Podcast Guests

Mike and Brian are joined by Jim Andrews, President of American Restore, Tipping Floors, and North American Construction Technology. Starting as a young boy working for a family friend, he learned all about concrete mixing and servicing boats. Eventually, starting in sales and quickly moving up the ladder, Jim now runs American Restore – the leader in heavy duty flooring. Jim details his journey of how he’s taken groundbreaking ideas and turned them into the multi-million dollar contracting companies.

Mike and Brian are joined by Bill Cummings and Emily Serrano, President and Director of Human Resources, respectively, of Legacy Construction. Starting in 2007 right before the world fell apart with the Great Recession, their first commercial project was for a Diabetes and Endocrine Specialty Medical group at $44 per square foot (would be close to $120 per square foot today)! Starting with just 5 people back then, Legacy Construction has grown to close to 40 people specializing in Design / Build in the retail and healthcare space! With an emphasis on challenging norms and established structures, Legacy Construction is revitalizing and changing the retail and healthcare space as we know it!

Mike and Brian are joined by Carlos Melendez, President of CM Solar Electric. Looking forward at his future after high school in 1986 and realizing college wasn’t for him, Carlos started working for a large electrical contractor for close to 10 years. Eventually, Carlos formed his first company in 1999, but made the mistake of not planning and forecasting. So, when the Great Recession came in 2008, his company went under quickly. In 2010, he opted to jump into solar, and learning his lessons from a couple years prior, Carlos and his brother started CM Solar Electric. Now with two crews and 15 employees and intentionally making moves to grow, they’re growing steadily and hiring the right people in the right positions and doing it the smart way.

Mike and Brian are joined by Benjie Craig, CEO of Jemby Electric, Inc. Right after graduating high school, he opted to not start college in that first year and went to work as an apprentice electrician. Eventually, going to school and graduating with an Associate degree in Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, he continued working as an electrician, gaining all sorts of new ideas to help businesses thrive. After graduating and meeting with his boss to discuss these new ideas, it became very apparent that his company did not have the same vision, eventually leading him to start Jemby Electric. Their vision – “To Empower Cities and People.” Benjie has a wealth of ideas and thoughts on business, especially in the trades, and you will see why Jemby Electric is flourishing and how he is creating new software that specifically addresses the electrical trade!

Mike and Brian are joined by Doug Reitz, Owner and President of Mark Wilson Construction, Inc. Doug stumbled into the path of construction while attempting an Architecture major at Fresno State University. While personally taking pride in his architecture work as a student, he quickly realized he was not as skilled as some of his other classmates. And with the additional guidance of his professor, Mark moved into construction. Going to work for Mark Wilson, Doug and Mark put together a 5 year succession plan to get Doug fully vested as owner and president with the unique by-product of dramatically increasing their revenue in that time from $18 million to around $45 million! Doug is one of the most positive people we’ve had on the show and you’ll quickly see why Mark Wilson Construction does so well as a result of him at the helm!

Mike and Brian are joined by Gerry McCaughey, President, Chairman, and Co-Founder of ENTEKRA specializing in Off-Site Construction. To give you an idea of what they do – they’re building a 270,000 square foot apartment complex completely off-site. It will be up in 13 weeks with only 10 men off-site! Talk about revolutionary! Gerry’s father literally started the residential off-site construction industry starting in Ireland back in the 1950’s. Gerry grew up only knowing off-site construction and eventually started ENTEKRA. Spend some time with this one, because it’s where construction is going!

Mike and Brian are joined by Jason Walsh, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at California Trusframe, LLC. Coming from a shoe store and moving to a truss plant when he was 21, Jason had no idea what a truss was! Now with California Trusframe for the last seven years, they specialize in components primarily for residential (single family and multi-family) – floor and roof trusses, floor cassettes, roof cassettes, and wall panels. And they’re ushering in a revolution in new residential construction dramatically changing the entire construction process – cutting overall cost and risk! Jason opened our eyes to the new trends in residential construction. Give him a listen!

Mike and Brian are joined by Gabe Ponce, President of Precision Landscape Services, Inc. Gabe started his own landscaping business 3 years ago with 3 employees. Now, he employs 35 employees and loves seeing how working hard changes lives and family trees. Grab a chair outside in the grass, enjoy the fresh air and hear how Gabe went from working for his dad pushing a lawn mower, to the restaurant industry, and back. His zest for life and his people will provide fresh perspective on how to run a business in the trades.

Mike and Brian are joined by Sal Lodhi, CEO of Service All-Stars. Sal, like many in the trades, grew up with his dad as a contractor and started early – but his story took a dramatic turn as a young man. His experience ranged from a truck broker, to owning a restaurant until he hit rock bottom and became homeless “without a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of.” In that time, just 8 years ago, he decided he wasn’t going to stay at rock bottom any longer and dedicated himself to self improvement – that every day would be a new day and an improving day from the one prior and that he would focus on doing one thing and do that one thing really, really well. Blessed with certain people that were able to help him start Service All-Stars, Sal, with his strong work ethic and creativity was able to take it to the next level with 26 employees!! Talk about inspiring, we highly encourage you to take some time and listen to this one.

Mike and Brian are joined by Jef McCurdy, Quality and Support Manager at Castagra Products, Owner of Coo Roo Co, and Commercial Roofing Solutions Specialist at San Diego Roofing, Inc. His intro has been described as “Some people think he’s cool!” But in all honesty, all people should think he is – with an exceptional emphasis on quality and pride in roofing craftsmanship, and with a love of training, Jef has made a huge impact on the industry. With crazy stories of aggressive sea gulls while on job walks, but more importantly of knowing and honing your craft, Jef’s story is really quite inspirational.