Part I: Written by Cherise Lakeside - Co-Founder - Let's Fix Construction

In honor of Thanksgiving week, we thought we would take a breather from our typical posts and stop for a moment to share our gratitude.

August 15, 2018 marked the two year anniversary of Let’s Fix Construction.  This passion project to bring the various disciplines together for positive, forward thinking solutions in AEC has been an adventure that neither one of us could have anticipated.

For me personally, this effort has been a growth experience that has continually surprised, empowered and motivated me to do even more to make a difference.  I couldn’t begin to quantify the value of what I have learned or the amazing people that I have met along this LFC journey. 

What did we do this year and what am I thankful for?

• We continued with our Podcast, which was really out of the box for me.  While it has been a bit slow going to get it off the ground, I am thankful for:
  • The support and encouragement of our listeners.
  • Informa Exhibitions - and especially the Dallas, TX crew - for their sponsorship which enabled us to purchase the equipment we needed to embark on this journey.  
  • Mel Allen for his amazing, beautiful voice and the giving of his time to be the voice of our intro and outro.
  • Milton Busker – OMG, he couldn’t have written a more perfect song (“Let’s”), which he so graciously agreed to let us use for our theme song at no charge. The dude is amazing.  If you haven’t heard him yet, check out his music with his band The Grim Work on Spotify.
• A huge debt of gratitude to our contributing bloggers who gift their time and effort to share their knowledge and expertise with all of our readers.
• Thank you to Prosoco for bringing us to the Las Vegas World of Concrete 2018 and the AIA Convention in New York for an LFC Workshop.
• Gigantic, humongous, big fat sloppy kisses to ClarkDietrich for sponsoring Year 2 of the LFC/ClarkDietrich party, Partners & Pints, at CONSTRUCT in Long Beach.  They went so far above and beyond to make it a great event for all of our CSI/CONSTRUCT compatriots that I am still pinching myself at our good fortune.  At the end of the day, they are much more our friends than they are our party sponsors and our gratitude is endless.
• Thank you to the FCICA (Flooring Contractors Association) for bringing us to Biloxi for a "Specs 101" presentation to manufacturers, flooring suppliers, subcontractors and others, as well as hosting part two via webinar.

With CONSTRUCT 2018 just a few weeks away, we don't want you to miss our CONSTRUCT 2018 Preview on our podcast.  Yes, OUR PODCAST!  In case you didn't know, you can find all of our episodes here or on your favorite podcast player.

We don't want you to miss out on this CONSTRUCT Preview, so we're posting the episode here and on our podcast page.  

In summary, Eric & Cherise discuss thier atypical Summer of 2018, which included a heavy bidding and final design atmosphere. Owners are looking to save money on rising construction costs and schedules are being evaluated for construction. The end of the Summer signals CONSTRUCT and Long Beach, California hosts 2018's conference from October 3rd to the 5th.  Eric and Cherise are involved in five different sessions, including the fourth annual Young Professionals Day. Register and attend at www.CONSTRUCTshow.com

Read the complete shownotes for episode 8 here. 

Contributed by Eric D. Lussier

This week marks two years of Let's Fix Construction.  Cherise Lakeside and I have gone into the founding and the why many times over these last 730 days, both here on our blog and on the LFC Podcast.

It was at first a whirlwind founding and medium. It was quickly legitimized by the feedback we instantly received. We've stuck with it and we don't plan on turning around anytime soon. 

Why? Because what we're discussing has to occur in some way, shape or form.  The contract model, which holds our communication to a limited chain, is working in fewer and fewer applications. The specialists rarely get to speak to the proper party on a construction project, and that, unfortunately, is a shame.  As we've mentioned, our workshops have been a fantastic interactive medium to introduce the no holds barred, no contract model, and we don't plan on letting up on this opportunity.

So, where now?  We're two years in and we should at the very least look two years forward. 

One immediate thought is a theme called 'What COULD You Do?'. Due to the contractual model, there are only a handful of responses that a party could do, due to the contracted model between the two (or more parties) and how you can communicate and respond to any given scenario.

Another thought is a theme called 'What WOULD You Do?'.  A short issue or concern where you could address what you would do to react and respond to a certain scenario.

Another thought is 'What SHOULD You Do?'. This is indeed different than the question of 'What could you do?' or 'What would you do?' and the same issue posed could offer two distinct answers based on honesty, contractual liability or flexibility. 

Let's Fix Construction is just starting.  We have a long way to go.  What do you want to see? What COULD you do, if given the choice? WOULD you do, if given a choice? What SHOULD you do? 

Let's fix construction. Let's do it together. Let's not wait any longer. 

Contributed by Eric D. Lussier

Eighteen months ago, a random conversation on a Tuesday afternoon between Cherise Lakeside and myself went like this:
 
Me: "Seemingly few are committed to speak their mind or try to fix the broken system that is construction.  You do a damn fine job of breaking that mold and trying to help this industry."
 
Cherise: "Thank you. The key, I think, is speaking your mind in a productive and positive way with some solutions in hand.  Everyone just wants to be negative and bitch about things. I try to only stir the pots that need stirring."
 
Me: "You are so right. A problem is everyone acts like their own island and the destination rescue is each their own issue and not working together on being rescued. I pretty much just 'Survivored' the construction industry."
 
Cherise: "Ha, ha! Exactly. We need to pull people out of their comfort zones and make them open their eyes. This is way too much of a "me" society as it is."
 
Me: "So, perhaps a member from each seat at the table who can feature their respective perception and potential solutions. We can register a domain like letsfixconstruction.com"

​It struck me this past Friday, February 16th, that Let's Fix Construction was a year & a half old. If you had told me eighteen months ago what the last 550 days were going to be like, I would have laughed out loud.
 
As a way to look back on these first months of Let's Fix Construction, we're going to take the next week to share and revisit every article that we've posted along the way, starting at number one.  We'll be sharing these posts on social media. Please follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. 

We've gained dozens of contributors, thousands of readers and now listeners, thanks to the Let's Fix Construction podcast, and didn't want to lose sight at what we started with and shared in the last year and a half.

As always, if you would like to share your knowledge and contribute a forward-thinking concept to a construction-related issue, dispel a myth or just provide a solution for a better built environment, please contact us and let us know. 

And without further ado, our very first post on the Let's Fix Construction blog, written by yours truly, 'The Fifth C of CSI: Collaboration'

Contributed by Cherise Lakeside

​Once again in 2018, Eric and I are honored to be invited back to participate on the CONSTRUCT Education Advisory Council.  CONSTRUCT, which will be held in Long Beach, CA from October 3-5, 2018, is the only dedicated national trade show and educational conference for the commercial building teams that spec, source and purchase building products and coincidentally, is where he and I met in Phoenix in 2011.  The Advisory Council is a group of 13 professionals from a variety of disciplines in Architecture, Engineering and Construction that represent a wide range of experience and expertise.  We work together to review and select from the submissions to present at CONSTRUCT to help create the best slate of educational content possible.  You can read the full press release from Informa immediately below this post.

CONSTRUCT and Let’s Fix Construction share a similar mission.  It is a mission of bringing many members of our industry together where we can learn, share and grow as professionals.  Not only does this help us do our own job better, but it also increases our awareness and knowledge of how other members of the project team approach the same topics and issues.  This fully open lens and view of the challenges we face every day is a game changer.

We would like to personally invite our readers and/or listeners to bring their expertise to the table.  CONSTRUCT is looking for a wide range of topics for the event in Long Beach in October.  All of the information and the submission form can be found on the Call for Sessions page at the CONSTRUCT website.  Proposed presentations are welcome from anyone who works in the built environment are are due by January 31, 2018.  We want you!

You can also hear more about CONSTRUCT and the Call for Sessions on our latest podcast, which you can listen to on your favorite podcast player, or here: www.letsfixconstruction.com/podcast/ep-004.

We hope to see you in Long Beach! 


Official Press Release - CONSTRUCT Call For Sessions   

CONSTRUCT 2018 invites application submissions to present at the 2018 event, taking place on October 3-5 at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Long Beach, CA.  CONSTRUCT welcomes compelling proposals that address a wide range of topics relevant to the commercial building team and those who design, build, specify, engineer, renovate and operate in the built environment.   

With over 40 accredited sessions and non-conflicting exhibit hall hours, the education program is an integral part of the CONSTRUCT event experience for specifiers, architects, designers, product reps, contractors, engineers, project managers, and other industry professionals.

Seeking dynamic speakers with a firm grasp of technical issues, including building scientists, researchers, architects, specifiers, contractors, owners and code experts, sessions are 60 – 120 minutes in length and should contain timely, practical information and solutions that can be immediately implemented in the workplace. 

"Our goal for 2018 is to provide unique and engaging educational experiences utilizing a combination of learning formats, from case studies and panel discussions to small group discussions and hands-on learning.  Additionally, our participants are hungry for intermediate to expert level content that they can’t get anywhere else" said Jennifer Hughes, Informa Education Manager.  "We encourage dynamic professionals from all areas of the industry who can offer solution-based content, to submit a proposal.”

Topic submissions should focus on applications-oriented, real world, problem-solving topics and be free of promotional materials to sell a product or service. 

The multi-track educational program includes technical and design oriented sessions, as well as business-related sessions including project management and legal topics. 

The deadline for submitting a proposal is January 31, 2018. Session proposals should be submitted via the automated submission form at https://www.constructshow.com/en/education/speaking-opportunities.html. Questions should be directed to Jennifer Hughes, Informa Education Manager, at Jennifer.Hughes@informa.com or 972.536.6388.

For information about CONSTRUCT, please visit www.CONSTRUCTshow.com or call (866) 475-6707 or (972) 536-6450.  Additional show information can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/constructshow, Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/constructshow and  Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/construct_show.  Twitter users can follow the show using #CONSTRUCT 

About the Event
CONSTRUCT is your most cost effective strategy for combining educational opportunities with practical, real-world, product and service solutions for your business success.  This event is dedicated to the institutional, industrial and commercial building industry. If you design, build, specify, engineer, renovate or operate in the built environment, this is your event. The show is owned and produced by Informa Exhibitions U.S., Construction & Real Estate.  For additional information, contact CONSTRUCT at P.O. Box 612128, Dallas, Texas 75261-2128; call the main show line at (866) 475-6707 or (972) 536-6450.

About Informa Exhibitions U.S., Construction & Real Estate
Informa operates at the heart of the Knowledge and Information economy. It is one of the world’s leading business intelligence, knowledge and events businesses with more than 6,000 employees in over 100 offices across 25 countries. The Dallas Exhibitions team produces a portfolio of 15 trade shows in various sectors of the construction and real estate industry. To learn more, visit www.informaexhibitions.com.