When contractors, manufacturers and specifiers ditch the ego and do the work

In this bold roundtable episode, Rebecca sits down with Andy Oram of EH Smith, Dave Mills of Lyons and Annoot, and Matt Davies of Vandersanden, to ditch the scripts and talk real collaboration.

From cross-sector sustainability efforts to apprentice-driven innovation, these three aren’t just talking change, they’re building it.

Expect straight-up honesty about industry resistance, leadership ego, and what actually happens when competitors sit at the same table. This isn’t your typical corporate conversation.

It’s raw. It’s real. And it might just change how you lead.

🎧 What We Talk About:

• Why “Stop. Collaborate. Listen.” isn’t just a cheesy lyric

• The power of private ownership in leading change

• How Dave’s sustainability event brought competitors together and shook the industry

• Cross-pollination between contractors, manufacturers, and specifiers

• The dangers of echo chambers (including in women in construction circles)

• Why short-term ROI obsession is killing innovation

• What it really takes to shift culture in a slow-moving industry

• Letting apprentices lead the conversation

• Disrupting the old-school mindset: “I’d rather retire than do something different”

  
  

🔥 Standout Quotes:

“We did it for four years with zero benefit. But we did it because it was right.” – Dave Mills

“You can’t drive sustainability from an echo chamber.” – Rebecca Heald

“Collaboration opens doors you didn’t even know existed.” – Matt Davies

“Private ownership gives us freedom — we’re not slaves to shareholders.” – Andy Oram

💥 Why You Should Listen:

If you’ve ever tried to do something different in construction and been met with blank stares, eye-rolls or outright laughter, this episode is your call to keep going.

These leaders are proof that collaboration isn't soft, it's strategic.

And it might just be the thing that saves the industry.