Construction Industry Leaders Featured on Activating Curiosity®
Meet the construction and AEC leaders helping shape the future of the built environment through better questions, fresh perspectives, and meaningful conversations.
Every episode begins with one question:
"What's the most important problem you're trying to solve, and why?"
Every episode begins with one question:
"What's the most important problem you're trying to solve, and why?"
Featured
Bryce Batts
Bryce Batts is a dynamic business consultant, speaker, Best Selling Author, Podcast host, Certified Career Coach, and Co-founder of Career Collective, bringing 20 years of experience as a recruiter in the AEC industry. With a fierce commitment to empowering women, Bryce helps organizations overcome barriers to hiring by developing innovative talent acquisition strategies. Her expertise enables companies to attract and retain diverse talent, fostering a more inclusive workplace. Having successfully placed over 800 professionals in rewarding positions, she is a catalyst for change in the industry. In addition to her consulting work, Bryce is the podcast host of "Wine After Work," where she combines insightful discussions with a touch of humor, creating a space for candid conversations on career and life. A devoted wife, sister, and mother of two daughters, she is passionate about raising the next generation of strong women to shatter barriers and live audaciously. Bryce's mission is no…
Melanie Taylor
Melanie Taylor is the business leader and Vice President of Bildt. She sets strategy, steers growth, and owns end to end delivery across design integration, engineering, fabrication, and field installation. Under her leadership, Bildt is advancing industrialized construction through Lean, standardized work, and DfMA—scaling repeatable product platforms from slide in pods to full volumetric modules that enhance speed, safety, and quality. Known for her clarity, partnership, and manufacturing driven approach. Melanie works closely with owners and project teams to bring predictable, high performing modular solutions to healthcare, commercial, and industrial markets while driving Bildt’s growth and impact.
Patrick E. Murphy
Former Congressman Patrick Erin Murphy serves as CEO and Founder of Togal.AI, overseeing the company’s day to day operations. Additionally, he currently serves an Chief Innovation Officer of Coastal Construction, the largest General Contractor in Florida. Patrick was appointed to serve on the President’s Export Council in 2023 under President Joe Biden, where he advises the president on strategies to promote American exports and support job creation through trade. Patrick is proud to be the only appointee from the construction industry. Having been raised in the business, Patrick first started in the construction industry as a laborer, then project engineer, estimating assistant and accounting manager. After graduating from the University of Miami, Patrick worked at Deloitte where he earned his CPA license that he maintains today. Patrick served in U.S. Congress, representing Palm Beach and Treasure Coast in the House of Representatives for four years (2013-2017) and was the n…
Casey Bell
Casey Bell is the CEO of Aecore, a commercial general contractor, and the Co-Founder of Buildzen, a construction software platform he is building with his co-founder, Anthony Cirinelli. Casey started his career with Turner Construction before moving into the startup world, eventually getting accepted into Y Combinator and spending time around Silicon Valley’s approach to software, speed, and innovation. That mix of big construction, startup thinking, and real field experience shaped the way Casey looks at the industry. At Aecore, he has done nearly every job in the company at some point, from sweeping floors and helping in the field, to superintendent work, preconstruction, estimating, project management, operations, sales, finance, and software development. After years of building internal tools to run Aecore better, Casey and Anthony launched Buildzen to help smaller and growing general contractors operate with better systems, cleaner workflows, and more control. His perspecti…
Ali Salman
Ali Salman is a seasoned investor, entrepreneur, and operator building transformative companies across legaltech, franchising, and industrialized construction. As an active partner in Lawtiq.com, founder of Global Franchise Brokers, and CEO of Workspace Modular, Ali’s work sits at the intersection of innovation, scale, and real-world problem solving.
Allison Dring
Made of Air transforms wood waste into biocarbon building materials that turn structures into permanent carbon sinks. Our Sequoia facade panels lock atmospheric carbon into buildings for decades while delivering high-performance, durable solutions. Berlin-based with growing production capacity, we're enabling the construction industry to move beyond carbon neutrality to actual carbon removal at scale.
Andrea Janzen
Helping the construction industry build leaders who create trust, purpose, and high-performing teams through transformational leadership. Andrea is a Certified Executive Coach with an MBA, the host of the Ambition Theory Podcast, a Forbes contributor and a top-rated speaker. She is passionate about coaching women in construction to develop themselves, set leadership goals and get results. Since 2018, Andrea has coached and trained over 1,000 construction professionals. Before becoming a coach, Andrea was a marketing leader that worked on some of the world's best-known brands.
Angelo Suntres
Improving the human experience in construction through better leadership, empathy, and trust. Angelo is a seasoned operations leader, speaker and author with a passion for improving the construction industry at the intersection of strategy and people. With a career spanning leadership roles throughout construction, Angelo brings a unique and refreshing perspective on the future of the industry, reflected in his social media following of over 200,000 construction professionals. Angelo is also the author of “Human Side of Construction” and “Rebuild Construction” where he shares practical frameworks and insights for leaders navigating today’s complex business landscape. His engaging style combines storytelling, actionable strategies, and a deep understanding of human behavior, making his sessions both inspiring and practical. Whether speaking to executives or emerging leaders, Angelo’s mission is clear: to empower construction professionals to lead with connection, adaptabili…
Brian Skripac
Helping project teams spend less time recreating information and more time building through connected digital workflows. A Bachelor of Science in Architecture graduate from The Ohio State University, he guides how VDC delivers maximum value within design-build’s “whole team” approach. A digital construction innovator for 20 years, he defines how people, processes, and technology unite to transform collaborative project delivery. He also leads best practices for integrating BIM-enabled technologies and digital tools that enhance team performance and deliver lifecycle value across the built environment. An industry thought leader, he has contributed to national publications, spoken at global conferences, and served as past chair of the AIA’s Technology in Architectural Practice community and on the BIMForum committee for the Level of Development (LOD) Specification.
Brian Turmail
Brian Turmail is Vice President of Public Affairs and Workforce at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), where he leads communications, marketing, member engagement, market insights, and grassroots advocacy for the association’s 27,000 members. He also supports AGC’s workforce development efforts, including career and technical education advocacy, immigration reform, national recruiting campaigns, and the annual National Construction Industry HR & Workforce Development Conference. Brian serves on the board of AGC Charities Inc., overseeing Operation Opening Doors projects that mobilize contractors to support veterans and the disabled community. He is based in Washington, D.C.
Bryce Batts
Bryce Batts is a dynamic business consultant, speaker, Best Selling Author, Podcast host, Certified Career Coach, and Co-founder of Career Collective, bringing 20 years of experience as a recruiter in the AEC industry. With a fierce commitment to empowering women, Bryce helps organizations overcome barriers to hiring by developing innovative talent acquisition strategies. Her expertise enables companies to attract and retain diverse talent, fostering a more inclusive workplace. Having successfully placed over 800 professionals in rewarding positions, she is a catalyst for change in the industry. In addition to her consulting work, Bryce is the podcast host of "Wine After Work," where she combines insightful discussions with a touch of humor, creating a space for candid conversations on career and life. A devoted wife, sister, and mother of two daughters, she is passionate about raising the next generation of strong women to shatter barriers and live audaciously. Bryce's mission is no…
Casey Bell
Casey Bell is the CEO of Aecore, a commercial general contractor, and the Co-Founder of Buildzen, a construction software platform he is building with his co-founder, Anthony Cirinelli. Casey started his career with Turner Construction before moving into the startup world, eventually getting accepted into Y Combinator and spending time around Silicon Valley’s approach to software, speed, and innovation. That mix of big construction, startup thinking, and real field experience shaped the way Casey looks at the industry. At Aecore, he has done nearly every job in the company at some point, from sweeping floors and helping in the field, to superintendent work, preconstruction, estimating, project management, operations, sales, finance, and software development. After years of building internal tools to run Aecore better, Casey and Anthony launched Buildzen to help smaller and growing general contractors operate with better systems, cleaner workflows, and more control. His perspecti…
Dina Fodero
Dina Fodero is a speaker, certified Enneagram Practitioner, and the creator of I-PPE™ (Invisible Personal Protective Essentials) and Dare to D.R.E.A.M.™ — a transformational framework focused on emotional and mental safety, human connection, and personal growth. Grounded in the belief that “PPE protects the body… I-PPE protects the person,” her work explores the invisible internal factors that influence how people think, feel, communicate, lead, and thrive — especially within construction and other high-pressure environments. With more than 20 years of experience in leadership, communication, education, and personal development, Dina creates experiences and conversations that help individuals and teams build confidence, belonging, resilience, and healthier workplace cultures from the inside out. Through her D.R.E.A.M.™ framework — Desire, Relationships, Enneagram, Attitude, and Meaning — Dina introduces what she calls “the essentials”: the internal foundations that support em…
Ed DeAngelis
Ed DeAngelis is a recognized thought leader in emotionally intelligent leadership and organizational culture. He champions the idea of using humanity as a strategy, a philosophy shaped by his more than 25-year career as Founder and CEO of EDA Contractors, where he built a people-first culture and transformed the company into a leader in exterior envelope solutions. Ed serves on the boards of the Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey, the General Building Contractors Association, the Roofing Contractors Association, Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware & Susquehanna Valley, and Turning Points for Children. His leadership has earned recognition as one of Philadelphia’s Top 100 CEOs and C-Level Executives by Titan 100 in 2025 and as one of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs in 2024. GET TO KNOW ED DEANGELIS AND HIS HUMANITY AS A STRATEGY LEADERSHIP ADVOCACY: EDA has done so in a way that’s unique to the construction industry, with a focus on workplace cult…