Builder Straight Talk Podcast

Daniel Kennerly grew up working cattle on 10,000 acres in rural Florida, learning from his grandfather that a handshake meant something. Fast forward a few decades, and he's building million-dollar custom homes and partnering on a project that's rewriting what's possible in residential construction.

"Everybody knew that if Victor Cowart said, I'm going to do it, it would get done. A handshake. He didn't need a contract. While in to...

How a French Developer Rebuilt Miami's Luxury Market - One Spec Home at a Time with Pascal Nicolai

CRMs aren't sexy. Understatement of the year! They're not the kind of thing you get excited to talk about at the jobsite. But here's the thing: if you're building homes and not using one, you're probably leaving serious money on the table. And we're not talking pocket change here.

Scott Menard has been in construction since he was 17 years old, starting as a laborer for KB Homes during summer breaks. Over nearly four decades, he's worked his way through purchasing, project management, land acquisition, and operations at some of the nation's most respected builders, including Ryland, Taylor Woodrow, and Shea Homes. 

There's something rare about sitting down with two brothers who genuinely like working together. Chris and Clif Poston make running a homebuilding company that closes over 1,000 homes a year look almost easy, but their story is anything but.

Jim Tobin never set out to spend 27 years at the National Association of Home Builders. He wanted to fly helicopters like his dad photographed at Sikorsky Aircraft. Then politics caught his attention, and he found himself on Capitol Hill in 1995, thinking he'd become a defense lobbyist selling guns and things that go boom. Instead, he landed at NAHB and discovered something better: an industry that builds shelter, creates wealth, a...

If you've ever driven past a construction site and wondered why we're still building houses the same way we did 50 years ago, this conversation is for you.

Glen Harris III was living the contractor's dream in 2016. His custom home building company was doing $4 million in revenue, clients were happy, and he was making good money. There was just one problem: he WAS the business.

In this conversation, Lance walks through what it actually takes to build a homebuilding business that lasts. He talks about why his first hire made the first project successful (because he knew what he didn't know), how to structure your first deal so you have enough margin to survive your mistakes, and why contingency planning isn't optional when unexpected costs show up.

Most builders hit a wall. They work 80-hour weeks, carry tools, manage crews, chase payments, and somehow still struggle to make ends meet. Sound familiar? That was Duane Johns twenty years ago, grinding it out in Charlotte, North Carolina after moving from the Hamptons.

Starting a construction company during the 2008 recession sounds insane, but sometimes desperation breeds the best business decisions.

You know that moment when you're staring at a project and wondering if you're about to make a fortune or lose your shirt? Brian Coffman, Director of Homebuilder Finance at Sound Capital, has been on both sides of that conversation thousands of times, and he's got some real talk for builders ready to scale up.

Picture this: an eight-year-old kid on construction sites, already reading blueprints like other kids read comic books. That's how Adrian C. Avila's story begins, learning from his uncle who took him everywhere and taught him the fundamentals that would shape his entire career.

Michael Krisa welcomes Kelly Bosetti Primeau, an award-winning marketing strategist who has spent 28 years helping builders and developers scale their businesses. This episode quickly evolved into a masterclass on residential marketing strategy.

Sometimes the best builders are the ones who never planned to build. And Cammie Hancock Beckert proves that taking the long way around can lead to exactly where you're supposed to be. As the founder of Cameron Custom Homes & Renovations and a third-generation member of the Camelot Homes family, Cammie spent years avoiding the family business only to discover it was her calling all along.

Building houses? You've got that covered. But building a business that doesn't rely on you working 80-hour weeks while making $25 an hour? That's where most builders hit the wall.

In this episode of Builder Straight Talk, Michael Krisa invited Sergio Barajas to explore the construction industry's critical labor shortage and how the NHCA is addressing it through education, networking, and business development.