In this episode of Get the kNACk, host Jerry Eyink is joined by leading construction attorneys Wendy Veniot, Boston Office Managing Partner at Cozen O’Connor, and Shelly Ewald, Partner at Watt, Tieder, Hoffar & Fitzgerald, LLP. Drawing on extensive experience with complex disputes across the U.S. and internationally, they share practical insights on avoiding unnecessary conflict. They describe contracts as the foundation of any project that establishes expectations, allocates risk, and serves as a roadmap from start to finish. Wendy and Shelly outline strategies to ensure a successful project, emphasizing the importance of fully understanding contract terms, training teams on key conditions, and proactively addressing issues through open communication and collaboration. At its core, the conversation highlights that strong collaboration among all parties is essential to preventing the trainwreck and delivering successful project outcomes.

In this episode of Get the kNACk, host Bill O’Brien welcomes Jamie Gerbrecht to share insights on the Construction Industry Institute’s latest research on safety. Jamie, who recently retired as Executive Director of the Construction Industry Institute, has been a dedicated advocate for safety throughout his career. In this episode, he shares how CII recognized the need to update its best practices to proactively strengthen the industry, continuously improve safety performance, and drive meaningful advancement across the sector. Jamie discusses the outcomes of the research, which identified 16 safety excellence techniques divided into five categories, creating a comprehensive approach that engages all project components and practices. He explains how this integrated framework elevates safety excellence and drives a new level of performance across the industry. Additionally, Jamie touches on CII’s research examining current and emerging AI technologies in construction safety management. Together, these efforts demonstrate the importance of bringing industry and academia together to share experiences, foster innovation, and transform safety performance across the industry.

Find CII’s publications discussed on their website here: https://www.construction-institute.org/

Host Sue Steele welcomes back Sandy Hamby, President and CEO of MOCA Systems Inc., and introduces Brett Adamczyk, President of MOCA’s Software Division, which provides Touchplan®. Together, they continue the conversation on the growing demands of the data center industry and the role of construction technology in meeting them. In the last episode, the discussion focused on the many factors driving the data center boom. In this episode, the conversation explores how technology can be utilized to build smarter, more efficient data centers, and how to thoughtfully approach and implement that technology. The guests discuss how new technologies are reshaping the industry and emphasize the importance of taking a data-focused approach to enable predictive decision making for stronger risk management and improved project execution. Additionally, the guests highlight how technology empowers people to take control of their projects leading to safer, more reliable, and consistent outcomes that strengthen the industry and help build a better nation.

The National Academy of Construction’s 2025 Symposia Series, Introducing and Embedding Safety Culture Concepts in Undergraduate Education, brought together faculty, students, and industry professionals to introduce undergraduate students to the concept of safety culture. The goal was to promote safety as a core professional value, equip future professionals to uphold ethical standards, and reinforce the importance of safety across the construction industry. In this episode of the Get the kNACk podcast, host Sue Steele is joined by NAC President and CEO Dr. Edd Gibson and Chair of the NAC Safety Committee Tony Leketa. Together, they discuss how the symposia was developed, key lessons learned, and the lasting impact of the program.

The conversation discusses the importance of collaboration between academia and industry to advance safety culture, address critical industry challenges, and drive meaningful improvement. The symposia focused on practical elements that can be integrated into existing curricula, helping students develop a strong awareness of safety culture as part of their academic and professional training. The guests highlight how the symposia achieved measurable success, including the creation of new safety culture focused majors at top universities, equipping the next generation of construction leaders.

Proceedings of the 2025 NAC Symposia Series: Introducing and Embedding Safety Culture Concepts in Undergraduate Education

Construction workers have been considered nearly twice as likely as those in other industries to experience substance-use challenges, with alcohol playing a particularly prominent role. To spotlight alcohol awareness in the construction industry, host Kevin Hilton welcomes back Cal Beyer, Senior Director of SAFE Workplaces for SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic). In this conversation, Kevin and Cal discuss current trends surrounding alcohol use in the construction industry and the urgent need for greater awareness, support, and prevention. Cal highlights the importance of building recovery-friendly workplaces and offers practical guidance on how organizations can foster a culture of care and support. The episode emphasizes the human impact of alcohol use, addresses the stigma surrounding recovery, and calls for meaningful action to create safer, healthier workplaces across the industry.

Episode Resources

SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic)

• The Snowball — SAFE Project’s national recovery movement
• 3-Minute Overview Video

Industry Perspectives

• Real Talk: Alcohol Awareness and Promoting Workplace Recovery
  Asphalt Pro Magazine, Cal Beyer (November 2025)
• Promoting a Recovery-Ready Workplace by De-Emphasizing Alcohol at Company Gatherings
  Construction Financial Management Association, Cal Beyer (2024)

Alcohol Education & Awareness (NIAAA)

• Rethinking Drinking: Alcohol & Your Health (English PDF)
• Rethinking Drinking: Alcohol & Your Health (Spanish PDF)
• What Are the Symptoms of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)?

Personal Stories & Recovery

• Interview with Laura Jones, author of Beyond Sober: You Put Down the Booze, Now What?

National Safety Council Substance Use Cost Calculator

• NSC Substance Use Employer Cost Calculator

In this episode of Get the kNACk, host Sue Steele welcomes Sandy Hamby, President & CEO of MOCA Systems, Inc. and NAC member, along with Brandon Michalski, Chief Economist at MOCA Systems. Together, they explore how the rise of data centers is transforming construction and what this shift means for the industry, and for NAC’s vision of transforming the industry to build a better nation. Sandy and Brandon discuss how innovation through collaboration, data-informed planning, and a focus on community impact are essential to delivering these complex projects successfully. The conversation also examines the broader economic and policy forces driving data center demand, as well as key challenges facing the sector, including labor shortages and evolving workforce needs. Throughout the episode, the guests emphasize that while technology enables progress, people make transformation real. The rapid growth of data centers brings both opportunity and responsibility, and with strong leadership and collaboration, the industry can create lasting positive impacts to transform the nation.

In this episode, host Jerry Eyink welcomes Paul Giroux, a leading construction historian with decades of experience on mega projects and a professor of engineering practice at the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering at Purdue University, to discuss the current challenges facing engineering education. Paul explains that engineering programs are facing growing industry complexity and a gradual erosion of credit hours, both of which contribute to a widening skills gap. While increasing credit hours may not be feasible, Paul shares how schools can improve outcomes by taking a holistic approach, embedding communication, leadership, teamwork, ethics, and critical thinking throughout the curriculum. Paul also emphasizes the importance of helping students understand their Body of Knowledge (BOK) journey from an early stage and fostering lifelong learning through the use of case studies, visual tools, and real-world examples. Ultimately, this empowers students to take ownership of their career growth and plan their path to success in the engineering and construction industry.

Host Kevin Hilton welcomes back Cal Beyer, Senior Director of SAFE Workplaces for SAFE Project (Stop the Addiction Fatality Epidemic), to continue their powerful conversation on mental health and suicide in the construction industry. In this episode, they explore the intersection of substance use, mental health, and suicide to raise awareness of how these issues deeply impact individuals and communities across the industry. Together, Kevin and Cal discuss the urgent need to break the stigma surrounding addiction, and the importance of open, honest conversations to raise awareness, support recovery, and encourage those struggling to seek help.

Episode References:

Articles on Recovery-Friendly Workplaces

From For Construction Pros website:

Ken Serviss — The Role of Employee Assistance Programs and Opioids in Construction

Building Trades Recovery Week — Breaking Down Stigma and Creating Hope

Naloxone Success Stories

Ryan Companies — Ryan Partners with SAFE Project to Combat Overdoses on Project Sites with Naloxone and Response Training

SAFE Project — Why Vulcan Materials Company Stocks Naloxone at All Operating Facilities

Alcohol Awareness

TheSnowball.org — (3-minute video)