ENR Critical Path Podcast

A special ENR red carpet podcast

ENR editors Aileen Cho and Jeff Yoders went live at the ENR Newsmaker award ceremony in NYC on March 31. They spoke to current and past honorees and veterans of the event, including Chris Andrews (pictured) to get their thoughts regarding the big day. Related link: ENR Top Newsmakers 2021

Burcin Kaplanoglu

While attending the grand opening of Oracle’s Innovation Lab in Deerfield, Ill., ENR Technology Editor Jeff Yoders talks with Dr. Burcin Kaplanoglu—the co-founder of Oracle’s new facility—in a lively discussion about the challenges and issues surrounding technology in the construction industry.

Breaking New Ground in Data Centers with Solar Construction

Data center owners are increasingly seeking sustainable solutions for their facilities. PCL Construction experts share the role of solar power in building data centers of the future, and the benefits of their combined sector experience. Sponsored by: PCL Construction

Sam Mann on turning trauma into triumph

ENR Executive Editor Jan Tuchman and Senior Editor Aileen Cho talk to Mann about his journey from refugee camp in Thailand to construction executive in America.

Carlos Braceras, on never getting “there.”

ENR Editors Aileen Cho and Jeff Yoders talk to Utah DOT leader about innovation, leadership and IIJA.

Richard Korman

Richard Korman on ‘The Verdict’ story

ENR Transportation Editor Aileen Cho interviews her longtime colleague Richard Korman, who authored a compelling story of tragedy, trials and an asphalt contractor.Read the story here.

Gerry Salontai

ENR Senior Transportation Editor Aileen Cho chats with former Kleinfelder leader Gerry Salontai about his new venture to save the world.

Dr. Scott Arias

Dr. Scott Arias is a veteran who overcame a motorcycle accident that took his left leg and getting injured in Iraq to create Ace Consulting, a now $15-million company that helps contractors meet owner requirements, especially on government and military projects. He speaks with Aileen Cho and Jeff Yoders about how he grew his business, his passion for teaching and how his personal faith helped him get through the most difficult times.

Kenneth B. Canty

Construction veteran Ken Canty speaks candidly about racism—as well as his love for the industry—with ENR editors Aileen Cho and Scott Judy.

Maria Lehman

ENR Editor-in-Chief Jan Tuchman and Senior Transportation Editor Aileen Cho talk to the incoming president of ASCE, one of the world’s largest engineering societies, about the $1-trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, her day job as GHD’s Infrastructure Market Leader and encouraging more diversity in the industry.

Colby Manwaring

Jeff Yoders and Aileen Cho discuss the water challenges and opportunities engineers and contractors face with Innovyze CEO Colby Manwaring. The engineer and water management technology executive also talks about cybersecurity, big data and the, well, rough waters that the sector faces even with funding from the infrastructure bill set to help.

Dr. Shawn Wilson

ENR Editors Aileen Cho and Jeff Yoders talk to a champion of equity and partnering who just made history as the first Black president in the 106-year history of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Sofia Berger

ENR Editor-in-Chief Jan Tuchman and Transportation Editor Aileen Cho chat with a member of a storied engineering family who now heads WSP’s transportation group. She was one of ENR’s 2019 Top 20 Under 40 Professionals.

An ENR Editor’s Epic Experience in Turkey

ENR Transportation Editor Aileen Cho gets queried by fellow podcast host Jeff Yoders on what it was like to cover the world’s longest suspension bridge.Read the article here.

First-Of-Its-Kind Modular Move At DFW Airport

Learn how a team moved an entire 80,000-sq-ft concourse into place in 10 days, navigating an active airfield.Related Article

Ebru Ozdemir

ENR Editors Aileen Cho and Jeff Yoders talk to Ebru Ozdemir, whose firm is involved in the construction of the world’s longest suspension span. Ozdemir is a global citizen and tireless advocate for diversity and inclusion in construction.Read the article here.

Jack Dangermond

Jack Dangermond invented GIS mapping and co-founded Esri to enable better understanding of environmental science and how the environment interacts with the human population. Esri is now bringing GIS data into BIM, and vice versa, thanks to ArcGIS GeoBIM, a new technology platform that lets engineers and architects better understand both sets of data in context.

Karthik Venkatasubramanian

Karthik Venkatasubramanian has a whopper of a name – and of knowledge regarding artificial intelligence and machine learning in construction. The Oracle vice president and recent FutureTech speaker discusses technology trends with ENR Editors Aileen Cho and Jeff Yoders.

Tony Bond

ENR editors Aileen Cho and Jeff Yoders chat with Tony Bond (no relation to the 007 agent), the new president and CEO of BOND Brothers Inc. (ENR New York’s Specialty Contractor for 2020). Tony was named one of ENR New England’s Top Young Professionals for 2015 and represents the fifth generation of this family-owned 114-year-old company. He chats about the venerable past of the company and the diverse future of the energy market.

Dianne Lee

Three Asian American women in construction swap tales of their experiences – good, bad, and mostly good! ENR editors Aileen Cho and Eydie Cubarrubia interview Dianne Lee, Kitchell’s executive director of business development and strategy and an A/E/C transformational leader who tirelessly advocates for diversity and inclusion in the industry – while brokering billion-dollar deals, feeding the homeless, putting in a good word for yoga and plugging her new book, “Leveraging Stereotypes...

J.J. Eden

J.J. Eden, executive director of the N.C. Turnpike Authority, talks to us about the past, present and future of highway tolling and mobility. Your toll pass might be more than you ever imagined.

Blake Andrews

Wiss Janney Elstner Associate Director Blake Andrews talks to us about starting and managing a new London office during the pandemic, the changing face of structural fire protection in the UK post-Grenfell and how engineering problem solving, itself, is changing. We also discuss new materials and investigation techniques and how they are changing the way forensic engineers approach their work in the U.S. and U.K.

Jeannie Cullen-Schultz

After planning most of her life to be a college basketball coach, Jeannie Cullen-Schultz decided that while she loved the game, she did not want to make it her career. After discussions with her father, Mark, and several women in construction, she finished her educational leadership thesis while working on her second master’s degree in construction management and returned to her family’s business, JP Cullen in Janesville, Wis., as a fifth-generation owner and created the general cont...

Si Katara

Cofounder and president of HeadLight Si Katara has led his photo-based inspection technology to wide adoption by contractors and owners such as the Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development. The DOTD was already conducting a pilot project with HeadLight in 2020 when five hurricanes and power outages across the state after Hurricane Laura pressed it into service and employees were able to use HeadLight to view real-time updates from colleagues about the outages. Katara also di...

Reopening the Brent Spence Bridge

In fall 2020, a random truck collision caused a raging fire on the Brent Spence Bridge, closing the critical crossing. Hear how the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, aided by Michael Baker International, managed to reopen the bridge in 42 days.

Eric Foster

ENR California Editor Erica Berardi joins Senior Editor Aileen Cho to chat with Eric Foster about a venerable California company’s expansion to the East Coast.

John Hillman

ENR editors Aileen Cho and Jeff Yoders talk to the ENR equivalent of a Grammy Award-winning rock star. AOE winner John Hillman stars in “Where are they Now?” (and yes, he plays drums).

Avery Bang

A multiple-degree-holding 30-something, the outgoing CEO of Bridges to Prosperity reminisces about globetrotting adventures and chats about new entrepreneurial challenges

Bob Clark

Bob Clark has grown Clayco from a small St. Louis design-builder more than 30 years ago into an annual high performer on the ENR Top 400. In this ENR Exec Talk, he talks with Jeff Yoders and Aileen Cho about his Ride the Wave tour where he’s visiting all of Clayco’s job sites, how he founded the company on the premise of changing adversarial and antiquated processes, a bad call from OSHA on encouraging employees to get vaccinated and how far the industry still has to go to deliver th...

Brian Skripac

CannonDesign’s vice president and director of BIM and VDC programs tells us about levels of development, modular construction, how architects and contractors are creating more model-friendly contract documents that allow better collaboration in the design and construction process, the changing process of project delivery and how redesigning that process, itself, has become a challenge, and even a little about working remotely during the pandemic. 

Kristina Swallow

The director of the Nevada Department of Transportation talks about new highway and public works projects, navigating the maze of federal transportation spending, new ways to look at investment in infrastructure, MAP-21 and even a little about STEM and her inventive Twitter handle. 

Palmina Whelan

As managing director of American Airlines, Palmina Whelan guided strategic plans for airport master planning and development across the Northeast, Dallas and Central Regions of both the U.S. and Canada for 15 years. She managed more than $6 billion in capital construction and worked with contractors, designers, airport authorities and state and regional government stakeholders. She recently launched her new company, Palmina Whelan Strategic Solutions.

Michael McKelvy

The President and CEO of Gilbane Building Co. and former chief delivery officer at CH2M Hill Cos., Michael McKelvy talked with ENR Managing Editor Scott Blair about Safety Week 2021 (May 3-7), an event that he’s the chair of this year. McKelvy and Blair discussed this year’s theme, holistic safety and the importance of everyone at the job site being both physically and mentally present.

Randell “Randy” Iwasaki

The former executive director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and director of the California Dept. of Transportation is now leader of state and local transportation at Amazon Web Services. Randy Iwasaki spoke with ENR Transportation Editor Aileen Cho and Associate Technology Editor Jeff Yoders about new highway technology, robotics and autonomous vehicles and how to manage change in large organizations.

Diana Mendes

HNTB’s corporate president of infrastructure and mobility equity is responsible for shaping transportation and mobility equity policy through collaboration with federal, state and local agency leaders. Diana Mendes spoke with ENR Transportation Editor Aileen Cho and Associate Technology Editor Jeff Yoders about how transportation design can unite diverse neighborhoods, not divide them, how to recruit and retain diverse talent and even a project near and dear to her heart, the Washing...

Webcor CEO Talks Pandemic Response

Jes Pedersen, CEO and president of Webcor Builders, spoke with ENR senior editor Jeff Rubenstone about how his company is keeping workers safe and projects on track during the pandemic crisis. Recorded March 23, 2020.

Keith Clarke: Construction Must Rise to the Challenge of Climate Change

Former Atkins CEO Keith Clarke says the construction industry has to take the lead in tackling the problems of climate change and the broader decarbonization of the global economy. Interview by Debra Rubin, audio engineering by Jeff Rubenstone. Photo courtesy of Bentley