Cody Clark was pulling people out of burning buildings when he decided to build his own house. The builder he found was too expensive, so he figured he could do it cheaper himself. That first build went fine. Then a friend offered him $40,000 to build another house. When you're making $60,000 a year as a paramedic, that's hard to turn down.
For five years, Cody juggled both jobs. His CPA told him to start an LLC before the IRS came calling. He posted a few pictures on Facebook, thinking he'd do two houses a year and retire from the fire department after 30 years. That didn't happen. What started as a side hustle grew into Clark Custom Homes.
But leaving the fire department wasn't easy. "I sat for that position. There was 2,000 people there and they were hiring six or maybe ten. You have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than you do getting hired."
Cody talks about the parallels between running a fire department and running a business. The fire chief organizes chaos and delegates positions. That realization changed everything. But getting there almost broke him.
"I was all things to all people, but I was nothing to anyone. I was trying to be everything to everyone and I was failing in all aspects."
The turning point came through bringing in EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), reading obsessively, and hiring a business coach. "I'm just really smart enough to listen when somebody says, 'Hey man, you look like you're drowning over there. You want a life raft?'"
In Texas, there's no licensing requirement for builders, so banks create their own rules. Early on, Cody couldn't get financing without enough builds, but couldn't do builds without financing. Classic catch-22. Now banks send him steaks at Christmas.
The marketing conversation gets practical. Cody hired professional videographers, but it felt fake. Then he started shooting raw videos on his porch with his phone. Wind blowing, dogs barking, whatever. People actually watch those.
"Everybody has eye candy. That's a given. The differentiation isn't in the finished product photos anymore. It's in letting people actually know you."
Right now, Clark Custom Homes does exclusively custom homes at about a million-dollar potential annually. He's watching land prices and thinking about $2 million specs in 2026.
The conversation circles back to this: all the information is out there. One of Cody's wealthy clients told him, "Those secrets are safe. Everybody's too lazy to execute on them." That's the real difference. Not talent or connections. Just the willingness to actually do the work everyone else talks about doing.
Cody Clark is CEO of Clark Custom Homes, a company built on craftsmanship and integrity. Growing up, he learned construction working alongside his dad, who learned from his grandfather, a homebuilder. Years later, while serving as a firefighter paramedic, he built his own home. What began as a one-time build evolved into something bigger. Over the past seven years, Clark Custom Homes has grown into a trusted brand.
Cody's leadership style is mentorship-driven and systems-focused. Outside of work, he finds balance outdoors through mountain biking, hunting, and working with his hands.
Facebook: facebook.com/Clarkcustomhomesllc
Instagram: instagram.com/clarkcustomhomes.llc
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCFa3KMKztlnAtAepSuK9WUg
Google: g.co/kgs/p2Z4PL4
Follow Builder Straight Talk:
Web: https://BuilderStraightTalk.com
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
03:04 Paramedic to Builder
05:22 Transition to Full-Time Builder
07:20 Learning and Growing the Business
14:41 Navigating Financial and Regulatory Hurdles
25:52 Delegation and Business Structure
32:24 Power of Authenticity in Video Marketing
32:41 Balancing Polished and Raw Content
34:14 The Importance of Trust in Marketing
36:02 Sales Strategies and Team Dynamics
39:14 Marketing Channels
41:01 Creating Engaging Content
55:09 Leadership and Teamwork
58:12 Challenges and Growth
Trailer Park Boys. Breaking Bad. That's what everyone thinks when they hear "modular homes." Brian Hurd from Cardinal Financial hears it constantly.
"I literally talked to somebody yesterday and I said, you know what? I hear that same analogy all the time. Everybody thinks it's a mobile home in the sticks, something out of the show Breaking Bad. But that's the perception." - Brian
But the reality is different. These homes use the same materials as site-built houses: two-by-sixes, sheetrock, granite countertops, hardwood floors. They're just assembled in quality-controlled factory environments.
"Today's manufactured modular homes are nearly the equivalent and again, in some cases, superior to their site-built counterparts." - Brian
At Clayton's Waco facility, all the waste from each house fits into two 80-gallon drums. Compare that to the multiple dumpsters a traditional build generates. And when you're building indoors, you're not wrapping rain-soaked wood in insulation.
The speed factor is where builders pay attention. Site-built takes 9-12 months. Modular? 60-90 days from order to installation.
"Whereas you might have one turn a year with site-built, with manufactured modular, you might get it to four. We're talking 60 to 90 days from the time the order's put in until the house is delivered on site, installed, all the site work is complete." - Brian
When Cook Brothers built Harvest Meadow outside Knoxville using Clayton homes, the houses appraised for more than their sale price.
The main barrier? Financing. Most banks don't understand the different draw schedule for modular construction.
"The moment you mention manufactured modular, the brakes start screeching. Very few banks and mortgage companies really understand this product." - Brian
Sound Capital and Cardinal have figured out how to make it work, but there's a gap keeping mid-sized builders from scaling up.
We also discuss the trades labor shortage, why AI won't replace skilled construction workers anytime soon, and Brian's advice: go see it yourself. Tour a factory. Visit completed communities. Talk to the financial side early.
"If you are a builder, get the conversation started. It's not as difficult as you may think. Don't wait." - Brian
This isn't about replacing site-built construction. It's about adding a viable option that solves real problems with speed, waste, and quality.
Brian Hurd Senior Vice President, National Builder, Cardinal Financial
Brian Hurd leads Cardinal Financial's National Builder Division, managing strategic partnerships with national homebuilders and driving growth in builder-focused lending. He oversees cross-functional teams to deliver a streamlined mortgage experience tailored to new construction buyers—enhancing efficiency, service, and satisfaction. With over 15 years of experience in builder channels and mortgage leadership, Brian is known for scaling production teams, expanding builder relationships, and aligning sales and operations to fuel long-term growth.
Follow Builder Straight Talk:
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* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkrisa
* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuilderStraightTalk
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderstraighttalk
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:40 Sound Capital
01:14 Public Perception of Modular Homes
02:38 Construction Quality and Efficiency
05:32 Environmental Benefits of Modular Homes
08:24 Structural Integrity and Design Flexibility
17:33 Builder Benefits and Market Trends
22:23 Labor Market Challenges and Opportunities
28:10 AI's Impact on Home Building
28:49 AI in Sales: A Case Study
30:12 Future of Skilled Trades
30:55 Financial Planning for Young Adults
32:48 Scaling Home Manufacturing
34:29 Financial Barriers in Modular Home Building
42:48 Insurance and Risk Mitigation in Modular Construction
49:13 Engaging Early with Financial Partners
51:46 Final Thoughts
Beth Noska didn't plan on a career in construction. A friend called and said she needed backup at a construction company. Beth said yes without really knowing what she was agreeing to. Seven years later, she's the General Manager at Clark Custom Homes in Texas, overseeing custom builds ranging from modern farmhouses to 7,500 square foot homes with interior courtyards.
Beth talks openly about what that first year looked like. Subcontractors would listen to her instructions, then go up the chain to double-check if she actually knew what she was talking about.
"It took a really long time for there to be any middle road. I always felt like I was winning or losing and nothing in between."
What changed? She kept showing up. She asked questions, even when they felt dumb. She sat with tile guys and framers and learned the work from the ground up. Over time, the testing stopped. The trust built.
The conversation digs into what respect actually means on a construction site and why earning it sticks while demanding it doesn't. Beth's take might surprise you.
"I think in a lot of ways, it's easier being a woman. We're able to ask more questions, and they're more willing to show us."
There's a good chunk dedicated to how Clark Custom Homes operates: the initial Q&A sessions, electrical walks, cabinet walks with the maker on site. The goal is no surprises at the end.
"You can't pick out our houses. Ours are all as unique as our clients are."
Beth also shares her management philosophy and approach to hiring.
"I take all the credit for the problems and I give them all the credit for the successes."
"I'm not necessarily hiring off of knowledge. I'm hiring off of give a shit."
When asked if more women should get into construction:
"Absolutely. Where else do you get to work all day every day with no HR department?"
Beth Noska is a lifelong Texan who grew up in Garland and has called Royse City home since 1997. She discovered real estate at 17 and spent years building hands-on construction experience across North Texas. Her background spans site prep, material selection, custom builds, renovations, and insurance claims.
She's worked her way from project manager to general manager, earning trust through showing up, asking questions, and getting it right. When she's not on a job site, you might find her driving her 1981 Z28 or taking a side-by-side through the mud park.
Beth on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethnoska
Clark Custom Homes:
Follow Builder Straight Talk:
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* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkrisa
* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuilderStraightTalk
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/builderstraighttalk
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:23 Sound Capital
00:40 Michael's Intro
01:59 Early Beginnings
03:42 Challenges and Earning Respect
11:54 Mentorship and Career Growth
13:35 Current Role and Responsibilities
17:08 Unique Projects and Innovations
22:35 Balancing Custom and Remodeling Work
29:11 Networking and Industry Insights
31:21 Collaborative Decision-Making in Construction
34:11 Role and Responsibilities of a General Manager
34:20 Training and Hiring Project Managers
35:11 Custom Homebuilding vs. Production Building
37:56 Client Engagement and Customization
41:37 Lead Generation and Marketing Strategies
44:12 Budget Management and Transparency
52:26 Staying Updated with Construction Technology
55:25 Importance of Teamwork and Communication
57:56 Encouraging Women in Construction
59:05 Personal Hobbies and Recharging
You know that sinking feeling when a phone call from three weeks ago is now costing you six figures? Karly Heffernan does. She lived it.
Before founding Hardline, Karly was taking 30 calls a day while running a commercial construction division. Her family owned a GC, she went to Harvard to play hockey, and found herself right back in construction because she genuinely loves it. But there was this nagging problem.
"I was working the same way my dad was working 15 years ago, taking 30 calls in the vehicle."
Here's what happened: working with a flat roofer, they settled on six inches of insulation, installed it, then the client wanted eight. Nobody documented that first conversation. The roof went on, they ran tests, failed, and had to rip everything off.
"It's really the dispute, the he said, she said, that comes from these calls and the data sharing that just kills companies' margins."
A couple hundred thousand dollars gone because of an undocumented phone call.
The real decisions in construction happen on calls, in trucks, on site. Not in project management software nobody has time to update. Karly looked at Procore, Buildertrend, all the big names. Solid platforms, but the data wasn't getting in.
So she built something different.
"We're solving that by having software that doesn't require behavior change and capturing the data that's never been captured before, which is phone calls."
Hardline is a voice AI platform that listens to your calls, pulls out the construction-specific stuff, and gives you a summary with action items. You don't need a new phone number or to change how you work. The app runs in the background, and at the end of the day, you've got a record of what happened.
"We don't want to be a big brother to the superintendents or project managers. We just want them to have the ability to take calls and then look back at the end of the day."
Karly's in the Suffolk Construction Boost Accelerator (2% acceptance rate), testing with roofers to custom home builders doing $50-100 million a year. Pricing is $49/month for individuals, $129/month per user for teams with integrations.
"Really the amount of time taken to input data and do tedious tasks takes you away from making sure your crews are safe and the projects are moving along. So we're really just trying to take out that pain of input."
This isn't about fancy AI for the sake of AI. It's about solving a real problem that's costing real money, meeting field workers where they are instead of asking them to meet technology where it wants them to be.
About Karly Heffernan
Karly is Cofounder of Hardline, a Santa Monica-based construction tech startup building a voice AI platform that turns jobsite calls into instant summaries, tasks, and documentation.
After graduating from Harvard where she competed with Team Canada's National Women's Hockey Team (U-22), earning three gold medals, she spent four years in construction management seeing how miscommunication spirals into costly rework. Karly is a 2025 Suffolk BOOST accelerator participant, preparing for official launch in January 2026.
Hardline LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hardline-app
Hardline Website:
---
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:44 Sound Capital
03:51 From olympic athlete to construction
05:23 Founding Hardline: The Voice AI Platform
06:19 Identifying the problem in construction
14:16 Challenges and solutions
19:37 User experience and adoption
23:56 Launch and future plans
26:53 Partnerships and industry impact
35:45 Final thoughts
A builder in Australia goes from nearly losing everything to dominating a market segment. Then he discovers America has completely missed what he's been doing for 20 years.
Mick Fabar left school at 15, became a qualified builder by 21, and started his company at 22. By the early 2000s, he was running a solid business outside Sydney doing 30 projects a year. Then six American volume builders arrived. His business collapsed from 30 projects to two.
"I thought every single builder here is going to do the same thing. We're all going to stand at the front and say, I've got the best price, the best time, the best quality. It was just a race to the bottom."
His wife suggested building green. They built two homes as an experiment, tracked everything, and within a year were back to 30 homes annually, all sustainable. By 2006, they'd stopped doing anything else.
"It's 2025, we're moving into 2026 and they still haven't done it. Everyone else is at the other side of the playground, fighting over the same consumer, still giving free holidays away. We're not even in that discussion."
By 2012, they had 40+ territories across Australia and New Zealand, building around 450 homes a year through franchising.
In 2017, a guy from New York kept emailing saying nobody in America was doing this. Mick flew over, met with 100 professionals, and discovered something shocking.
"The consumers that wanted green, energy efficient, healthy, sustainable homes were 10 times the quota of what Australia and New Zealand were combined. And there's no one delivering it."
Mick talks about the frustration of breaking into the US market and the industry's resistance to change.
"The building industry is very cultural. The contractors working today were trained by contractors trained in the previous generation. We're still doing stuff that we were doing in the fifties."
The key insight? It doesn't cost more if you design it right from the start.
"People think building green is expensive. It's not. The fundamental things don't cost any more money. It's about the design, the envelope sealing, the orientation. That just takes time to think."
The franchise model gives builders the brand, processes, and 20 years of data.
"The education about building green homes is not the secret sauce. The secret sauce is building a brand, consumer confidence, and a business to be able to deliver that."
They've built about 100 homes in the US with a 70-home subdivision going up outside Atlanta.
"My reason for getting up in the morning is to crack this American market wide open and deliver positive change. I want to change the building industry. That's my mission. Every day, 24 hours a day."
---
About Mick Fabar Founder & CEO, Green Homes Builders
Mick Fabar is the Founder and CEO of Green Homes Builders, a global leader in sustainable residential construction across Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. With over 25 years of experience, he has pioneered high-performance, energy-efficient homes.
Since founding Green Homes in 2006, he has built one of the world's most advanced green-building networks, delivering over 10,000 projects annually. The company holds extensive international IP in energy-smart design and construction processes.
Green Homes has earned numerous accolades, including the HIA National Award for Australia's Most Efficient Home (2007 and 2009), multiple Master Builders Excellence Awards, and Global Home of the Year (2023). Mick is the only two-time NAHB Global Innovative Award winner.
Beyond building, Mick was inducted into the Motoractive Hall of Fame in 2022 and is a four-time Guinness World Record holder in boxing.
Connect with Green Homes:
Green Homes Builders USA: https://ghbuildersusa.com
Green Homes Builders Australia: https://greenhomesaustralia.com.au
Green Homes New Zealand: https://greenhomesnz.co.nz
Daniel Kennerly grew up working cattle on 10,000 acres in rural Florida, learning from his grandfather that a handshake meant something. Today, he's building million-dollar custom homes and leading The New American Home® 2026 project.
"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. That integrity and those values of trust and honesty come through and people work with you because they can trust you."
This conversation covers Daniel's journey from ranch life to finance, then flipping foreclosures for BlackRock during the 2009 collapse. He talks openly about missing a budget by $3.5 million on an $8 million house and how handling that mistake with transparency preserved the client relationship.
The centerpiece is The New American Home® 2026 for the International Builder Show in Orlando. Picture an underground garage in Florida with 12-foot ceilings, a car elevator, and a turntable. The home displays over $3 million in donated products for a mission that matters.
The owner, Jason, built his wealth in self-driving car technology. He has a son with autism and is creating Jonathan's Landing, a 500-room community where adults with autism can live, work, and support themselves. Jason partnered with Samsung to rebuild their device certification program specifically for adults with autism, training them to repair phones and tablets.
"One in every 30 children born in the United States has autism. When you ask people if they know somebody with special needs, almost every hand goes up."
We dig into how Daniel scaled through the Alair Homes franchise network, growing from two guys with one project manager to five project managers and office staff in eight years. The franchise brought backend systems and economies of scale that let him focus on building instead of managing disconnected software.
"Normal contractors operate on a three or four percent profit margin. They should be operating on 10 to 12 percent. Most of that happens because of bad financial management. They build phenomenally, they just don't know how to manage the finances."
Daniel shares practical insights on cash flow management, keeping reserves, and building a business with an exit strategy. The conversation ends on what matters most: writing letters to his four sons, building something that outlasts any construction project.
Daniel Kennerly is a Partner at Alair Orlando. He brings a unique perspective to luxury custom homebuilding with his background in both finance and construction. Daniel grew up on a sixth-generation Florida ranch, which instilled values of hard work, patience, and integrity that shape his business today. He is a husband to Susan and father to four boys—Zeke, Thatcher, Prescott, and Adler.
Alair Orlando:
Pascal lands in Miami in 2008 with cash from selling French assets, right when everything's melting down. Most would think that's terrible timing, but he saw opportunity. He didn't even know he'd end up in construction. His specialty was buying, fixing, and flipping.
He starts buying distressed properties at courthouse auctions, then moves to buying non-performing notes from banks, essentially becoming the one who forecloses. By 2012, foreclosures dry up and he's thinking, maybe I should actually build something.
That first house in Miami Beach goes well. Really well. "I got decent price for the land, decent price for construction because nobody's building. I said, oh my God, this is good business now."
But Pascal isn't just another spec builder. He brings a completely different perspective from France on how houses should work.
The conversation gets into the differences between European and American construction.
"In France, the architect is the GC. The architect follows the project and takes responsibility if something's wrong inside. In Florida, the architect finishes when you get a permit, then you manage with the GC. If something's wrong, they provide change orders."
Pascal saw that gap and fixed it by becoming his own GC and internalizing construction. He imported European designers, brought construction techniques Florida hadn't seen, used materials and equipment that made local contractors stop by just to watch.
The focus isn't making everything white and shiny for snowbirds visiting three months a year. It's creating homes people want to live in full-time.
"When you want to live all year long, you want something more warm, cozy. Design changes, everything changes."
Quality control becomes obsessive after one early client, a Belgian clothing business owner, points out imperfections Pascal's own eyes couldn't see. That changes everything.
"I realized I was far away from perfection. It made me understand I need to work more, get more competencies."
Now there's a quality control manager who must sign off before any payment goes through. "We don't make a payment if quality control doesn't validate the work. Sometimes I'm redoing things completely because I want the perfect product."
Every project has 50 percent equity minimum. When a house finishes, it goes into high-end rental configuration, fully furnished. They rent with a 60-day exit clause for when they sell. "We have income covering the carrying cost because we have low leverage. I don't want to sell my house at a discount. I prefer to rent and wait."
His portfolio runs from $20 million to $80-90 million homes, with six to eight projects going at different stages, plus custom builds.
The conversation circles back to something simple: he imagines living in every house he builds. "I don't just give the architect a project. I imagine myself living in this house."
The goal isn't impressing people or creating trophy properties. "My definition of luxury is freedom and the vibe. The purpose of the house is to live inside. A lot of people forget it. They try to impress. I want people to feel at home."
About Pascal Nicolai
Pascal Nicolai is the French-born founder of Sabal Development and Sabal Luxury Builder, two Miami-based firms setting new benchmarks in high-end residential construction. After a career that began in finance and evolved through European real estate, Pascal moved to Miami during the 2008 downturn and built his success one luxury spec home at a time.
Today, Sabal's portfolio includes more than $225 million in sold homes and another $220 million in projects underway, blending European precision, Miami modernism, and financial discipline into every build. Known as a "spec-home specialist," Pascal's story is one of risk, vision, and relentless attention to detail.
Pascal Nicolai on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-nicolai-2ba82b61
Sabal Development website:
In this episode, Michael welcomes Shari Morton, Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Shared Drive, to talk about customer relationship management systems (CRM) - the "broccoli" of the building industry. Everyone knows it's good for you, but most stay away because it seems complicated or boring.
Here's the problem: builders are terrible at following up with leads. Shari's team does an annual mystery shopper study reaching out to hundreds of builders. The average response time for builders without an online sales team? 38 days. With dedicated online salespeople? 47 hours. In a world of instant expectations, both are too long.
"In this day and age, if you don't have an automated email coming out when someone signs up, at the very least have some sort of response so that they know you're in business." - Shari Morton
Most builders try to do everything themselves. And even when they invest in a CRM, management often picks the system without consulting the salespeople who'll actually use it.
"By the time it reaches your salesperson, it was designed and created without them truly in mind." - Shari Morton
Shari shares a powerful case study: one builder doing 60 homes a year had aged leads sitting in their database. Within 90-120 days, her team generated three to four sales from leads everyone had written off - enough to cover their entire fee.
"I'm looking at homes two years ahead. I'm fantasizing. I'm pinboarding. Imagine if you stayed in front of this person for two and a half years, how top of mind you would be." - Shari Morton
Shari advocates treating leads like a savings account - no matter how small you are, you can always start saving.
The episode tackles AI, practical CRM recommendations, and why past clients are gold mines for referrals and testimonials. Most builders think the relationship ends when keys are handed over, but those homeowners are your best marketing asset.
"A lead can be a referral. A lead can be a repeat customer. It surprises me that people don't keep track of homeowners." - Shari Morton
Shari's approach is practical: start small, get a free CRM, put your contacts in, connect it to your website, and build from there.
And here's why she does what she does:
"It's not because I'm a geek that likes to stay in my dungeon. The most impactful thing you can do is leverage these tools so we can free up our time to be humans with each other." - Shari Morton
The builders who figure this out aren't just selling more homes - they're building better businesses that don't require 80-hour weeks.
About Shari Morton
Shari Morton is the Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Shared Drive, where she helps builders scale through lead nurturing, sales optimization, and tech that works. She's known for transforming OSC programs and aligning CRM systems to support sales teams.
At Dorn Homes, Shari won the NAHB Gold Award for Online Sales Counselor of the Year after driving nearly half of annual sales through online channels. She earned a spot on the IBS 40 Under 40 list in 2021 for her leadership at Shared Drive.
What sets Shari apart is her ability to meet teams where they are, challenge the status quo, and build systems that save time with efficiency and data.
Shared Drive: https://www.shareddrive.com
Scott Menard has been in construction since he was 17, starting as a laborer for KB Homes during summer breaks. Over nearly four decades, he's worked through purchasing, project management, land acquisition, and operations at Ryland, Taylor Woodrow, and Shea Homes.
Now he's president of Homes Built for America, a company that didn't exist four years ago and is already the 14th largest builder in the San Francisco Bay Area, focusing exclusively on first-time buyers in one of the country's most expensive and regulation-heavy markets.
"We really sell to first time buyers. A lot of times they're dinks, dual income, no kids, all have great jobs they want their piece of the American dream."
Scott walks through what it takes to build in California: three to five million dollars into a property before closing, year-long water permit waits, and cities clinging to blighted shopping centers instead of converting them to residential. Meanwhile, moderate-priced homes in Santa Clara County hit two million dollars.
"It's really capital intensive and it takes a lot of balls and you better have a lot of money."
Their parent company, True Life Companies, spent years buying land, getting it entitled, and selling finished lots to major builders who wouldn't take entitlement risk. Four years ago, they decided to build houses themselves, focusing on three-bedroom townhomes for first-time buyers.
"I don't think I'll ever see it fixed in my lifetime. There's always gonna be a massive housing imbalance."
The conversation covers non-recourse construction loans, why banks have pulled back from construction lending, and what's holding back sales despite low unemployment and builder incentives.
On scaling, Scott is blunt about risk:
"You have to get comfortable with the risk and the fact that it's scary. The dollars are real, the investors are real, the banks are real."
He talks about hiring ahead of need, bringing in a CFO they couldn't afford early on, and his counterintuitive take on scaling:
"I would actually argue it's way easier to build a hundred homes than 10. I couldn't build 10 homes. I don't even know how to do that."
Scott calls his company a "memory factory," hosting community events and sending onesies when residents have babies:
"When you build houses for people, there's something rewarding and awesome about it. We're a memory factory, and we're a memory builder, because that's really what we do."
His goals: make Homes Built for America a top 25 builder and bring young people into the industry.
"We are missing a whole group of people in this industry. Everybody's kind of in their forties and older, very few in their twenties and thirties."
From modular construction to the paradox of California being both the best place to live and most frustrating place to build, this conversation covers the ground between growing a building company and understanding why housing is so expensive and scarce.
About Scott Menard
Scott Menard is President of Homes Built for America, bringing nearly 40 years of leadership in homebuilding. His background spans land development, construction, sales, and operations at some of the nation's most respected builders. Known for balancing strategic vision with hands-on execution, Scott has guided teams through market cycles, scaling challenges, and shifting buyer demands.
Scott Menard on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottmenard
Scott's website:
Homes Built for America:
Chris and Clif Poston run Traton Homes, a homebuilding company founded 54 years ago, that closes over 1,000 homes a year across metro Atlanta and Florida. But their path to success was anything but smooth.
The Poston brothers didn't just inherit the company their father and uncle founded in 1971. After executing a substantial buy-in during the mid-2000s, the Great Recession hit hard.
Chris: "We had executed a substantial buy-in of the company, and then the world started going down and down and down."
Clif: "We earned our way into the business. The world ended. We put all of our money collectively back into the business and we recapitalized and we're just kind of earning our way back to where we want to be."
They talk openly about the hard parts. Clif describes deals where they were writing checks for $30,000-$40,000 at every closing just to survive. But their father's wisdom kept them from making fatal mistakes during the boom years.
Chris: "Dad and Milburn telling us, 'Hey guys, pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.' That's great we can write 10 contracts. Let's only write five or let's only write six."
The brothers bring complementary skills. Clif handles land acquisition and development, scouting sites across metro Atlanta with help from their father and uncle, who they jokingly call "chief second-guessing officers." Chris runs operations, managing 25 active deals in various stages of permitting and entitlement.
Clif: "The one thing you can be certain of in this industry is that whatever you planned is definitely not going to happen. It's going to be some variation off of that."
When asked what advice he wishes he'd received earlier, Clif doesn't mention underwriting or construction techniques. He talks about relationships.
Clif: "This industry is so much about hard work, but it's about who you know and the relationships that you meet and leveraging those relationships. Get out and know as many people as you can, starting in college."
The conversation explores AI in homebuilding, their approach to company culture, and how they've maintained their reputation for integrity while scaling. But the most powerful moment comes when discussing what matters most.
Chris: "I used to think 'to whom much is given, much is expected' meant I need to write big checks to people. That's your time. It's probably the bigger thing that you can give."
Chris: "The company can fold tomorrow and we can go try and start a new thing. You don't get redos on the family stuff."
This episode covers scaling a homebuilding business while staying true to core values, navigating economic downturns, and understanding that success isn't just measured in homes built.
About Chris & Clif Poston:
Chris serves as Chief Operating Officer, overseeing company operations including land planning and development. Since joining Traton in 1997, he's led successful developments throughout metro Atlanta and Florida. He chairs the City of Marietta Construction Board of Adjustment and Appeals and the Marietta High School College and Career Academy.
Clif, Executive Vice President, handles strategic functions across product development, land acquisition, and construction finance. A University of Georgia graduate, he serves on the Board of the Marietta Schools Foundation and is President of the Marietta High School Governance Council.
Together, they've grown Traton Homes from its 1971 roots into one of the Southeast's most respected private homebuilders.
Connect with Traton Homes:
Website: https://www.tratonhomes.com
Jim Tobin never planned on 27 years at the National Association of Home Builders. He wanted to fly helicopters. Politics caught his attention, landing him on Capitol Hill in 1995. Instead of becoming a defense lobbyist, he found NAHB and an industry that builds shelter and creates wealth.
As President and CEO, Jim visits local chapters in San Antonio, Shawnee, and Iowa, sitting with builders doing five homes a year.
"I can't do my job here in Washington if I don't hear what's going on in all those different markets. The builders are all facing the same issues."
Interest rates haven't dropped enough. The building year is down 7 percent. Everyone says they want more housing, but policies don't align with affordability.
The FHA energy code issue: The Biden administration mandated homes sold to FHA borrowers meet the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code. Only five or six states were on that code. Cost? Between 20,000 and 30,000 dollars per home extra.
"It's an unforced error. They chose to believe it would be better to save people 10 dollars a month on their energy bill, but it's okay to pay 20,000 dollars more for the cost of that house."
FHA borrowers are first-time buyers. When they can't afford the new home, they buy an older, less efficient one.
There are 900,000 new homes being built this year, already the most energy efficient. But there are 130 million older homes, most built before 2000.
"Stop trying to wring the neck of 900,000 homes and solve the problem of 130 million homes."
Local governments add impact fees to new construction because there isn't a voter in that house yet.
"It's a lot easier to go tax new construction through impact fees, permitting fees, extractions, because there isn't a voter in that house yet."
A million kids live with parents because they can't find affordable housing.
"Home ownership is the gateway to the middle class, and we are pushing it farther away from the next generation. The housing crisis has catastrophic downstream effects we have not felt yet."
On what builders need from Capitol Hill:
"Get out of our way. Stop putting roadblocks in front of us. All we want is to be left alone to do what we do better than anybody else. And that's build shelter in this country."
On workforce: Since the 1970s, America emphasized the four-year degree. The trades became undervalued. Now there's a shortage of skilled workers.
"Learn a trade, get hired, you're making a good buck. After a few years, you start your own company. Now you're tomorrow's entrepreneur. You've got four or five trucks out on the road doing good work. That's the arc of what trades can give you."
The International Builder Show in Orlando features this year's New American Home. The builder is matching every product donation to build housing for people with autism, including his son.
The builders are ready. The question is whether policy can catch up.
Jim Tobin, CAE, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), has more than 20 years of association experience and a diverse housing policy background.
Tobin’s tenure at NAHB began in 1998 as a Congressional representative for the western United States, and he quickly broadened his policy expertise to the environmental and tax policy arenas. Most recently, Tobin served at the association’s executive vice president and chief lobbyist, responsible for directing the federal, state and local lobbying, as well as political activities for NAHB. He was promoted to president and CEO in June 2023.
Prior to joining NAHB, Tobin served as senior legislative assistant to former U.S. Representative Frank Riggs (Calif.) and former U.S. Representative Gary Franks (Conn.).
Tobin holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Connecticut. He lives in Falls Church, Va., with his wife and their two children.
NAHB Blog:
Michael sits down with Ken Semler, President and CEO of Impresa Modular, who's spent 25 years getting people to understand what modular construction actually is. No, it's not a double-wide trailer. If you've ever wondered why we're still building houses the same way we did 50 years ago, this conversation is for you.
Ken's journey started by accident. Flipping houses in 2003, his day job wanted him to move to New York City. He declined, went full-time into construction, and discovered modular fit his crew perfectly. Eight months later, he was the number three builder with his factory. After 2008, he pivoted to commercial work with schools. Then in 2009, he told his wife he'd sell homes over the internet. She thought he was crazy. Today, Ken operates in 44 states with a franchise system and publishes the industry's only dedicated magazine.
Ken breaks down the critical difference: manufactured homes are built to HUD code (affordability standard), modular homes to International Residential Code (same as stick-built). The tell? That label in your kitchen cabinet.
"There is no such thing as a modular home. It's a house built using modular construction."
A four-module, two-story home taking six months on site gets built in three to eight days in a factory. While your foundation is poured, your house moves down an 18-station production line. Ken shares going from a hole in the ground to a 2,200 square foot house with wraparound porch in 36 hours.
Quality control is remarkable. Factories use lag bolts and industrial epoxy, not 16-penny nails. Customers have called Ken three years later, frustrated it took three days to tear down a wall for an addition. Modules must survive 65 mph transport over potholes and mountain roads, so they're built to level two seismic activity as standard.
Efficiency goes beyond speed. That 30 cubic yard dumpster at every job site, filled once or twice per house? You paid for everything in it. Factories use three cubic yard dumpsters for wood, gypsum, and recycling.
Ken tackles financing challenges head-on.
"If a project gets half built and 50 units get built, I've paid for those 50 units as they come offline, but I've got 50 units that are packaged, finished... I actually have an asset that's protected. It's just not real estate."
Compare that to a half-built house in a field.
We're short at least 250,000 homes yearly. For every five construction workers retiring, only 1.5 enter the trades.
"Labor in the U.S. has evaporated... the two biggest users of illegal labor has been probably the construction industry and the agriculture industry. And that labor's going out the door."
Ken's franchise solves the knowledge gap. Most factories don't train new builders.
"We've done a horrible job of training new to modular builders. If you decide you want to get into modular and call a factory, there's really no place to learn unless you've worked with somebody before."
Looking at 2026, Ken sees the perfect storm: falling interest rates, premium labor costs, and lenders figuring out modular projects.
This isn't a sales pitch. It's an honest conversation about why we build the way we do and what's possible when construction moves into a controlled environment.
Ken Semler is President & CEO of Impresa Modular, the nation's first internet-based custom modular home builder, now operating in 43 states and partnering with more than 20 offsite factories. With over 25 years in construction, Ken has become a national voice for modular innovation, scalability, and modernizing the building process.
He also pioneered Impresa Modular Franchising—the first modular home franchise system in the U.S.—helping builders and entrepreneurs adopt factory-built precision in their local markets. A frequent speaker at national builder conferences, author of 200+ articles, and publisher of Offsite Builder Magazine.
Ken on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kensemler
Impresa Modular:
https://impresamodular.com
Glen Harris III was living the contractor's dream in 2016. His 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. Every decision ran through him. He'd hit a ceiling and couldn't see how to break through it.
This episode is about what happened next and why it matters if you're stuck in the same trap.
Learn why systems beat hustle when you want to scale. Glen breaks down the moment he realized working harder wasn't going to get him to $5 million or beyond. He needed systems that could run without him, but building them from scratch while running a business felt impossible.
"I was the point person for everything in my business. I was the bottleneck for the business. And I realized that I was plateauing and I didn't know how to continue to grow the business from there."
The real cost of being a solo operator. When everything depends on you, growth means more hours, more stress, and more chaos. Glen walks through the breaking point that forced him to rethink his entire business model.
"I needed accountability because there would be plenty of things that I just wouldn't push because I'm the one that has to push myself to do those things."
How to hire people who actually want to grow your business. Glen explains why he stopped looking for construction experience and started hunting for something else entirely. His approach has turned several employees into business partners.
"I'm not just looking for a PM that's going to be a project manager for the next 20 years. I'm looking for someone that's growth minded, eager to learn, and can grow into production management, general management, potential ownership."
The ownership model most small builders can't offer. Glen's project managers aren't just earning bonuses. They're buying into offices and running their own operations across Southwest Florida.
"I can now look across the table at a prospective project manager and give them hope for the future, for growth. Maybe they eventually own their own business within our structure."
What happens when disaster strikes. Hurricane Ian cut off access to every job site overnight. A house fire threatened everything. Glen shares how having the right people and systems in place made the difference.
"I was a boat captain basically for 30 days after Hurricane Ian, taking guys back and forth, signing contracts on my phone to land new projects."
The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and why it works for construction. Glen credits this framework with bringing real accountability to his team and why builders on a plateau should look into it.
How to transition from working in your business to working on it. Glen gets specific about the steps, timeline, and hard decisions involved.
"I view the business as this machine. Once you can get it to a point where it's humming without you, then you've done something that's scalable. "
If you're doing $3 million to $5 million and can't figure out how to get past it, this conversation will show you where the real problems are.
You'll hear about his path from starting a business during the recession with $5,000 in savings to becoming Regional Partner overseeing eight offices across Florida. The journey involves changing car batteries, cleaning bird droppings, and eventually realizing that growth requires letting go of control.
Glen Harris III | EI, CGC - Regional Partner SWFL
3rd generation Floridian. Master of Engineering in Construction Management from University of Florida (2003). Founded GH3 Enterprises in 2009. Partnered with Alair Homes in 2016, becoming Regional Partner for Southwest Florida within a year. The SWFL region now includes offices in Old Naples, North Naples, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, South Tampa, Casey Key, and Sebring.
Alair Florida: https://regions.alairhomes.com/florida
In this conversation, Lance walks through what it takes to build a homebuilding business that lasts. He talks about why his first hire made his first project successful (because he knew what he didn't know), how to structure your first deal with enough margin to survive mistakes, and why contingency planning isn't optional.
When Lance Williams started his homebuilding company in 1996, his equity partners were his wife, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. Talk about pressure!
He'd just been laid off during a market downturn, took a short vacation, and came back ready to tie up his first deal: a 12-unit project that required $300,000 in equity and $2.7 million in debt.
The problem? Banks weren't lending. So he and his mentor, California development legend Ray Watt, drove around Southern California meeting with lenders, getting the same answer: "We can't make loans right now."
They eventually found financing through a U.S.-based Chinese bank. The project worked. Since then, Williams Homes has built over 3,200 homes across 85 communities with a combined value exceeding $1.7 billion. Lance has never walked away from a project - not through the Great Financial Crisis, recessions, or California's regulatory maze that can add 18 months of delays and balloon costs by $50 million mid-project.
"We have 100% success rate. So we've never had a deal that busted that we didn't complete. And that's through the great financial crisis, through a lot of ups and downs."
Lance explains the difference between building in California, where a pre-application meeting now includes 20 people from 20 different agencies, versus building in Idaho and Montana, where permits come faster and prices are more attainable.
Lance gets into the mechanics: building relationships with lenders over decades, why you need both bank financing and equity partners on almost every deal, and how to structure family trusts. He shares why he's shifting Williams Homes from 90% for-sale housing to a 50-50 split with rentals, driven by California's affordability crisis.
"It's a very capital intensive business, especially in Southern California where you have these long term projects. We have traditional bank financing and over time you build relationships with lenders and loan officers. And sometimes we'll have the same loan officer for 20, 30 years."
But this isn't just about numbers. Lance talks about what drives him: the permanency of the product, driving past neighborhoods and seeing families at the dinner table, and why his favorite project is always the next one.
He discusses the Williams Hope House project serving transitionally homeless families, becoming a licensed pilot alongside his son, and why the two words that define a private homebuilder are "resilient and relentless."
Whether you're a contractor thinking about your first development or a builder navigating your tenth, Lance's approach is grounded in fundamentals: do your due diligence, start small, buy it right, understand all risks, and keep overhead low. One out of every 10 to 20 deals will go sideways. Plan for it. Build contingency into your model. And whatever you do, complete what you start.
"My favorite deal is my next deal. That's the one that's leveling me up."
About Lance Williams
Lance Williams is co-founder of Williams Homes, started in 1996 with industry legend Ray Watt. With 35+ years in construction, Lance has built 3,175+ homes across 85 communities valued over $1.7 billion. He holds a degree in Finance, Real Estate, and Law from Cal Poly Pomona and is both a licensed real estate broker and general contractor. He's also a licensed jet pilot. Builders describe him as driven, disciplined, and deeply committed to the communities his company creates.
Learn more at https://williamshomes.com
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.
Then 2008 hit. While other builders went under, Duane used the crisis as a mirror.
"I think that that too, one thing that happened in that 2008 environment, especially the few years after, was everyone got reduced to a commodity, you know, I mean, the builders or modelers, they had the lower hand, no doubt."
The shift from thinking like a builder to thinking like a business owner changed everything.
In this conversation with Michael Krisa, Duane walks through that transformation. He talks about the moment he tracked his time for two weeks and discovered he was doing 75% of tasks that weren't moving his business forward. Joining a Vistage group opened his eyes to what real business owners were doing across industries.
"I started thinking differently, really approaching it as a business, just lots of different opportunities seem to arise from that, and I think what people need to know that doesn't mean you're giving up your respect for the craft or your quality or any of that."
We dig into the financial reality most builders face. When you actually calculate your hourly wage against all the hours you put in, McDonald's starts looking competitive. Duane explains why most builders leave money on the table by not charging for all their time, and how understanding your numbers becomes the foundation for everything else.
"People simply are not charging for all the hours they're working. It's really that simple. That's the biggest area that I've found across the board where people can, if they put some attention, immediately add to their bottom line."
The conversation moves into systems and scaling. Duane joined Alair Homes as a franchise partner, initially skeptical about how a franchise model could work in custom building. But he discovered that having proven systems meant he could focus on building his business instead of building the business itself.
"A lot of times I equate it to it's using the mousetrap versus building the mousetrap."
Duane shares his approach to protecting calendar time like it's sacred, ending each day organized so he can actually disconnect, and setting boundaries with clients about when emergencies are really emergencies. The goal isn't working less – it's working on the right things.
The conversation also addresses the skilled trades perception problem. He's passionate about changing the narrative around construction careers, showing young people that building offers real opportunities for entrepreneurship and wealth building.
We talk about vision and leadership. Many builders struggle to think beyond next year, but Duane pushes them to imagine where they want to be in ten years.
This episode is about fundamentally changing how you think about your role in the construction industry. The principles Duane shares apply to anyone ready to stop being a builder and start being a business owner.
About Duane Johns
As COO of Alair, Duane oversees operations, implements strategic plans that align with the company’s vision, and ensures the entire organization is communicating and functioning at a high level. He works closely with the executive team and department leaders on research and development and systems optimization.
Duane joined Alair in 2016 as a Builder/Partner and became a Regional Partner in 2017. He was instrumental in incorporating EOS into the Alair culture.
Duane entered the construction industry over 30 years ago, working on oceanfront estates in The Hamptons on Long Island, New York. In 1996 he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, and started a general contracting business.
Links:
* Alair Homes website: https://www.alairhomes.com
* Alair Homes YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@alair_homes
Starting a construction company during the 2008 recession sounds insane, but sometimes desperation breeds the best business decisions. This week on the Builder Straight Talk podcast with Michael Krisa, we have the founder and CEO of BuildCo7, Matt Millsap.
Matt's story starts like most - working weekends with dad, thinking he'd hang with friends but ending up tearing out bathrooms. After flunking college, he found himself cutting grass for a builder who became his mentor. Mark taught him everything through old-school apprenticeship.
Then 2008 hit. Mark couldn't pay Matt anymore, so he started his own construction company in the middle of the Great Recession. Those early years were survival mode - punch lists for foreclosed houses, fire restoration, anything recession-proof. He kept overhead low and slowly built BuildCo7. By 2011, he was ready for spec homes and high-end Nashville renovations.
What we discussed:
Systems Over Chaos: Matt learned early that knowing your numbers isn't optional. While most contractors fly by the seat of their pants, he attended accounting conferences learning P&Ls and balance sheets.
"My goal was to bring the structure of commercial contracting to residential contracting. Residential contracting is a wild west - you're shooting from the hip, the subs are unreliable."
Hiring Strategy: After getting burned by construction hotshots who poisoned team dynamics, Matt shifted to hiring for character over credentials.
"We can teach just about everything. So if we have a problem solver, a quick thinker, problem solving is honestly the biggest skill set."
The PM Crisis: Each PM can handle $3-4 million in work, but finding qualified ones is nearly impossible. This led Matt to create Construction Coach to train project managers.
Technology Adoption: Matt embraced AI three years ago, building custom GPTs that write project scopes from blueprints.
"If you don't embrace AI now, you're going to get passed up. The guy whose overhead is significantly lower because he's using AI for scheduling and takeoffs is just going to succeed."
Scaling Philosophy: Matt built for "operational irrelevance" - a business that runs without him, creating value beyond the founder.
This conversation covers practical lessons from someone who's scaled to $100+ million in projects. No MBA theories, just battle-tested strategies.
About Matt Millsap Founder/CEO of BuildCo7, award-winning Nashville contractor specializing in high-end renovations and custom builds. 25+ years experience, $100+ million in completed projects. Creator of Construction Coach Instruction for training project managers.
Links: BuildCo7: https://buildco7.com
BuildCo7 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildco7
Construction Coach: https://construction-coach.thinkific.com
Construction Coach Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/constructioncoaching
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.
Michael Krisa sits down with Brian to tackle a question that keeps a lot of builders up at night: what separates those who successfully jump from 10 houses to 50 houses from those who flame out trying?
Turns out, it's not about having the best crew or knowing the slickest subcontractors in town. It's about understanding money, and more specifically, how to work backwards from what a house will actually sell for to figure out if you can afford to build it.
Brian walks through the brutal math that trips up so many builders. You've got your land cost, your build cost, and your expected sale price. Sounds simple, right?
Wrong. There's financing costs, carrying costs, closing costs, and about a dozen other expenses that can turn a profitable-looking deal into a money pit. He talks about builders using "big, fat, fuzzy numbers" when they should be accounting for every nickel, especially when they're using other people's money to scale.
They talk about the differences between working with traditional banks versus specialized construction lenders. Banks want you to check 20 boxes in exactly the right order, every single time.
Sound Capital's approach is different. They focus on the relationship and whether the deal makes sense overall. Brian explains how once you're approved with them, you don't have to jump through the same hoops for every project.
There's this moment where they talk about builders who want to make the leap to development, buying raw land and creating subdivisions. Brian doesn't sugarcoat it. He's seen too many builders get excited about that "great deal" on farmland without asking the hard questions. Where are the utilities? What's the municipality going to require? That cheap land can turn expensive fast when you realize environmental studies and infrastructure costs weren't factored in.
Michael and Brian discuss Sound Capital's approach to builder relationships, including their ambitious goal of funding one million doors over five years. It's not about chasing the biggest, flashiest deals. It's about helping builders create attainable housing that working families can actually afford to buy.
The episode wraps up with practical advice about staying focused on what sells. Don't get distracted by the fancy houses that look good in magazines. Build what people can actually afford to buy. The successful national builders didn't start with million-dollar custom homes. They started with cookie-cutter houses and built more and more of them.
This isn't about getting rich quick or no-money-down fantasies. It's about the real path from being a tradesman to being a business owner, and all the financial realities that come with making that transition successfully.
About Brian
Brian Coffman brings extensive real estate and finance expertise to his role as Director of Homebuilder Finance at Sound Capital. He began his career in sales with a Fortune 500 company, advancing to senior management before transitioning to private lending in 2007.
Brian successfully navigated the financial recession while building a portfolio of over 250 properties and founded a hard money lending company in 2009 that funded more than $1 billion in loans. His hands-on experience includes personally valuing over 10,000 properties, giving him deep market insight that benefits Sound Capital's clients.
Brian has been a valued member of the Sound Capital team for nearly four years, where he leverages his comprehensive understanding of both lending and real estate investment to drive homebuilder financing solutions.
Brian Coffman on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/briancoffmanaz
Sound Capital:
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.
Fast forward to today, and Adrian runs AVICA Construction and Development, averaging over 800 doors a year across residential, commercial, and industrial projects. But the most compelling part of his journey happened when he was 29 and faced what he calls a "death experience" that forced him to completely rethink how he ran his business.
"I was always a team player, but you're not being a team player today, like you have to be able to pull yourself away from the business so that it can grow."
In this episode of Builder's Straight Talk, host Michael Krisa explores the pivotal moments that transformed Adrian from someone working in his business to someone working on it. The conversation covers his transition from being mentored by his uncle to branching out on his own, and the systems thinking that allowed him to scale without being trapped by daily operations.
Adrian shares his approach to hiring based on three key qualities, his philosophy on delegation, and how he built processes that let his company run when he steps away. They discuss diversification strategies including fire-resistant construction materials, preparing for economic storms, and Adrian's predictions about the future of building technology.
"The issue at hand is everybody's just looking at that dollar sign. What's it going to cost me? To bring on this employee that's going to help save you need time and a headache, right? And instead of looking at it, well, how much is that key player I'm going to bring into the company?"
The episode touches on personal growth through morning routines, spirituality in business leadership, and Adrian's community work through the National Hispanic Construction Alliance. They explore mentorship, both receiving and giving it, and how the construction industry is evolving with new technologies.
"I can give you all the resources. I can give you all the books to read. I can give you all the tips and tricks. But if you can't go out there in the field and implement what you've learned, you're going to stay stagnant."
Adrian also discusses his coaching practice, his podcast "One Stud at a Time," and philanthropic work building homes for families in need. The conversation reveals how personal challenges can become catalysts for business transformation and why letting go might be the key to scaling any construction company.
Adrian C. Avila: Founder & President, AVICA Construction & Development, Inc.
Adrian brings over two decades of construction experience to AVICA Construction & Development. His journey began at eight when his uncle mentored him on blueprints and construction fundamentals. Before launching AVICA, he held leadership positions with prestigious firms, developing his collaborative approach to large-scale projects.
Beyond construction, Adrian serves as President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Hispanic Construction Alliance (NHCA) and sits on boards for La Verne and Azusa Chambers of Commerce. He founded Anubis Tranquillum, a coaching practice focused on transformational mindset work, and hosts "One Stud at a Time" podcast.
Website: https://linktr.ee/AVICAandANUBIS
Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@OneStudAtATimePodcast/videos
Avica Construction: https://www.avicaconstruction.com
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.
Kelly reveals that many builders essentially forgot how to market during the COVID boom years. Now that the market has normalized, builders are scrambling to relearn fundamental marketing skills they neglected during the easy times.
One of Kelly's core principles involves comprehensive research before launching any campaigns. She shares compelling examples of builders who jumped straight into Facebook ads or SEO without understanding their competition or buyers - often leading to failed campaigns.
"A lot of us want to just jump right in there and get to it. And they miss that part of it. And that, I think is a big mistake because that's why a lot of campaigns fail. Because there was no time put into the research."
Through case studies, Kelly demonstrates how authentic brand stories become powerful differentiators. Whether it's connecting a builder's love of premium cigars to quality craftsmanship, or leveraging an Italian owner's heritage and hands-on approach, these stories help builders stand out in crowded markets.
"People just aren't coming to buy homes like they were a couple of years ago... So the story is so important now more than ever..."
Every builder has unique strengths they don't recognize because they see them daily. Kelly's job involves uncovering and articulating these differentiators in ways that resonate with ideal buyers.
Since 80% of buyers conduct extensive online research before visiting sales centers, Kelly considers websites as critical first impressions - what she calls "Digital Doorways" in her book. She also advocates for comprehensive CRM systems, AI-powered lead qualification, and marketing automation that ensures no prospect falls through the cracks.
"By the time somebody comes in your sales center, they're pretty sure that they might want to do business with you and they probably narrowed it down to about two to three builders..."
Kelly reports that traditional marketing tactics are proving effective again. Direct mail, print advertising, and community events are working partly because digital channels have become oversaturated. She shares a case study of a builder who recently sold a million-dollar home directly from a postcard campaign, proving that sometimes the old ways still work best.
Kelly’s research-driven approach to social media matches platforms to demographics and price points. Throughout the conversation, she underlines patience and long-term thinking in effective marketing.
"Any type of marketing plan, it's a long game."
Kelly Bosetti Primeau is an award-winning marketing strategist, fractional CMO, and dynamic speaker with over 26 years of experience helping brands grow, scale, and stand out.
As the founder of CEA Marketing and Second Sol Studios, she has led high-impact campaigns for national brands like Pulte Homes, DR Horton, K. Hovnanian Homes, and Taylor Morrison, as well as master-planned community leaders like Metro Development Group and Metro Places.
Her work has earned over 120 marketing awards, including top honors from the Aurora Awards, NAHB Nationals, and more than 100 wins from the Tampa Bay Builders Association.
Kelly is the author of "Future-Proof Residential Marketing: Stand Out, Sell More, and Scale Your Business," and leads AI Marketing Workshops and her signature Ultimate Marketing Kickstart Course. Her upcoming podcast, "Market Like It's Hot," will bring her bold, results-focused marketing insights to audiences nationwide.
CEA Marketing: https://ceamarketing.com
Visit: https://kellyprimeauconsulting.com
Second Sol Studios: https://secondsolstudios.com
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.
On this episode of Builder Straight Talk, Cammie breaks down how she went from market research and land brokerage to leading a custom division that's redefining luxury building in Arizona.
"I had to prove to myself that I could have a career. I really didn't have any long-term goal of working in the family business."
Her unconventional path through news stations, market research, and land data gave her skills nobody else in the family business had. But joining Camelot Homes meant proving her worth under a father who's "off the charts" on the leadership scale. The turning point came when she stood her ground over something as simple as sign placement.
"Are you kidding me? I can't make a decision about a sign?"
That moment launched everything that followed. When a friend approached her about a 1970s remodel project, Cammie said yes despite having zero experience. That single project became the foundation for Cameron Custom Homes & Renovations.
Five years later, Cameron Custom has 10 homes under construction, averaging $4-5 million. Cammie's approach centers on assembling the full team from day one: architect, interior designer, landscape architect, all at the table before ground breaks.
The business model is equally strategic. Eight of ten current projects use client-owned lots with draw-based financing. Only two are spec builds using internal equity. It's risk-managed growth without overleveraging.
"Pretty much everything that we have written down has come to fruition. It is wild to look back and see."
Working within the EOS framework, the family maps out everything in strategic planning sessions. From their National Housing Quality Award Gold status to the custom division's launch, it's all been planned years in advance.
Cammie discusses:
For builders thinking about custom work or navigating family business transitions, Cammie's story offers both practical systems and a refreshingly relationship-focused approach to an industry that's often seen as purely transactional.
Cammie Hancock Beckert is the founder of Cameron Custom Homes & Renovations, a division of Camelot Homes, the award-winning home building company founded by her grandparents in 1969.
A native Arizonan and graduate of Arizona State University, Cammie spent more than 20 years at Camelot Homes where she led the sales and marketing department for the luxury home builder. In 2023, Cammie took on a new challenge by founding Camelot's new custom home and renovation division.
Cammie is a member of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) and is currently working on a nine-year executive degree program at Harvard University. As one of the few female founders in custom home building in Arizona, she is proud to bring decades of industry experience and a grounded warmth to each client relationship and to every Cameron Custom project.
To learn more about Cameron Custom Homes & Renovations, visit https://cameron-custom.com
For Camelot Homes, visit https://CamelotHomes.com