Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!

Today, we’re sitting down with Wally Adamchik, a leadership speaker, coach, author, and consultant who works closely with construction and infrastructure companies on the people side of the business.

He grew up around construction, spent ten years in the Marine Corps, and now helps leadership teams develop the skills they’re rarely taught but constantly expected to have when the pressure’s on.

A big part of this conversation is about how leadership actually gets learned in construction. Most people are promoted because they’re good at the work, then expected to figure everything else out as they go.

Wally’s big on the idea that leadership isn’t about having all the answers. We talked about why middle management is the real leverage point in construction, the impact of ego and burnout on teams, and why investing in people is no longer optional if you want a sustainable business.

We also covered Wally’s time as the University of Notre Dame’s mascot… and it’s exactly as entertaining as you’d expect.

Connect with Wally Adamchik:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wallyadamchik/
Website: https://www.wallyadamchik.com/

Connect with Jordan Skinner:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/
Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/

Do you have an influential personal brand?

Take the quiz to find out:

http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz

Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!

Civil construction has communication and cost-control problems. Everyone knows it. Very few people actually try to fix it.

That’s what led James Baker to build Varicon, a construction management software platform designed specifically for civil contractors.

James didn’t come into tech chasing hype or investor buzz. He came into it frustrated. After years of working as a contractor for principals and administering contracts, he kept seeing the same issues everywhere.

Too much admin. Too much paper. Too many spreadsheets. And way too much friction killing relationships and cash flow.

So, Varicon was born.

In this episode, we talked about James growing up in Tasmania, chasing elite rowing overseas, working in Brazil during the oil and gas boom, and how seeing construction from every angle gave him a clearer view of what was broken.

And somehow, we also ended up talking about home-brewing beer... and how it nearly landed him a trip to Antarctica.

Connect with James Baker:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshsbaker/
Website: https://varicon.com.au/

Connect with Jordan Skinner:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/
Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/

Do you have an influential personal brand?

Take the quiz to find out:
http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz

Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!

This week, I caught up with Vinay Reddy, a civil engineer who runs one of Southern California’s fastest-growing construction management and landscape architecture firms, RE Services.

Vinay thought he had it figured out: computer engineering, then Silicon Valley. But after too many late nights in the lab and a humbling realisation that he just wasn’t cut out for code, he found himself standing in front of a drywall contractor at a Uni career fair.

They talked. He got an internship. And from that moment on, construction just made sense.

This episode mostly touches on the messy stuff, like starting a business from scratch, how to stay sharp and smart, and why most clients still don’t understand what a billable hour actually includes.

Vinay also shared how his parents’ relentless work ethic shaped his leadership style… and why building a team of A-players has been the backbone of RE Services’ growth, (and could be the key to yours, too).

Connect with Vinay Reddy:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vreddype/
Website: https://reddyengineering.com/

Connect with Jordan Skinner:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/
Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/

Do you have an influential personal brand?
Take the quiz to find out:

http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz

Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!

Today I’m joined by Mark Ballinger from Payapps.

Mark’s story isn’t what you’d expect. He came from finance and tech, landed in construction by accident, and found himself deep in one of the industry’s biggest headaches: getting paid on time.

Now he leads strategy for Payapps, the Autodesk platform bringing builders and subbies on the same page when it comes to claims, variations, and cash flow.

We talked about the tug-of-war over payments, why late pay isn’t always about bad intent, and how the industry’s drowning in red tape that kills efficiency.

Mark’s all about consistency, clarity, and creating one source of truth everyone can trust. He’s convinced that if you want to bring AI into your business, you’d better fix your processes first.

Mark also hates Vegemite. So take that how you will.

Let’s get into it.

Connect with Mark Ballinger:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-ballinger-645b5a1/

Website: https://www.payapps.com/

Connect with Jordan Skinner:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/

Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/

Do you have an influential personal brand?

Take the quiz to find out:

http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz

Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!

Today, we're sitting down with Josh Smyser, the owner of TNT Tuckpointing Building Restoration,LLC. Josh's journey is a powerful case study in how a completely different professional background can become your greatest business advantage.

He was a certified public accountant (CPA) working for a major firm. But when a family tragedy struck, he was thrust back into the family trade business he never planned to run.

So, how did he apply an accountant's mindset to transform a small, traditional tuck pointing operation into a multi-million dollar company? He explains how his financial background provided a roadmap from chaos, why he shifted to cost-based pricing, how he's using AI to build a leaner company, and why hiring for attitude not skill is the key to scalable, drama-free growth.

Connect with Joshua Smyser:

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-smyser

Website: https://www.tnttuckpointing.com/

Connect with Jordan Skinner:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/

Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/

Do you have an influential personal brand?

Take the quiz to find out:

http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz

Joining us today is Nate Carlisle, the founder who turned a $7,500 bet into a multi-million dollar framing empire. But to understand how he built his business, you first need to understand what he had to leave behind.

Nate grew up in a controlled, fundamentalist cult where entrepreneurship was discouraged and the outside world was off-limits. His story isn't just about business growth; it's a profound lesson in building personal and professional freedom from the ground up.

He isn't afraid to get real about the hard stuff: how cash desperation creates a race to the bottom, why the right partners are everything, and what it's actually like on the other side of high-profile, high-cost business coaching.

Sharing how Tecton Framing broke every mold, this episode digs into the raw realities of overcoming your circumstances—whether they're financial, cultural, or self-imposed.

For Nate, it all comes down to resilience, smart cash management, and trusting your own gut over the hype. Sounds like the kind of truth we all need to hear, right?

Let's get started.

Connect with Nate Carlisle:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-carlisle-7bb66b14a/

Website: https://www.tectonco.com/

Connect with Jordan Skinner:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/

Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/

Ever wonder if you're being paid what you're worth? Or if you're paying your team fairly? Martin from Built & Byron's recruitment surveys 500+ actually employed construction pros (not just job-seekers) to reveal real Melbourne salary benchmarks.

👉 Grab the free Salary Insights Report:www.buildingenvironsrecruitment.short.gy/Salaryinsightsreport

Do you have an influential personal brand?

Take the quiz to find out:

http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz

Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!

Joining us to unpack this bold idea is Anna Verghese, Founding Director of client-side consultancy Cerulean.

Anna has a radically different view on stability, and she's built her entire career on it: true security isn't given to you by a company, it's built by you through calculated risks, global experience, and betting on yourself.

Sharing how her journey from massive projects in Dubai to landing in Australia with no job offer led to a thriving business, this episode dives into the post-COVID realities of work - proving just how fragile the traditional career path really is.

For Anna, it's all about self-reliance, transferable skills, and entrepreneurial courage - that's how we build a truly secure future. Sounds pretty necessary, right?

Let's get started.

Connect with Anna Verghese:

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-verghese-au/

Website:https://www.ceruleanppl.com/team/anna-verghese

Connect with Jordan Skinner:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/

Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/

Ever wonder if you're being paid what you're worth? Or if you're paying your team fairly? Martin from Built & Byron's recruitment surveys 500+ actually employed construction pros (not just job-seekers) to reveal real Melbourne salary benchmarks.

👉 Grab the free Salary Insights Report:www.buildingenvironsrecruitment.short.gy/Salaryinsightsreport

Do you have an influential personal brand?

Take the quiz to find out:

http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz

Welcome back to the Crushing It In Construction Podcast!

This week, we're sitting down with Sean Rice from Proterra Group - an accidental founder who never set out to run an 80-person business.

Starting with a single 6-month contract and a personal credit card used to cover his first payroll, Sean has navigated market crashes, painful downsizing, and the complexities of bringing in - and later buying out - business partners.

Sharing how he built a business serving 45+ local councils without a master plan, this episode is a deep dive into resilient leadership, strategic pivots, and why sometimes the best businesses are built by accident.

For anyone who’s ever bootstrapped, bet on themselves, or wondered how to lead a team through tough times - this one’s for you.

Let's get started.

Connect with Sean Rice:

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/s-rice/

Website:https://www.proterragroup.com.au/

Connect with Jordan Skinner:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanaskinner/

Website: https://moonshotmedia.com.au/

Ever wonder if you're being paid what you're worth? Or if you're paying your team fairly? Martin from Built & Byron's recruitment surveys 500+ actually employed construction pros (not just job-seekers) to reveal real Melbourne salary benchmarks.

👉 Grab the free Salary Insights Report:www.buildingenvironsrecruitment.short.gy/Salaryinsightsreport

Do you have an influential personal brand?

Take the quiz to find out:

http://www.constructingaleader.com/quiz