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In this episode: Angela Gardner and Christi Powell interview Vinny, Vice President of Job Site Solutions at Milwaukee Tool, celebrating his 25-year career with the company. Vinny recounts Milwaukee’s cultural shift after its 2005 acquisition by Techtronic Industries, when leadership refocused from trying to serve everyone back to core plumbing and electrical trades and recommitted to in-field user research to drive safer, lighter, more productive tools. He describes Milwaukee’s major disruption in 2005 with the first lithium-ion cordless platform (V28), later evolving into the M18 and M12 platforms. Vinny explains why Milwaukee consistently supports ABC chapters to help train apprentices and strengthen future infrastructure. He names the M12 screwdriver (2401-22) as a sentimental favorite and closes with Milwaukee’s “disruptive innovation” elevator pitch.

Supported by: NPK

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In this episode: Adam Hoots joins Women Talk Construction with co-hosts Christi Powell and Angela Gardner to discuss lean construction as “flow” centered on respect for people, emphasizing that high-performing teams require intentionally developing high-performing individuals and optimizing global project flow. He describes shifting his mission to elevate and serve skilled craft workers by spending time in the gemba, “standing” on projects to focus on workers’ needs, connection, and ergonomics, including sharing photos with craftspeople. Drawing from managing over $1.5B in technical projects for clients like Stanford and the University of Florida, he highlights construction as a socio-technical business where communication and emotional intelligence matter as much as technical skill, sharing a lesson about unclear direction. They discuss managing stress through self-awareness and choosing responses, and ways to pass construction wisdom to the next generation via podcasts, books, university engagement, teaching, consulting, and improving industry conditions to boost retention.

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In this episode: Christi Powell and Angela Gardner interview Clemson University lecturer and former walk-on Clemson basketball player Tom Fuduric, introduced during an interview with guest Adam Hoots. Fuduric shares how he entered construction at 16 through asphalt paving and learned relationship-building and servant leadership from mentors on a road crew and from coach Art Musselman. Drawing on 40+ years in construction, human resources, and safety management, he explains why Clemson revitalized courses on building high-performing teams and the human side of construction to strengthen students’ communication, negotiation, emotional intelligence, and teamwork across architects, engineers, owners, and trade partners. He discusses psychological safety, mindfulness, and a proposed certificate in human-centered leadership in construction, emphasizing trust, a growth mindset, active listening, and not taking on more than you can handle.

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In this episode: In this first news brief for February 2026, Christi and Angela share construction-industry updates with a focus on North Carolina and South Carolina. They highlight state government priorities aimed at removing bottlenecks and maintaining the Carolinas’ status as a top construction market, including South Carolina’s South Carolina Justice Act push to reform joint and several liability toward a proportionate fault system to reduce “deep pocket” lawsuits and lower insurance premiums. They also discuss South Carolina energy expansion bills to streamline permitting for high-voltage transmission lines and natural gas pipelines supporting the battery-belt surge, with electricians in high demand. Workforce items include a need for 500,000 workers nationally, ABC’s education strategy supporting certified apprenticeships, NAWIC’s 2026 safety/retention priorities for women, and North Carolina’s “graduation with a trade” pilot placing seniors on job sites to earn diplomas and Level 1 apprenticeship credentials.

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In this episode: Christi Powell and Angela Gardner welcome returning guest Jesse Hernandez (Depth Builder founder, partner in No BS with Jen and Jess, and host of Learnings and Missteps) to discuss leadership and systems in construction. Jesse shares pivotal moments from moving from installer to foreman, where intimidation got results but cost relationships, and how leadership training helped him shift to a people-centered approach. He explains why most leadership training is too generic and not contextualized to construction, emphasizing conversation, listening, and challenging ideas over slide-heavy agendas. For quick job-site results, he says leaders must be present, visible, and model desired behaviors. A simple ROI habit is setting daily targets and end-of-day check-ins to identify “time bandits” and interruptions. He urges listeners to meet someone new on the jobsite to build connections and improve the industry, and shares ways to reach him via LinkedIn and depthbuilder.com.

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In this episode: Christi Powell and co-host Angela Gardner interview Michelle James, owner and operator of Grace Construction Group and coordinator for WIC Week at NAWIC Columbia, about pivoting into construction at 47 after work in nonprofit and the legal world, including serving as a municipal judge. Michelle shares why she chose construction after COVID, how her legal background helps with contracts, liability, and building business processes, and how she brings accountability to a family-run company through communication, meetings, documentation, goal-setting, and aligning projects to a mission. She emphasizes “the cost of silence,” arguing that asking questions prevents expensive project misunderstandings and creates a healthier team environment. Michelle also discusses faith-driven community giving, partnering with HomeWorks, and her former Prosperity Project nonprofit in Columbia.

Sponsored by: GirlUp Greenville and Groundbreak

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In this episode: Women Talk Construction celebrates its four-year anniversary during Women in Construction Week 2026 with guest Jennifer Lacy of Robins & Morton, Director of Building Forward and LEAN Practices. Lacy discusses “respect for people” as the core of LEAN construction, emphasizing that leaders build psychological safety through daily interactions, especially by listening, asking open-ended questions, and responding directly to what others say rather than preconceived agendas. She explains how her “No BS with Jen and Jess” community began as live streams and grew into a space for uncomfortable but needed conversations. Lacy highlights mental and physical health as business strategies tied to retention and safety, sharing her father’s death after years of overwork as a warning against postponing self-care. She encourages creating transparent, vulnerable workplaces and serving others through everyday actions.

Sponsored by: NPK and Groundbreak Carolinas

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In this episode: Christi Powell and Angela Gardner host Patrick Scarpati, an ABC apprenticeship graduate and licensed HVAC-R journeyperson (refrigeration), who now works at ABC National, focused on construction technology and innovation. Patrick shares his path into the trades after college wasn’t a fit, his volunteer leadership with ABC chapters, and how ABC’s Construction Technology and Innovation efforts—supported by a 22-company member committee—help contractors of all sizes with tech strategy, adoption, and implementation. The conversation highlights ABC’s 2025 BuildTech report as the fifth tech report and its focus on job-site hardware and real-world field case studies (including tools like laser scanners and robotic total stations) to reduce hurdles, clarify ROI, and encourage champions in the field and office. Patrick discusses what’s being adopted most: project management software, safety technology (training, inspections, observations, incident tracking, and leveraging historical safety data for bidding and forecasting), and growing drone usage for progress monitoring, security, safety, and measuring stockpiles. They discuss how tech changes roles and training, the challenge of whether to hire for tech skills versus construction experience, and the need for an “aha” moment rather than forcing culture shifts, including guidance around AI policies. Patrick also explains ABC programs STEP (a safety management system to evaluate and improve safety culture) and Excellence in Construction (recognizing contractors across many project types and sizes). The episode includes a Conexpo-Con/Agg announcement (March 3–7, 2026, Las Vegas; code WTC20 for 20% off) and notes ABC’s participation as an industry and education partner, with Patrick predicting workforce impacts from equipment/tool management via telematics and increasing autonomy in equipment operation. Patrick directs listeners to abc.org, the technology resources and webinars, and how to find and join a local ABC chapter.

Sponsored by: ConExpo & NPK

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