Episode 22: Mai-Tal Kennedy, Principal Consultant at Building Industry Partners (BIP)

The best step any company can take to become excellent at recruiting is to be excellent at marketing. At its roots, recruiting is a marketing problem. Scott Ericson, Owner of Wheelhouse 20/20, takes pride in having created a full-service marketing resource exclusively for the building supply channel. They specialize in developing and executing strategies that weave together the building industry, sales, and marketing. 

Listen in as Scott shares some of his most important takeaways when it comes to building a strong, successful brand with a lasting legacy. 

The greatest leaders take on the toughest challenges. Successfully driving cutting-edge innovation in the home building industry is an enormous challenge. Garrett Moore, the CEO of Agorus, has a mission of building homes from permits to keys in 30 days. How does a leader maintain the level of intensity and focus needed to tackle the boldest initiatives?

Mantras help teams effectively maintain focus through the white noise and distractions life throws at them.  

Some of Garrett’s favorite mantras:

Team, Teammate, Self – In priority order.

No one is too big to pick up a broom – Humility starts at the top.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication – The simplest plan is the best plan.

The only easy day was yesterday – Never rest on your laurels.

Two is one, one is none – You need to have a backup.

Our guest today is Chalmers Brothers, a best-selling author, certified executive coach, consultant, and speaker. In this episode, Chalmers shares that we don’t need to be psychologists to be effective leaders - but to be emotionally literate and capable of utilizing our most effective tool, “the power of language,” does require a dedicated effort.

We all have heroes, people who have held themselves to a higher standard whose level of success and how they achieved that success earns our respect. Chalmers Brothers is one of my heroes. We met at a Vistage event several years ago and read his book Language and the Pursuit of Leadership Excellence. I found his methods to be simple, effective, and actionable. I hope you learn as much as I have from Chalmers. 

In this episode, Tony speaks with Levi Smith, the CEO & President of Franklin Building Supply, a standout independent LBM dealer. A full line lumberyard in Idaho, they generate over $300m in sales, with 750 people, 17 locations, including door shops and truss plants.

What is your best story to effectively attract bright young talent to your company?

A great story has three components:

• A cast of characters that everyone cares about
• The desire to accomplish something for someone else
• A challenging obstacle to overcome

Great leaders and excellent problem solvers create some of the most straightforward solutions. Levi’s insight and teaching are excellent.

In this episode, Tony speaks with Craig Webb, the decades-long editor of ProSales Magazine and current President of Webb Analytics, about the importance of excellent communication and how to hone in on your skills. Craig is easily one of the best speakers and communicators in the building materials and construction supply industry. 

Craig recommends we ask 3 simple questions:

What combination of media selection is the best given the outcome objective?

What is the clearest, simplest form for that message to be delivered effectively? 

What is the best feedback loop to refine the message?

Our guest today is Stuart Kliman, Partner and Head of the newly formed Center of Excellence at Building Industry Partners.  Stu’s previous experience with the Harvard Negotiation Project (think tank behind the book – Getting to Yes) and as a founding partner of Vantage Partners, a management consulting firm, has made him an expert at helping not only companies improve their performance but assisting industries to collaborate and grow together.

In this episode, Stu provides insight into the following questions:

What does it mean to be a leader?

What are the distinct traits of good leaders?

What single trait can be used to further vet for outstanding leaders?

Our guest today is Mike Wisnefski, the Co-Founder of MaterialsXchange. Mike is shaking up the LBM purchasing supply chain with a low-cost, real-time e-trading platform for the 2x dimensional lumber and 4x8 plywood and OSB markets. Anyone can access Gold, Silver, and Palladium trades in real-time, and whether you are buying $1,000 or $1,000,000 - everyone has equal access to the market. MaterialsXchange's vision is that buying and selling lumber should be no different.