People-First Builders Podcast
At People-First Builders, we shine a spotlight on the leaders who shape the construction industry by building more than projects—they build teams, culture, and legacy. This podcast is your gateway to the stories of exceptional CEOs and visionaries who prioritize their people, achieve remarkable success, and redefine what it means to lead in construction. Discover how family-owned businesses, niche projects, and innovative leadership styles are driving progress in steel erection, bridge rebar, and infrastructure installation. Each episode celebrates leaders who have spent decades honing their craft, advancing their operations, and achieving results that inspire their teams and peers alike. Whether you’re a construction professional, a leader looking for inspiration, or simply someone fascinated by people-centered success stories, People-First Builders offers valuable insights and actionable takeaways from industry’s best. While People-First Builders is a new podcast, it’s backed by years of experience. Host Fletcher Wimbush is a seasoned podcaster with over seven years behind the mic, having built a dedicated audience with The Hire Talent—a show focused on optimizing hiring and leadership in the industry. Now, he’s bringing that expertise to People-First Builders, highlighting the construction leaders who are shaping the future through culture, innovation, and operational excellence.
Episodes
What keeps great people from leaving? For Roggen Frick, it’s all about replacing chaos with predictability. In this episode of People-First Builders, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Roggen to explore how structure, consistency, and clear systems create trust, reduce turnover, and build loyalty in the construction industry.
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In this People First Builders episode, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Matt Aston, founder and CEO of GPRS, a national leader in private utility locating, concrete scanning, and subsurface mapping. Matt shares how a single magazine ad in 2001 sparked an idea that grew from a one person startup into a coast to coast company with more than 900 team members and a reputation for accuracy, safety,...
In this episode of People-First Builders, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Bo Jones, President of True Built Construction and CEO of CareerPathway.com, to explore a groundbreaking approach to workforce development in the skilled trades. With over 25 years of experience, Bo shares how his deep frustration with traditional hiring methods—and the dwindling tale...
In this insightful episode of the People-First Builders Podcast, host Fletcher Wimbush speaks with Ryan Schmidt, CEO and Visionary at Petticoat-Schmitt Civil Contractors, Inc. His 300-person firm is redefining success in heavy civil construction by building a culture centered on gro...
In this episode of People-First Builders, host Fletcher Wimbush welcomes Brian Keller, CEO of Quest Building Corporation, a Wisconsin-based commercial contracting firm that’s redefining what it means to grow a people-first construction business. Starting with four partners framing homes in 1998, Brian has spent the past 25 years scaling Quest into a 300-plus-per...
Fletcher and Chad dive deep into one of the most critical and often overlooked challenges in scaling a commercial construction business: taking the estimating hat off the owner's head.
They explore:
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Why owners must ...
In this compelling episode of People-First Builders, host Fletcher Wimbush welcomes Mike Frick, president of Bear Ironworks, to share the incredible story of how a simple welding project turned into a thriving, multi-generational manufacturing business. From his early days in the oil fields and rural road building to managing over $200 million in infrastructure...
In this episode of the People-First Builders Podcast, I’m joined by Jeffery Forrest Jr., successor and co-owner of WPC, a family-run construction powerhouse based in Central Florida. Jeffrey shares his journey from pushing a broom on job sites at 15 to leading one of the Southeast’s premier construction management firms.
We div...
In this episode of The People-First Builders Podcast, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Jeff Forrest Sr., President and CEO of WPC, a construction industry titan with over 45 years of hands-on leadership experience. From humble beginnings in 1979 to overseeing thousands of units across the Southeast, Jeff shares a c...
In this episode of People First Builders, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Paige Byrd, Co-President of Thiel & Team, a seasoned leader in amenities-focused interior design and architecture. With over 30 years of experience, Paige shares the remarkable story behind the revival of the historic Baker Hotel and Sp...
In this episode of the People First Builders podcast, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Justin Bride, CEO and founder of Ascent Contracting, to explore what it really means to lead with purpose in the construction industry.
Fro...
In this episode of People-First Builders, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Traci Austin, Chief Talent Officer at Elevated Talent Consulting, to unpack one of the biggest leadership challenges in the trades: the blame game.
Tracy, a lifelong advocate for transformatio...
In this episode of the People First Builders Podcast, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Brandon Stanchock, CEO of SWF Industrial, to explore how authentic leadership and a true commitment to people-first values can transform a business.
Brandon shares his journey from project management in power plant const...
From Field to Founder: How Sal Hernandez Scaled, Exited, and Now Coaches the Next Generation of Builders
In this episode of People-First Builders, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Sal Hernandez — a veteran, serial entrepreneur, and former owner of a successful desig...
In this episode of People First Builders, Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Sam Rockaway, Head of Sales at REDCOM Design & Construction, to unpack his remarkable journey from construction outsider to B2B sales powerhouse in the design-build space.
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From Farm Life to Design-Build Leadership: Lance Cayko’s People-First Journey
What happens when a poor farm kid from North Dakota trades irrigation lines for blueprints? You get Lance Cayko, co-founder of F9 Productions—a thriving design-build architecture firm in C...
In this episode of the People-First Builders podcast, Fletcher Wimbush interviews the CEO of Core Matters, Ryan Englin. Ryan shares his journey from running a marketing company to specializing in recruiting for trades like HVAC, plumbing, and construction.
He highlights the high turnover rates and the inefficiencies of traditional staffing agencies. Ryan discusses the importance of creating a sustainable hiring process, improving c...
In the inaugural episode of the People-First Builders podcast, Josh Elledge of UpMyInfluence interviews the creator and host of the show, Fletcher Wimbush. Fletcher is the owner and CEO of Discovered.ai, Wimbush & Associates, Inc., and Integrity First.
Fletcher addresses the significant talent shortages and shares strategies for effective hiring and retention. Drawing from his extensive experience, he introduced Discovered, a recru...
In this episode, Damien joins Fletcher in discussing the new norms that have stemmed from the pandemic such as remote work, the rise of international workers in the software development field, and how to identify and include these new set of workers into the company and its culture.
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