The second half of this episode continues the crew Jonathan Marsh, CEO of Steel Toe Consulting and a technology strategist, Nathan Wood, Founder & Chief Enabling Officer At SpectrumAEC, Travis Voss, Director of Innovative Technology and Fabrication at SMACNA and Jacob D’Albora, Director of Digital Building Operations at VIATechnik gets into how policy, planning, and finance are reshaping construction’s landscape. They unpack the risks of short-term thinking in materials sourcing, renewable energy setbacks, and how permitting reform could change how we build.

Things also get financial as the group discusses M&A trends, private equity’s growing interest in construction, and the precarious position of mid-sized contractors. Is the middle tier hollowing out? And how might public policy like environmental mandates and tax incentives speed up or stall that process?

Key Learnings:

Permitting reform could speed up projects but raises accountability questions.
Federal moves may unintentionally weaken environmental review processes.
Renewable energy projects are being scrapped midstream at a cost.
AI alone can't fix bad processes or poor planning.
Private equity is reshaping construction's mid-market tier.
M&A activity signals both opportunity and risk for innovation.

Timestamps:

[00:00] - Introduction

[03:29] - Can tech improve environmental review?

[05:40] - Risk of cutting corners under time-based KPIs

[08:58] - Unintended consequences of blanket policies

[23:18] - What PE Means for Innovation and Culture

[27:16] - Financial signals: M&A and funding rounds

[29:01] - SMACNA Trade Stacking Survey

[32:12] - How to Get the Most from Conferences

[37:45] - Wrap-up: What’s next for AI, policy & construction

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