construction Company Succession 04.08.2026 38Min.

  Most construction owners think they have four exit options. Pass it to a kid. Sell to an employee. Sell to a competitor. Sell to private equity. The reality is harder. Private equity passes on most contractors. Competitors often aren't buying. That's why ESOPs are now the fastest-growing succession trend in construction. Kelly Finnell, CEO of EFS ESOP Consultants, has done 22 ESOPs for general and specialty contractors in recent years. In this episode, Kelly explains how the deal is actually structured, what the owner walks away with, and where most owners are wrong about "leaving money on the table." What you'll learn: Why construction is the fastest-growing industry for ESOPs in the country The three sources of capital that fund an ESOP: bank loan, seller note, excess cash How two contractors with $3M EBITDA sold for $25M to an ESOP after $12M offers from a strategic buyer Why an owner is not personally on the hook for the ESOP bank loan How to manage the repurchase obligation so it doesn't crush you in a down year The first two moves to make if you're 58 and seriously considering this path   Connect with Kelly Finnell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esopcoach/ Kelly's Website: www.execfin.com Kelly's Book, The ESOP Coach: https://www.amazon.com/ESOP-Coach-Ownership-Succession-Paperback/dp/B010CKUN9U National Center for Employee Ownership: https://www.nceo.org/ Free Succession Planning Guide: https://www.constructiongenius.com/free-succession-planning-guide
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  Question Everything: How to Innovate Construction Materials and Methods 28.07.2026 48Min.

  Sam Fertik went from running a 20-course tasting restaurant in Manhattan to building homes out of concrete and steel that he says last a thousand years. He's the CEO and Founder of Carbon Custom Builders. In this episode, Sam and Eric trace the chef-to-contractor journey and the one question that reshaped his whole business. Why are we still building houses the way we did in 1850? What you'll learn: What ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) is and why it turns homebuilding into a repeatable science Why the average home lasts 30 years and how concrete-and-steel construction changes that How a chef's recipe mindset applies directly to running a construction company The "go to the biggest problem" lesson and why owners have to be both visionary and implementer Why Sam says sales is the one thing that kills a small business   Connect with Sam Fertik and Carbon Custom Builders: Website: https://www.carboncustombuilders.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-fertik/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carboncustombuilders/  
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  Get Off the Bid List: Build a Construction Business Development System That Wins Negotiated Work 21.07.2026 37Min.

  Most contractors are stuck on the bid list and don't know it. They tell themselves they're a preferred contractor. The numbers say otherwise. In this episode, Matthew Neuberger of Neuberger and Company joins Eric to break down why business development inside most construction companies fails, and the simple system that fixes it. Matthew runs a Sandler training franchise focused on contractors, so he sees this every day. What you'll learn: Why 60 to 70 percent of a growing contractor's revenue comes from inbound calls, not bid invitations The three-part business development system: owner list, contact cadence, weekly review The four signals that tell you which owners belong on your list Why a CRM and a LinkedIn presence are not business development How to use Eric's EAR framework to make BD accountability stick Matthew is offering a free business development assessment that pinpoints where your process is leaking revenue. Free Assessment: https://neuberger-sandler-22152421.hs-sites.com/tcc-eval-form Connect with Matthew Neuberger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neubergerco/  
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  How to Read Your Backlog Like a Banker: Timing, Diversification, and Gross Profit Discipline 14.07.2026 23Min.

  How's your backlog right now? In Part 6 of the Construction Accounting Series, Eric sits down again with CPA Kathe Barrington to unpack what backlog really is, and what it isn't. They dig into why committed-but-unstarted jobs belong on your WIP the day you're awarded, how to use backlog to forecast labor, equipment, and cash, and why a backlog that looks great in aggregate can still leave you with a nine-month hole in the schedule. Kathe lays out the ideal backlog-to-revenue ratio, the red flag of growing backlog with compressing gross profit, how client and project-type concentration creates fragility, and who needs to be in the room for the monthly backlog review. If you want backlog to function as a real planning tool, not a vanity number. This conversation is the blueprint. What You'll Learn What backlog actually is - remaining contract, remaining cost, and remaining gross profit to complete Why letters of intent and verbal awards should NOT count as backlog Why unstarted-but-committed jobs belong on your WIP the day you're awarded (and what bank & bonding are looking for) How to translate a WIP snapshot into a month-by-month forecast of labor, equipment, and cash How far out you should be forecasting labor (hint: 6–12 months minimum) The ideal backlog-to-revenue ratio - and why 3–6 months makes Kathe nervous How backlog profiles differ between GCs and subs, and what that means for planning The aggregate-number trap: why jobs bunched up at the same finish line signal trouble When you can tighten margins as you scale - and when compressing gross profit becomes dangerous Client and project-type concentration risk - diversification as insurance How often to review backlog (monthly, with the financials) and who belongs in the room The questions that should drive the conversation beyond the numbers How to use backlog data when the market shifts - lessons from 2008 and COVID The three questions Kathe asks first when she takes on a new client's books   Connect with Kathe LinkedIn: Kathe Barrington, KB CPA Facebook: Kathe Barrington / KB CPA   The Construction Accounting Series with Kathe Barrington This is Part 6 of an ongoing series. Catch up on the full run: Part 1 — Ep. 357: WIP Reports Made Simple: The Key to Stopping Hidden Job Losses Part 2 — Ep. 359: How to Use Your WIP to Protect Cash and Grow Profitability Part 3 — Ep. 364: Why the Field and Accounting Are Both Right (Physical Progress vs. Financial Reporting) Part 4 — Ep. 368: Underbillings Bad. Overbillings Better: The Cash Flow Truth Construction Owners Can't Ignore Part 5 — Ep. 377: Why Your Jobs Look More Profitable Than They Are: Indirect Allocations and Overhead in Construction  
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  Get the Most Out of Every Project Meeting: ChatGPT 201 for Construction Leaders 07.07.2026 28Min.

  Your meeting transcripts are the most valuable data set your company throws away. This is ChatGPT 201, part two of our AI for construction companies series with Dylan Davis, AI consultant and coach and my collaborator on the Construction Genius GPT course. We take one task every contractor has, the meeting follow-up email, and turn it into a repeatable AI workflow you can run every week. What you'll learn: What makes an AI workflow instead of a one-off prompt How to find your best automation targets inside the bid, the build, and the bill How to teach ChatGPT your writing style with three to five sample emails How to make the AI grade its own work before you see it Why you should let the AI write the prompt, and how projects make it repeatable What to do when the output is bad (hint: it's your fault)   Get on the waitlist for the Construction Genius GPT Course: https://ericanderton.activehosted.com/f/255 Connect with Dylan Davis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylantdavis/ Dylan's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dylandavisAI  
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  Unapologetically Hardcore: Applying Elon Musk's Algorithm to Construction Leadership, with Eric Jorgenson 30.06.2026 1Std. 2Min.

  Elon Musk builds rockets. You build buildings. Different industry. Same problems. Bad requirements, bloated processes, too many parts, slow cycle time. Eric Jorgenson is the CEO of Scribe Media and the author of The Book of Elon, a curated collection of Elon Musk's most useful ideas drawn from his tweets, interviews, and public conversations. In this episode, we walk through Elon's five-step algorithm and apply it directly to how construction companies get work, plan work, and build work.   What you'll learn: Why questioning requirements and deleting parts is 80 percent of the algorithm How the idiot index reveals where your supply chain is taking you for a ride First principles thinking vs. reasoning by analogy, with concrete construction examples Why fast is actually cheap and how it breaks the construction trilemma How to attack the bottleneck instead of running the calendar How to give people hardcore feedback without making it personal   Get The Book of Elon (free digital version): https://www.elonmuskbook.org/ Connect with Eric Jorgenson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erjorgenson/ Eric's newsletter: https://www.ejorgenson.com/newsletter Eric's podcast, Smart Friends: https://www.ejorgenson.com/podcast Free Succession Planning Guide: https://www.constructiongenius.com/free-succession-planning-guide  
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  AI Won't Fix a Badly Run Company: AI 101 for Construction Leaders 23.06.2026 37Min.

  AI won't fix a badly run company. But if you're already running a good one, it can save you hours every week on the work that eats your time: RFIs, change order drafts, meeting summaries, estimating. Dylan Davis is an AI consultant and coach, and my collaborator on the Construction Genius GPT course, where we teach construction professionals to use AI on real work. This is part one of our new series on AI for construction companies: AI 101, in plain English, with zero hype. What you'll learn: What AI actually is (a prediction machine) and where it fits in everyday construction work Why context, not prompting, is the last competitive lever left The What-Why-How framework for getting useful output every time Why the first answer is the start, not the finish, and how to iterate like a pro Which model to use for which task: ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini How to keep your company data safe, and the one thing Dylan won't let AI do Three moves to make on day one of your AI journey   Get on the waitlist for the Construction Genius GPT Course: https://ericanderton.activehosted.com/f/255 Connect with Dylan Davis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylantdavis/ Dylan's website: https://offerings.gradientlabs.co/ Dylan's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dylandavisAI Free Succession Planning Guide: https://www.constructiongenius.com/free-succession-planning-guide  
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  Pick Up the Phone, Win the Client: How to Build a Client-First Company 16.06.2026 1Std. 5Min.

  Daniel McCaulley, P.E., is the founder of Ultimus Engineering, a faith-based engineering firm in Texas delivering MEP, aquatics, and structural engineering across 22 states. On this episode, Daniel shares what he learned from his first failed hire, how he transitioned from corporate engineering to running his own firm, and why the human side of client service matters more than ever. Key Takeaways: Remote work is a privilege, not a right. Small firms need people who understand that every hour is visible. Daniel moonlighted for two years and saved a year of living expenses before going full time. Preparation beats hope. Spending more time on engineering upfront saves money and headaches during construction. But you need the communication skills to sell that to clients. Picking up the phone, turning around quotes in 24 hours, and being accessible are the simplest ways to separate yourself from the competition. AI is a tool, not a personality replacement. If your emails sound like a robot and you sound like a human, you'll lose trust faster than you think.   Connect with Daniel McCaulley: Website: https://ultimus.engineering LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmccaulley/ Email: dmccaulley@ultimusengineering.com Phone: 214-384-7762  
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  Why Your Team Isn't Executing (The Simple Fix Most Construction Leaders Miss) with Jon Dario 09.06.2026 29Min.

  Jon Dario is an author, speaker, and retail leadership expert who has held leadership roles with some of the top companies in the retail and financial services industries including Macy's, Gap, and Bank of America. He is currently CEO of a real estate company in the metro NY area. Jon is the creator of AIM, a system that turns managers into execution machines and enables them to deliver radically reliable results. His fifth book, AIM, is available for purchase. In this episode, Jon walks through the Pyramid of Standards, a framework for defining what matters most in your business and making sure your team executes on it every day. He built it in the Gap outlet division after watching managers prioritize the wrong things while customers walked out the door.   Key takeaways: The Pyramid of Standards creates a hierarchy of what matters most—foundation first, supplemental later. Observation beats assumption. Walk your jobsites and see the business through the customer's eyes before setting standards. Follow-up frequency is the difference between standards that stick and standards that slip. Be predictable and relentless. Great leaders adopt a white belt mentality—they stay learners and unlock answers in their team instead of dictating them. Consistency and habits drive long-term success, not heroics in the bottom of the ninth.   Connect with Jon Dario: Website: https://jondario.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondario/ AIM Book: https://www.amazon.com/Aim-Managers-Radically-Reliable-Results/dp/1966786778/
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  How Slowing Down at the Start Saves Time and Money on Complex Projects 02.06.2026 30Min.

  Melissa Drew is the Founder and President of InSite BUILD, a construction management firm based on Maryland's Eastern Shore that specializes in complex state-procured projects. After 20 years with national contractors including Holder Construction and Gilbane, she started her own firm to bring big-project experience to a smaller, more relationship-driven model. In this episode, she shares how she manages complex projects, builds trust with contractors and owners, and leads a growing startup in a tight-knit market. Key Takeaways: Two extra weeks of planning at the start of a multi-year project can prevent months of rework Superintendents need permission to slow down. That permission has to come from leadership Trust is built in small moments, not just when the big problems hit Hiring for a startup construction firm means finding people who love the work, not just the structure When your team is full of introverts, pressure makes them go quiet. A leader's job is to keep the conversation going Connect with Melissa Drew: LinkedIn | insite-build.com
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  The First 45 Minutes That Can Change Your Entire Project with Kyle Majchrowski 26.05.2026 50Min.

  Every project team says they're going to communicate well. Then the project starts, and it falls apart. Why? Nobody stops to unpack what communication actually means for the people in the room. Kyle Majchrowski, author of Powerful Conversations and founder of Next Intent, has spent 20+ years on the owner side of construction and has facilitated hundreds of these conversations. He walks through the structured process that takes just 45 minutes and changes the way teams operate. Key takeaways: Trust means different things to different people. Kyle defines it as "the belief that others have your back when you're not in the room." The four cornerstones of trust (care, competence, sincerity, reliability) explain most of the tension you'll see on a project team. One question at kickoff can shift everything: "Do you naturally trust people, or do you expect them to earn it?" CliftonStrengths and Enneagram are worth your time. DISC oversimplifies. Great leaders move between team member, guide, and authority, sometimes within the same meeting.   Connect with Kyle Majchrowski: Next Intent: https://www.nexintent.com Website: https://kylemajchrowski.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylemajchrowski
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  How Pre-Con Mistakes Become Jobsite Rework — and What to Do About It with Scott Reynolds 19.05.2026 35Min.

  A $1 mistake in pre-con becomes $10 on the jobsite and $100 after occupancy. That's the 1-10-100 rule — and it's why upstream coordination failures are the most expensive mistakes in construction. Scott Reynolds, co-founder and CEO of UpCodes, joins Eric to break down where compliance mistakes actually start, why the design-to-field handoff is still broken, and how AI-powered code compliance is helping teams catch problems before they pour concrete. Topics covered: the 1-10-100 rule of construction mistakes, AI guardrails for building code accuracy, QA/QC automation in pre-construction, the architect-to-GC handoff problem, code compliance on the jobsite, and what will be table stakes in five years.   Connect with Scott and UpCodes: https://up.codes Connect with Eric: https://www.constructiongenius.com Get the Construction Genius Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDJF3PTF  
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  Body Language Is a Leadership Skill 12.05.2026 26Min.

  Your body language on the jobsite isn't just showing how you feel. It's shaping how you feel, how your team performs, and whether your project partners want to work with you again. In this solo episode, Eric breaks down the research behind body language and leadership — from the NFL to the Olympics to the construction jobsite. You'll learn the body-mind loop that deepens or reverses your emotional state under pressure, why the higher your status the more damage your negative body language inflicts, and the Big Three habits that protect your composure when it matters most.   Key Takeaways: Your posture participates in creating your internal state — not just reflecting it When leaders visibly deflate, it ripples through every person who sees it Body language is a trainable skill, not a personality trait Book a 10-minute coaching call with Eric: https://10minutes.youcanbook.me
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  Legacy Is Built in People, And Projects: 46 Years of Construction Leadership with Alton Tew 05.05.2026 48Min.

  What does success look like to your best PM right now? Do you know? Alton Tew spent 46 years in construction — 25 of them building Samet Corporation's multifamily division into a $500 million operation that turned over 3,500 units a year. In this conversation, he shares the leadership principles that drove it: the 90-day check-in that keeps high-potential talent from leaving, how to stay calm when a job site goes sideways, and what his final year looked like as he handed off a 170-person division to the next generation. Simple ideas. Hard to execute. Essential to get right.   📖 Construction Genius: Get it on Amazon 🎓 The Shift: theshift.constructiongenius.com 📅 Work with Eric: 10minuteswitheric.youcanbook.me 🩸 Blood Cancer United: bloodcancerunited.org 🌐 Samet Corporation: sametcorp.com 💼 Alton on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alton-tew-aab3965a
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  Flow State for Construction Leaders: Your Best Idea Is One Hour Away 28.04.2026 45Min.

  What if the thing holding your construction company back isn't lack of effort — it's lack of deep thinking? In this episode, I sit down with Steven Puri, former EVP at DreamWorks, former VP at 20th Century Fox, and CEO of The Sukha Company — to talk about flow state: what it is, why the best leaders in the world use it, and how construction company owners can harness it to make better decisions and leapfrog the competition. Three things you'll walk away with: Why grinding harder creates linear growth — and deep thinking creates competitive leaps How to find your chronotype and build a flow state practice that actually fits your schedule The 'other movie' principle: why your best ideas come when you're working on something else Steven Puri is CEO of The Sukha Company, former EVP at DreamWorks, and former VP at 20th Century Fox. He speaks and consults on the neuroscience of peak performance for leaders across industries.   📚 Get Eric's book Construction Genius on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Construction-Genius-Effective-Hands-Leadership/dp/B0BHTRDY1T/ 🏗️ The Shift — Eric's leadership course for construction leaders: https://theshift.constructiongenius.com  
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  The Cost of Building: Brand Clarity, Constraint, and What Entrepreneurship Actually Requires 21.04.2026 37Min.

  What happens when outworking everyone stops working? In Episode 379, Justin Ricklefs — founder of Guild Collective and author of Give a Damn — gets honest about the moment things broke down: his business, his relationships, and himself. He shares the framework that rebuilt everything, why constraint became his competitive advantage, and what it actually costs to build something while keeping your family intact. The Five Fs framework for keeping your priorities in order as a business owner Why niching down felt like limitation — and turned out to be the growth engine The honest answer to whether he'd start his business again knowing what it would cost   Justin Ricklefs is the founder and CEO of Guild Collective, a brand consultancy, and author of Give a Damn: The Catalyst for Caring Companies.   Get Eric's book Construction Genius on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Construction-Genius-Effective-Hands-Leadership/dp/B0BHTRDY1T/ Leadership course for construction leaders — The Shift: https://theshift.constructiongenius.com/
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  How Project Executives Drive Disciplined Execution 14.04.2026 41Min.

  Only 2.5% of construction firms consistently complete projects on time and on budget. Not because their people lack skills. Because discipline breaks down under pressure. In this solo episode, Eric Anderton breaks down FMI's 2026 project management study (Part 2) and shows how your Project Executive drives execution discipline in three areas that directly hit your bottom line.   Key takeaways: • Firms with accurate cost-to-complete forecasting hit profit targets 92% of the time. Without it, 42%. • Strong change order discipline means 87% profit reliability for specialty contractors. Weak discipline? 64%. • Your reputation is as many reputations as you have project teams. Your worst PM sets the floor. • 61% of contractors skip post-job reviews. The learning disappears with the crew. • The perception gap between executives and PMs is where margin quietly bleeds.   This is Part 2 of a three-part series on FMI's project management research.   FMI 2026 Study (Part 2): fmicorp.com/insights/thought-leadership/2026-project-management-study-part-2 Part 1: www.constructiongenius.com/only-2.5-of-contractors-finish-on-time.-heres-what-they-do-before-the-job-starts-ep.-375   Explore executive coaching with Eric for your leaders. Book a call here: https://10minutes.youcanbook.me  
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  Why Your Jobs Look More Profitable Than They Are: Indirect Allocations and Overhead in Construction 07.04.2026 33Min.

  If your indirect costs aren't tracked—they're hiding. And what they're hiding is your true profit margin.   In this episode of Construction Genius, Eric sits down with Kathe Barrington, CPA and fractional Controller/CFO with 20 years of construction experience, to break down one of the most misunderstood areas of construction accounting: indirect cost allocations, equipment costing, and overhead structure.   Kathe explains the difference between indirect costs and G&A, how to think about owned equipment usage rates, what a clean chart of accounts should look like, and why your bank and bonding company will notice if you're burying job costs in overhead. She also shares her favorite phrase that every construction leader should internalize: every dollar needs a home and a purpose.   In this episode, you'll learn: The difference between indirect costs, overhead, and G&A—and why it matters How to cost and track owned equipment using market usage rates Why inaccurate chart of accounts structure distorts job profitability How misallocated costs affect banking, bonding, and strategic decisions Why your estimators and accounting team need to speak the same language The two biggest areas of indirect cost leakage to look for first Why you should review indirect allocations monthly, not annually   This is Part 4 of the Construction Accounting Series with Kathe Barrington. Previous Episodes in This Series Ep. 357 - WIP Reports Made Simple: The Key to Stopping Hidden Job Losses Ep. 359 - How to Use Your WIP to Protect Cash and Grow Profitability Ep. 364 - Why the Field and Accounting Are Both Right  
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  From Napkin Sketch to Shovel in the Ground: The Pre-Con Process That Sets Your Field Teams Up to Win 31.03.2026 43Min.

  Most construction companies treat pre-construction as an estimating department. That mindset is costing them projects. In this episode, Eric sits down with Sam Potts, Director of Pre-Construction at JP Cullen—a $900M family-owned, self-performing GC out of Wisconsin. Sam explains why pre-con managers should be treated like project managers, how to align budgets around what actually matters to the owner, the power of a "yes-if" mentality when clients make unexpected requests, and what separates a good estimator from a great pre-construction leader. In this episode, you'll learn: •       Why pre-con's real purpose is setting your project teams up to win •       How discovery meetings and the right questions unlock owner priorities •       The Risk Opportunity Log: a tool to eliminate budget surprises •       Why cost transparency is the fastest way to build trust •       How AI is starting to impact takeoffs—and the risk to junior estimator development •       The leadership shift from directing to coaching that changed Sam's career If you want pre-construction to become a true competitive advantage for your company, this episode is a must-listen.  
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  Only 2.5% of Contractors Finish on Time. Here's What They Do Before the Job Starts 24.03.2026 20Min.

  Only 2.5% of contractors finish on time and on budget. Here's what they do before the job starts. In this episode, Eric Anderton breaks down Part 1 of FMI's 2025 Project Management Study — 243 executives, 84 PMs, real contractors, real numbers. What they found isn't revolutionary. It's the same truth Vince Lombardi was teaching in 1959. Preparation before the work starts. Accountability to a consistent standard. Everyone owning their role before the first crew hits the job site. The three things separating high performers from everyone else: PM involvement in estimating, structured pre-execution planning, and field buy-in before mobilization. The one role responsible for making all three happen — or failing to — is your project executive. Three Numbers Every Owner Should Know PM involvement in estimating → margin attainment jumps from 55% to 78% Thorough pre-execution planning → profit margins hit 81% vs. 50% of the time Strong field alignment → on-time/early completion 76% vs. 58% of the time   Hosted by Eric Anderton — leadership coach, executive coach, and 20+ year veteran of the construction industry.   FMI 2025 Study: https://fmicorp.com/insights/thought-leadership/2025-project-management-study-part-1 Executive coaching for your PX — book a call: https://10minuteswitheric.youcanbook.me/ Construction Genius book: https://www.amazon.com/Construction-Genius-Effective-Hands-Leadership/dp/B0BHTRDY1T/ The Shift leadership course: https://theshift.constructiongenius.com/