Episode Archives

Change Orders: Getting the Coding Right with Trevor Robertson – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E7

November 20, 2023 0:31:17

On today’s episode of the Tim Faller Show, we welcome Trevor Robertson from Innovative Design Build, who will talk about how he uses change orders and how they are coded for cost accounting. Trevor is the Project Manager who oversees the process and communicates the changes with the accounting team. He will also discuss how he handles errors in the change orders.

Trevor Robertson is the Project Manager at Innovative Design Build located in Atlanta, Georgia. From a young age, Trevor enjoyed building, fixing, and creating. As he grew up, he realized just how powerful being able to turn a concept or idea into something tangible is. With years of experience under his belt, he joined Innovative Design Build in 2018, where he is still working today. His professional superpower is planning, then replanning when the plan changes!

Trevor, Tim, and Steve talk more about:

How do you code materials, labor, etc.
How are change orders created and entered into the system?
What are the results of this process?
And more…

The Value of Purchase Orders with Ian Schwandt – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E6

November 13, 2023 0:35:07

On today’s episode of the Tim Faller Show, Tim and Steve are joined by Ian Schwandt to discuss the importance of purchase orders. Although purchase orders have been in use for a long time and are widely used in commercial construction, they are now being increasingly utilized in residential construction as well. Ian sheds light on how TDS Custom Construction implements their purchase orders and how they have helped improve the financials of TDS Custom Construction as well as the production staff.

Ian is the Production Manager for TDS Custom Construction in Madison, WI. After starting at TDS as a part-time Estimator in 2020, he moved to full-time in 2021 after getting his new home built to the “done for now” stage. Ian moved to the Production Manager role in 2022 with the focus on developing department-wide financial literacy. Ian is also a Contributing Editor and podcast host for Fine Homebuilding Magazine and a frequent contributor to JLC Magazine.

Ian, Tim, and Steve talk more about:

Obstacles and challenges of using purchase orders.
Why did TDS start using purchase orders?
And more…

Rebuilding the Pre-Construction Process with Dan Zimmerman and Dan Purnell – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E5

November 6, 2023 0:46:15

One of the most challenging parts of construction is getting the preconstruction part of the job right. Today, on the Tim Faller Show, Dan Purnell and Dan Zimmerman join the show to talk about how they rebuilt this process at Alloy Workshop. Dan and Dan go through some of the red flags they saw before redoing the preconstruction process and how the change has helped the company.

Dan Zimmerman co-founded Alloy Architecture & Construction, located in Charlottesville, Virginia. Along with his business partner, Zach Snider, he has been at Alloy throughout all the growing (and shrinking) pains. At Alloy, they’re 100% committed to completing 90% of selections before a signed contract.

Dan Purnell is the Director of Production at Alloy Workshop. As Director of Production, the company has seen a turnaround. They had previously seen project duration slippage and GM slippage on all of our projects. They’ve focused on creating a comprehensive pre-production process so all selections, purchasing, etc., are complete before mobilization. This has shown much better performance regarding schedule and GM% slippage.

Tim, Dan, Dan, and Steve talk more about:

Step by Step on how Alloy rebuilt the preconstruction process
Results from the change
And more…

Scheduling to Overhead with Billy Dodd – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E4

October 30, 2023 0:35:30

Today, on the Tim Faller Show, Billy Dodd shares his insights on accounting for overhead costs in projects based on the expected time of completion for each project. Billy explains how his team uses this approach to manage overhead and execute projects efficiently. He also highlights how he applies the same principles to multiple projects simultaneously.

Billy Dodd is the Project Director/Sales and Design Consultant at Blue Ribbon Residential Construction. He has been with Blue Ribbon for about a year. Billy comes from a long line of carpenters and entrepreneurs and ran his own construction business for about 8 years prior to coming to Blue Ribbon. Having worked in his own company as boss, crew lead, designer, sales rep., estimator, scheduler, project manager, etc., Billy had the opportunity to evaluate projects from numerous angles. Now, at Blue Ribbon, Billy has a more localized role, but his former experiences help him to corroborate realistic schedules with well-researched overhead figures.

Billy, Tim, and Steve talk more about:

How different job sizes affect the overhead.
Importance of good data and analysis of that data
And more…

An Español Track at JLC Live! with Paola Enriquez – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E3

October 23, 2023 0:30:41

On today’s episode of the Tim Faller Show, Tim and Steve have a special guest, Paola Enriquez, who talks about a new track at JLC Live. Starting in March 2024, Spanish-speaking workers and owners can access education in their native language at the En Espanol track. This will be presented in Spanish rather than interpreted. Paola explains how the idea of this track was realized and what to expect during the track.

Paola Enriquez is the conference education manager at JLC LIVE. She enjoys connecting with people and making a difference. Paola is an active member in her community and volunteers for numerous causes, lending her bilingual and leadership skills to GED En Espanol, Financial Peace University English and Spanish classes, and Apartment Life, to name a few. Paola has been part of the JLC LIVE team since June of 2022.

Paola, Tim, and Steve talk more about…

Topics for the En Espanol track
How to register for the event
And more…

Hiring a PM That’s Never Swung a Hammer with Alison McLennan and Marsha Hanna – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E2

October 16, 2023 0:30:03

The Tim Faller Show live from Summit! Alison McLennan and Marsha Hanna joined Tim and Steve on stage for a discussion. Alison talked about how McLennan Contracting hired Marsha as a Project Manager, who didn’t have any carpentry experience. However, Marsha’s non-construction skills made her an excellent choice for the role. They also discuss what a business owner sees in someone that makes them take a chance on a critical role.

Alison McLennan is President of McLennan Contracting, an award-winning design-build remodeling company in Lancaster, PA. Alison and her husband, Tim, co-own the business and are passionate about creating a company culture that is characterized by collaboration and continual learning. Over the last 20 years, Alison has worn many hats at McLennan – mostly working behind the scenes – but in 2021, her Roundtables peer group encouraged her to accept the role of president, and she accepted. Her focus is now on growing as a leader and cultivating a workplace that empowers and enriches the lives of McLennan’s team.

Marsha Hanna is the Production Manager of McLennan Contracting, an award-winning design-build remodeling company in Lancaster, PA. Marsha began her career with McLennan in September 2019 as a project coordinator and assumed her current role of Production Manager in October 2020. Marsha is a member of the Phoenix Production Manager group and received the MVP award at the spring meeting.

Gross Profit per Day with Dan Purnell – [The Tim Faller Show] S5 E1

October 9, 2023 0:34:37

Today, the Tim Faller Show welcomes Dan Purnell as a guest. Dan will be discussing how his team at Alloy Workshop utilizes GP/Day. He explains what GP is and how Alloy Workshop uses it as a measuring tool. Moreover, Dan differentiates GP/Day from other metrics and its impact on the department.

Dan Purnell is a Project Developer at Alloy Workshop located in Charlottesville, VA, and is a member of the Production Manager’s Roundtables. It was established in 2011 when Dan Zimmerman (AR) and Zach Snider (GC) decided to form Alloy Workshop as a design/build company in Charlottesville. Since taking the project manager role, the company has seen a turnaround. Alloy was previously seeing project duration slippage and GM slippage on all of our projects. Dan and the Alloy team really focused on creating a very comprehensive pre-production process, so all selections, purchasing, etc., are complete prior to mobilization. This has slowed much better performance as it relates to schedule and GM% slippage. Dan and his team also reduced to an average of 2% GM slippage and getting grippage on our project duration now. This shift leads them to look at different metrics to track profitability and how that can help us make business decisions.

Dan, Tim, and Steve talk more about:

What difference does GP/Day make?
Any dangers with GP/Day?
And more…

The 5 Statements You Should Not Make with Tim Faller and Steve Wheeler – [Best of The Tim Faller Show]

October 2, 2023 0:38:58

What we say is a reflection of what we think, and as clinical counselors will tell you, what we think will dictate how we act. So, how we act will of course dictate success.

Following this logic, words are very powerful factors in our success. But do we pay attention to those words? We tend to be concerned about what we say as it affects others, but what about the effect on ourselves?

What we say is often said without thinking of their potential consequences. They can be seen as excuses or statements of desperation, or they can be simply things we say when nothing else seems to fit. But all of them can have a negative impact on us and our work, so Tim and Steve share specific examples and how to avoid them.

Tim and Steve talk more about:

Encouraging new thought processes
Rephrasing the things we say
And more…

The Art of Estimating with Geno Arroyo – [Best of The Tim Faller Show]

September 25, 2023 0:43:02

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Geno Arroyo joins the show to discuss successful estimating. Geno goes through his process as an estimator for each project from start to finish. Suppose you want a more in-depth breakdown of his methods, including getting labor costs right, then you must attend Remodelers Advantage’s Art of Estimating masterclass.

Geno Arroyo is the Estimator for Fox Home Innovations, LLC, in Manhattan, KS. Geno has had the privilege of being a part of the Fox Home family for over three years. When he started with the company, he was a Lead Carpenter, then transitioned from the field to the estimator role. The most significant accomplishment Geno can think of during his time is developing and implementing an actual estimator role within the company and having a role to play in getting our overall company slip and grip to 0.87%.

Geno, Tim, and Steve talk more about…

The creation of the estimator position and the results
Phases of work for an estimator
Budget meetings with the estimator
And more…

When Construction Meets Technology with Eric Fortenberry – [The Tim Faller Show] S4 E21

September 11, 2023 0:44:07

Today on the Tim Faller Show, Tim and Steve talk to Eric Fortenberry, the Founder, and CEO of JobTread Software. While working as a CEO for a General Contracting company, Eric built the first version of JobTread due to the broken processes at the company. Eric gives insights on how he turned the company around using data from the first version of JobTread. Eric also discusses how JobTread differs from other software applications on the market.

Eric Fortenberry is a passionate entrepreneur who founded JobTread, a construction estimating and project management software company, in 2019 after serving as CEO for a General Contracting company where he built the first version of JobTread to help streamline and remedy their broken processes. JobTread has grown to help thousands of builders and contractors sell and manage over $1 billion in construction jobs and has been recognized as a Top 100 Product by ProRemodeler for the past two years.

Eric has been named to Inc. Magazine’s 30 Under 30 List of the World’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs under the age of 30 and received awards at the White House and United Nations after being named to the Empact 100 List, showcasing the Best Companies Started and Run by Young Entrepreneurs. JobTread is located in Dallas, TX, and has been recognized as a Best Place to Work by the Dallas Business Journal.

Tim, Steve, and Eric talk more about:

Job costing and estimating
The creation of JobTread
JobTread’s long-term plan
And more…