The Construction Veteran Podcast
Welcome to the Construction Veteran Podcast. This is a podcast connecting and celebrating veterans in construction, those who have the desire to be in the industry, and those who support them to create the built environment.
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The Construction Veteran Podcast
The War is Over, Now We Build
Ted Baumgardner's journey from Marine Corps intelligence officer to construction technology entrepreneur offers a compelling roadmap for veterans seeking meaningful work after service. Growing up in a South Jersey construction family with parents who ran union businesses in Atlantic City, Ted had building in his blood—but first answered the call to serve after 9/11, attending the Naval Academy and becoming a Ground Intelligence Officer.
What makes Ted's story particularly valuable is how directly his military skills translated to construction. As an intelligence officer, his job was "organizing chaos"—collecting battlefield information and delivering it in a synthesized, actionable format to commanders. When he joined his family's glass and glazing business after eight years of service, he discovered the construction industry faced similar challenges with information overload. Estimators and project managers were drowning in drawings, specifications, and communications, often spending half their time just organizing files rather than applying their expertise.
"Building skyscrapers is the closest thing to war in a peacetime environment," Ted quotes, highlighting why veterans find such natural homes in construction. Both domains thrive on teamwork, shared mission, and overcoming physical and mental challenges together. The sense of camaraderie that veterans miss after leaving service exists abundantly on construction sites, where creating something tangible with your team provides profound satisfaction.
Ted offers a philosophical perspective on finding purpose after military service: "When the revolution was over in 1783, George Washington went back to the plow. The whole point of war is to achieve peace. And then, what do we do in peacetime?" The answer lies in building communities. "If it wasn't for folks in construction, we wouldn't have places to live, work, or worship. All of this is done because men and women dedicate themselves to working together and creating things that otherwise wouldn't exist, and there's nothing more meaningful than that."
Connect with Ted on LinkedIn to learn more about transitioning from military service to a fulfilling construction career—he's passionate about mentoring others following this path.
This episode is brought to you buy Aerial Resupply Coffee. Aerial Resupply delivers bold flavor with every sip. Their beans are expertly roasted for peak freshness and a smooth, invigorating taste. Elevate your coffee game by using code CONSTRUCTIONVET10 at checkout to receive 10% off every order. Stay caffeinated with Aerial Resupply Coffee.
If you're a military veteran in the construction industry, or you're in the construction industry and support our military vets, and you'd like to be a guest on the podcast you can find me at constructionvetpodcast@gmail.com , or send me a message on LinkedIn. You can find me there at Scott Friend. Let's share the stories and motivate others!
- TCV Email: constructionvetpodcast@gmail.com
- TCV YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@constructionvet/featured
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All of this is done because men and women dedicate themselves to like working together and creating things that otherwise didn't exist, and there's nothing more meaningful than that. This is the Construction Veteran Podcast, connecting and celebrating veterans in construction.
Speaker 2:Now here's your host, Scott Friend. Welcome back to the Construction Veteran Podcast. I'm Scott Friend. I'm excited to bring you guys Ted Baumgardner, a former Marine Corps officer, turned estimator and now AI superstar. Let's dig. Hey, Ted, how are you sir?
Speaker 1:Hey Scott, I'm doing well, I'm doing well.
Speaker 2:Good man. I appreciate you taking the time. So Ted and I have not officially met but it's kind of funny how we run in the same circles even though he's all the way in Philadelphia and I'm in Dallas. The construction world is tight knit but we got introduced through Dan Sampson, who's a friend of mine and Ted. I'll let you go into kind of how you know Dan here in a little bit. But Ted man, tell us who you are, where you're from and what branch you served in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, of course Scott. Well, I mean I think first to start off. Anytime we've got a Philly Dallas conversation going, I've got to start off by saying go, birds world champs.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry you're breaking up. I can't hear you. Yeah, that's my thought.
Speaker 1:That's my thought. Oh man, yeah. So I currently live in Philadelphia. As you can tell, I'm from a construction family in South Jersey. My dad was a Philly carpenter who started his own GC shop down in Atlantic City. My mom is from Indiana and somehow also made her way to Atlantic City where she started a contract glazing business. So they did union construction in Atlantic City and Philadelphia for the past 40, 50 years and uh and and that's how I got into. That's how I got into the industry. Wow.
Speaker 2:So you're, you're okay. So this is prior to the service. You got into the industry because of them. So at what age, uh, are you an Academy guy? Did you go to the Naval Academy? I am an Academy guy man, I got to vet you guys better before I hit you on the show. No, so you went to the Academy and you guys get to choose. So not everybody knows. You get to choose the Navy or the Marine Corps and you decided to go to the Marine Corps.
Speaker 1:Yep, yeah, exactly, it's funny. Dan and I were actually at Navy together. He was class of 12. I was 13, but I didn't know him there. I didn't know him until we met a couple years ago or a year ago.
Speaker 1:But at the Naval Academy I rode that I was in fifth grade on September 11th 9-11, and that event had such an important role in shaping and the country went to war, and so I felt some sort of obligation to do my part in that, and so that's what, but didn't know anything about the military part in that, and so that's what, but didn't know anything about the military.
Speaker 1:And that's what led me to to apply to and go to the Naval Academy. And then, when I was there, it was like okay, well, now what? And? And one of the things that really drew me to the Marine Corps is the autonomy that they give to junior officers, and I really appreciated how, as soon as you commission, you go to TBS, you do your MOS school, and then you get out and you're in charge of a platoon and you go out to the field and you go wherever and you're responsible, and there's no playbook and you know you've got your team, you've got your senior, uh, uh staff, non-commissioned officers to rely on, but um, the autonomy and the decision-making that is expected and the responsibility that's expected of a second Lieutenant Butterbar. I thought was was really cool, and so that's that's what pushed me in the uh in in the direction of the Marine Corps.
Speaker 2:I will hand it to the Marine Corps about that. Yeah, I mean, you're kind of thrust into that leadership position. Even the enlisted guys like once you hit O or, excuse me, e3, a Lance corporal to me has a lot more responsibility than an E3 and any other branch, in my opinion. Um so so how was that? I've never really asked a Marine officer. How was that at? Like, I'm assuming you were about 22 years old when you graduated and when you're, you know, in your early twenties and you're having to lead guys that are, you know, could be twice your age, that have seen combat, what's that like? Talk me through that that?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a good question, especially for my generation. We didn't get to the fleet until the wars had kind of died down and so a lot of our Marines were combat vets and we were not. We were very green and so trying to figure out we had had all of this education at the academy. And then TBS and the infantry officer course do an incredible job of teaching you. You know the academic side of tactics, but there was a lot of stuff. A think.
Speaker 1:The thing that the Marine Corps does really well is they train and establish the position of the officer as something that folks look up to. The expectations are very high to set the example, to lead by example. I mean the famous saying is leaders eat last. I mean I've known officers of varying qualities, right, but the one thing that I've never seen an officer do the men come before us and I think that really sets a high bar that the squad leaders, team leaders, staff sergeants, platoon sergeants, understand that, hey, we're here to play a specific role and they really do a good job of affording us that respect and responsibility. But it comes with it the expectation that we have that humility and that we have that understanding of what our job is and what our lane is, and what the expectations is, and and what the expectations of the rest of our team are too, and to not get those two confused.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I love the humility of Marine Corps officers and, um, I I might've shared this on another episode or not, I can't remember, but so my dad is Vietnam era Navy guy and I remember when I went in he said something to the effect cause you know, rank in your dress, uniform on their shoulders, and then enlisted, obviously wear it on their sleeves. And he said something to the effect of, well, the enlisted guys are doing the heavy lifting, but all that responsibility is on the shoulders of the officers. And I feel like when I became an officer later on, I really I took that to heart. It's like, hey, man, my job physically might be better and I'm not saying that for you guys, I know it's a little different in the Marine Corps, but, granted, I served in the chaplain course, so physically I was handing out cigars and chewies and all that fun stuff, but, yeah, very important role. But it's like my responsibility was more, um, I had the burden to bear for their, their faith and things like that.
Speaker 2:But the responsibility on the officers. Cause, man, you're sending these guys, especially as you become a senior officer, you're sending these young men into flying bullets. And I know I respect the Marine Corps officers, because as a junior officer it's like dude, you're going to go through the grunt work just with these guys as well and once you reach that staff level of major, I know it gets a little different. But anyway, kind of rambling I want to ask. So we talked about Dan, so tell me how you know Dan.
Speaker 1:So I mean, I think something that's a theme of your podcast and the community that you've started and created is that there is just such an intersection between the construction industry and the military veteran community. And I think that there are so many of us who join the military to serve our country and it imbues us with this sense of purpose and camaraderie and challenge, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And then we get out and most of the civilian world, most of the corporate world, doesn't have that same sort of tight-knit community. And it's got connected to another veteran, jack Hague. I love technology and construction technology.
Speaker 1:And somebody was like, hey, you should talk to Jack, who was in the army, and talked to Jay, he's up in Suffolk in New York. And then he was like, hey, you're in Philly, you should meet this guy, jesse, who's also in Philly and in construction. And so I connected to Jesse and then Jesse, who is like a nucleus of connection, just kind of started this group of folks who have this connection to construction and were in the military. And so Jack and Dan and Jesse and I just kind of all started talking Excuse me, jake is the fourth member of the team and then Jack was the guy who connected me with Jesse. So it's just this weird, um, uh sort of intersection of of people that have this shared experience of of being in the military and and then transition into the the, you know, built environment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think the fun thing is. So Jack was an army officer. Is that correct thing? Is so jack was an army officer. Is that correct? Uh, jack was an army officer I would love to be a fly on the wall in y'all's conversations, because I'm sure the smack talk still happens. Do you have an? Air force guy in there no, no, no no, navy guys no, oh yeah, yeah it's.
Speaker 1:Uh, yeah, it's three, three marines, three Marines and then an Army guy. I don't know if this happens in the regular civilian world, but I feel so comfortable just talking I mean, just like we started this podcast. You and I have never met in person, but I feel super comfortable just talking trash about the Cowboys, talking trash on the army. I feel like that's just such a staple of our upbringing and something that you know. It doesn't matter where you are. You know people. People always talk about Marines and eating crayons, right, which is a joke that I absolutely love. So true, but you know, absolute love, so true, but you know, some things like that just transcend, transcend boundaries.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and for clarity, I'm not from here originally, so you can talk as much smack on the Cowboys. I grew up about 10 minutes South of Cincinnati, ohio, so I have taken my licks over the years being a Bengals fan, so there's nothing you say that's going to offend me in that regard. So we didn't really talk about what you did in the Marine Corps. So you're a Marine Corps officer, so let's talk about what you did in the service.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I was a ground intel guy and then later on became a recon officer is that, as an intel officer supporting the ground commander, my team and I were responsible for organizing the different collection assets to collect information from the battle space, organize it, process it and deliver it to the commander in a way that was understandable and digestible. I mean, there's so much white noise out there and this is kind of what has informed my current role in the current company that there's so much white noise out there in the battle space that to make sense of it you need a team, you need a process, and so that's what we would do. We would collect information and try and reduce uncertainty so that the commander could effectively make a decision.
Speaker 2:So educate me on this, because I'm not 100% familiar with how you guys choose your branch within the Marine Corps. So is it similar to like West Point, where they have like a big to-do thing where you get to select your certain branch and it's like based off of how well you do in school? How does that work?
Speaker 1:I mean, I think, I think, like everything they, they pretend like you have, you have a choice, but uh, it's needs of the Marine Corps.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, Um you know.
Speaker 1:I think so when you commission, everybody goes to, uh, the basic school, which is the. It's like a six month basic officer course where you learn the fundamentals of becoming a rifle platoon commander. And I think the cool thing about the Marine Corps is that it doesn't matter what MOS you have. As a second lieutenant you are trained to be a rifle platoon commander. And the infantry guys we go to the infantry officer course after TBS. But even the logistics officers, the admin officers, their first six months are in the basics of what does it mean to lead a rifle platoon? And so at the conclusion of that six months of training, the folks who've got the flight contracts are ready are slated to go to flight school, are slated to go to flight school.
Speaker 1:And the rest of us who are a ground branch, we basically rank our priorities or requests of the 20-something MOSs and the guy who does, or the woman, whoever is first in the class, basically gets their pick. And then after that they kind and and and rank order it based on, like we said, and these are the marine corps and and how people rank stuff. And uh, ground intel was actually my second choice. My first choice was just to be a straight uh infantry officer. But my uh spc at the time, you know, realized that I was way too much of a nerd for that and so yeah, I'm a little shocked because you would think they would want to push guys into that role, into the infantry.
Speaker 2:So I'm a little surprised to hear that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean he so being ground Intel it's. It's a cool MOS because you you go to the infantry officer course with the rest of your uh, three, three or two peers, um, but then you go on and do a follow-on intel course and so that when you go to an infantry battalion you're either the sniper platoon commander or the S2 Alpha obviously S2 Alpha and then you have an opportunity to go and be a recon platoon commander, stuff like that. But we start off and go to the infantry officer course together, which was, which was a phenomenal experience, some of the best training that I've ever had.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. I didn't know it was intermixed like that. Um, okay, so we're going to fast forward. How, how long did you do in the Marine?
Speaker 1:Corps and I always knew like I didn't know anything about the military when I was getting started, and so I just I didn't realize people did a career Like I always assumed that I would get out and go back into construction, I mean that's you know what my family did and what I knew.
Speaker 2:And so I did eight years and got out and went to grad school and started working for my mom, actually in the glass business, so I want to talk about that. Okay, so you're in a unique position because your family was involved in that, which not everybody has that. So did you feel like a pull of man? I don't really know if I want to do construction or was it just something that was like, okay, I'm getting out, this is available. Not sure if I'm going to stick with it, which obviously you did. We'll get into that. What was your mindset when you were getting out?
Speaker 1:I think one of the best things about the military is the GI Bill and the education opportunities, and so I would first and foremost recommend anybody who's considering getting out take advantage of those benefits.
Speaker 1:And so, because I had lined up grad school after I was getting, you know, as I was getting out, I had the opportunity to kind of explore, like I didn't feel um, pigeonholed, if you will, into, I didn't feel like I had to go into construction or had to go into glass because, you know, just because that's what my family did, um, but very quickly, upon starting school, I realized that the white collar world was not. I didn't want to go to New York and work in finance Not that there's anything wrong with that. I got a lot of friends and colleagues who who enjoy that and um, but it just it, it wasn't for me. I got the, the built environment and and it just it's just different. I mean the camaraderie, the, the uh, shared sense of mission, the, the like overcoming, like both physical and mental and and team challenges to like accomplish something real. What was was, you know, I didn't think there was anything else like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I don't want to put words in your mouth or make you have thoughts, but did you feel and I'm kind of skipping ahead here when you got back into it, did you feel like, hey, this is the same sense of camaraderie and teamwork that I had in the core?
Speaker 1:I think that I'm I'm very fortunate that I my we come from a, a union market, and so I think that the um, at least in our area and in the glass industry specifically, there's like a real sense of like people feel like they're a part of something bigger than themselves, and I mean there's nothing like the Marine Corps. Right Like I've got Semper Fidelis tattooed on my arm, I will like always celebrate the Marine Corps' birthday, like there's no other industry or no other you know job or role or whatever, where people will wish each other happy birthday on the day.
Speaker 2:I mean, like you think about how insane.
Speaker 1:That is right. It's great, but like, but we absolutely, absolutely love it, right. So, okay, you know, understand that the Marine Corps might be on a different level Uh, I did feel like, you know, there was a sense of camaraderie and and, uh, shared sense of, of, of mission. Um, you know, in the glass business and in construction, Okay, so I'm going to back up again.
Speaker 2:So you, you got out of the Marine Corps and let's talk about um, we, we talked a little bit about the transition, but what did you get into? So we, we talked about your family being involved in it. So you went into the family business, correct?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I got my, I went to grad school and while I was working I was working part-time for my mom and I went to grad school. Um, and I got got my uh, business degree and law degree. Just because construction has become so litigious and, like I said earlier, I'm a nerd and I want to know. I dislike when there's a black box and the law just felt like it was something that was so complex and so I wanted to understand it.
Speaker 2:So I got my JD MBA while I was working with my mom, or for my mom and my brother, and learning about the estimating portion of the glass and aluminum business. Yeah, no, I'm glad you made note about how litigious it's gotten, and I was in the industry for about 14 years and I've seen it get more and more as of uh, let's say, the last five years or so, and some people say that's oh well, everything's CYA now, and I'm like, no, I think a lot of trade contractors are becoming wiser about how to read the contracts and making sure they're not getting screwed over. So I think that was wise of you to do that, so you can pick up this contract and go hold on a second. Mr Mrs GC or owner like I'm going to scratch this out, like you're not going to screw me over, so I think that was wise that you did that. Um, and so you were with it's the Baumgardner group, correct?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so my, my, um brothers have. They've been working in the business, you know, since for the past 15 years, and and so my, my mom had a glass and glazing business Guthrie Glass and Metal and my brothers have since expanded that and started working in some other trades doing flooring, tile, doing concrete and block and masonry, and so they kind of wrapped those subcontracting companies into the Baumgartner Group and so within that I started working in the glass and metal portion that my mom started and she still runs, and that's the specific trade that I I you know decided I wanted to get into and then I wanted to to really understand it just so, so complex, and so I mean I know every, every tradesman, every trade says that theirs is the hardest and the most difficult, but glass is the hardest, glass is the best.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no, as you should be loyal to it, um, but so you took a different route, though I mean recently, like within the last year, you started doing something totally different, I think before last year, but you, you're no longer working there and you started another deal. Let's talk about that. What are you doing now?
Speaker 1:yeah. So I think, coming from the marine corps as an intel officer, like my job was to organize chaos right. It was to go out and collect all of this information and then deliver it in a synthesized and clear, concise way so that my commander didn't have to waste time flipping through all of this mess. And so I get out and I start working for my mom as an estimator and she's the senior estimator. She's out winning work, but she's been in the business for 40-something years just incredible in the trade way more than I am or can hope to be but she was spending half her time just downloading drawings and trying to organize files. And so I started applying.
Speaker 1:Like I mentioned, I'm a nerd. I got very much into the technology side of stuff that I realized that people just don't have time to fully utilize the resources and the assets that are available to us because everybody is just so they're trying to keep up. And so I was able to take those structured analytic techniques and some of the technology that is out there and organize information, basically become my mom's intel officer and really enable her to do some of that higher level work that she's so great at. And so about a year ago, a year and change ago, I was like, okay, can I tackle this from an industry perspective? Can I take the skill set that I've learned as could, um, really bring a lot of value to other folks who are just are are struggling with the amount of information that we're being asked to deal with on a daily basis.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I don't. I'm going to back up real quick. I didn't clarify. So you were an estimator working on the glazing side. Now you're doing this. What's your take? And this is me just kind of shooting from the hip but with AI and the construction world, I think a lot of people are maybe scared it's not the right word Like I was pretty confident. Skeptical is a great, yeah, great way to put it. Um, I was very confident, like hey, I'm a superintendent, pretty sure AI is not going to take over my job, because it's very personal, it's relationship driven driven. Same thing with the project management team. I am seeing trades. I mean there, you've seen robotic Masons. Um, you, this kind of stuff. I don't think it's going to completely go away, but what's your personal take on where the industry is kind of going with AI? Let's say, 10 years from the future, if you had a glass ball, what do you think we would see?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think 10 years from now is going to look totally different from how things. At the end of the day, construction is a relationship business, it is a dynamic industry, and so you're never going to eliminate the human connection. The trust of the World Trade Center said something to the effect of building skyscrapers is the closest thing to war in a peacetime environment, and it's because it's so uncertain these technology tools are going to change the way in which. I mean, just like technology has changed war and changed combat I guess changed the way combat's conducted but it hasn't changed the fundamental aspects of it. I think it's the same thing in construction. Same. It's the same thing in construction. Ai is going to change the way in which we build buildings and the way in which we process information, but it's not going to to to change the underlying fundamentals that we know are required to to get things done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I appreciate that insight. That's. That's wise Um. So I want to talk a little bit about so we, we've gone through your career.
Speaker 2:Um, now, if you have somebody that's listening to the show and thank God, this has happened quite a bit I mean, there's people out there that have decided to get into the industry cause they've listened to it, which makes me feel really proud. And just full disclosure I don't get paid anything to do this. I actually pay to do this. You know, I pay to host the site and all the equipment, everything I use. So, um, it makes me feel great when I find out people are listening to your uh, the episodes and they're going into the industry.
Speaker 2:So if you had somebody that's either Marine Corps officer, uh enlisted, or anybody that's in, that you feel, um, would, uh, how do I phrase this? What would you say to somebody? And try to steer them towards the construction industry? Because we need people, like point blank. We still need people. The industry is retiring a bunch of guys within the next five to 10 years, and so how would you encourage somebody hey, look, you've got this background as a Marine Corps officer, or not even NCO, just enlisted guy. How do you get them hooked on construction?
Speaker 1:I think you tell them that you just got to trust the process. And I think the thing I'm, my unfair advantage is the fact that I I grew up in a construction family and so I I could see what that path looked like, right Like I knew that. Okay, if you get into it and you learn X, y, z, like this is and I think the military is very you've got very clear pathways, right Like, you've got this rank structure and so you know exactly. But when you transition into the construction industry, it's like learning a whole new language. Right Like a super, what is a superintendent? Right Like, what is a project manager? What is an estimator? Right, how do I become a subcontractor? What is a glazer?
Speaker 1:But if you take that leap of faith and look at folks like yourself or like Dan or all of these other industry veterans who have made that transition, and you say, okay, I may not fully lead to something that is going to be very meaningful of, I don't know if it's like physical accomplishment, of like being able to walk down the street and look at these structures that wouldn't exist if it wasn't for our blood, sweat and sometimes tears. Right Like, I think that's really cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, and I think that sense of mission like everybody I've had on here has talked about the teamwork that sense of mission Granted, it's not the same type of mission right, we're not like sending bullets down range but it's that the goal, and what I'm going to miss a lot is just the guys, like being around the guys and I've said it before, it's like you're in the suck together and, granted, it's not in a middle Eastern country where you're getting, you know, mortars lobbed at you or something, but you're, and sometimes it's hard man Like construction is so hard and it's dangerous and it's very dangerous.
Speaker 2:But, you know, I think I could see past that, especially as I was growing up in the industry because I, you know, when I was still swinging a hammer I was still doing the physical work. It's exhausting, but I really enjoyed being with the guys and learning from the guys that could, you know, be considered the senior NCOs of the field. So I'm personally going to miss that. So that's why I'm really passionate about taking a guy that's fresh out of the military. It's like man, if you, if you want that environment. Still, I don't think you're going to find that anywhere else except for construction.
Speaker 1:That's just my two cents. I agree, and actually I want to. I want to kind of modify my answer a little bit and talk about like when, when the, the revolution was over in in 1783, george Washington went back to the plow right. Like there's this element and I think, especially I see it a lot in in, like my generation where they, where we feel like we've like missed something because the war, and we're like searching for this sense of like, how do we contribute? And it's like, guys, the whole point of war is to achieve peace. And and then, like, what do we do in peacetime? Like same sort of sense of service, working in construction. If it wasn't for folks in construction, we wouldn't have communities, we wouldn't have places to live, places to work, places to worship. All of this is done because men and women dedicate themselves to working together and creating things that otherwise didn't exist, and there's nothing more meaningful than that.
Speaker 2:Man, you just gave me an awesome soundbite. Thank you, I appreciate it. No, man, I've really enjoyed talking with you, ted man, I'm looking forward to getting to know you more. And it's so crazy how small the construction world is. We talked a little bit about this before we hopped on to record, but just that there's so many stinking people out there but the industry is like it's huge but it's small at the same time.
Speaker 2:And, man, especially within the veteran community, we can so easily get connected, become successful, like the group you guys started, just because and you know, uh, there's groups out there that are, uh, you know, naval Academy grads or West Point grads. Like there's a really tight knit group of West Point grads here that I know, um, or like other CBs. For me, like there's guys that I can go out and learn from and golf with or network with. I would encourage people to use your network, whether it's an academy grad that you went to school with or a guy from your battalion or whatever. It's neat because you're half a freaking country away from me and yet somehow you're connected with these guys within the same industry. Here. It's really neat, and we talked about the age of the internet and how we can do that. We could not. When I first got out, I may may have been able to do this with like LinkedIn. Linkedin was still really fresh, um, but like now, back when my space was a thing, scott right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm not that much older than you. I'm like seven years older than you. But yeah, man, my fricking 11 year old daughter, daughter goes. What was it like growing up in the 1900s? Like, oh, that's a knife to the heart, man uh, it's incredible yeah, we've seen things, yeah, yeah just pull up, pull up the.
Speaker 1:Uh, what was the old internet? Uh, dial tone, when you, when you had, oh, the a well, perfect, uh, anyway perfect.
Speaker 2:Uh, anyway, sorry I got sidetracked, but I appreciate you, ted. Um, as we kind of wrap up, is there any final thoughts on just people transitioning and getting into construction and also how can people get ahold of you if they're interesting and interested in following the same path you did?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, you know, reach out to me. I'm on LinkedIn, my email's there, my phone number's there, just like give me. I think every now and then I'll get a LinkedIn message from somebody who either is looking to go to grad school or looking to get in construction, and I think you know I'm positive. I respond to a hundred percent of those messages. It is so. There've been so many people that have helped me along this path. I know it's the same for you that there's this pay it forward mentality, where I love nothing more than being able to provide that same sort of opinion or guidance or mentorship or whatever it is, to people who are interested, people who are interested in in following that path. So, um, hit me up on LinkedIn, give me a call, shoot me an email, whatever, whatever it is.
Speaker 2:Awesome, Ted. I appreciate your time, man. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, scott was really great to talk and uh, I'm looking forward to uh, to getting together and uh, and and having a beer.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, no beer for me, no beer for me.
Speaker 1:No beer, okay, have a seltzer, yeah.
Speaker 2:Go back and listen to other episodes. No more beer for me.
Speaker 1:Okay, sorry, no more beer.
Speaker 2:You're good man. All right, Ted, Appreciate it All right, see you, scott.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
