Brad Leavitt Podcast

You will not want to miss episode 45 of the AFT Construction Podcast. This week we were fortunate to host Morri Chowaiki. Morri is the Head of Sales and Retail for Daymond John. Morri was one of the top selling contestants on the Shark Tank and is the only presenter to now work for one of the Sharks. He is a strategic and results-driven Senior Sales and Executive with experience combining strong technical background and keen business acumen to drive profitability and identify new markets within competitive sales arenas. In this episode we heavily discuss entrepreneurship, sales, communication and persistence. If any of you are looking to expand your career or business, this is the episode for you. Morri gives first-hand knowledge and how to close a deal. Additionally, he also shares his experience in working through the Shark Tank auditions.

On Episode 44 of the Podcast we were fortunate to host Ty Udell with Dun Today. Ty has created a revolutionary app in the building industry that we have already incorporated here at A Finer Touch Construction for our clients. Dun Today is an on-demand solution for Home Builders, Home Warranty Companies, Professional Services Companies, and Home Owners to connect in real time. With over a decade of background in the Fortune 100 High-Tech sector, Ty is a generation Y millennial who understands the importance of business transformation in the digital age. He has extensive experience working with major retailers on omnichannel and mobile engagement strategies, and brings a unique understanding of what the next generation of home buyer expects. Ty holds a business degree from the Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona and is a member of the NHBA. You don’t want to miss this episode as we dive in to Ty’s journey to create this app and of course, the time and effort behind the scenes.

This week on the podcast we were fortunate to host Jason and Mark from the land down under with @beyondbuildconstructions. Jason and Mark have built an amazing company in Sydney, Australia. Company culture is so important for any brand or enterprise and we discuss this in detail. We also spoke about how to run an effective partnership, how to bring value to your customers, the difference in construction between the US and Australia, what will impact builders and designers over the next 10 years, and how to better market and brand your firm. You won’t want to miss this one.

On Episode 42 of the AFT Construction Podcast we were fortunate to host Shea McGee with @StudioMcGee. Shea and her husband Syd have built an incredibly successful and diversified company. She shared some upcoming exciting news, as well as her background to the early beginnings of Studio McGee. Shea has always had a passion for design and shared the importance of the client relationship, as well as what creates good chemistry between the builder and architect. She spoke of how important it is to focus on your aesthetic, content creation and be consistent. If you are looking to grow your business through marketing and networking, definitely take a listen

This week on the podcast we were fortunate to host Matt Risinger @risingerbuild with @thebuildshow. Matt is a tremendous thought leader in the construction, building science and design industry. He is a public speaker, mentor, has an extremely successful YouTube channel, and “Netflix for Builders” website at www.buildshownetwork.com that he hosts with other talented professionals throughout the country. Matt discussed the importance of a well-constructed home and how that integrates with design and budget. He spoke about the importance of social media, personal branding, and marketing and how we can sell our value to the customers. Consistency, trust and risk assessment were other key components of our conversation. He also spoke about aspects of the preconstruction process that we all must consider. You don’t want to miss this one. Matt Risinger’s building career began with a Pittsburgh church ministry. After college, he worked with a national builder in Washington, D.C., where he met his wife. The two then moved to Portland, Ore., where Matt worked for a smaller semicustom builder. After moving to Austin, Texas (his wife’s hometown), he started Risinger Homes in 2005. In addition to running his company, blogging, and writing for various publications, he stays busy with his four kids.

We brought Aaron on the podcast because of his specialization in marketing, branding and hiring. If you aren’t already on LinkedIn, I am confident you will make it a priority after our conversation. Aaron is an expert in content creation throughout all of his social media channels. His company has expanded to website design, used equipment sales, and job placement for the dirt industry. After graduating with an engineering degree and working for five different heavy construction companies in four states, Aaron's life plan was to start a construction business. However, all that went out the window when he started sharing his Dirt World experiences on social media. His online following quickly grew, and he realized he could build a business around educating society about how essential heavy construction and mining are to our world. He quit his day job, picked up a camera, and started traveling to different job sites across the US. Today, while he still runs around photographing dirt, he leads a marketing agency focused exclusively on heavy construction and mining companies. BuildWitt is a team of 25 marketing experts who help their partners solve their workforce issues and win new work by telling their stories via social media, web, video, and other means

To celebrate July 4th, we launched an incredible podcast episode with Jeremy Andrus, CEO of Traeger Pellet Grills, LLC. Jeremy has an amazing entrepreneurship resume from his studies at Harvard Business School, to Real Estate Development, to Investment Banking, to President at Skull Candy and now, CEO at Traeger. His episode is a must listen. He spoke about the importance of culture and how you can build a strong team within your company. He spoke about the importance of marketing, lifestyle and innovation as well as systems and infrastructure. We are tremendously grateful for the time Jeremy allowed to record this amazing episode. Jeremy Andrus is the President & CEO and Board Member of Traeger Grills. From 2005 to 2013, Jeremy served as President & CEO of Skullcandy, where he helped grow annual sales from $1 million to $300 million

This week on the podcast we were fortunate to host Claire Staszak from Chicago with @Centered_by_Design. We spoke about leveraging social media, branding, and how to utilize a blog to refine your business. We also spoke about how to leverage your social media channels for extra press and marketing. Claire had just started her blog and then won “Best Design Writing in 2017” at the Design Influencers Conference. Claire Staszak is known for her holistic design process, which combines her well-trained eye for interiors with her passion for wellness. Her work has been featured by The Chicago Tribune, Modern Luxury, HGTV, Domino, Architectural Digest online and more

This week on the Podcast we were fortunate to host Arik Tendler, Chief of Sales at Cambria. Arik has tremendous experience building companies, infrastructure, and of course, marketing. He was the founder of Caesarstone and Vdara. Tendler is now the chief of sales at Cambria, responsible for identifying target segments, resolving logistical obstacles and bottlenecks, and generating demand through innovation. He oversees Cambria worldwide sales activity and will be tasked with activating aggressive and insightful efforts to further build sales channels across the continent

This week on the podcast we invited Joe Edwards from Elite Concepts USA. Joe is a design build contractor in New Jersey and has been a great friend over the past 4 years. Joe is extremely talented and knowledgeable in regard to building a successful and profitable business. However, we invited Joe to be a guest to speak more about how we can be more aware and inclusive to the Black community. We not only discuss the topic of racism, but also give solutions how we can create a more aware and welcoming society. It is more important than ever that each of us reach outside of our network to meet people from all walks of life, backgrounds and cultures. Conversations, friendships and empathy will help us all build a better community. Joe is a native New Yorker who has lived the past 16 years in New Jersey with his wife and 5 children, 3 girls and 2 boys. Joe has extensive experience as a designer, architect, contractor, builder, carpenter and investor.

This week on the podcast we welcome Danny Wang with Danny Wang Design Build from Newport Beach, CA. Danny has really leveraged social media to build his brand. He spoke in depth about the content he produces, how to manage the “pay for play” social media platforms, and of course, the important of systems and company procedures. Danny has built an incredible brand with some amazing projects. He has been requested by clients all over the world for his unique designs. He had a lot of advice to offer in regard to social media content.

Randi has built an incredible brand throughout all of her social media channels. She has partnerships with many well-known companies such as: Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Teen, Frontgate, Bloomingdales, Wayfair, Amazon, Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal Mart, Voluspa, Arte Italica and Pom Pom at Home. We spoke about how to partnership with brands, build relationships, social media, marketing and the importance of a blog.

This week on the podcast we welcome JJ Levenske with Bleuwave Construction. We’ve had listeners reach out asking the story behind A Finer Touch Construction and JJ was gracious to come on and host the show. He asked about the importance of a mentor, company structure and the legacy of our brand. And we have some extremely incredible guests that will be joining us over the next 8 weeks, including some big announcements.

This week on the podcast we welcome Dondie McAdoo. We brought him on to speak about the pros and cons of solar power, as well as asked many questions in regard to pricing, utility savings, and durability. Dee answered many questions that our listeners have in regard to solar power. Definitely take a listen.

This week on the podcast we brought on Anthony Winston III. Anthony owns a small engineering business @winston_engineering and offered great insight on how to run and operate your own company. We also spoke about marketing, branding, sales, and how to deal with difficult clients. Anthony runs all of his own social media, as do we, and gave some great insight. Winston Engineering is a licensed electrical engineering consultant. They specialize in HVAC, electrical and plumbing designs/engineering for commercial and residential projects.

Betsy has extensive experience in design, trends and marketing. We spoke about timeless designs, color palettes and research and development. We also spoke about the need to evolve to understand consumer habits

We invited Ms. Hausman to the podcast to discuss marketing, company evolution and business strategies. We also discussed how the platform can help businesses such as ours during the COVID-19 crisis. Liza has experience spanning advertising, consulting, marketing and social strategy for Fortune 500 brands to a host of innovative startups.

We brought on Steve to share his tremendous insight in regard to building science, architecture and design. After receiving his architectural degree, Steve took a position in a large Architectural Firm in Cambridge Massachusetts with Building Science Corporation as a project architect. Upon leaving Building Science Corporation, Steve established 3D Building Solutions with two colleagues, Peter and Nathan Yost. Being a partner at Building Solutions helped to further educate him in the architect-client relationship. Direct client interaction in numerous projects allowed him to enhance the skills required to work with clients of varying backgrounds. After three years of 3D Building Solutions, Steve established Steven Baczek Architect, a sole proprietorship specializing in wholesome, appropriate, and responsible residential design

Dan is a construction business consultant. We all need to better our systems and procedures to ensure that we are working efficiently. Dan speaks about some basic procedures and systems that we can use to better our business. We also speak about what characteristics make contractors separate from the rest.

Stuart offers extensive experience in development, investment and large-scale construction. We brought him on to discuss purchasing, logistics and coordination when managing projects all across the country. We also discussed the data they collect when researching new developments and the information pertinent to their feasibility studies. Stuart began his career in commercial real estate in 1984. The Bomasada team has completed over 1.5 Billion dollars of transactional in new developments, construction and acquisitions

Jenny offers extensive experience in blogging, magazine contribution, interior design, marketing, social media, and print. She is a social media influencer and speaks about how her business has evolved over the years. She gives tremendous insight on Pinterest and other small business tips

In this episode we discuss how to build your social network and the power of positivity as an entrepreneur. We also spoke about the ups and downs of owning a business and the importance of business evolution.

Definitely tune in to this episode as John Brenkus discussed entrepreneurship, TV production and the difficulty of starting your own business. John gave some tremendous insight on how to evolve as a business owner. We may all have a game plan, but need to be prepared to adjust our company and pivot as the economy and technology changes.

In this episode, we spoke with Andrew from Patterson Custom Homes. Andrew has built a tremendously successful company in Newport Beach, California. We discussed marketing, growth, and how to build a small business efficiently.

In this episode we discuss the importance of installing systems and protocol in your company. Every small business should have detailed and outlined tasks for each employee.

In this episode we discuss the importance of marketing. We also discuss the pros and cons of a remodel versus a new build

In this episode we discuss how to deal with a difficult client. Are the challenges and communication breakdowns due to the client, or inefficient systems by us as the builder.

EP 18 - Joel Woel the Amazon King W: AskJoel Podcast - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 17 - Joseph Lstiburek W: Building Science Corporation - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 16 - Featuring Brian Welker W: Sunridge Hotel Group - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 15 - Featuring Paul Scialla W: Delos and the Darwin Home - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 14 - Featuring Martin Holsinger W: Protractor Media - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

Jeremy, CEO of Traeger, has an amazing entrepreneurship resume from his studies at Harvard Business School, to Real Estate Development, to Investment Banking, to President at Skull Candy and now, CEO at Traeger. His episode is a must listen. He spoke about the importance of culture and how you can build a strong team within your company. He spoke about the importance of marketing, lifestyle and innovation as well as systems and infrastructure.

EP 12 - Featuring Thamarit and Patricia W: Chen and Suchart - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 11 - Featuring Derek Wozencraft W: Sub-Zero Wolf Southwest - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 10 - Featuring Renee Dee W: Iconic Life - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 9 - Featuring JJ Levenske W: Bleuwave Construction - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 8 - Featuring Justin Newman W: Hardison Downey - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 7 - Featuring Caroline DeCesare W: DeCesare Design Group - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 6 -Featuring Mike Elayan and Mike Asquith W: ECS Homes NJ - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 5 - Featuring Kirk Linehan W: EXP Realty - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 4 - Featuring Brad Forsgren W: Glenwood Development - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

EP 3 - Featuring Mark Candelaria W: Candelaria Design - A Finer Touch Construction Podcast by Brad Leavitt

Tune in as we speak business and how to start your new business. We discuss best practices and information that we wish we knew at start-up.

Tune in as we discuss building science and how it can apply to your home.