Knowledge Retention & the Future of AEC with Kristina Youngblut Artwork

What the RFI?

Join Matt Brennan, Assoc. AIA as he discusses the day-to-day life in the Contract and Construction Administration world. This podcast bridges the gap between Architects, Designers, Engineers, consultants and General Contractors as they work through Construction Administration (CA) related items.

Each episode focuses on the challenges, techniques and technology to help navigate through the fast-paced construction industry.

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What the RFI?

Knowledge Retention & the Future of AEC with Kristina Youngblut

March 17, 2025 • Matt Brennan • Episode 23

In this conversation, Matt Brennan and Kristina Youngblut discuss the significance of knowledge sharing and continuing education in the AEC industry. Kristina shares her journey in the industry, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and collaboration through user groups. They explore the role of AI in enhancing productivity and the integration of CA into project management. The discussion culminates in the idea of embracing failure as a crucial part of growth and success in the field. In this conversation, Kristina Youngblut and Matt Brennan discuss the importance of embracing failure as a learning tool, the need for collaboration in the construction industry, and the significance of building a strong community and network. They emphasize the necessity of knowledge retention and mentorship in architecture, advocating for open communication and the value of every role within the industry. Kristina shares her experiences and insights on how to foster relationships and create a supportive environment for growth and learning.

Takeaways

Sharing knowledge is vital in the AAC industry.
Curiosity drives innovation and problem-solving.
User groups foster relationships and collaboration.
AI can be a valuable assistant in the workplace.
Ownership of work is essential for accountability.
Embracing failure leads to growth and learning.
Surrounding yourself with experts enhances personal development.
Continuing education is crucial for career evolution.
Building trust is key in project management.
Data flow is critical in bridging design and construction. Failure is an essential part of the learning process.
Stumbling and falling are part of the journey to success.
Trying new things can lead to unexpected passions.
Collaboration between architects and contractors is crucial.
Building a community can support professional growth.
Networking should start early in one's career.
User groups are valuable for knowledge sharing.
Mentorship programs help bridge knowledge gaps.
Open communication fosters better relationships in the workplace.
Every role in the industry contributes to the overall success.

Sound Bites

"I want them to take it and evolve."
"User groups came very organically."
"I use AI as an assistant."
"Take pride in your work."
"Embrace your failures."
"Failure is part of that."
"You don't know until you try."
"Community is the biggest thing."
"Everyone plays an important role."
"You need to be open to new ideas."

Chapters

00:00 - The Importance of Knowledge Sharing in AAC
02:30 - Kristina Youngblut's Journey in the Industry
07:19 - Building Relationships Through User Groups
11:52 - The Role of AI in the AEC Industry
17:24 - Integrating CA into Project Management
23:24 - Embracing Failure as a Path to Success
24:22 - Embracing Failure as a Learning Tool
27:53 - Bridging the Gap: Collaboration in Construction
30:30 - The Importance of Community and Networking
33:39 - Knowledge Retention and Mentorship in Architecture
42:29 - Creating a Culture of Open Communication
46:51 - The Value of Every Role in the Industry

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0:00

by sharing knowledgeand continuing educationmatter in the AAC industry.Let's get into it.(upbeat music)Welcome to What the RFI, I'm Matt Brennanand this is the podcast all about CA.So today's episode is a little different.You know, in the pastwe've talked all about CA.We're still gonna do that today,but we're gonna dive into the mentorship.And better yet, we'vegot a guest, Christina.And of all the experts in the industry,I couldn't ask for anyoneelse to be better on the showto talk about this because, you know,I'll let you kind of go into your historyand everything about itand all the user groupsand you can explain that.But before I even letyou introduce yourself,I love the story of how we met.And, you know, all that started atAutodesk University,you know, a few yearsback in beautiful Las Vegas,you know, what a great event.I don't know if youwant to share the newsand how we kind of came together,but just bumping in andjust look how relationshipsbonds through thesenetwork opportunities.So, but at this point Iwould say, yeah, enough said.You know, Christina, take away,tell the beautiful people who you are.Oh, well, thank you very much.And thank you for such awonderful introduction.I never expected it.I'm just a passionate personand it's sometimes it's nice to hearhow other peopleperceive that in reality, right?So my name is Christina Youngblood.I have been in theindustry for over 25 years.I currently am a BIMcoordinator with SEMA Plus.It is a engineeringfirm located in Canadaand we support Canadiancontracts from coast to coast.So, and I've enjoyed that jobfor about a year and a half nowand it's been an exciting additionand evolution in my careerand is really fosteringmy passion and commitmentto continuing educationand sharing knowledge,but because of what it provides me,which will come throughand the rest of the conversation as well.So, and so how I kindof got into all of this,and I know we'll haveother questions later,but it was asking questions myself.You know, I was curious about things,you know, software's notworking for you properly.I'm trying to problem solve, you know,design situations and someproject you're working onand just going online andtrying to find this informationand realizing that not alot of it was out thereand it was really hardto find these answersand I was just like, okay,all right, well, that's fine.So I figured out, youfigure out the problemand I just share that back.Regardless if I was thefirst person to share itor the 50th person to share it,I would still put it out in a new formatbecause I have a unique personalityand I could put my ownlittle flair and spin on thingsthat make it moreengaging and more inclusive.So that's kind of what I started doingwith no intention ofwhat it would evolve toover the last few years.I really was just doing it because Igained new knowledge,making sure it'savailable for other people.I don't need people to do what I've done.I want them to take it and evolveand grow it into their own thing,but, you know, come back and share itwith the rest of us,that evolution.So it was just, I stumbled.It was a random thing that just happened.But I appreciate that of youbecause the reality islike software is limitedand especially withsome of the big softwaresthat we're tied to, wecan't get away from itand we are limited to what we can do.As designers,architects, engineers, consultants,you're trying to push the boundaryand the thing is you didn't say,oh, it doesn't do it,I guess it can't do it.It doesn't stop you.You just keep driving through and going,what can we do?How can we push the software differently?What tools do I need tokind of bring it into it?And that's where you're exactly going.So yeah, I know, again,I just wanted tocompliment you on that respect.Oh, thank you.And another thing people don't realize isan expert is not 100% expert.For software that I use, and this is,I'm celebrating 30 years,nobody do the math, just don't.30 years of AutoCAD this year, shh.Yeah, yeah, yeah.30 years of AutoCAD,intense, very deep AutoCADthat most people will never touch.And I still tell you that I only know50, 60% of the software.And I am just-- Youstill use AutoCAD today?Every day, it's actually ridiculous.I love it.But it's not my only platformbecause I am in BIB services.So that is how I havethe connection to CAwhere we have theability to talk about today.So you don't need to know everything,but you need to be curiousenough to seek new answers.And the software doesn'tneed to do exactly everything,but that's not gonna stop me fromadopting it, learning it.And then as it evolves,or I figure out new waysto take advantage of it,that's where innovation comes from.So yeah. 100%.And yeah, I totally agree.Like, everywhere exactlycame from, but it was always,you don't need to be an expert,but just surroundyourself with amazing people.And the stats show that.The higher end people, the amazing peoplethat you put experts in the field,you become like thatversus if you surround yourselfwith people that justat that lower level,you never grow.I always tell them like myson's playing pool, right?And I love pool and everything.And it's like, oh, how can I can't be?I'm like, well, you gotta surroundyourself with peoplethat eventually you'll beat up to me.And then you gotta playsomeone better than me.So you never get to that stalemate.You always gotta do it.Same thing witheducation and surrounding,surround yourself with amazing peoplebecause you don't need all the answers.That's not what the world's working from.And that's a great segue here into like,why sharing knowledge,continue education matterin the ACA industry.And you're so wellconnected in this case.You're part of a ton of user groups.What got you into theseuser groups to begin with?So seeking knowledge, really.You just type into your Google algorithmwhat you're looking forand people are always like,how do you know what to find?Literally type whatever you're thinkingand start there and evolve from there.And so you would stumble upon user forms,Autodesk uniforms, Augie user forms,BIM coordinator summits, my friends,and I can never getthe, I'll get to it later.But I have a lot of people,I didn't know the people at first.I was thinking answers andyou grow those relationshipsbecause you start asking questionsand somebody wasreally kind and was like,okay, I don't know the answer,but hey, let's work on it together.And that's kind of how it evolved.And even how we kind of met,it was, there was thatsimilarity and like our passionand our constantlylike seeking informationthat we were able to really connect.And like our firstconversation was very excitingbecause it was like, okay.Because you had, we were talking about,am I allowed to say the software?Absolutely, yeah.Okay, we were talking about part threeand I love AR integration and the,the way that that tool integratedwith the constructiondesign and bridging that gapbetween the designers and the CA team,it was just such abeautiful transition between them.So I wanted to know morebecause how can I work with my teams?BIM services is not just the designers.I work with projectmanagers to the construction team.I talk to everybodybecause everybody needs help.So how do I carry those conversationsand what tools and solutions could I use?So the user groups camethat way, just very organicallybecause where are theanswers you're looking for?Generally, where a bunch of group ofpeople like yourselfare trying to find questions or sorry,find answers to theirquestions and then work together.So I don't have a favoritebecause they all have different values.(laughing)Are you sure?It's always some favorite, you know?No, because I get,(laughing)no, so it's, it's becauseI have different reasonsfor being at each one.So maybe if you had a specific specialty,you might be more focused to what area,but again, BIM services,I don't have to be anexpert in everything,but I have to be curiousenough to talk to all of youto understand theworkflow, to understand the picturebecause I need to beable to navigate that data.It's the data flow of your project.So I needed to understand thatbecause what a project manager needs,to what a designer needs,to what a contractor needs,I'm not the same thing, not even close,but what is the same, it's the data.So that's what really drew me into you.I didn't know your personality at first.I was curious about yourpassion about a softwareyou were selling and it was like,how are you sopassionate about just like,but it's because you believed in itand you were morethan just that software.You were about the peopleand you were aboutgiving people the toolsand resources that theyneeded to evolve and expand.And that's what drew me in.So, and I think that's kind ofwhere this dynamic came from.Yeah, 100%.No, and it is so true.Like, cause yeah, I've been in theindustry for 22 years,doing it and loving it.And like I said, thesoftware drops on my plate.I was like, no, I do believe in this.I used it for two yearsand it changed my professional career.And the average user, they know,they were listeners ofthis channel, to this podcast.They've heard that story.But yeah, it is over, Iwould say since we met,I've probably met withover a thousand architects,over the last 16 months.And it's been so coolto hear their story.And they're all stillstuck in the days of Exceland at the mercy of the contractor.And it's like, there's better way guys.And at the end of the day,like one of the littleslides that I've been doingwhen I talk to people,I've kind of likepeople buried in their RFIsand their desk and it's black and whiteand it's just not a pretty picture.And then the next picture is like,the people on theyacht or playing tennis.And it's like, who do you wanna be?We both share the sameamount of time day to dayand it's like, howcan we be better at it?And that was the samething with Revit came out.It was a disruptive technology.We were using AutoCADevery day to draw stuff.This technology comesout and our teams wentfrom 10 people to draw ahigh rise to two, maybe one.Because of the powerthat the software was doingand it was just a different way.Again, the time it took was less,maybe even the sametime, but less people.It's just more efficient.And that's where, and we'llget into it today about AIbecause that's alwaysa fun topic as well.But it's the same thing.There is some AItools at work, but again,you're the driver, you'rethe conductor to this method.Yes, I'm the human.It's the tool.Exactly.And you're never, that's again,everyone's all afraidof AI and not respect,but it's not going away.It's gonna be here.It's gonna evolve.And yeah, you were strike a little note.And some of us told me this beforeand I've started actually doing it,but you said when you need an answer,you go to Google andyou type it in, right?Have you startedtrying that with chatTPT?I have.Yeah, and what do you find,what are you liking better?Are you enjoyingGoogler and trying to getall these random webpages?Or are you finding chatTPT is giving youa more direct approach?I use more than those as tools.I use them in collaboration togetherbecause I understand the value.Or maybe I don't understand it.But to myself, I will always evolve.I'm always seeking something better.I assume that I'm an idiot.That is how I go into my day.Because there is always something,but there's always more to learn.I don't know your job.I don't know that guy's job.I do not know how toput a proposal togetherfor a contract.So it's, I can't know everything.So when I'm looking for stuff,I take advantage of everything.But then I also crossreference and review and analyze.I don't take it at face value.Not even the stuff Ifind off the internet.Because I have foundthings written by peoplewho know what they're talking about.But maybe, they just kind of,just one idea went inthe wrong direction,not the wrong direction,in a different direction.And now this doesn't make sense.So, okay, I'm gonna go andlook at the other things.So my answers aren'tsingular, it's very granular.And that's how I usedsoftware to find things as well.And I've learned to notreally trust AI systems,because I trust it,but also I've asked itto write list routines for AutoCAD.And I'll ask the exact same questionto multiple different interfaces.And they'll usually giveyou a different answer.And like one out of six work.It's better now, it'sdefinitely better now.They're getting more accurate.The programming aspect is getting better.But you still have to validate.You still have to review.It's just a tool.So, like I've pros and cons.Yeah, no it is. You've gotta be willing.Oh, 100%.Like, even the program,like I use it every day.Like I write up scripts,hey, I respond in email.Sometimes I'll run it through,but I'll take the first crack at it.I'm not just gonna let it do it.100%.And then just see,sometimes it comes backwith some ideas like, oh,I like what you're doing.I like where you'respinning this and that.But again, even like, you know,mundane tasks like this,like I'm gonna get anice transcript from this,you know, from this, you know,from using this tool called Reversideto do with this recording.It's gonna give me show notes,which are pretty much bang on.We could rewrite it to the cows come homeat the end of the day,but like it's doing the job.It's doing that transcription.And I think those are the thingsthat we can get into those habits.You know, that's where youcan help speed up your job.It's not gonna, youknow, it's not gonna...Take your job.Yeah, it's not gonna take your job, like,but it's gonna justhelp you in that sense.And just again, it goes back to the time.Do you wanna transcriptthis, you know, this podcast?Or do you wanna go do other stuff?I wanna go do other stuff, right?I wanna be on the yacht playing tennis.Exactly.Yeah, we could do both.So I like that idea.But you hit somethingthat I feel stronglyabout the AI system is Iuse it for an assistant.So it's just, I don'tusually have a lot of peopleto talk to or bounce my ideas off ofbecause like people are always like,"What are you doing?What are you thinking about?"And it's just like, youdon't think about this stuff?Okay, so if I'mworking, I will just start,I will just start by saying,I'm gonna give you a bunch of notes.I don't want a response.Just please accumulate my data.And I'll start my chat that way.And it's like, all right,please provide the information.And I'll just research, type in my notes,research, type in my notes.And they'll say, please give me a summaryof the information thatI have just given you.And it'll give me a summary.It'll be like, okay,well, I'm trying to do this.Can you ask me some questions?And then I can answerto help build this out.And then it'll ask me some questionsand I'll do some, Iuse it as an assistant.Cause I don't have an assistantand I can't forward an assistant.Nope.Other people are gonnause AI however they need to.But once you realize thatthe tool is made to support youand to help you andyou take advantage of it,it's not real.It has no feelings.Don't be upset if youhave, I've sworn at it.I yell at it and I said, this is stupid.I don't want this.And like, I treat itlike it would be, you know,I don't treat people that way.You know how nice I am.Okay, good.But I'm not polite with itbecause I don't needto be polite with it.Actually I'm Canadian.So I still even write please.Can you please write this?And it's like, it has no feelings,but yeah, I know I'vedone the same thing.Oh gosh.But with speaking of no feelings,that's a great segue into CA.(laughing) Yeah, are you getting a lotinvolved in the CA these days?Are you working with groupsthat have the CA kind of going?So it has been growing more and morethat I've beenexpanding my resources at work.So SEMA is a massive companyand we have a ton of employeesand I am assigned tocurrently like 90 projectsbecause BIMS services,I'm not doing the design.So I'm in theresupporting you across the board.Please make sure yougive me your project numberwhen you call.Right, yeah, how would have all that?That's a lot.So you're just kind of, yeah,you're floating between each one,assisting, helping on,making sure that they'refollowing this, you know,from a quality control perspective.And they have the datathat they need, yeah.Or like, so my integration with the CA'shave been growing the last few monthsand I've been building arelationship with them.And originally it juststarted with desktop connector.Some people's desktop connectors,cash just need to be cleared.And I was just easily available.But I'm very personal, you call meand I'm gonna make you feel good.Not because that's my job, I genuinelywant you to be okay.If you're calling me,you're not calling mebecause you're having a beautiful day.You're calling me because it's badand you need somebodyto help get out of it.So that's something, youknow, unique to BIM services.Like you're almost atherapist, like in a sense.Counselor, referee.Right, so I've supported,I'm supporting theconstruction team and it's growing.So right now it's still in its infancybecause you have to build that trust.They weren't used to talking to somebodyin my role and my capacity.So you got to buildthat new collaboration,that new connection with them.And it starts with trust andit starts with understandingand it starts with listening.What's your problem?How can I help you?And BIM services, that's data centric.So what are they generally looking for?Data.So we're just, you know, I'mjust a bit, whatever you need,let me help you find it.And now they don't haveto go bug a project managerwho doesn't understand,they understand a lot.Sometimes I can't believewhat a project manager has to do.But when it comes downto the design portion,that's a lot more.So that's where I'mcoming to bridge that gapbetween our designersand our construction teamand making sure that they have theresources they need.What do you need?What do you even need?I have no idea.Please tell me.And then I will make sure that we canproduce that for you.So something I like to tell people is,somebody elseshouldn't have to do somethingto use your work.You are responsible for your own work.When I hand it to you, you should be ableto just do your job.Because my job is to makesure you can do your job.So if you have to redo my stuff,I did not do my job properly.Yeah, well, that's the thing.It's like you walkinto my office and say,"Hey, Matt, there's all this, you know,all these problems."And then you walk away and it's like,"Hold on, these are not my monkeys.You're gonna take these back with you.And this is your thing."And that's exactly whatyou're kind of saying,is that, "Hey, I'll help you assist,but I am not taking overthat ownership of that.That's still your ownership.You gotta follow through."And if it's not done bythat five o'clock deadline,you might be staying late, right?But I'm not gonna takethe ownership of it, right?No, and you have totake ownership for, yeah.Oh, 100%, yeah.And it's taking away that bias around it.Like, "Well, I did my job andthey should just do theirs."And I know most people don't think this,but there is that mentality out there.It's like, "No, take pride in your work."Be respectful of what it isbecause that is a reflection of you.So if I have toconstantly clean up your stuff,if I constantly have tofix your stuff, I'm sorry,but that's going to be my opinion of you,is how I have to deal with whatinformation I get from you.So I try and do that myself.And even I fail at thatsometimes because no one's perfect.I forget to do things.I mess up a lot.So we all mess up a lot.100%, like over the last probably decade,I think, you know, empathyis something that I, you know,I never really understoodwhat that word was before, right?And now I'm really starting to tell you.And I think like SimonSinek did a lot at Bernie Round.You know, they've got alot of great, you know,the episodes and books and all about thatand kind of what empathy is.And it is really like whensomeone is making mistakesrather than kind of getting on them,it's just going, "What's going on?"You know, like, "Whyis this not working?"You know, "Help me understand."And you know, everyone'sstory is different, right?Now we're going into a counseling sessionwith this podcast.But the plan is, is it could be somethingmuch deeper than that.Like there could be a reason why.And it's, you know, basically crawlinginto that hole with themand kind of going, "What's going on?How can I help you?You know, you've got such potential,but you got to, we'regoing to do this together.We're going to sit in this hole together.And we're going to get you out together."That kind of stuff.And again, it ties into that.But I think that's where theone thing kind of, you know,sparked my interest aswhen you were talking.And I think it's so cool that you arebeing pulled in all throughthese differentprojects that, you know, again,the 80, 90 projects here in differentlife stages of them,like from the early days of Scrammatic,them drawing just simpleboxes, doing shadow studies to,"Hey, we're in CDs now.So now thanks for drawingthis crazy box in the sky,how are we actually going to build it?And now you're, andhow do we model in Revitand all these programs?"And, you know, again, even the middle ofthe fun presentationsand the renderings.And then like I said, you're into the CAside where they're doing it.And now they didn't,you know, unfortunately,details didn't get drawn during the timeand RFI was triggered.You come in, you know,helping with, you know,the team to basicallyget that detail properlyand issue out that siteinstruction and the way it goes.So I think that's really cool.And that's, you know, it kind of goesinto like, you know,the training and the innovation thatwe're, you know, pushing for.You're pushing for throughthe GANS and the user groupsand cheerleading and going on.And, you know, the need forindustry-wide collaborationto support change and growth, you know,like thoughts on that.Like how can we worktogether better, you know, again?Yeah.My first thing, and it's kind of kind ofseemed like I'm going to the end,but it really is the beginning.Embrace your failures.Embrace your failures.Celebrate them.Do not be ashamed that something youattempted didn't work.Celebrate the factthat you took that riskand that it didn'twork because, you know,they're a success without failure,but is there truesuccess without failure?Because what have youlearned if you succeed instantly?OK, great. It worked. Fantastic.I'm super happy about that.But when I fail, I get to grow.I get to learn.So I want people to bring that into theworld by like not just continuingeducation and mentoringand sharing knowledge,but also that mentality about failure aswell, because there that is a huge partof all of this. Youreducation is failure is part of that.So, you know, getting into the educationpart, OK, ask the question againbecause I want to makesure that I get off track.I think that was great.I thought it was really come together.And I you're OK.I know the way youopened it about failure.You're absolutely right.And again, lots of individuals, otherpodcasts that I listen to and booksand everything like you're right, like,you know, it's it'slike your stock market.You know, you're going to have thefailures, you'regoing to have up and grossand stuff like that. And every little,you know, every step of the wayand you do that dip and everything.But when you that's the thing, when wekind of narrowly mineinto this little tiny area and I'm tryingto explain this, you know,by words because we'rethe ones that are listening.But basically, as you're going throughthese things, you are going to stumble,you're going to fall, you're going totrip down a couple of steps.But then you're going tokeep going up and you get it up.And then you're going to trip again.You get it. Maybe one day you're going tohave a really bad day.You're going to have a bad month. Right.You know, again, doesn't matter if it'sin design or whatever.You've just hit it or right.You've got you got aproject that's just not coming.You got a bad contract or whatever thecase is that things are not going reallywell. But again, you're going to getyou're going to start back climbing.And now if we like we zoom out, you know,we take a, you know,a thousand feet backwards and look atthis picture of where you've come from.It's not perfect. It's nota it's not a rocket ship up.It's not how it works.And, you know, if you nevertry anything, you never know.And that's the thing, like with jobcareers, with life,you know, like, you know,again, you know, you both you and I havekids and everything.And that's like, oh, I don't want to dothat. I want to do that.It's like, have you ever done it? No.Well, let's try it out.And then holy smokes.It may be the newest,coolest thing, right?You know, maybe maybe if you werepetrified, I don't want to go through,but I don't want to go through it.Well, maybe you go scuba diving one time.You go try it in the pool and you'relike, oh my goodness.And next thing you know,this is your new passion.You don't know until you try.And yeah, you're going to fail.And sometimes failing sucks because it'sgoing to be a financial burden.It's not going to bejust like, oh, I failed.It's like, oh my goodness, I failed.And I'm hitting, you know, I'm startingpre-coast lock bottom,but you'll get there.And again, it's all aboutattitude and what you do.And that's kind of like what I'm hearingfrom you, too, is just pushing.So you answered the question just fine.Come on.That was awesome.All right.But here's a good challenging thing isbecause again, right now, yeah,in SEMA Plus and everything,you've got the whole group.Again, that's the architects, that's theengineers, the consultants, right?Then on the other side of the fence isthere's the contractors.In all your experience with some of theseuser groups or what you're doingor like the conversations in terms ofmentorship and growth,do you find that there's like a gap wherewe have both of them in the same room?You know, it's kindof, you know, it's yeah.Yeah.So my I am part of the Autodesk big roomand they're the ones that are actuallysponsoring and collaborating with me onmy a tip a day project.So I have a very goodrelationship with them.But it is a unique user group because Ido have a lot ofpeople, BIM services in there,but there's a lot of contractors.Because the focus is ACC and ACC build ishuge in there and thedigital builders podcast.So like very big over there.But I go to any of my other user forms.I don't think I can I don't think there'sa single construction administrationperson in any of them.And I'm not saying there isn't.There could be, but not at the forefront,not of the ones thatare answering questions,not that the ones that are engaging.But over on this one,they are so engaging.And it's actually what mademe so much more passionate.I'm going I'm going to attribute a lot ofthis actually to thebig room for me startingthose relationships withthe construction group.Like, yes, they werecalling me to solve problems.But I realized that I had a lack ofknowledge that there was this wall.And I was like, oh, my.I think I need to address this.They're such a it's such a brilliantgroup of individuals whoare extremely passionateand knowledgeable that there aren't a lotof user groups out there for constructionprofessionals and to come across onewhere they were soengaging and with the activitiesand the interactions, it really allows usto communicate, worktogether and get together.And I and so I wish Icould see more of that.And I'm trying to take lessons that I'mlearning with the big roomand I'm using it to evolvemyself and to to build those thoseconnections, to build those relationshipswith my constructionteam, because there is no reason theyshould be in the dark.Why are we not they do talk?I'm not saying that it's a complete likebefore me, no one ever talk.It's just that I had neverstarted that conversation.I had never started that relationship.So I'm putting the effort into it.That was a failure on my part.And am I going to sit there and nevertalk to them because Ididn't talk to them forno.I reached out and I said,hey, I have some questions.What do you do?And and that's where it all began.So I really am excited tosee kind of things evolve.And I hope, you know, even with this,because, you know, I'vebeen services, which isn'tspecifically construction.You know, maybe some new audience membersmight hear this or be like, you know, whoam I not connected with?It doesn't have to beyour construction team.Maybe it's your procurement team.I'm not sure you should have aconversation with them.We should all work together.There's a reason it'scalled collaboration.That's right.And I agree.And like I was a few weeks ago, I was onthe constructionbrothers podcast with Tyler andEddie.And I don't know if you'vekind of checked them out.Really, you know, great guys.They always publish stuff.Yeah.But yeah, they one thing that we talkedabout, we got on a good,you know, went on a goodrole.And but it is like the synergy betweenlike I've been on jobswhere it's like contractors,architects and, youknow, it's just not cool.Right.It's it's but I've been on the projectswhere we are a team as one.Right.And then the owner is just is such agreat relationship whenyou can be on that thing.Yeah, there was time there was mistakesand stuff like that.And we had to pay for it.But we did it in a way thatwas business and professional.There wasn't emotions to it.And by having that synergy, really,really, truly work together.We in this case, it wasn't too crazy,but, you know, it was amultimillion dollar daycareproject and it was being built during theworst time duringsupply chains and covid,like every like every day,like prices were going up.The big thing in the industry at the timefor us and B.C. was distribution panels.Right.So you could even get like before being athree month lead timenow was like turninginto 14 months.So, well, the reality is you can'tenergize your buildingto go for substantial.So you just hit a dead wall and, youknow, it just sucked.But this group managed to work and thenthere was rooftop units.We couldn't get that.And then they were finding ones.And again, they're like, youneed to read the shop drawings.We would jump on to it to makesure that things were moving.And they were being so proactive.And again, if you've got thatrelationship, you can seeprojects just, you know, justblossom, be amazing.And then at the end of the day, when youdo wrap up the project,you do crack open thatchampagne and you are literally smilingand you're not likegrinding your teeth likeyou have.That's a good project.Like you were, you guys came together andI think that's a cool attitude.It's a great outlook andit's the best way to do it.No, 100%.Yeah.And we need to connect as individualsbecause we're goingto work together again.The fact that you worked on with thatperson once a very strongchance, unless you leavethe industry or change jobs or, you know,go somewhere thatdoesn't interact with thatgroup of people, you're probably going towork with that individual again.So would you rather that be pleasant andbeing able to shareknowledge and learn fromeach other?Because again, that's whatit's going to come down to.I need to learn to work with you.You need to learn to work with me.So that's honestly, that's how I look atevery day, everyconversation, because I know Ilearned something, multiple things everyday and people arelike, Oh, I haven't learnedsomething new in like a week.It's like, how I turn on my computer.I learned something new.I seek.Maybe that's my personality.You need to learn one thingat bare minimum every day.100%.I agree.And that brings us into retention, right?Retention of actualknowledge and everything.And one thing that, you know, the goodold COVID did is itreally forced a lot of peopleto retirement.A lot of guys in this, like more on theconstruction side, they were holding on.They were still making money.They were enjoying.They were having fun.Maybe they did less hoursand hired their younger stuff.And then COVID came andthey went, screw this.I'm done.Like I've, I've, and that really quicklyescalated a lot ofretirees overnight in that sense.And so, and the same thing with, youknow, architects and consultants.The reality is people are retiring, newgenerations coming in.So addressing the knowledge gap betweenthose, you know, what isyour record for any, andwe have a lot of young architects thatlisten to this podcast.What are, what would be yourrecommendation for a young architecttrying to seek knowledge?Where are they going?TikTok, or they go onto user groups?Where would you say?Oh gosh, please don't go to social media.Like, but not in a sense,like don't go to social media.Like you have LinkedIn, you have thatstuff, but TikTok is notgoing to have your answer.There are going to be professionals outthere that do post onTikTok, but that's not comingup in your algorithm unlessyou put a lot of effort into it.So but in school, getconnected to user groups.Now you are having problems in school.You are trying to do your design.You're trying to like ease that test sothat you can pass withgood grades or whateverit is.Don't just go to Google, go to user formsspecializing in thosetopics and join multiple.Get connected to a community now becausethe community that yougrow now is going to supportyou in your future because the peoplethat I have madefriends with, the connectionsthat I have made, this, thoserelationships you'reforging, those are going to help youin your career.I have problems at least once a week thatI'm messaging myAutodesk expert elite colleaguesbecause you know, there's not a lot ofus, but we specializein certain fields and Iwill message them saying,guys, what's going on with this?Can somebody help me?And then either they answer it or theysend me somewhere else.I didn't get that from my career.I got that from joining user groups, frombuilding mycommunity, from building thoserelationships.Don't think that youhave to wait to get a job.Start now.And then when you're looking for a job,you're going to havethose people to be like, hey,this person's amazing.You should hire them.It's about building a family, yourprofessional family.And if I can give any advice to anybodyis build yourprofessional family now becauseyou know, some of the people I'mconnected to now have beenin the industry for 25, 30years.So have I.But you know, are just like maybe 10years older than I am.So I'm able to learn and grab theirknowledge, speaking tothem, reach out to these people.If they're on those forums, they're mostlikely willing to talk toyou or message you or makeyou join a group with themso that you can get connected.Like community is the biggest thing.But if you don't want a community and youwant to do it on yourown, there's successthere.You're going to haveto work a lot harder.Maybe you're cool with that.But it's so much better with people whocare so much better with.It's perfect.I totally agree.Because like, again, I'm dating myselfmany, many, many years ago.That's good enough.We'll stick to that.But yeah, at BCIT, they had anauto desk user group meeting.Everything happened once a month and Igot my motorcycleripped out to the campus andthere and got to meet.And at first it's so intimidating.It's like anything.It's walking in a big room.These guys have been friends.You know, they're joking.They're joking.Like, I have no ideawhat you're talking about.You've got to know everything going.And eventually, as you know, the second,the third, the fourth,you started meeting oneon one.Everyone's very welcoming to that.But you're right.It's a new community.And what it like, it's the start of yournetwork into your new career ofarchitecture and designand all these things.And sure enough, like the proof in itwas, yeah, I did there.I got connected.And I had already had my jobafter school and everything.But I, you know, there was one job.I was just like, thisisn't what I wanted to do.This is not what Iglamored architecture to be.And then because of that user groupconnection, I get a callout of Blue from a little goodfriend, Dan McKinnon.And he's like, whatare you doing right now?Why don't you come work with me?Right.And that was my introduction to becomingan Autodesk reseller at the time.And that opened up a thousand differentdoors where meetingarchitects and training themand implementingRevit as an early adopter.And then next thing youknow, I was working from RC&A.And the rest of the whole history of mycareer kind of blossomed from it.So it is, like you said, it is a familyand on its own and it'sa network opportunity.And still today, these days, I still, youknow, meet all these people.It's all part of your career.It's all your stepping stones and yourjourney and a hundred percent.What do you think about firms anddocument and transferring this knowledge?Again, there's all this mentorship.You're doing it already.But right now it's just kind of you'redoing one on one, one on one times.Are you doing any way to document, to putit into like, youknow, standards of protocoland SOP document, right?You know, and that like, are you so itkind of gets retained onsome intranet or you knowwhat I mean?Like, what's the best way?Like, you know, like that was kind oflike with CA, like there'sjust not a lot of knowledgeout there.That's why I started the podcast.What are you guys doing as a firm to kindof help retain thatknowledge and, you know,make some kind of documentation to giveit to young peoplewhen they start, you know?Yeah.And so we are working on documentationand it comes with likepassionate individualsbecause you know, you can you can tellsomebody their job is tomake SOPs for procedures.But you need somebody who recognizes thatthere is a lack ofresources and a passionto be able to, you know, actually want tosit down and createcontent that is educationalbut engaging becausethat is very difficult.So I agree that, you know, making itstandard procedure to have thisdocumentation but pickingthe right people and maybe look at thepeople who are showingthat interest, asking aboutthe information.Where is this?Why can't I find this?Oh, I found this and they'rethe ones out there sharing.If you're going to if you're going todesignate those roles tosomebody, make it somebodywho's demonstrating to you that theywould be interested in doing it.Maybe they don't think they can.So we're starting that and just goingthrough our procedures, right?You know, we have a certain way that wegeo reference our Revit models.And there is a way they're used to usedto have to take it like Revit from ECC.You had to take itoff the cloud to do it.But there is a way to do it cloud basedand just making surethat people understand thedifferent ways to navigate the softwarebecause not that thatinformation isn't actually veryfine.It's quite difficult.So making sure that we have consistentinformation because something I tellpeople is regardlessof the software you use, regardless ofwhere you came from,your skills or background,I shouldn't be able to tell thedifference between yourdrawing, my drawing and Joe'sover there drawing.I don't care if you're using Revit,AutoCAD, SketchUp andMicroStation in the same projectin the same project.I shouldn't be able to tell thedifference between any of them.When I put it into a PDF, it should justlook the exact same.So making sure that thoseresources are available.So we have a lot of that documentation,but there's alsospecialties that people hadn'tstopped to consider that if you lost thatknowledge, then how doesthe next person proceed?Think about that.If this person leaves, retires, quits,whatever, it's by a busbecause things happen.Those buses, I swear.Those buses, geez.What's the joke?Is it the train or the trolley?The trolley equation.So if you've got an old man on one trackand you've got a bunchof kids on the other, whatdo you do with the trolley?That's horrible.And everybody will...Yeah, but the answer is even more morbid.You're the one who goes with the trolley.Why would you sacrifice other people?Almost being willing to sacrificeyourself, but everybodyhas their own opinion aboutthat question.Think of that in the same way that you'reretaining that knowledge.If you don't have this knowledge andpeople retire, it's gone.What are the new people going to have?Don't beat the trolley that goes off thetrack and nobodyknows what to do with it.Make sure that you have those resources.And then ask those people in those weirdjobs, what do you even do?How do you even navigate these projects?And then document that.Maybe you have a call with them, turn ona transcriber, and let them just talk.There's so many ways to retain knowledge.Those people who are retiring, maybe ifyou know they're goingto retire in a year, youset up biweekly meetings with them andyou start asking themquestions and you starttranscribing it.I don't know what you need to do, butthere is no excuse inour day and age, with ourtechnology and our availability, that anyof this information should be lost.I 100% agree.Absolutely.And what are you guys doing formentorship programs?I was at AI Aspire and they were talkingabout this group would beonce every week and havelunch or something like that.Or one of the clients I work with inVancouver, every odd lunchthey'll do, they'll talk CA.They're kind of litand that kind of stuff.What are you guys doing in time?We have a mentorship programand I am currently a mentor.I haven't had a mentee yet, so we're onlyon our second session.They started it just after I had showedup and I instantly signed up.I actually asked if I could go mentee andthey're like, "No,you need to go mentor."I was like, "Oh, okay.Sure, whatever."So I applied for that, but you have to beconnected to theright person and I held nogrudges.You didn't choose me?That's perfectly fine because maybe myvalues didn't align towhere you wanted to go.That is not thepurpose of being a mentor.I am available if needed and if notneeded by all means.No hard feelings becausethat's not the purpose of it.On Monday, we had what was called acoffee chat forInternational Women's Month for thisyear.I met with two colleagues from work andwe just had a greatconversation about strugglesfor women in the industry and just had agreat natural talkbetween the three of us.We weren't solving world problems, but itwas nice to be like,"We are all differentat different stages in our careers, butthere's a lot of similarities."It was humbling tolearn that you're not alone.Other people are dealing with this andthat was really what itwas about, just hearingeach other's stories and connecting withnew individualsbecause you're building a newrelationship.They're adding to my community.CMA Plus is very passionate about openingup those questionsregardless of the topicand making them accessible for everybodyat the company andmaking it a safe environmentfor us to be able toconnect with each other.You're not justconnecting with another designer.You might connect with a director.You might connect with a project manager.You might connect with other peopleacross the companybecause people always wonder whyI have no problem talking to anybody.I don't care if you're the CEO.I don't care if you're the president.I care.Congratulations.Good for you.Or the custodian or whatever you are.We're all human.We're all individuals and we're all justtrying to get our job done.Just because your value is different thanmy value doesn't mean it's less.Especially a lot ofthem, especially custodians.Everybody high five your custodianbecause their value ismore than us in a lot of casesbecause your building wouldn't be able torun and function withoutyour facilities managementteams.I got a soft spot for them because it'san amazing group of people.Why connect with everyone?You're just an averagedude that has this job.You're going home to your family.You're having your life, butthis is just you professionally.Wonderful.You have no problem talking to that CEObecause you're just a person.You're just doing something a little bitdifferently than me, but you're stillinteresting, hopefully.That's right.But again, it's all the assembly line.Like looking at an average car, everyoneplays an important role.Like I said, even the custodian, theperson that's keepingthe place clean so no one'stripping that they're doing their job,they're doing itreally well in that sense.You're the guy that's painting, puttingthe doors on, someonethat's putting the doorframe on, that final deco,that attention to detail.There's that one individual that's doingthat and you're right.It's all part of bringing together anddesigning and bringingthe right product at the endof the day and that'sthe buildings that we do.All everything goes into it.Everyone plays a role.I know like a younger generation getsreally fed up becausethey just want to be part ofthe big fun, the schematic and they don'twant to get into the details.It's like, well, that's okay.Being a part of those detailsis where it all comes together.It's all about where that molding isgoing to terminate intothis piece of millwork toensure that you don't open the door andyou're hitting piece of millwork.All those details, you may not feel like,oh, it's worth or whatever, but it is.You bringing it to the light, whetheryou're at the beginningof the project or you'rethe guy that's being the field reviewerand you're rippingaround, ensuring that they'refollowing the drawings.All everyone's playing their part and notso important and it'sso critical and it'sso needed.I actually did a talk a couple of weeksago and it's alltaken pride in your work.It is.It totally is.You already said thattoday and just re-expressed it.So no, thank you forsaying it because yeah, 100%.It's all in the process.We're all in this together.We are.We literally are in that boat.Yeah.So here you go.Because we're coming up to the hour in asense, but your soapboxmoment, your 30 secondselevator's pitch, you know, what does theindustry need to hear right now?Be open minded, be willing to askquestions, share your knowledge,regardless if you thinkit has value, you don't know who's goingto find value in it.And there is no responsibility on yourpart or their part toreplicate what you've done,but to hopefully evolve and grow from itfor you to learn yourself.And you know, if somebody calls you,they're not calling youbecause it's a good day.The calling is because it's a bad day.And what if you were in that position?What would you do?You know, there's a reason why if youcall me, the first thingI say is how can I makeyour day better?Because that matters.And at the end of the day, Iwant you to go home, be happy.And I want to go home and be happy.So you know, I know this is acompassionate thing, but I think it isneeded in our industrybecause there used tobe a very clear divide.And I want people to, you know, be openminded and, you know, bewilling to see things throughother people's perspective.You don't have to change your mind, butyou need to be open to new ideas.So I know that's kind of like a very widething and maybedifferent than most peoplewould say.But, you know, we are all just trying todo a job and we'rejust trying to do the bestthat we can.I take a lot of heart into making surethat I don't makesomeone's day worse because Icouldn't deal with that.Well said.Well said.That was awesome.I think that's an awesomenote to end on this one.So I love it.Absolutely.Thank you for beingon the show, Christina.Where can people find you?You know, I get a lot of places, butwhere can they find you?So start at LinkedIn.That's just the easiest place to go.I am very active on the Autodeskcommunity blog as well.I write articles forthem when I have time.I'm also a board of director for AugieInc. and I writearticles for Augie magazine, butI post all of that on LinkedIn.And you know, that's just my professionallocation to find anything that I'm doing.And you know, if you're sitting there andyou have a tip ortrick about some Autodesksoftware that you are passionate about,look into the tip of dayproject that is communitydriven initiative and it's meant to shareknowledge and it's meantto bring people together.And that's that's my entire goal for 2025is just opening thosedoors for more people.So yeah, if you would like to know more,just head over to LinkedIn.Nice.Oh, thank you.Yeah.I appreciate being on the show.We're going to definitely do this again.I'm hoping to go to Nashville forAutodesk University 2025.So waiting for thatcall to speakers moment.So I'll definitely be applying, but yeah,most likely we'll be out there and yeah.And I know you will be there of course,and we'll be pullingall the podcasts gear withme on the planes.I'm going to get allchecked through security.It's just the way they love doing it.They always do that process.But yeah, in wrapping this episode up toall the listeners andeverything, it's been fantastic.It's great mentorship, lots of resourcesfor everyone to go to.And I think that's very powerful.And but yeah, no,thank you so much again.So in saying that last month, at leastuntil next time, architects keepdesigning contractors,keep making those blueprints reality.We'll see on the next one.

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