BUILD St. Louis

Episode 12: Building Project Diversity with Tony Thompson

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, Tony Thompson, Chairman and CEO of the Kwame Building Group, Inc. (KWAME), talks with host Kerry Smith about building project diversity in the construction industry. Thompson shares his experience as a minority-owned business owner in the construction management arena, and how he has worked to attract and retain a diverse workforce. He also discusses the challenges faced by minority-owned firms in the industry, including the negative stigma of being labeled as "disadvantaged”.
For more information, check www.informationworks.org.
 

Episode 11: Construction Industry Opportunities for Women with Tracy Hart

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith interviews Tracy Hart, President of Tarlton Corporation. Kerry and Tracy talks about the lack of women in the construction industry and what Tarlton Coporation s doing to support women in their choice to play a role in the industry. Tracy also shares her own path into the industry and offers advice to women who are considering entering the construction industry or those who have recently entered. 
 
For more information, check www.informationworks.org.

Episode 10: Saving Historic St. Louis Buildings with Joel Fuoss

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith and Joel Fuoss, principal of Trivers Associates, discuss the importance of preserving historic buildings in St. Louis. Joel stresses the importance of willingness and money in embarking on these projects, as well as the need for creative thinking and working with what the building gives us.
 
For more information, check www.informationworks.org.
 

Episode 9: Women Construction Company Executives with Amy Berg

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith interviews Amy Berg, president of S.M Wilson and Company, a St. Louis-based design build construction management and general contracting firm. Berg, who has 30 years of experience in the construction industry, discusses her experience as one of the first women to hold the title of the Office of President in St. Louis Construction History. She talks about women in construction then and now, and how the industry is changing to better support women and people of color.
For more information, check www.informationworks.org.

Episode 8: Smart Cybersecurity Strategies with Jennifer Beckage

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, Jennifer A. Beckage, Esq., CIPP/US, CIPP/E, founder and managing director of The Beckage Firm, discusses the unique vulnerabilities that construction companies and developers face from cyber attacks. She outlines two main categories of attacks: fraudulent wire transfers and ransomware, and provides a checklist for protecting against these threats. Beckage also stresses the importance of strong contracts with third-party vendors, multifactor authentication on email accounts, and having a plan for handling data security incidents. She recommends investing in cybersecurity insurance.
 
For more information, check www.informationworks.org.
 

Episode 7: Why Aren’t Contractors Bidding on Public Projects? with Steve Bannes

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith interviews Steve Bannes about the lack of interest in public projects from contractors and the potential reasons behind this. They discuss the traditional delivery system and alternative methods like design-build, as well as the federal government's use of QBs for project execution strategy.
 
For more information, check www.informationworks.org.
 

Episode 6: Avoiding Construction Defect Litigation with Quinn Murphy

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, host Kerry Smith interviews attorney Quinn Murphy, who heads the construction and receivable recovery industry teams at Sandberg Phoenix. Murphy discusses construction defect litigation and provides six tips on how to avoid it. The episode covers topics such as the parties involved in construction defect claims, types of claims, and the importance of a well-defined scope of work and strictly enforcing the change order process.
 
For more information, check www.informationworks.org.

Episode 5: The Anatomy of the St. Louis Region’s Construction Workforce with Timothy Sullivan, PhD

In this episode of BUILD St. Louis, Kerry Smith interviews Timothy S. Sullivan, in the Department of Economics and Finance and the Director of the Office of Regional Economic Analysis in the School of Business at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. They discuss the shortage of workers in the construction industry, particularly among young men. Tim shares statistics on labor force participation rates and discusses the impact of inflation on wages and the need for programs to expose young people to construction occupations.
For more information, check www.informationworks.org.