Michael Chambers, FAIA of MCA Specifications joins the Peopleverse podcast live from the Tect booth in the expo hall at the American Institute of Architects National Conference on Architecture which took place on June 23-25 in Chicago, Illinois.  In this episode Michael gives an introductory master class into the specification process on projects. He not only shares useful information for architects and specifiers, but for building product reps and manufacturers as well. About Michael & MCA: MCA consults with construction product manufacturers on guide specifications, continuing education programs, and training on effective marketing to design professionals. MCA enables designers to use specifications and technical analysis processes to perfect and protect their design intent. As an architect and specifier, Michael develops and presents a wide range of continuing education programs for design professionals, especially on the use of specifications in enforcing design intent and using Division 01 to protect design concepts from substitutions and quality assurance failures. As an accessibility surveyor, Michael has extensive experience in reviewing disabled access issues and has developed education programs about his experience with accessibility and universal design. Mr. Chambers is an architectural graduate of the University of Southern California, registered architect in California, and a Certified Construction Specifier (CCS). He is a Fellow of AIA and CSI, member of the national AIA Continuing Education Committee, and past Vice President for Professional Practice for AIA California. Episode Links: Michael on LinkedIn

Special guest William Mandara Jr, AIA of Mancini Duffy joins the Peopleverse to talk about a project that is sure to become an icon. It’s called TSX Broadway and it’s located at Times Square in New York City. Listen in as we go behind the scenes from the very beginning of the feasibility studies all the way through construction with some fantastic stories along the way of this project that’s part historic Broadway theater, part high-rise hotel, part multi-event venue, and part performance backdrop situated at the “Crossroads of the World”. About Bill: William Mandara Jr., AIA, is the chief executive officer and co-owner of Mancini Duffy, a national design firm with a 100+-year-old history and tech-forward approach based in New York City. Bill comes from a family in the business: his father and grandfather were general contractors. He got the most thankless tasks during his teenage summers at his father’s job sites. In retrospect, it was a great way to instill understanding and respect for the profession. It was also a not-so-subtle hint from his father that he should be thinking about architecture school instead.   In this episode we discuss: Bill’s journey of becoming an architect after working within a family lineage of construction workers Why Bill chose architecture even though his passion for music was so strong The story of TSX Broadway which includes: navigating the challenges including the physical logistics and sequencing of such a project demolishing an existing hotel that stood above the historic theater digging 2 basement levels below the historic theater to install caissons  why they decided to lift the iconic Palace Theater box 30 feet building a new 3-story pre-function lobby to create opportunities for new audience experiences building a new hotel building the world’s largest LED-covered operable doors that reveal an elevated stage above Times Square stories of collaboration and coordination of the complexity of the project between various stakeholders how various stakeholders can add value to projects to make them extraordinary if they think outside “normal” boundaries what working on “an iconic, kick-ass project” can do to people over the extended project time line an idea of the sheer number of building products in the project the value of immersive software and physical mock-ups during the design process teams of people with the daunting task of dealing with the thousands of building products on the project and their interface with other parts in assemblies what Times Square was like when the COVID-19 lockdowns happened Bill’s favorite part of the architecture & construction process Bill’s answer for why someone should consider becoming an architect Bill’s answer for why someone may want to consider becoming a leader of a firm Bill’s insight into why someone may *not* want to consider becoming a leader of a firm Bill’s megaphone message for the building industry to *stop beating the crap out of each other* Episode links: Bill Mandara on Apple Music & Spotify System Kid (Evan’s band) on Apple Music & Spotify Mancini Duffy TSX Broadway in Times Square - Mancini Duffy TSX Broadway website TSX Broadway: Historic Palace Theatre raised 30-feet above Times Square (YouTube)

Mohammed Atif Shehzad of Atriade joins the Peopleverse podcast live from the Tect booth in the expo hall at the American Institute of Architects National Conference on Architecture which took place on June 23-25 in Chicago, Illinois.  In this episode we discuss the value of leveraging relationships between design professionals and experts early to remove friction from the design process in regards to the complex nature of physical building security. About Mohammed: Mohammed Atif Shehzad is the Founder and Managing Director of Atriade. He has over 25 years of experience in physical security solutions deployment and has worked for clients in a globally diverse market portfolio. Using data analytics and operational benchmarks, he develops user-specific methodologies to establish Security’s proactive role in the organization. Mr. Shehzad is responsible for creating long term strategic plans and vision for security organizations and managing customer relations. Episode Links: Atriade website Mohammed on LinkedIn Atriade on LinkedIn Peopleverse podcast Tect

Glass aficionado David Corle joins the Peopleverse to talk about the benefits of engaging a product expert early in the life of a project and to share his knowledge and passion for glass. About David: David is a third generation glazier who spent the first fifteen years of his career gaining hands-on experience in the glass industry. Armed with that knowledge, in 2015 he joined HMI Glass (which is one of the nations largest manufacturers of custom shower enclosures) as the New England Regional Sales Rep. In 2018 he accepted the position of East Regional Sales Manager following the acquisition of a competitor and in 2020 was promoted to Director of Architecture and Design (A+D) Relations, guiding HMI's hospitality and multi-family division by developing A+D-facing education and outreach initiatives.  David carries his passion and experience with glass into every conversation and hopes to educate, inspire and start conversations with you around the subjects of design, hospitality and the glass and construction industries. In this episode we discuss: David’s history in the glass manufacturing industry David’s early experience working in the field and how it was invaluable to his role today the glass product category (more specifically the hospitality and multi-family shower enclosures)  his role serving design professionals David’s biggest pet peeve in commercial projects as a glass enthusiast how inviting a rep like David to your project early to gain his insights could not only save money for your clients but also help you design better projects in regards to maintenance, damage, durability, and more an explanation of what design professionals should be aware of when specifying shower glass the concept of replacing hard to source materials with glass because of innovations in digital printing what aesthetics are available when printing on glass (including replacing the need for applied films) the characteristics of glass that affect aesthetics the one thing all design professionals should be certain to specify when putting glass shower panels in a project answers to the questions: does it matter where the glass comes from for a project? is all glass created equal? how can design professionals deliver the best value for their client’s money? glass coatings for cleaning and overall lower maintenance over the life of the project the one thing design professionals can specify to insure glass will look beautiful over the long term what building product reps should be—and shouldn’t be—doing when visiting architectural offices the latest news on fluted glass options for the design community the kind of projects designers should be looking at for inspiring uses of glass David’s three-part megaphone message is for the industry Episode Links: HMI Glass HMI Glass blog David on LinkedIn HMI on LinkedIn HMI on Twitter HMI on Instagram HMI’s digital printing specs and information HMI's AEC Daily CE course

Mike Kunard of Hidden Step Marketing joins the Peopleverse live from the Tect booth in the expo hall at the American Institute of Architects National Conference on Architecture which took place on June 23-25 in Chicago, Illinois.  In this episode we discuss Mike's role working with building product manufacturers to help them more effectively bridge the gap and reach design professionals. Building product manufacturers will not want to miss Mike's insight when it comes to getting found, communicating effectively, and getting invited to projects early. For architects and design professionals it's reassuring to learn that people like Mike are out there, understanding what we need to give our design intent the best chances of surviving throughout the design and build process. Learn more about Mike and add him to your Peopleverse. About Mike: Mike Kunard is a building materials expert having spent two decades learning and leading supply chains for top recognized brands in the outdoor living category. Today, as owner of Hidden Step Marketing, Mike shares his passion with early stage manufacturers primarily in the glass railing and PVC decking space helping them be to become category leaders and build national supply chains. Episode Links: Hidden Step Marketing Mike on LinkedIn Mike on Twitter

Gina Almaguer of Ortal Fireplaces joins the Peopleverse live from the Tect booth in the expo hall at the American Institute of Architects National Conference on Architecture which took place on June 23-25 in Chicago, Illinois. In this episode Gina and Evan discuss how the element of fire has evolved in the digital age. They also talk about how fire can be used in new, unexpected ways as a tool in a design professional's toolbox. About Gina: Gina Almaguer has been an experienced marketing professional in the interiors and home design space for over a decade. She started as a CAD designer in the custom cushion and umbrella industry for some of the leading, high-end furniture designers in the industry. Shifting her focus to marketing over the years has allowed her to channel her roots in art and music to implement creative, out-of-the-box strategies to design professionals, retailers and luxury homeowners. Before joining Ortal for luxury fireplaces, Gina was working closely with designers and landscape architects in hardscape materials, aiding in design, product recommendations and assisting with technical support. Episode Links: Gina Almaguer on LinkedIn Ortal website Ortal on LinkedIn

Alex Housten of dormakaba Americas joins the Peopleverse from the Tect booth in the expo hall at the American Institute of Architects National Conference on Architecture which took place on June 23-25 in Chicago, Illinois. We discuss how the team at dormakaba is engaging to better serve architects during design with all-things building access. After listening to this episode you'll likely think of door hardware, access control, safety, and security differently than before. About Alex: With nearly 20 years of experience in the building technologies industry, Alex Housten is the President of dormakaba Americas, a leading provider of access control, access hardware, and access automation solutions that enable today's safe, secure, and sustainable spaces. Episode Links: Alex on LinkedIn dormakaba Americas website dormakaba Americas on LinkedIn

Michele Hottel and Djana Venolia join the Peopleverse to talk about the tangible benefits of trusted relationships between supply and demand professionals in the building industry. While for many these kinds of relationships are elusive, Michele and Djana prove that not only are they possible, but that both sides find success when done right. Michele Hottel has been practicing architecture with her own firm, Michele Grace Hottel, Architect since 1994 after working as a consultant with other architecture and engineering firms in the Los Angeles and San Diego area. She attended Cal Poly, Pomona and the University of Copenhagen (DIS) for Architecture. Michele is on the AIA CRAN National Advisory Group, the Chair of her local CRAN chapter, a Commissioner and Subject Matter Expert for the California Architects Board. and a past City of La Mesa Planning Commissioner. She's also the host of the "I've Never Met a Woman Architect Before" podcast. Djana Venolia is a licensed architect and urban designer in Brazil who also has a certificate in interior design for, the new school of architecture in San Diego. She has worked with architectural services, interior and landscape design, and media services for residential, commercial and hospitality projects in Africa, Europe, U.S., and Brazil for over 20 years. After moving to the United States, Djana has engaged in various projects supporting her community. She volunteers at her church, local YMCA and she has collaborated with other non-profits teaching art, architecture, and robotics to name a few. Djana joined the Western Lighting and Energy Controls family in 2019 and has dove into the LED world through the lens of a designer as well as the sustainability aspect of energy savings.  In this episode we discuss: why architects should build relationships with product experts what value product reps bring to the conversation about design and product selection examples of the benefits of collaborating on projects early in design and how it has beneficial impacts through all phases of design how the owner benefits when there is early collaboration between supply and demand how the owner benefits from direct interactions with a trusted product expert what tools product experts can provide to help design professionals lead owners and other team members through the decision-making process for better project outcomes insight from a product expert on the questions architects should be asking when doing product research the importance of ballpark cost information during the design process in order to make good decisions how social media plays a role in the connections between architects and sales reps today the benefits of building trusted relationships between supply and demand Episode links: Michele's podcast: I've Never Met a Woman Architect Before Michele on LinkedIn Djana on LinkedIn Western Lighting and Energy Controls website

Lynda Thompson joins from the United Kingdom to talk about her role as an independent research and customer insight consultant in the building industry. We discuss her work and how it is helping to bridge the gap between building product manufacturers and the product specifiers on the design team. About Lynda: Lynda’s worked in the areas of customer liaison, software training and development, and qualitative market and social research over the last 30 years. Understanding customers motivations and their needs is at the forefront of what she does. She’s driven by the desire to facilitate communication and collaboration across the many disciplines in construction, and to improve understanding of the jargon and acronyms used in the industry. She’s worn many customer engagement hats over the years, mostly working in the built environment, architecture and construction sectors (much of that time for NBS, the UK National Building Specification). Previous roles included software training, customer support, user experience research, market research and a very long time ago box office manager roles at the London Philharmonic and Aberdeen Box Office. Now Lynda works as an independent research and customer insight consultant and works for clients like product manufacturers, industry membership bodies (like Constructing Excellence and the RIBA - Royal Institute of British Architects) and more recently in the UK energy sector with the Fuel Bank Foundation. She likes nothing better than using various research techniques to find meaning in qualitative data and provide independent and actionable findings to decision-makers. She identifies research questions and decides on the best methods (focus groups and interviews are her favorites) to use to help organizations that yearn for a better understanding of their markets and customers.   In this episode we discuss: How her mother noticed at a young age she was a people person and how that plays into her role today how Lynda’s distance from both sides of the table (she has no formal training in building product manufacturing nor specifying) has helped her research and facilitation in the building industry in regards to impartial research an explanation of her approach to the process: to talk to people—but more importantly to listen—and to give people an opportunity to have a voice and to speak; to dig deeper beneath the surface of what people say in order to get to the real meaning how she learned her listening skills in previous roles by immersion her experiences working with the National Building Specification (NBS) in the United Kingdom teaching people how to use the specification software and gathering feedback on the product development team  how Lynda helps bridge the gap between building product manufacturers and architects examples of universal themes heard across many BPM’s and specifiers that identify the existing gap including: dealing with jargon; specifiers inability to keep up with the overload of constantly changing information; the opportunity and importance of BPM’s educating specifiers; the importance of the proper timing of communications in the design process; the difficulties of access to specifiers (gatekeepers, timing, etc.) the opportunity for real relationships between BPM’s and specifiers to help solve these issues a look behind the scenes of a facilitated focus group and what kind of feedback could be surfaced from one what specifiers actually want when looking at products the importance of BPM’s understanding specifiers to truly be able to serve their needs the current state of BPM’s websites and how specifiers are using them (or not) the importance of confidentiality and anonymity in moderated information gathering sessions for qualitative feedback on products what the most difficult part of facilitating groups is why BPM’s need to understand the context a specifier is operating within when embarking on product selection what options Lynda offers to those who don’t know what they want to know, don’t know who to ask, or don’t know how to go about it the benefits of early inclusion and participation in design phases for BPM’s how different project delivery methods lead to different levels of participation from BPM’s and how small changes in that approach could make major positive impacts for specifiers Lynda’s message for the building industry Episode links: Lynda Thompson Research Lynda on LinkedIn Lynda on Twitter Watch this episode on YouTube. Join the Peopleverse at https://peopleverse.fm

John Crosby joins the Peopleverse to discuss how the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is working to break down the barriers between supply-side manufacturers and the AIA’s 94,000 members of architectural professionals and to talk about the upcoming AIA Conference on Architecture which is happening June 22-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago. About John: John leads AIA engagement with the building products industry and the technology/service sector of construction. His goal is to close the knowledge gap between architects and suppliers to yield a better built environment for all. To support this goal, John and his team have grown AIA’s insights, consulting, and market activation practice to build strategic relationships with industry leaders. Throughout his career, John has developed a passion for fostering commercial engagement between non-profit communities and their suppliers. He has more than 10 years of experience in design and construction, including work as a marketing leader with Hanley Wood Media. John earned his Master’s in Business Administration from Quantic School of Business and Technology in 2021. He holds dual Bachelor’s Degrees in Government and History from The College of William and Mary. He and his wife, Sue, live in Ashburn, Virginia and have three children. In this episode we discuss: the struggle John noticed professionals were having during his tenure working in associations and non profit communities for the bulk of his career how he helped building product manufacturer sales and marketing teams better understand architects and design professionals his observation of the challenges and pain points that exist between supply and demand his observation of the knowledge gap that exists in the design and specification process between the design team and the products they specify how The Architect’s Journey to Specification research project began at AIA, and what the main outcomes of the report are what’s keeping design professionals from innovating in the specification process in regards to choosing building products and materials what the AIA means to architecture and also the construction industry in regards to bridging the gap between architects and building products manufacturers explanation of the architect type profiles identified in the report that help the supply side better understand their potential audience identification of the main thing architects want to have with multiple building product manufacturer reps how the supply side has responded to the research findings presented by the AIA what’s missing from the supply side in order to make meaningful change happen at scale to help bridge the gap what supply side manufacturers are good at and need to improve in their approach to reaching architects identification of successful tactics that supply side manufacturers can use when it comes to bridging the gap at what point during a project architects are ready to be considered a ‘sales lead’ to a product sales rep what architects are thinking about when considering a product for inclusion in a design why architects copy & paste building product specifications rather than looking for new and/or innovative products how sales reps can have a positive impact in the early stages of the design process how trade shows—and more specifically the upcoming AIA Conference on Architecture in Chicago—fits into the strategy of bridging the gap how the AIA Conference has changed for ’22 to better connect architects and manufacturers in meaningful ways the challenges of connecting at trade shows what staff manufacturers should populate their booths with to fully understand the needs of architects and specifiers how the pandemic led to an existential moment in reconsidering the purpose of a trade show how the AIA went about evolving the upcoming conference in Chicago so attendees and exhibitors leave feeling more satisfied why attendees to the Conference on Architecture this year should be excited to visit the expo hall  how the conference has the potential for architects to find the next big things to help them in their practice how the “new AIA” is throwing open the doors to find new opportunities for manufacturers to be more successful in connecting with architects how the AIA and Tect are working together on ways to enable exhibitors to get beyond their spaces on the show floor   Episode Links: The Architect's Journey to Specification report AIA Conference on Architecture (‘A22) website Tect website Watch this episode on YouTube. Join the Peopleverse at https://peopleverse.fm