Earlier this year, Nate Scott, Principal of Continuum Advisory Group, began compiling a monthly US Construction Spending Summary to share with our clients. In this episode, Kelcey Henderson reviews the latest data release with Nate and gets answers to a few questions from friends. Listen in as we discuss highlights of what's currently going on in construction.

Welcome to Episode 1 of Continuum Advisory Group's Strategy Miniseries. In this series, we discuss our work with clients on how they can win in their business environment with a focus on the psychology of leadership in our VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) environment.

In the first episode, we introduce the four strategic imperatives that will be the foundation for the future of the series:

   1.  Scan the business environment continually
   2.  Share (overshare) strategic information
   3.  Continually evaluate internal processes and operational effectiveness
   4.  Develop a collaborative and efficient decision-making process

There has been a huge push for ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and Sustainability throughout the construction industry recently. In this episode, Kelcey Henderson talks to Brian Stamper from Advantic about the drive toward carbon neutral (or even negative) in the data center space.

On the heels of AGC/ConExpo and Advancing Prefab, Kelcey and Clark share a roundup of industry events for the remainder of 2023. These are listed below in chronological order with a link for each. Hopefully, we will see some of you at these!

CURT Lean/Offsite Summit (and member meetings)

• 5/9-10/23 in Clearwater Beach, FL
• https://www.curtevents.com/event-details/lean-project-delivery-off-site-construction-summit

ENR’s GWiC

• 5/11-12/23 in San Francisco, CA
• https://www.enr.com/groundbreaking-women-in-construction

Advancing Life Sciences

• 5/31-6/2/23 in Boston, MA
• https://advancing-life-science-construction.com/

ENR Future Tech

• 6/5-7/23 in San Francisco, CA
• https://www.enr.com/future-tech/agenda#closed

LCI Lean in Design Forum

• 6/20-21/23 in Chicago, IL
• https://leanconstruction.org/designforum23/

Built Worlds Construction Technology

• 7/19-20/23 in Chicago, IL
• https://builtworlds.com/event/2023-construction-tech-conference/

CII Annual Conference

• 7/31-8/3/23 in San Antonio, TX
• https://www.construction-institute.org/events/annual-conference/ac23

USGBC Greenbuild

• 9/26-29/23 in Washington, DC
• https://informaconnect.com/greenbuild/

LCI Congress

• 10/24-27/23 in Detroit, MI
• https://lcicongress.org/2023/

In the third episode of Continuum Advisory Group’s Lean and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Miniseries Clark Ellis and Kelcey Henderson discuss partner selection and how it is different – or should be different – for a Lean IPD project. Kelcey discusses best practices for owners and how to create a community of potential partners who want to work with you.

In episode 2 of Continuum Advisory Group’s Lean and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Miniseries, Clark Ellis and Kelcey Henderson discuss organizational adoption of a Lean Construction and/or Lean IPD approach. Kelcey shares keys to success, common pitfalls and watch-outs, as well as a roadmap for how to approach the transformation within your organization.

In episode 3 of the Energy Evolution Miniseries, Clark Ellis discusses the hydrogen energy transition with Patrick Goodman, Fellow in Clean Hydrogen Technologies and Process Engineering Manager at Fluor. During the discussion, Patrick addresses the evolution of hydrogen energy sources, challenges and opportunities on the path to a clean, sustainable energy future, and how Fluor is working on decarbonizing construction and building pathways to a net-zero carbon future.

Welcome to episode 1 of Continuum Advisory Group’s Lean and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) Miniseries. This series explores a variety of topics and even some tools and processes in Lean Construction and Integrated Project Delivery. In this introductory episode, Clark Ellis speaks with Kelcey Henderson on CAG’s background, approach, and perspectives regarding our work with Lean IPD teams and organizations.

Would you shop at a store where they wouldn't tell you how much the milk costs? Neither would we.

In this episode of the Built Revolution Podcast Clark Ellis sits down with Ken Pinto, Founder of Kenzai USA - an international Supply Chain solutions company, to explore Ken's practical roadmap for business leaders who are interested in solving Supply Chain issues in the Homebuilding industry.

Ken is also a consultant and expert in Supply Chain for both Commercial and Residential Construction with more than 40 years of expertise in the building industry. Adding Author to his impressive list of credits, Ken shares his insights on universal key concepts around Supply Chain dynamics in his book, "How Much Is The Milk?" that can be applied in any industry.

Part 2 of our discussion with Zig Rubel, Founder, President, and CEO of Forsight Digital, dives deeper into how prefabrication and offsite construction are evolving the way we design, build, improve, maintain and renovate in the built environment. Zig and Clark’s conversation in this episode offers a more in-depth look at how application-driven results are impacting the industry and what’s possible for the future as we traverse this transition for construction and other industries.

The Built Revolution Podcast explores the evolving role of design in prefabrication in a 2-part discussion. Listen in as host Clark Ellis catches up with Zig Rubel, Founder, President, and CEO of Forsight Digital. Zig operates at the leading edge of design technology for new buildings as an architect who has become a technologist for the built environment. Clark and Zig define the parameters of prefabrication and offsite construction, discuss how architects and designers are evolving, and set the stage for Part 2 of their conversation, which focuses on current and future application examples.

In episode 2 of our Energy Evolution Miniseries, Clark Ellis discusses McDermott’s vision for ESG and sustainability with Sabrina Rajan, Director of Sustainability for McDermott. During the discussion, Sabrina provides an overview of McDermott’s emission reduction targets for Scope 1, 2, and 3, as well as touches on how McDermott is working on decarbonizing construction and building pathways to a net-zero carbon future.

Energy is evolving daily. From commercial construction to infrastructure and industrial applications, every sector is putting in place Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria and working toward Net-Zero carbon emissions goals. In this first episode of the Energy Evolution Miniseries, Victaulic’s Elliott Smith sits down with Uday Turaga of ADI Analytics to discuss the energy evolution, emerging trends, and key projects driving the global energy transition.

In this episode, Clark Ellis sits down with longtime industry leader, real estate investor, and developer, Joshua Pollard, to discuss Real Estate development in urban markets and how Healthcare Services are interrelated. Joshua is the founder, CEO, and President of Omicelo, a remarkable company focused on developing sustainable communities using holistic Real Estate investment strategies. Join Clark and Josh as they discuss how Josh’s unique experience and a single question from a colleague inspired and shaped his company where Home, Health, Wealth are the guiding principles.

Change can be hard, especially when there is resistance or misalignment on the approach. Change can also yield big rewards if we work for it. In this podcast, we explore the challenges and benefits of driving real change in a major General Contractor with Rebecca Snelling, National Lean Director for JE Dunn. Join us as we discuss the barriers to change in large organizations, Rebecca’s experience and her biggest lessons learned when implementing Lean, as well as what advice she gives others who are working to drive change within their organization.

As the construction industry explores more collaborative business models (Design-Build, Integrated Project Delivery, Operating System 2.0), while facing an ongoing workforce shortage, The Built Revolution Podcast asks the question: What does industry need from universities? And how can we better prepare the next generation of industry leaders? Barbara Jackson (University of Denver), David Stayshich (University of Houston), and Stephen Mulva (University of Texas at Austin) offer unique perspectives from both the world of academia and the world of industry in this panel discussion with Kelcey Henderson, President of Continuum Advisory Group.

Continuum Advisory Group has had two female presidents, which is pretty unique for any firm in the construction industry. The current and most recent presidents, Kelcey Henderson and Gretchen Gagel, sat down together virtually from across the globe to discuss the history of women in construction. We recently celebrated Women’s History Month, and we enjoyed exploring the role of women in our industry and what’s changing.

Speed to market is a common driver in manufacturing and life sciences projects, requiring some facilities to be completed before the product and manufacturing process have been well defined. Some facilities may need to be reconfigured for multiple uses during their operational lives. This podcast explores the research that provides guidance on which common core building components are dependent upon the manufacturing process, and which can easily be decoupled. It identifies innovative methods that contribute to the development of a flexible facility. Please enjoy our conversation with Keith Molenaar, K. Stanton Lewis Professor of Construction Engineering and Management, Interim Dean, College of Engineering & Applied Science, University of Colorado, Boulder, and Samar “Summer” Adranly, Senior Vice President, Eichleay. This was recorded at the CII Annual Conference in August of 2019.

Our conversation with Arlen Solochek, FAIA, Consulting Architect, helps owners consider how different project characteristics, market conditions, internal considerations, and participants’ concerns create better (and worse) matches with different project delivery methods. Arlen’s extensive experience on the owner’s side and on the practitioner’s side of capital projects, and his most recent work as Associate Vice Chancellor, Capital Planning and Special Projects for the Maricopa County Community College District gives him a unique perspective on the benefits of selecting the appropriate delivery method for the project situation. 

Can you imagine a major construction site that requires no cranes? Or one that requires no people? Or completely eliminates the permitting process? Check out our conversation with Fernanda Leite, Associate Professor at the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT Austin who is helping to lead the Construction Industry Institute’s (CII) Technology Path to the Future. Fernanda explains the process behind a unique collaborative methodology to solve this initiative exists to inspire organizations within the capital projects industry to successfully transform to new technology paradigms. The industry tends to focus most of its innovation attention and budgets on short term or incremental change. By focusing on what will be required to deliver capital projects three decades in the future, this report illustrates the need for radically different technologies.

Research Team UMM-01, Achieving Higher Levels of Standardized Facility Design in the Upstream, Midstream, and Mining Commodity Market

The design of most upstream and midstream projects is customized to the project’s specific requirements. The widespread use of standard designs, while perhaps providing a less “optimal” solution, could result in significant cost and schedule savings that ultimately result in a better business case for the owner. This research will describe the fundamental trade-offs between custom and standard designs, criteria to be considered when making this decision, and the changes in the way we do business required to facilitate the widespread use of standard designs.

• Jennifer Shane, Associate Professor, Iowa State University
• Oscar Monagas, Senior Engineering Management Specialist, ConocoPhilips
• Michael Kluck, Senior Project Manager, KBR
• Young Hoon Kwak, Faculty, George Washington University School of Business

Olfa Hamdi is a global expert in the strategic, construction-driven planning and execution of capital projects. She is an American-trained engineer, inventor, and Silicon Valley entrepreneur who founded the Advanced Work Packaging Institute before co-founding Concord Project Technologies (https://tconglobal.com/about/) in 2016.

Please enjoy our conversation from earlier this year, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss Olfa’s work leading clients to adopt Predictability Thinking™ to improve project predictability and results. She is a great example of bringing true thought leadership to the construction market to create real positive change. 

Over the past month, capital projects teams across the country — and truly, across the globe — have been pulling out their emergency management plans as the impact of COVID-19 has pushed us all into unchartered territories. Even the giants in our industry are experiencing disruptions in construction, daily operations, and more commonly now over the last month: shutdowns.

The third installment of our COVID-19 miniseries provides an Owners perspective on the impact of COVID-19 on power projects. CII’s Stephen Mulva talks with Bill Boyd, a Director with Southern Company and former Chair of CII. 

As you probably know, Southern Company is a leading energy provider, serving more than nine million people.

Over the past month, capital projects teams across the country — and truly, across the globe — have been pulling out their emergency management plans as the impact of COVID-19 has pushed us all into unchartered territories. Even the giants in our industry are experiencing disruptions in construction, daily operations, and more commonly now over the last month: shutdowns.

In the second episode of our COVID-19 miniseries, CII’s Dr. Stephen Mulva speaks with Doug Omichinski, Bechtel Corporate Manager of Construction and Principle Vice President. 

Doug is currently responsible for all Global Construction activities at Bechtel and he currently serves as CII’s Vice Chair.

Over the past month, capital projects teams across the country — and truly, across the globe — have been pulling out their emergency management plans as the impact of COVID-19 has pushed us all into unchartered territories. Even the giants in our industry are experiencing disruptions in construction, daily operations, and more commonly now over the last month: shutdowns.

Join us for a COVID-19 miniseries, where we will hear from companies across various industry sectors. We kick off with a conversation between Continuum’s Clark Ellis and Mr. Charlie Dunn, Project Storyteller at DPR Construction. They discuss how one of the most innovative construction organizations in the US is approaching the COVID-19 crisis. From their mindset of leading with empathy for clients, partners, craft workers, and associates, to analyzing how their job sites and business model are being tested, to the opportunities for meaningful change, Charlie and Clark discuss insights from the frontlines of construction’s encounter with COVID-19.