The Musical Chairs of Building Products - Why Everyone's Changing Jobs (And What It Means for Our Industry)

The Musical Chairs of Building Products - Why Everyone's Changing Jobs (And What It Means for Our Industry) Recorded Live at AIA 2025, Boston Featuring special guest Michael Russo, National Sales Manager at Longboard Architectural Products The Big Idea The building products industry is experiencing a massive talent shuffle. From the Rockwell acoustic booth at AIA (where you can literally hear the difference good products make), to LinkedIn feeds full of job announcements—everyone's moving. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. What You'll Experience in This Episode We recorded this live from the Rockwell booth at AIA 2025—the first time any of us had been to the show in 6+ years. You'll hear the actual difference between being inside an acoustic booth and walking onto the noisy show floor. Because some things you just can't market—you have to experience them. The Career Carousel: Where We All Landed 2019 vs 2025 - The Shuffle: Tim: Nichiha → Nichiha (leading Interiors Strategy) Carolina: Porcelanosa Facade → Nichiha → StoeCorp (leading VTECH team)Michael: Nichiha (13.5 years) → Longboard Architectural Products We're all competitors now. Same customers, same projects, different products. But that doesn't mean we can't talk about what's really happening in our industry. Why Everyone's Job-Hopping (And Why It's Actually Good) The Family Decision Reality Moving companies isn't just a career move—it's a family decision. Michael's perspective after 13+ years at one company: the first 60-90 days define everything. You're not just learning products; you're establishing pace and direction. The Win-Win Dynamic When experienced professionals move, both sides win. Companies get proven expertise. Veterans get validation and appreciation for their accumulated knowledge. It's not just about changing jobs—it's about leveraging your "body of work." What We All Have in Common: Pumpkin spice lattes (Carolina always sends the first text)Fall season excitement15+ years of relationship-building in a tight-knit industryThe ability to spot our cladding systems on family road trips The Long Game That Keeps Us Here Why We Stay: Always work: Construction happens everywhereMaking a difference: Helping architects, designers, building owners create better spacesThe relationships: Small industry, long relationships, specification salesThe payoff: Driving by buildings you helped create The Industry Reality: People don't leave architecture to become builders. Builders don't become architects. Building products people stay in building products. It's hard to get out because once you're in, you see the impact. The Talent Problem Nobody Talks About Everyone discusses labor shortages on job sites. But what about us? Building products manufacturing, sales, and marketing face the same challenge. How do we attract young talent to careers they don't know exist? The Solution: Have these conversations publiclyShare the rewarding reality of the workShow the financial mobility possibleHighlight the gratification of seeing your work built Walking through AIA 2025, we saw plenty of young professionals asking questions and moving with purpose. The next generation is here—we just need to be more vocal about the opportunities. The Experience Economy in Action You can't print or market the acoustic difference you experience in the Rockwell booth. You have to be there. That's why events like AIA matter—not just for networking, but for experiencing what products actually do. After a day of "constantly grinding" and networking, the unexpected reward: 12 genuine hugs from industry relationships built over 15 years. That's the human infrastructure that makes this industry special. The Bottom Line With $5 billion in commercial facades construction over the next 3-4 years, there's plenty of work to go around. The career mobility we're all experiencing isn't disruption—it's evolution. The industry is strengthened when experienced professionals bring their expertise to new challenges. We might be competitors, but we're all trying to create better spaces for customers. And in a relationship-driven industry built on specification sales, collaboration makes everyone stronger. About Our Locations Tim: Interiors Strategy at Nichiha USA nichiha.com Carolina: Leading VENTEC team at StoCorp - High-performance building envelope solutions Michael Russo: National Sales Manager at Longboard Architectural Products - Expanding into interiors and landscape architecture applications Sponsor Spotlight Advancing Prefabrication: Unitized Façades & Panelization June 9-11, 2025 | Dallas, Texas Part of the Hanson Wade suite of construction innovation events Use code BP10 for 10% off any Hanson Wade event registration advancing-prefab-unitized-facades-panelization.com Build Perspectives explores the innovations, relationships, and career realities shaping construction. Sometimes recorded in acoustic booths, sometimes on noisy show floors—always authentic...