2024’s SORCI Report is an incredibly useful source of data that our guest today helped design at The Association of Professional Builders. Russ Stephens joins us for another year to go over the annual report and share the new industry trends he’s seeing, along with the biggest challenges facing builders and remodelers this year. This is an episode you can’t afford to miss.

Show highlights include:

• 01:15 Introduction of the Guest

• 02:32 Importance of Participating in the SORCI Survey

• 05:45 Highlights from the 2024 SORCI Report

• 07:30 Marketing Challenges for Builders

• 13:00 Content Creation and Marketing Strategy

• 19:55 Importance of Accurate Financial Reporting

• 22:25 Trends in Talent Acquisition and Employee Retention

• 25:55 Trends in the Residential Construction Industry

• 35:55 Accessing the SORCI Report

• 36:45 Exciting Developments in the Industry and Personal Life

You can learn more about Russ at https://associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/.

You can download this year’s SORCI report here.

Social media:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-association-of-professional-builders/

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx3f5Njk_SkTIh7zEbg7qcA

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/apbbuilders/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/apbbuilders

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/associationofprofessionalbuilders/

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

Doors and windows complete every home, and today’s guest knows first hand how competitive the market is for selling these products. Alan Lockuff, Business Development Manager with Andersen Windows and Doors, shares the benefits of a good company culture, building a strong team, and investing in business development. Even large companies had to build a strong foundation in order to thrive.

Show highlights include:

• 04:00 Alan’s Background

• 06:55 Andersen Windows and Doors: Changes and Focus

• 10:15 Identifying Ideal Customers

• 11:35 Providing Value Beyond Price

• 14:30 Delivering a World-Class Customer Experience

• 18:20 Building a Strong Team

• 25:00 The Importance of Involvement in Associations

• 31:00 Moving for Your Job

• 35:35 Outlook for 2024 and Beyond

• 37:35 Excitement for the Year Ahead

• 40:22 How to connect and what’s coming up next?

You can learn more about Alan at alan.lockuff@andersencorp.com or at ttps://www.andersenwindows.com/.

Social media:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@andersenwindows

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lockcuff.alan

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

Distribution partners are integral to the custom home building and remodeling industry, and today’s guest is no exception. Scott Thomas, Director of Sales at Parksite, originally started in the industry as a Tyvek specialist before working his way up. Today he joins us to share his thoughts on the value of distribution partners, the newest industry products, and the importance of building strong relationships.

Show highlights include:

• 00:00 Introduction and Background

• 02:34 Scott's Journey in the Building Industry

• 03:24 Transition to Consulting and Salesforce

• 05:00 Starting and Selling a Consulting Company

• 06:00 Entrepreneurial Roots and Education

• 09:20 Return to Parkside and Reasons for Coming Back

• 11:02 Overview of Parkside and Scott's Role

• 12:45 Value Provided by Distributors

• 21:20 Trends and New Products in the Industry

• 23:43 Focus on Sustainability and Green Products

• 26:40 Impact of the Pandemic on Distribution

• 29:52 Importance of Face-to-Face Relationships

• 32:40 Building Loyalty and Allegiance

• 34:48 Creating a Strong Team and Delivering a Great Experience

• 36:18 Future Plans and Excitement

• 39:50 How to connect and what’s coming up next?

You can learn more about Scott at https://www.parksite.com/.

Social media:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/scottthomas08/

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

Standing out in a crowded industry, especially one that struggles with a poor reputation is an age old problem for business owners in the construction field. Building a brand is the foundation for growing your business into something that employees are proud to work for, and clients are proud to work with. Today, Natalie Harper joins the show to share her best tips for success when it comes to not only standing out - but standing up for something bigger.

Show highlights include:

• 2:50  Natalie’s start in PR and all about hockey

• 5:50 Getting started in marketing

• 8:50 Fundamentals of building a brand

• 11:25 How to build a foundation

• 14:11 Investing in knowing who you are early on

• 17:22 Like attracts like

• 21:14 Five C’s

• 26:20 Identifying which communities are important

• 30:05 What have the best brands done well to be successful?

• 32:14 Is it what you build or how you build it?

• 34:30 Your personal brand vs. the company brand

• 42:20 What have you learned from working in the custom construction industry?

• 51:20 Appreciate each other and your partners

• 54:35 How to connect and what’s coming up next?

You can learn more about Natalie at https://www.harperpr.com. Get inspired at alairmagazine.com. 

Social media:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalieharperpr/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/harper_pr/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HarperPR/

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

Today’s episode features a familiar voice. To kick off Season 4 we’ve brought back the annual favorite - Steve Barkhouse, owner of Amsted Design|Build. This year we’re treating you to his company’s step by step process for delivering the ultimate customer experience during a custom home building or renovation project. If you’ve been struggling as the industry has shifted from the ease of the pandemic building boom to what it is today - this is an in-depth look at what’s working and why it works.

Show highlights include:

• 2:00  What’s happened in the last year?

• 3:00 Homebuilders and remodelers are no longer order takers

• 4:05 Shifts in the permit market

• 6:10 Defining the client experience plan

• 11:00 How did you design the experience?

• 12:55 The first real touch

• 16:33 The In Home Consultation

• 22:45 A modest investment of time and professionalism

• 25:22 Diving into development

• 27:00 Presenting to the client and design agreement

• 29:37 Helping clients understand budget in the current economic climate

• 35:15 Having fun and signing the contract

• 36:48 Handoff process

• 39:30 Discovery After Demolition

• 41:30 Trusted advisors and solid teamwork

• 44:10 Electrical walk throughs are important

• 44:50 Critical 10 - the last ten percent

• 47:10 Completion date, payment, and celebration meeting

• 53:50 How to connect and what’s coming up next?

You can learn more about Steve at https://www.amsted.ca/.

Social media:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebarkhouse/?originalSubdomain=ca

Or hit us through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

It’s the end of 2023 and today Duane and Dave recap some of the most memorable moments from Season 3. This highlight reel revisits a few of the best nuggets from this year. We hope to hear from our Builder Nuggets community what you took away, and what you’d like to hear more of in the future. Reach out on our social links below or visit our website.

Show highlights include:

• 3:15 Ep 146 with Sam Rashkin

• 7:15 Ep 145 with Steve Arneson

• 11:05 Ep 109 with PJ Antonik

• 13:15 Ep 120 with Rob Cecil

• 16:50 Ep 122 Sabrina Starling

• 20:10 Ep 105 with Steve Barkhouse

• 22:40 Ep 126 with Gord Cooke

• 25:55 Ep 152 with Cheryl Hickey and Justin Thompson

• 30:05 Ep 140 with Mark Richardson

• 33:40 Ep 140 with Meghan Billings

• 37:50 Ep 155 with Chris Thomson

• 41:22 Reach out with your thoughts for Season 4

You can learn more about the show at https://buildernuggets.com. 

Social media:

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/duanejohns

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/buildernuggets/?hl=en

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/buildernuggets/

Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-builder-nuggets-podcast/id1532287154

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

Becoming successful doesn’t happen alone. It often takes support and mentorship - two things which can be difficult to find and cultivate. Our guest today is Chris Thomson, Head Coach at Student Works, who helps young entrepreneurs become successful business owners. He joins us to share his goal of creating 1000 millionaires, and his building blocks for making it happen.

Show highlights include:

• 3:05 Chris’s background

• 4:38 Studentwork’s mission

• 7:13 How to collaborate and build a mastermind

• 11:05 How do we hold people accountable?

• 16:30 Is there ever resistance?

• 19:45 Recruiting to attract top talent

• 25:47 Success stories and 1000 Millionaires

• 30:00 How do you start on this path?

• 34:45 What do graduates go on to do?

• 38:50 Where do your coaches come from?

• 42:20 Has the program ever negatively impacted a student’s schooling?

• 45:50 How to get in touch and What’s coming up next? 

You can learn more about Chris at https://www.studentworks.com or at cthomson@studentworks.com.

Social media:

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-thomson-swp/

Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/leaders-of-tomorrow-podcast/id1448651718

Or hit us up through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.

It’s a fact that women and minorities are underrepresented in the construction industry. Our guest today has been working to change that and making waves across the country. Today, Nora El-Khouri Spencer, founder and CEO of Hope RenovationsRenovations, joins us to talk about taking on the difficult task of breaking norms, creating change, and tackling the hard stuff. Her model was the first of its kind, and has been instrumental in positively impacting her community. If you’ve been wondering how to make your own business more inclusive, it’s time to learn from NAHB’s Woman of the Year for 2023.

Show highlights include:

• 3:24 How Nora got started in the industry

• 5:00 Deciding to build a business

• 6:00 What was the reception from Nora’s circle

• 7:56 Who were some of the first women hired?

• 10:00 What are some of the most exciting opportunities available?

• 11:45 Teaching women there are opportunities in the trades is rare

• 13:45 What does Hope Renovations do?

• 15:50 How do women feel about participating in the construction industry?

• 17:35 Will Hope Renovations grow into other disciplines outside of trades? 

• 19:35 How big is the organization?

• 21:45 What ways can other leaders get involved in this?

• 24:11 What conversations are being had with younger kids?

• 25:15 Who all wants to join?

• 27:30 A memorable student experience

• 30:20 What has the older generation thought about you and what do they need?

• 35:20 How to get in touch and What’s coming up next? 

You can learn more about Nora at https://www.hoperenovations.org.

Social media:

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/company/hoperenovations

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hoperenovations

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hoperenovations

Or hit us up through our Contact Page at https://buildernuggets.com and we’ll make a personal introduction.  

To get the most out of this podcast, head over to https://buildernuggets.com and join our active community of like-minded builders and remodelers.