Southfield, Michigan-headquartered construction firm Barton Malow launched a podcast last week to engage its workers, clients and potential recruits in "untold stories from the jobsite." The podcast, "Said Differently," is focused on the stories and solutions that come out of the construction industry, rather than the nuts and bolts of how projects get done, according to a press release shared with Construction Dive.
"We wanted it to be something that’s engaging and fun," said Eric Fish, senior communications specialist with Barton Malow. He hosts the show along with fellow Barton Malow employee Rob Riley.
The debut episode details how a team of roughly 50 goats — dubbed the Goat Busters — cleared an invasive plant species from the company's The Center at Belvedere project site in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year.
Upcoming episodes will include discussions with women ironworkers, how the company tackled the challenging design of the Michigan State University art museum (which was inspired by a crumpled piece of paper) and how high-tech hardhats can help protect workers, according to Fish.
"Every project we’ve worked on has a great story to tell and many don't necessarily fit into the normal industry coverage," said Anna Cangialosi, Barton Malow senior manager of Branding + Communications in the press release.
"Said Differently" has been in the works for about a year, and the company has several goals for the project. It hopes to demonstrate its problem-solving capabilities to current and prospective clients, and to raise brand awareness outside of Michigan where the company is not as well known. It also hopes to use the podcast as a recruiting tool.
As the U.S. construction workforce ages, the company is trying a variety of approaches to bring in more youthful workers, like speaking at universities. Podcasts have exploded in popularity in the past decade, and their listeners tend to be young and digitally-connected, according to Forbes.
The construction industry offers a long list of podcasts looking at diverse topics from technology and commercial real estate to legislation and green building. Barton Malow is hoping "Said Differently" will appeal to this young audience and get them interested in going into the trades and construction industry.
For now, the team expects to release new episodes every other month, and the podcast will run indefinitely.
"There are more than 2,000 team members who can share ideas," Fish said. "We're just going to build on it and see where it takes us."
