Interview with Douglas Lee, Preconstruction Operations Manager at Brasfield & Gorrie

Can you relate to these stories? In this special episode of Precon Geeks, Beck Technology Content Team intern, Iman had a few questions of some of our employees who are “recovering estimators,” as Lauren likes to put it. We discovered precon is so much more than counting things, amiright? You guys have to be insanely detailed, know how to talk to so many different types of people, you provide a customer experience, you fill in the gaps, your problem solvers extraordinaire, you manage risk (and huge ones at that… that cost millions of dollars), and you have to be curious. Precon and estimating is a rewarding career and we’re here to talk about. Listen in to hear about the realities of working in precon…. we bet you nod your head more than once.

On this special episode of Precon Geeks, in celebration of Construction Inclusion Week, John hosts the Founder and CEO of Tough Leaf, Wissam Akra. Like Beck Technology, Tough Leaf serves the preconstruction community by connecting construction companies with diverse, local, and small firms. Tough Leaf also relies on huge databases for their innovative software. This episode of Precon Geeks is a can't miss for those preconstruction teams passionate about innovation, streamlining their processes, and are excited about new construction tech. To learn more about Tough Leaf, visit: Tough Leaf - Find Certified Minority and Women Businesses | Tough Leaf To learn more about Beck Technology, visit: Beck Technology | Construction Estimating Software (beck-technology.com)

“If in doubt, leave it out,” isn’t what will grow your career path in precon. On today’s episode of Precon Geeks, John hosts Aman Singh, Director or Preconstruction at Barry-Wehmiller Design Group to discuss the shifting mindset of what precon professionals and estimators can and need to be. For the best project outcomes and to mitigate risk, Aman says you need to think about how to build it, collaborate, and look at the big picture. If you are getting into precon, you no longer stop at the role of a mechanical estimator. You’re a builder. What skills do successful estimators and preconstruction professionals need? How do we grow preconstruction professionals into leadership roles? What is changing about positions in precon? Don’t miss this interesting look into Aman’s keynote speech at Precon World 2024. This year’s premiere precon event and conference will be held in Arlington, Texas on October 16-17, 2024, for two days of learning about preconstruction technology, how to solve common precon problems, and networking with peers. To register, visit our event page at Preconstruction Events and Hosted Webinars | Beck Technology (beck-technology.com) and use the code BTServices2024 for a 20% discount on your registration. and use the code BTServices2024 for a 20% discount on your registration.

How can we use data to provide unique solutions? The small margins in construction make it difficult to invest in adding value to the construction process; however, to win more work, you need to differentiate yourself from the others. The construction industry is slow to evolve but there are efficient and innovative ways to build better. Aaron and John talk about the challenges in construction and how we can solve them with emerging technologies.

“The preconstruction team is where the dreams of a project start to meet reality.” Mike Boren, Chief Product Officer at Beck Technology joins John on today’s episode to talk about typical precon problems and how the construction industry can overcome there. Mike is a tech guru who comes from a construction background and is extremely passionate about helping elevate precon teams. Precon teams can make the greatest impact on our built environment. How can we change the traditional perception of precon?

Does your company have goals? We’re betting they do. Is your current process going to help you reach those goals? What about exceeding those goals? John hosts Jonathan Wade, a Beck Tech account executive to talk about how technology helps precon departments add value to the overall business goals and how you can begin your estimating software evaluation.

What can we do to make the precon process better? How can we eliminate risk, train younger estimators, and create a better product with less effort? Are precon teams able to do all of this? John hosts Scott Higgins, Senior Vice President Preconstruction Services at Pepper Construction to talk about the innovative technology that precon teams are using to improve productivity, add value to owners, and collaborate more. Automation and machine learning are taking away those mundane and manual tasks that takes up estimators’ time. These revolutionary technologies are making it easier for precon teams to be more successful.

This week, the Precon Geeks are on a short break, so we are replaying an earlier episode about value engineering and bringing back the art of estimating. Value engineering is about how estimators can add value to owners and not just chopping things from the project to keep costs down. In this episode, John speaks the hard truth about how precon teams have traditionally isolated owners and how you can improve the relationship between precon, design, subs, and owners. This topic never gets old because it’s how you gain trust and win more repeat work.

On this episode of Precon Geeks, we shake things up some! John Reich hosts Patrick Tansey, Vice President of Construction at Schwob Energy Services. Schwob focuses on oil and gas construction and have some new, innovative technology they are building that is producing a neutral source of energy, eliminating methane and CO2 emissions at landfills. They are also working on fuel cell technology. These modern technologies are increasing efficiency and reducing construction’s environmental impact. Don’t miss this fascinating episode!

With over 200 preconstruction managers across 10 offices, Douglas Lee, Preconstruction Operations Manager at Brasfield & Gorrie stays busy! In a nutshell, Douglas manages leveraging Brasfield & Gorrie’s best practices and elevating their level of consistency. In this conversation, him and John talk about how Douglas navigates the challenges with aligning multiple offices and the innovative tools Brasfield & Gorrie are testing. Some of the precon tech of the future is going to surprise you!