Beyond the Belt

Send us Fan MailGreat convesation with a legend in my opinion. To personally see the craftmanship and the art of plaster is beyond words. The years of dedicaton and perfecting a very difficult skill is rare to see these days. Spending some time talking to Virgil and his willingness to share his knowlege was a true pleasure.Hope you enjoy!Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG)[email protected]

Send us Fan MailClay DeKorne is the Chief Editor of the JLC Group, which includes The Journal of Light Construction, Remodeling, Tools of the Trade and Professional Deck Builder. He was the founding editor of Tools of the Trade (1993) and Coastal Contractor (2004), and the founding educational director for JLC Live (1995). Before venturing into writing and education for the building industry, he was a renovation contractor and carpenter in Burlington, Vt.I've had the privlage to work with Clay over the years on some articles for JLC magazine. I'm so impressed with his knowlege and passion for the industry. We've had many discussions about process, tools and technique, it was nice to sit down for an hour and record!Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG)[email protected]

Send us Fan MailBrian Altmann started his building career 40 years ago in 1986 just fresh out of SUNY Cortland. Fast forward to the present date in 2026, He's the owner of an award winning Design Build Residential Remodeling company with almost 30 employees. We talk about how it all started and lessons learned along the way.I can attest to the dedication and passion Brian has for those who work with him and the clients we serve. Family is paramount and we continue to grow and strive to get better everyday. Proud to be here for 25 years and look forward to many more! This is a great success story to share & thanks for listening!Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG)[email protected]

Send us Fan MailGreat conversation with Travis. Creator of "The Forged Father". A program I became a part of about 6 months ago. Challenging fathers to become uncommon through Faith, Fitness, Family and Finance. Travis has put together an amazing program for men who need and want to do better. I wanted to bring this to the trades because we need to focus on our health so we don't end up injured and paying for it the rest of our lives. Check out Travis on You Tube or IG @theforgedfatherBeyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG)[email protected]

Send us Fan MailWhen it comes to bathroom remodels, we've used Wedi shower pans, panels and accessories for over a decade with amazing success. I have a great conversation with Regional Sales Manager David LaFleur who we've known for years. David has been in the trades himself for many years and with Wedi for about 8 now. Check out Wedi online to see who your local rep is and they'll take care of whatever you need!Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG)[email protected]

Send us Fan MailWe can't always control what happens on the jobsite when it comes to delays, mis-orders or mistakes, but we can control how we react and the best way to handle the situation for the client.Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG)[email protected]

Send us Fan MailNick MacKay is a Technical Sales Representative at LATICRETE International. LATICRETE is a world-wide manufacturer and marketer of globally proven construction solutions used in residential, commercial and industrial applications.It was great to talk to Nick about some of the products that we use from LATICRETE for many years now installing floor and wall tile in our residential remodeling projects.Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG)[email protected]

Send us Fan MailGreat conversation with Rick Mills. A senior project manager with Jacksonandrewsbuilding.com. We discuss the challenges and decisions that need to be made on a daily basis when running some detailed projects. Rick will be speaking this year at JLC Live 2026 on Thursday March 26th from 1:00-4:00 on "High level Project Management & Execution"Check out thier projects @Jackson Andrews Building and Design or Rick Mills on IG! Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG)[email protected]

Send us Fan MailRyan is a framing carpenter of 25+ years with an expertise in roof framing. A husband, father of 3 who is a business owner in upstate NY. Ryan has a passion for his craft and it shows with his online accounts and his teaching @JLCLIVE in Rhode Island each year. This was a great conversation with a humble master of our trade! I hope everone enjoys the talk as much as I did! Thanks for tuning in. You can reach Ryan at Roofcutters.comBeyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG)[email protected]

Send us Fan MailGreat discussion with Luke about how he got into the trades and the start of his very successful pod cast "Tile Money"Being in the trades myself, Its been very helpful listening to Luke and his guests over the years and was very excited to have a chat with him one on one! Beyond the Belt with Mike Whalen.   mwhalen1823 (IG)[email protected]