Year-End Special: Celebrating 2024's Best Podcast Moments

Welcome to a special year-end episode of the Building PA Podcast! As we wrap up another incredible year in the construction industry, co-hosts Jon O'Brien and Chris Martin take a moment to reflect on the highlights from 2024. With over 200 episodes and 25,000 downloads under our belt, we are thrilled to share some of our favorite moments, guests, and topics from the past year.

In this episode, we dive into three main categories and we invite our listeners to participate by voting for their favorites. We encourage you to visit our website at buildingpapodcast.com/vote to cast your votes and help us recognize the standout episodes of the year.

Most Interesting Topic/Trend

We kick off the discussion by highlighting some of the most intriguing topics we covered this year. Our first nominee is an episode featuring Steve Powell from Novinger Interior Construction Company, where we explored the evolution of exterior panel construction and its impact on efficiency and safety. Next, we recount our visit to the Carpenters Dive Training School in New Jersey, where we learned about the unique training for commercial divers from instructor Don Gibbons. Finally, we discuss our enlightening conversation with Matt Curry and Chad Stokes from Cleveland Brothers Equipment Company, who shared innovative approaches to workforce development through technology and gaming.

Best Advice for Builders

In this category, we focus on the invaluable advice shared by our guests. Ryan Angland, author of "Hire Better People Faster," emphasizes the importance of storytelling in the hiring process. We also feature Frank Baxter, who provided insights on building a successful safety program, stressing the need for management buy-in and a strong safety culture. Lastly, Darren Rech from Alexander Building Construction Company shares his strategies for enhancing toolbox talks, and making safety training engaging and effective.

Best Community Impact/Inspiring Story

We conclude with a powerful selection of inspiring stories that highlight the positive impact individuals and organizations are making in the construction industry. Makenzie Daniel, a scholarship recipient from IUP, shares her journey and aspirations in construction safety management. We also hear from Dona File, a retired safety professional, who reflects on her groundbreaking career and her commitment to mentoring young women in the industry. Additionally, we discuss the important work of Sonja Bowman from the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, who addresses mental health challenges in the construction sector. Finally, we spotlight the Bethel Village project by the JEM Group, which aims to transform the Harrisburg community through quality housing.

As we wrap up this episode, we express our gratitude to you, our listeners, and our guests for their support throughout the year. We invite you to participate in the voting process and help us celebrate the achievements and stories that have shaped our podcast in 2024. Voting will remain open until January 15th, 2025, and we look forward to announcing the winners in a future episode.

Thank you for joining us on this journey, and here's to another year of building connections and sharing stories in the construction industry!