Podcast digs into tales behind construction
Show about the busy building industry aims to provide insider tips and insight
Curious about what really happens during the demolition of a highrise tower? Or maybe interested in how technology is changing how workers toil at construction sites around the city? Perhaps you’re mostly interested in how older managers are getting along — or not getting along — with their young recruits on the job site?
A new podcast about the construction industry in Vancouver aims to shed some light on those topics and others.
Construction industry entrepreneurs James Faulkner, Christian Hamm and Andrew Hansen have launched the Site Visit (thesitevisit.com). It’s a podcast focused on telling stories from job sites.
Faulkner and Hamm are also the founders of SiteMax Systems, a Vancouver-based company that provides construction reporting software to clients across North America.
Hamm’s background is in construction. Faulkner works in technology, branding and company development. Hansen, through his company SitePartners, focuses on marketing for construction and industrial firms.
So far, the trio has produced 20 shows out of its podcast studio in its office above Yaletown Brewing and is working to expand its list of subscribers from about 500.
They released their first show in February and are now hoping to ramp up their following.
Casual observers of the region’s construction industry probably notice the many cranes above work sites, but likely don’t realize there are several flashpoints and challenges in the local industry, including:
Construction costs are rising in
■ the low double-digit percentages, well above the general inflation rate.
Companies are struggling to
■ attract and retain workers (especially ones who are willing to commute to the urban cores).
Companies are sluggish to adapt
■ to new technologies.
“We all know the construction space right now has a lot of challenges with technology adoption, with recruitment and training and with just the massive growth,” Hansen said.
“People drive past job sites every day and they don’t see the behind the scenes, the hardworking men and women who work there, the technology that is going into place, all the planning, the co-ordination,” he said.
The podcast, with episodes of about an hour in length, usually features one or two in-studio guests from the industry. The show covers tips and tricks of the trades, leadership nuggets and other insights into starting and expanding a contracting business, Hamm said.
They also focus on the hiring and handling of staff. “That can always be a little bit fun,” he said.
Many of their guests are people they would “rub shoulders” with in the industry, but would have never spoken with otherwise, Hamm added.
“This audience, they’re driving to job sites, they’re stuck in traffic, they’re commuting,” Hansen said. “We want to create this audio experience where they’re learning valuable tips and tricks.”
The show is particularly curated for industry insiders and watchers, Faulkner added.
Already, the podcast has cultivated several new business relationships among guests and listeners that would likely have never happened otherwise.
“We’re not in this for it to become some behemoth type of show that is going to change our lives in some significant way,” Faulkner said.
“It’s mostly about being thought leaders in the industry to eventually have a good following that we can bring on some advertisers,” he said.
“We just want to cultivate (our) voices.”
Hamm said they typically end each show with guests sharing their favourite stories from the job site, which can often get a little too salty for a safe-for-work podcast, and may not make the final cut.
The show has included guests from companies such as Fusion Projects, Ram Consulting, Faber Technologies and Landa Global, among others.
“Every day, I meet with interesting people from all parts of the construction industry, and I wanted to bring these conversations to a larger group in a format that makes sense for this industry,” Hansen said.