EP 402: Service After the Uniform Protecting Contractors, Families, and What They’ve Built

What Makes Scott Friend with BSBD Group a Good Neighbor?

A winter snap can break pipes, stall a project, and drain a balance sheet faster than any schedule delay. That’s where this conversation begins—at the intersection of risk, responsibility, and resilience in construction. We sit down with Scott Friend of BSBD Group to explore how thoughtful insurance design helps contractors absorb shocks and keep building without betting the company. Scott brings a rare mix of 14 years in construction and a military service ethic, allowing him to translate messy jobsite risk into clear, actionable coverage strategies that actually hold up when things go sideways.

We dig into the questions contractors often whisper at renewal time: Why are rates climbing when we had no claims? How do exclusions quietly creep into policies? What really matters to underwriters beyond a premium number? Scott breaks down the forces behind today’s pricing—from reinsurance pressures and supply chain delays to social inflation and nuclear verdicts. More importantly, he explains the levers business owners can pull, including tighter subcontractor agreements, driver vetting and telematics, credible safety programs, and clean documentation that helps brokers negotiate better terms, capacity, and endorsements. We also talk structure—how property, inland marine, auto, general liability, umbrella, and bonds should work together—and why an independent brokerage with access to dozens of carriers matters for complex construction risk.

Scott’s mission goes beyond policies. Through his Construction Veteran Podcast, he helps transitioning service members find meaningful roles in construction, addressing the labor gap with talent grounded in teamwork, discipline, and problem-solving. That same service mindset shows up in his advice to business owners: choose value over the cheapest quote, right-size deductibles, and run “what if” scenarios before disaster strikes. Whether you’re leading a contracting firm already past $25M or building toward it, this conversation offers a practical checklist and a steadier way to think about protecting your people, projects, and future.

If this episode helped you think differently about managing risk in construction, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review so more builders can find trusted guidance close to home.

To learn more about BSBD Group go to:

https://www.bsbdgroup.com/

BSBD Group

📍 Serving Dallas–Fort Worth and contractors nationwide

972-767-2811

Transcript

Meet Scott Friend And BSBD Group

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yuvel.

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a casualty and property insurance company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today, I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Scott Friend, with BSBD Group. Scott, how are you today?

SPEAKER_01 0:28

I'm good. Trying to stay warm.

SPEAKER_02 0:31

Yes, no, completely understandable. Now, we are so excited today to learn all about you and your business. Can you start off by telling our listeners just a little bit about your company and your background?

SPEAKER_01 0:46

Yeah, so BSBD group, that's Boyd Shackleford, Barnett, and Dixon. Uh we're located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Uh, but we not only serve Texas, we serve the entire United States. Uh, we've got folks like myself that are property and casualty brokers. Uh, we are an independent brokerage. We've got about 40 different carriers that we work with. Uh, we also do bonds. We have folks that focus on employee benefits as well. Uh, but we're a small company. We've got about 75, 76 employees right now. Um, I focus mainly on construction because that's what my background is. I did about 14 years in construction after getting out of the military. Um, so majority of my clients are contractors.

SPEAKER_02 1:27

Wow. Now, what made you want to get involved in this industry in the first place?

SPEAKER_01 1:33

Yeah, that's a good question. Um, you know, man, that's a that's a tough, tough question to answer. I would say construction is extremely demanding, schedule-wise. Um so I would say a little bit was the uh flexibility in the schedule. Um, I feel like sometimes I'm working harder now, as weird as that sounds, uh, but I'm setting my own schedule. So that was kind of the big kicker for me. Uh I've got three little girls and my wife. I wanted to be able to kind of work around my own schedule. But what's been fun is that I'm I'm still attached to the construction industry, serving people that some of them I've worked with for years. Um, some of them were trades of mine. So, you know, I was just I'm a middle-aged guy and I was looking for something different in my life, and and this just kind of fell in my lap through some good friends of mine, and I'm I'm stoked to be here. I I love it.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

Now, Scott, would you say you enjoy this industry enough to pass it on to future generations?

SPEAKER_01 2:29

Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, I've gotten to meet some salt of the earth type people uh within the construction industry, and like I said, now I'm I'm still hanging around with those same people uh through events and maybe um lunches and coffees and things like that, and really getting to learn them more as an individual and what's important to them and their business and help to protect that.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

Now, zooming in more to your business, what is that most common myth or misconception you come across on the day-to-day?

SPEAKER_01 3:01

That's a good one. Uh, why do we need insurance anyway? Um, I hear that a lot, and I don't think a lot of people are really financially prepared for a catastrophic event. Um, case in point, you know, you and I are both in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and we had this uh Delaska, they're calling it, that came in, and we've gotten temperatures down to 12, maybe less. And I we're not really prepared for that in Texas. And so um, if you have a leak or you know, your your facility, god forbid, uh falls down or something crazy because of the weather, not a lot of people are financially prepared to rebuild that. Um, same thing with their vehicles. Um, I can't really speak to the the health insurance, things like that, but if their vehicle runs off the road, it's the same thing as your personal insurance. Are you really prepared to replace that entire vehicle? And so we provide a way to do that. Yes, you put in a little bit each month, sometimes a lot each month, depending on the business. But I'd like to be able to make sure that those people are prepared really for anything.

Target Clients And Online Education

SPEAKER_02 4:03

Switching gears for a second, Scott, we know marketing is the heart of every business. So who are your target customers or audience? And in terms of your online footprint, how do you stay relevant to them?

SPEAKER_01 4:18

Yeah, so target uh audience, I would say, is contractors mainly. Um, not just trade contractors, but general contractors as well. And the term middle market means a lot to different people, whether you're a banker uh in insurance and finance in some way. So I would say ideally, someone that's doing at least 25 million in revenue up a year. Uh that's really the target market I like to serve. However, I do have some friends that have businesses that don't do nearly that much, and I'm not going to turn them away by any means. So uh, but I would say those are the people that I pursue mainly. Um, and as far as staying relevant online, those who know me, I'm a big LinkedIn guy. Um, some of it's funny stuff, some of it's educational. I just put out uh why are insurance rates so astronomically high? So I wanted to educate people on that because I think it's important for people to know, you know, it's not that underwriter, it's not that broker or agent that's that's causing that rate to be so crazy high. It's a lot of external influences. And so I try to do my own research. Um, thankfully, our company provides a lot of that training. And so I can use that and really put it out to the public to say, hey, look, here's the situation, this is why it is. So people don't just kind of grumble and say, uh, it must be the broker, it must be the agent. They're just they they want a bunch of money.

SPEAKER_02 5:34

So speaking of educating your audience, have you ever thought of having your own podcast for the business?

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Not for the business necessarily, but I do have my own podcast actually. Um, I started it about uh close to three years ago or so. Um, and it's called the Construction Veteran Podcast. And that was when I was still in the construction industry, and I saw a lot of people very frustrated with the lack of labor. Uh, the labor force, the labor pool, uh they were going, we can't find good people. And it kind of frustrated me going, man, you've got 200,000 people that get out of the military every year. A majority of those are people that have served um, you know, one contract. So they might be 22 years old, 26 years old. So these are folks in their 20s that are able-bodied, that have a lot of the soft skills that people look for. And so I kind of served it up on a platter to say, hey, I'm gonna give you an opportunity to talk about what you did, what you do in construction now. But the flip side of that too was I know how it feels to get out of the military and it's uncomfortable the transition. And so I wanted people that were getting out to realize, hey, the construction industry is actually a really good way for you to kind of stay in that team environment. Um, it's kind of dangerous still, it's exciting. There's something new every single day, and it it just kind of took off. And so a lot of people in the Dallas Fort Worth area know that. We've got listeners, Ireland and like random countries around the world, people that'll pop in. Uh, but yeah, it's been it's been really good. And uh I do, I did talk about my career transition in that a little bit. And uh, so I try to stay relevant within the construction industry with it as well.

Mission, Service, And Local Support

SPEAKER_02 7:09

Wow, Scott. Now you sound very mission-driven. So, what is the mission statement of your business?

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Uh okay, so the mission statement for BSBD, I mean, really, if you meet any of our brokers, uh, a lot of us are, you know, middle-aged parents, uh, most of us, and a lot of us just really want to do right by the people that we serve, whether that's, you know, there's me and another guy that served in the construction industry for about the same amount of time. And these are people that we we love and we know. And we want to make sure that that business that they started, maybe when we worked with them, they decided to branch off on their own. We want to make sure that that's protected. So I think that's the biggest thing is that hey, you I'm I'm somebody local. I'm not a 1-800 number. I'm somebody that you can call. My account manager is here local as well. You can call he or she, and that's somebody that's not overseas somewhere. That's somebody that knows you and knows this environment. So that's really important to us.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

And what final words of wisdom do you have for our listeners today on casualty and property insurance brokers?

Coverage Checklists And Value Over Price

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Check your coverage. That's the biggest thing I would say is check your coverage. Um, it's very important. I'm happy to give a second set of eyes, obviously. Uh, I'm willing to help. And uh that doesn't necessarily mean you need to go with me. That's kind of a risk that we take. But I would say there's a lot of people that that aim for, oh, I just want something cheap. Well, I can guarantee you the cheapest is not always the best. I have been able to save uh some of my clients some money, but sometimes the cheapest thing isn't always the best. You might not be prepared for what might come, whether that's your your house or your property that uh serves your business or you know, your fleet vehicles, things like that. So they go, wow, I'm getting this awesome deal and I'm not paying nearly as much as I thought. Yeah, well, you might not be covered as much. So it's just worth checking on your coverage.

SPEAKER_02 9:02

Right. So what you're saying is that quality is more worth it than quantity in the long run.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Yeah, I would say it it's a value-driven business. Um, and we'll we'll tell people, you know, maybe if you're looking for the cheapest folks out there, it might not be the best relationship. Uh, but like I said, fortunately, I have been able to save some of my clients money. But I want them to know that up front, hey, if you're looking for the cheap guy, you can go online and get that. If you're if you're looking for the bare minimum, I'm gonna find you the best thing, though. And we can play with those numbers, we can increase or decrease your deductible, we can get it to where you want it to be, but we want to make sure that you're safe and covered and you can sleep well at night.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

And where does your heart for giving quality service come from for you?

Faith, Family, And Setting Boundaries

SPEAKER_01 9:48

Hmm. I would say, you know, my service background, probably more than anything, and that's sort of bred into you. Um it's it's others before self. So sometimes that gets me into trouble, but uh, you know, sometimes it makes me a better dad and husband, though. Is that I try to put those people before myself, uh, within reason, though. But I also I want to make sure I set up boundaries and make sure that we have a healthy family life as well. Um, emergencies do happen outside of the family, and sometimes I might have to take a call every now and again. Um, but I would say just that my my faith is another big part of that as well. Um, you know, I am a Christian man and I want to make sure that I treat others the way that they should be treated and really respect them as an individual. That's very important to me.

Where To Find BSBD And Get Help

SPEAKER_02 10:36

Amen. Now, final question for you. Where can our listeners go to learn more about BSBD Group?

SPEAKER_01 10:44

Uh, so you can go onto our website, which is BSBDgroup.com. So BSBDgroup.com. Uh, you can find me on LinkedIn, just look up Scott Friend. Uh, you'll see my ugly mug. Uh my title there says construction insurance advisor. Um, yeah, and really, I mean, we're all over the place. So we've got, I want to say um 22 brokers now, maybe 23. Um, and we're kind of spread throughout the Metroplex. So we try to get involved in different organizations that we serve. Um, so you might run into me at a Texo event, which a lot of people in the construction industry know that. Or uh, I'm involved in what was called NAMC NAMAC. It was National Association of Minority Contractors. We were now called uh the DFW Contractors Growth Alliance. Um, I'm involved in a lot of veterans' organizations. So, really, I mean, I like to say it's kind of like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon. If you're gonna find somebody and run into somebody that kind of knows us somehow when you're looking for insurance.

SPEAKER_02 11:48

Well, Scott, we are just about out of time today, but I really appreciate you being on the show, and we wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 11:57

Thank you, Sophia. I appreciate it.

Closing And Nomination Details

SPEAKER_00 12:00

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GMP Frisco.com. That's GMP Frisco.com or call four six nine two two one nine three four five.