Nailed It!: Recent Episodes
RobinsMorton
At the intersection of expert planning, peak performance and legendary collaboration, Nailed It! is a podcast that takes you behind the scenes of the projects and achievements that make the construction industry extraordinary.
In 2022, there’s a lot of conversation about sustainability.
Sustainable clothing brands, organic foods, eliminating plastic — it seems that societally, we’re looking to take part in the small changes that could have big impacts on our Earth.
While reusable straws may be new to you, you probably aren’t surprised to learn that the architecture, engineering and construction industries have been working to become more sustainable for decades.
What began as an action to reduce facility operational costs has evolved into a multi-dimensional effort to address material choices, practices while building, occupant wellbeing and more.
Recently, I caught up with sustainability manager, Jackie Mustakas, to discuss the evolution of sustainability and Robins & Morton’s entry into WELL certification.
This week, we caught up with low voltage resource manager Steve Culler to talk about the role of low voltage in the construction process and its critical nature on a new project in Huntsville – the Orion Amphitheater.
Helpful Notes:
- When Steve references a meeting with Rocky, he means retired Senior Vice President, Rocky McMichen
- Mount Sinai Medical Center, project information: Mt. Sinai Medical Center Bed Tower Addition | Robins & Morton (robinsmorton.com)
- Orion Amphitheater: Robins & Morton tops out Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, construction progresses | Robins & Morton (robinsmorton.com)
- Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Crystal Spring Tower: Crane marks beginning of structural construction at Carilion Clinic’s Crystal Spring Tower site | Robins & Morton (robinsmorton.com)
Water leaks can be absolutely detrimental to the health of a building and its occupants, as well as its structural integrity. Concrete is permeable, too, so if the building envelope isn’t secure, a small leak can quickly spread—making a manageable problem exponentially worse. From mold to corrosion, leaks and water damage are problems you need to handle—and fast.
Lucky for us, there are construction professionals who specialize in it. Even luckier, one of those professionals works for Robins & Morton.
Barry Smith is our very own, in-house Building Envelope Risk Manager. I caught up with Barry to talk more about his role, learn how he became a specialist in building envelopes, and hear about some of his recent project successes.
As of December 2020, Robins & Morton had a new CFO -- former Vice President of Finance, Ben Leaver.
Get to know a little more about our Chief Financial Officer here.
Can you put a dollar value on a relationship? Vice President Donny Williams can. Or at least he could in 1999.
That was the Special Projects Division's founding year and Williams had his first sales goal: one million dollars.
Williams didn’t really consider himself a salesperson, but he had drive and a vision to bring a new, value-based approach to Robins & Morton’s clients with more specific needs.
The Special Projects Division recently celebrated a significant milestone: its 20-year anniversary. Over that time period, that one million dollar sales goal has grown to an average annual revenue of $55 million and a diverse client list that spans the country.
Williams joins us today to share more about their journey, how they help our clients realize value and what’s ahead.
When is it too early to start thinking about Christmas?
For Senior Marketing Coordinator, Amanda Bradley, too early doesn’t exist.
In fact, Christmas in July is a real concept to her: it’s when she starts planning Robins & Morton's company-wide holiday efforts for employees, clients and industry partners.
It takes a tremendous amount of coordination, back-up planning, and creativity to engage one and all during the most wonderful time of the year.
But before you break out your jingle bells and jump in your one-horse-open-sleigh, Amanda joins us to talk about this year’s holiday effort — the Building for Tomorrow campaign.
She gives us an update on its progress and share her opinions on this century’s greatest holiday controversies.
We're facing a crisis.
Populations are growing: our communities need more infrastructure and our needs are outpacing the growth of the building workforce. For years, companies and industry workforce advocacy organizations have worked to inspire more interest in construction as a career, but as the situation becomes more serious, what more can we do?
This week, Corporate Recruiter Liz Swack and Vice President of Operational Support and Planning Mike Thompson join us to discuss the gaps from the job-seekers point of view, Robins & Morton’s future planning to attract and retain talent and what we can do as individuals to share our passion for the industry.
Pecos, Texas: famous for its cantaloupe, ranches and more recently, oil and natural gas production.
While the oil and natural gas boom brought economic stimulation to the region, it also brought strain and shortages.
The rural area was ill-equipped to provide resources for mass amounts of people, so the demand for everyday items drives costs to extraordinary heights.
This was especially difficult when Robins & Morton was awarded a new, $80 million replacement hospital and suddenly needed to not only house workers but also feed them. Not to mention retain the limited workforce from the allure of the nearby oilfields.
The team had to get creative, and they rose to the challenge. Learn more about navigating challenges in rural construction from Project Manager Blair Hansen and Superintendent James Gardner here.
We're celebrating Safety Week 2020 from Sept. 14 through Sept. 18, and what a year to take some time to reflect on our commitment to safe practices.
This year’s theme – This is My Jobsite – works to capture the spirit of our safety culture: prioritizing safety beyond the jobsite. But when it was first discussed, we were all still living in the time before.
You know, the time before social distancing and face masks.
We had no clue how deeply and socially relevant it would become as we continued to contend with an invisible enemy; keeping safety top of mind as we navigate all of our jobsites, in our working hours and on our off time.
There’s no one way to build.
That’s what makes construction a favorable ground for innovation. But on the other hand, that fact can also make sharing new ideas challenging at times. So how do you make sure you’re speaking the same language?
For Manager of Scheduling and Innovative Support, Steve Moore, that’s actually become a more literal question.
Over the years, Steve’s expertise in construction scheduling and technology has taken him all over the world. He’s attended conferences, served as a speaker, worked with contractors and even participated in hackathons with other pros who don’t share his language or culture across more than 10 countries throughout his 13-year career.
With his ultimate goal being to gain knoweldge and share ideas, how does he cross these barriers that sometimes prevent our ability to understand not only words themselves, but intent?
Today, Steve joins us to share a little more about this challenge, what he’s learned and the plans he has for the journey ahead.
When the strain of the Coronavirus that causes COVID-19 emerged, we didn’t know much about it.
While we worked to catch up, there was one thing we did know – it was pretty contagious.
This brought a new awareness to transmission in public spaces and our everyday behaviors – touching our faces, standing in close proximity in others, hand washing, and sharing frequently-touched surfaces.
As a result, masks and cleaning products flew off the shelves. Supply chains still haven’t caught up.
However, more than three months into the thick of the pandemic, we’re seeing some change.
People are adapting. We’ve learned more about the virus, its behaviors and how we can better protect ourselves.
Robins & Morton’s team at John Sealy Hospital is in a unique situation with nearly 130 people onsite and multiple, separate teams performing various scopes of work on the hospital’s campus. Basically, they’re covering a lot of ground.
To keep as many surfaces as squeaky clean as possible, they've implemented a new, innovative cleaning process.
Today, Superintendent Mike Jennesse joins us to talk about it.
ADDITIONAL LINKS:
To order ProKure V, contact Scott Moore at ERS via phone at (205) 661-5760 or by email at smoore@ersstore.com.
When I first heard of the “new” innovation – 3D printing – nearly ten years ago, I struggled to wrap my mind around it.
I pictured the clunky printers we hide under our home desks and in our office copy rooms, somehow producing these useful, dimensional materials made from plastic, metal and other synthetics.
Needless to say, I couldn’t get there, until I saw it with my own eyes.
Although 3D printing only became a household topic of conversation within the previous decade, it’s actually been around since the 80s. Like all technology, it’s gone through many phases, marked by small and significant milestones – from slowly layering plastic into complex pieces to printing human organs, in only a matter of years.
Today, we’re in what we perceive to be its prime. Awareness is high, adoption is more widespread, the cost isn’t prohibitively expensive, and – thanks to YouTube – the “how it works” component is much more clear.
Its possibilities are seemingly endless, but that endlessness can sometimes feel like a rabbit hole – is this a practical investment for every day? A novelty? Or something that should be invested in more experimentally?
Virtual Design and Construction coordinator, Wade Nolan, found himself at this crossroads recently. Because of his tech-driven role, he actually owns a 3D printer and stays on the pulse of trends and applications.
Although he tends to apply his expertise to building from 8 to 5, when the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced, he found a new way to unite his professional skills with a community need.
We caught up with Wade, and his wife, Sunny Scott Nolan, to learn more about how they not only designed, but also printed, medical-grade face shields for use when PPE shortages surged.
For more information check out the links below:
NIH-approved design: https://3dprint.nih.gov/discover/3dpx-013375
Robins & Morton community feature, Be The Helpers: https://www.robinsmorton.com/be-the-helpers/
April was a pretty taxing month due to COVID-19.
Although we began experiencing Stay-At-Home orders, school shutdowns, and social distancing in March, the country really started to feel the impacts of this routine in April. For many Americans, “the new normal” has primarily been a version of sheltering-in-place, but it’s a different story for construction professionals who are out there performing essential, critical infrastructure work.
By now you’ve probably heard the inspiring tale of Robins & Morton's Miami Beach Convention Center Alternate Care Facility team, and if you haven't, check out the link here or below for some background. But I kept asking myself, "How did they do it?"Building fast always requires experienced teams and enhanced coordination, but how do you accomplish that in a pandemic? When businesses are closed, supply chains are stretched and your priority is the health and safety of your workers?
Check out our inaugural episode of Nailed It! to hear more from Senior Project Manager, Johnathan Peavy.
For more on the Miami Beach Convention Center Alternate Care Facility: https://www.robinsmorton.com/robins-morton-completes-450-bed-miami-beach-convention-field-hospital-ahead-of-schedule/