The Power of Relationships in Construction with Craig Webb

Episode 65 • 14th December 2022 • Construction Disruption • Isaiah Industries

Craig Webb:

If you're building something like a hotel, modular makes a lot of sense, but if you're doing custom construction for a customer and the next day after they've decided on a plan, they watch Chip and Joanna do something on HGTV and they come back to you and say, Can we change this? Well, your answer in modular is, No, you can't. We already cut the wood.

Todd Miller:

: 00:00:35

Welcome to the Construction Disruption podcast, where we uncover the future of building and remodeling. I'm Todd Miller of Isaiah Industries, manufacturer of specialty metal roofing and other building materials. And today, my co-host is Seth Heckaman. How you doing today, Seth?

Seth Heckaman:

: 00:00:51

Doing well. How are you?

Todd Miller:

: 00:00:52

I'm doing well. I'm really excited about today's episode. Our guest is someone I have known by name for a lot of years. Had a lot of respect for. I know he knows our industry extremely well. And so I'm anxious to hear what he has to say. Before we start, though, I do want to remember to mention to our audience that we will be doing challenge words. So each of us here on the show today, our guest and Seth and I all have a challenge word to at some point work into our conversation today so you, the audience can be listening to see if you hear a word and you think, Oh, I wonder if that was the challenge word. At the end of the show we will announce whether or not we were successful in using our challenge words. So we have nearly 100% success rate on using challenge words and including a few overperformers who have managed to use everybody's challenge word in their conversation. But anyway, we look forward to that and see how it goes. So you ready to go Mr. Heckaman?

Seth Heckaman:

: 00:01:49

I am. Let's get rolling.

Todd Miller:

: 00:01:51

Cool. So today's guest is Craig Webb, president of Webb Analytics, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm that provides insights, data and connections to help construction supply insiders and investors make better decisions about where they go in this great industry of ours. Craig, thank you so much for joining us today on Construction Disruption.

Craig Webb:

: 00:02:16

Thank you very much.

Todd Miller:

: 00:02:17

Well, we will delve right into things. So I know, I first got to know of you again largely by name when you were editor of a couple of very notable Hanley Wood Publications. I remember you being involved with Remodeling Magazine and also Pro Sales. I'm curious, before finding yourself firmly cemented in the building materials and construction space, you really had a history as a journalist. You worked with several noteworthy media members, including The Wall Street Journal and others. You've covered politics, business. I think I read where you covered the fall of the Berlin Wall. We're certainly blessed to have you here as a great source of information for our industry. But I'm curious, what did you find so intriguing about the construction industry and the built space that caused you want to want to come here and make a home here for your career?

Craig Webb:

: 00:03:04

Well, I have to say that getting involved in construction supply and construction was a bit of an accident. I was in Washington, D.C. as a reporter, and this opportunity arose. But it didn't take long before I realized that in a sense, I was almost born for this job. When other kids, when they're young or, you know, they're drawing pictures of their mommy and daddy and their dogs or houses or something like that. I was drawing islands and putting railroads in roads and the like. So I guess logistics and the delivery of products was something that I cared about. Even when I was four or five years old. And it took me until I was 55 before I finally discovered my, I guess, my true calling.

Todd Miller:

: 00:03:50

Wow. That's interesting. And that's interesting, too, because I was always drawing buildings and like I did a little bit of where I would draw towns and roads and stuff. And so here I am as well. So that's fascinating. So I'm curious to hear a little bit about what you're doing now with Webb Analytics as a consultant to our industry. I know I follow you on LinkedIn and you're prolific in your posting there and your posts are always spot on and you always pull out some great insights and information. With Webb Analytics, what types of companies do you work with and what do you do for them?

Craig Webb:

: 00:04:25

There are about three or four different types of companies I work with. First, my specialty is the construction supply industry, the people who get the products from the factory gate and deliver them to the job site. That's my core audience, them's my folks. Then there's sort of an outer circle are the people who actually make the products and want to go in. And in many ways, the construction supply world can sometimes be a little mysterious to people who are not in it. As a result, I have become more or less what you might call the Lumberyard Whisperer, the person who helps explain this strange world and knows the secret handshakes to help get people involved. But years ago, I had a person say to me, Craig, I love everything you write because everything you write for me is either a threat or an opportunity. And in many ways what I do is I write about trends and threats and opportunities and provide that tactical information so that the people I serve can set strategy and hopefully get themselves a better business life.

Todd Miller:

: 00:05:34

Very interesting. So I know that a lot of times the folks you serve, you refer to them as building products dealers. Just to make sure our audience is all on the same page, can you kind of flesh out a definition a little bit more of what that means?

Craig Webb:

: 00:05:50

In my world and in the world of pro sales where I started, a dealer is a person who receives a product from either a distributor or directly from a manufacturer and sells that to the person who actually uses it on the job site or in their home. And then a distributor in my life, technically, is the person who gets the product from the manufacturer and then distributes that to the dealers who then go on and sell. Now, in a sense, it's all distribution that you get it from the manufacturer and it eventually goes to the customer. And for example, ABC Supply considers itself a distributor because they don't think of the roofing contractor as being the end customer. It's the homeowner who is the end customer in their mind. So they say, We're not a dealer, we're a distributor. It's all semantics in that sense. But I deal with as much of the supply chain, the people who are between the factory and using customer as my world. And so dealers and distributors are who I specialize in.

Todd Miller:

: 00:06:55

Gotcha. So a local lumberyard would be a dealer, I would assume.

Craig Webb:

: 00:06:59

Yeah, largely. The world sometimes is defined in terms of dealers as to whether you are a one-step dealer or a two-step dealer. And a one-step dealer frequently is such as a roofing company, and they get their products frequently directly from the factory. They plop them down in the the roofing companies yard, and then they sell shingles straight to the customer. Lumberyards frequently get a lot of their materials from a company that is buying them from the manufacturer and then distributing them to you. This is particularly the case with regard to co-ops or even people who are buying lots and lots of different widgets and gadgets and things and puts a small amount of them into a box and sends them to the store because you don't need it. They buy it in bulk and then they break down the load and send it to you. So that's a two-step distributor because it goes from the manufacturer to the distributor and then on to the dealer.

Todd Miller:

: 00:08:01

Very good, and I appreciate your explanation of that. I think it was, it's good for our audience. I know, you know, I've seen that change. I mean, I've had about a 40-year long career at this point in this industry and and I've seen some changes in those distribution channels and the nomenclature that we use and even the purpose sometimes that those distributors provide. I know early on, you know, I would sell to a distributor and they would be very involved going out and marketing the product. And then I kind of saw some pull back on that and saw them really perform almost just the function of a credit buffer in a lot of cases. But then also now I've seen a lot of the dealers, distributors get very heavily involved with job site delivery and it's simplifying things for the contractor also. And of course, there's real value there. So it's been interesting to see the changes and and how the different players have found their value and found their place in our industry over the years. So here we are, we are recording this at the very end of 2022. This will probably be publishing right at the end of the year. So much has happened over the last 2 to 3 years between world events, politics, the economy, the pandemic. The construction industry has felt like a bit of a roller coaster of expectations and a rollercoaster of work with ups and downs over the last three years. When you look at our industry, big picture, is there a big change that stands out to you and our industry that is going to have a forever impact that has come out of these last two, three years?

Craig Webb:

: 00:09:39

Yes. Looking back compared with, let's say, life in January of 2020. When you're at January of 2023, I think that the first thing that has happened in the last three years is that technology has increased dramatically at a lot of construction supply companies. The whole concept of buy, online, pickup in store did not exist beforehand. There's a lot more billing online, there's a lot more use of computers to help yourself out. Warehouse management systems are far more popular than they were just a few years ago, so there was almost a forced march into the world of technology that a lot of dealers and distributors had to get themselves into. The second trend, and I think it's permanent, is the notion that you don't always have to be at the store physically in order to do your job successfully. I think that we're seeing a dramatic increase in working from home, working remotely, hiring outside people to do work. And I think ultimately that's going to lead to a real, not quite an existential question, but sort of a question of what is it that we really do that provides a service to the customer? And do we have to do that ourselves or can we outsource it to other people? And then are there new things that are coming in that actually are going to take over and going to be what we're really known for?

Todd Miller:

: 00:11:10

That is very interesting, and I think everyone wants to be playing where those new things are going to be kind of like, you know, being where the puck is going, not where it is or where it was. Very interesting. So, you know, one of the things that we've also always all seen in our industry the last few years, there's been a lot of consolidation, some roll ups, acquisitions, a lot of really private equity money being thrown around in our industry. Almost sometimes feels like the private equity folks are seeing us as the last great frontier for financial investments and development of technology and automation. Is that something that you, I assume or expect to continue? Is it forever changing our industries? Any thoughts as far as where that might be going in future years?

Craig Webb:

: 00:12:00

Well, first, I do expect it to continue. In a sense. It's it's always happened that way. There was one fellow I knew who is in Bradenton, Florida, who was the branch manager of his store, and he stayed in that same physical location for 50 years. And over those 50 years, he had six different owners. So every few years, somebody new would buy the branch and put a new sign above the door. But he didn't move. And so this has been going on for decades and decades. Yes, and it will continue. There is sort of a consolidation, but also an atomization of the industry at the same time. And to explain that, what I mean is, is that, yes, we are having consolidations of of lumberyards one lumberyard is buying another. But we're also seeing a specialization occur. And, you know, some of the first great ones were the rise of the roofing specialist. Second, the rise of the siding specialist. Now we're seeing companies that are specializing in grouping people together, just in landscaping or just in outdoor living, or I'm starting to see people who are just specialized in selling decking, particularly decking and for docks at the same time. So that sort of thing is happening. And there are people there are startups still going on in this country right now. So it's not as if we're taking a finite number and reducing it. We're actually seeing in many ways openings, creations of new things all the time.

Todd Miller:

: 00:13:39

You know, it's interesting where you talk about that specialization/atomization. I love that word. Does that seem sustainable to you? I mean, that companies could always find that level of business in those specialized areas to be able to keep their doors open, I guess, to put it basically. Or do you think that perhaps in a economic downturn, we will see some of those things start to come back together again just so people have enough volume to stay in business?

Craig Webb:

: 00:14:08

Yes and yes, companies exist to meet a need, and when the need no longer is there, it goes away. One of the classic examples is that if you're out in Kansas or you're out in Colorado and there was a tornado that came through or a hailstorm, some company will walk in, they'll rent a lot, put up a fence and sell shingles out of it until the whole town has been reroofed and then they go away. Now, is that a bad thing? Is there a rule that that company has to stay there forever? No, it's just meeting a need. You know, when people move to a new town and you see a dramatic increase in the number of people living in, you know, Plano, Texas, or a city like that, there's more need. You can then maybe support a specialty dealer in a way that the general store no longer can supply at a good price. So you're finding that, you know, it's the same time I remember talking to a guy in Flint, Michigan, in, I think 2010 or thereabouts. He ran a lumberyard there and he said, you know, there used to be eight or nine lumber yards in Flint, Michigan. Now we're the only one. And I said, you know, how long have you guys had a recession there? And he said, Oh, the last 50 years.

Todd Miller:

: 00:15:34

Flint, Michigan.

Craig Webb:

: 00:15:34

Because the auto industry has been having that. So sometimes it goes in the other direction too. If there's money sloshing around and there's a need, then somebody is going to see an opportunity. And if the money stops sloshing, then people will walk away.

Todd Miller:

: 00:15:49

Yeah, yeah. It's very interesting. I think of a friend of mine by the name of Greg Barnett in Oklahoma. And, you know, he's very much done that. You know, when there's been a roofing market there because of the hailstorm or something, he's been able to open up and have the relationships to immediately become a dealer for roofing. And, you know, then when the market isn't there, it kind of quiets down a little bit. So it makes a lot of sense, especially when you're looking at these type of businesses that don't have a huge cost of entry to be able to to step into it and go through with it. So as we look at the consolidation and the changes and roll ups in the distribution channel supply chain over the last few years, and how do you feel about the impact that those changes are having on contractors or even on property owners, the end consumer? Do you feel it's good or bad? A little bit of both. Or it is what it is, maybe?

Craig Webb:

: 00:16:43

Well, I believe that the one of the major things that we're seeing construction supply companies try to do these days is make life easier for their customer and get to their customer where they are. And where that customer frequently is is nowhere near the lumber yard, nowhere near the roofing supply company. You talk to people and they want to have what they refer to as a seamless service, a frictionless service from their suppliers. They want the suppliers to be there when they need them. And they want they don't want to have to deal with the suppliers when they don't need them. They want access in the middle of the night to get information, to get a price quote, to be able to even order a product at 3:00 in the morning, you know, while they're bottle feeding their baby and watching Sports Center, you know, that sort of thing, because they want to be able to use their time during the day in the most efficient way. And going to the lumberyard and sitting at the contractor desk and eating popcorn and drinking coffee is not their idea of efficiency. So yeah, we are seeing that change. And once again, technology is helping that happen.

Todd Miller:

: 00:17:53

You know, it's interesting as I look at our business and we're a manufacturer of specialty metal roofing, we sell through contractors across the country and some beyond. But, you know, a few years ago, we kind of developed a strategy of largely selling direct to contractors in a lot of markets and felt that that was a good thing because we were able to meet their needs just as well. Our products were too specialized for most distributors to consider stocking. But, you know, now we're starting to hear more and more from them. Like, you know, I really I'd love it if you could deliver this for me. And, you know, that's hard for me to do that ten states away. So very interesting when you talk about that. As far as those changes, some people are thinking more about their time and the value of their time and how it's spent. Seth, you're never spending time at home taking care of babies and watching SportsCenter, are you?

Seth Heckaman:

: 00:18:46

No, never. So that sounded all too familiar. But Craig, in your intro, you had mentioned that you're known as the the one who knows the secret handshakes and the lumberyard and dealer world. And I chuckled and made note of it because it you know, from our end as a manufacturer, it has seemed that that world is so relationship-based and relationship centric. I'm just curious, is that feel or I guess, number one, do you agree? Second, is that feel changing with this consolidation? Is anyone lamenting that or is the guy in Bradenton, Florida, who's still been at the same counter for sixty years just kind of rolling through it, maintaining those relationships?

Craig Webb:

: 00:19:28

A little bit of both. One of the reasons why we have had relationships is that the supply chain was so lousy in terms of being able to deliver things on time and in full at the price you wanted. And so consequently you needed those relationships. You needed Joe at the at the lumberyard to help you because you were either bad at ordering or you forgot to order things or you missed out on something. And meanwhile, Joe at the lumberyard needed the Hank at the manufacturing site because he suddenly got an order that he had not expected to get. So you needed those orders, just like, you know, there are a number of cities in the United States where getting a building permit is so complicated, you basically have to hand it off to somebody who sits at the building permit office all day and knows how to talk to the people who are approving or disapproving of your plans. You know, there are there's an entire industry in Brazil that consists of nothing but working with the government. And so, you know, these things tend to happen in inefficient environments. Meanwhile, when you're buying a product from Amazon, there is no relationship. Your relationship is with the computer, but you don't mind because the computer takes care of things. Now, you know, if you suddenly discover that the the size 10 dress that you're wearing doesn't fit your size 12 body anymore, yeah, then you need to call somebody up who will say, Oh, yes, we'll take that back for you, you know, that sort of thing. So we still have these relationships. Now, that said, relationships also figure in one other way, and that is the relative level of knowledge by the person doing the buying or the person doing the selling and solving a common problem. How do we pitch this roof in such a way that it uses the minimal amount of materials but still does the job as an example? Or is there a different metal product that we can use that serves our needs, maybe gives the house a little extra color and flair that we hadn't thought about before? Those are the kinds of questions that you just can't Google, you know, or the person down at the big box who, you know, never has built anything in their life, has no idea about. In those cases, relationships are absolutely vital. When there were some rules about lead paint a few years ago that came out and there was a survey done and the survey asked remodelers, Where do you go for advice about meeting the lead paint rule? Nobody said the Home Depot. Nobody said the Lowe's. You know, they went to their local building materials supplier because that person was the expert on that particular product.

Seth Heckaman:

: 00:22:15

Very interesting hearing your perspective on all these changes and consolidations or expansions. And it's always changing, but good reminder that we're in a robust industry that's always going to be here. It may keep looking a little bit different, but we're gonna still need buildings and still be working on projects. So one of the things we do seem to struggle with, though, is attracting new folks to construction and the supply chain. Even on the design end of our industry, they're lamenting this lack of skilled labor and just new blood coming in. And it seems that, you know, young people, despite being in the state that we all go through where we dither over what our options are, what we want to be when we grow up. But they rarely seem to consider our industry as an option. So do you think that trend will reverse with some of these investments and attention being brought to our industry? Or do you think that will have any impact on this lack of new blood?

Craig Webb:

: 00:23:11

I think that there will be a slight return back to considering non-college careers or current post-college construction careers, if only because people are beginning to realize that the contractor who is living on the same street as the lawyer, his pickup truck is more expensive than the lawyer's Mercedes.

Seth Heckaman:

: 00:23:37

Yeah.

Craig Webb:

: 00:23:37

And that you can actually make good money. I'm a big fan of my Washington Nationals baseball team, so I'm listening to them, the play by play on the radio and several unions have regular commercials on the baseball games that talk about how you can make more than $100,000 a year working as a pipe fitter or a steam fitter or whatever. So I think that those things are happening. The other is that, frankly, the return on investment on college education for a huge number of people has been pitifully bad, so bad to the economy that, you know, the government's even thinking of just, you know, getting rid of or absolving people student loans because they've just made so many bad decisions in terms of what to do. So the ROI on college is another thing that's being looked at. At the same time, there have been surveys in which groups such as the NAHB have talked to sixth graders and said, would you work in construction? And a huge percentage said no. And they said, Well, if you could make X number of dollars per year when you work in construction, the answer still was no. And there was a hefty percentage for whom you couldn't pay me enough to work in construction, in part because of the pay, the lack of awareness of how much those people really make. The other is that in many ways, construction is seen as an immigrant profession and a profession of people who, you know, have all sorts of issues. You know, they're the druggies, they're the boozers, they're the whatever. And, you know, we've just got to, you know, get past that and have people realize that building a good houses is as complicated a work on a machine as it is working in technology. And that is something that's going to take a while.

Todd Miller:

: 00:25:26

I'm curious for your thoughts, Craig, on offsite construction, because I have often thought one of the reasons folks aren't attracted to our industry as far as construction is, you know, working outside and in the weather and pretty foreign to the way a lot of people grow up these days versus how I grew up, where I was doing things with my dad and building things and all that. Do you think offsite construction is going to likely to continue to grow in terms of modular panels, construction, those types of things?

Craig Webb:

: 00:25:57

General answer is yes. And you are correct that people, given the opportunity to work indoors rather than outdoors, will go for that. There's a lot of evidence, for example, that you can interest a lot of women working in modular if you say that you work in a factory. And so you're opening yourself up to a much larger group of people. The main challenge with modular is that you have to plan everything exactly right and then stick with it before you ever get to the job site. So, you know, you find yourself with, for example, if you're building something like a hotel, modular makes a lot of sense. You know exactly what you want to do. You can put it together and you can control the entire process without a customer being there. But so long if you're doing custom construction for a customer and the next day after they've decided on a plan, they watch Chip and Joanna do something on HGTV and they come back to you and say, Can we change this? Well, your answer in modular is, No, you can't. We already cut the wood, we already put this thing together. So that's going to be a challenge. The other is getting everybody to agree in advance on, for example, where the electrical goes, where the plumbing goes, where the lighting goes. That's a really a challenge. The third thing is getting everybody else to do their job properly. I still remember years ago visiting a company that was cutting I joists with a computerized saw and they were so proud they could get these things cut within an eighth of an inch of the plan. And they said, okay, you reporters, you're going to watch the saw work and then we're going to take all these I joists and we're going to go out to a job site. So we went out. We saw the saw, we went out to the job site, and I said, Oh, isn't it so wonderful? They cut these all within an eigthth of an inch. And they said, we really only cut one end. And I said, Well, why didn't you cut the other and get them perfect? And he said, Because we can't be sure that they're going to pour the concrete slab properly. So you end up with this cattywampus situation in which, you know, you're you're planning one thing and you get another. And so then that happens all the time. There was one guy who was you may remember the company Katerra, the late, lamented Katerra, you know, where there was a builder who was talking to them. He poured concrete and he was very proud that he got his concrete pours within one inch of spec because the industry was like three inches of spec. And all these I.T. people, all these computer or Silicon Valley people heard him say one inch and they screamed at him and they said, Are you guys kidding? We do things within a micron. And in this sense, you know, can you imagine creating an iPhone where you had one inch of tolerance for the size of, you know, so I can understand where they're coming from. So modular works if you can control the process and you don't have anybody getting in the way. Modular does not work if you have flexibility and the solve it on the job side philosophies that have largely dominated home construction for years.

Todd Miller:

: 00:29:16

Very good. Any thoughts on trends we should be paying attention to here at Construction, Disruption, or perhaps even guests that we should have on future episodes provided they're not indisposed or something? Any thoughts on that?

Craig Webb:

: 00:29:30

Well, I would say that I've just given a couple of speeches on, you know, where we're heading. And where we're heading is a change in the pace and style of of where we've been these last two years. The phrase I've been using to describe the industry lately is that construction supply dealers are positively nervous. We're getting lots and lots of business right now, but we just keep hearing these reports that there is this problem up ahead. And then it occurred to me that imagine you're racing down the highway, probably driving above the speed limit like, you know, everybody does. And you see this sign suddenly appear that says accident ahead. What do you do? Well, the answer is you probably take your foot off the gas, don't put it on the brake. But, you know, you start to look around and you see, you know, where are we? And, you know, where is the traffic around me? You also start thinking, well, maybe by the time we get to wherever the accident is, they'll have cleared the accident. So we won't slow down at all. At the other side, you're thinking maybe things aren't going to be so bad. Well, where's my bailout exit? What's my alternative route? And we're in that period right now. Sometimes I think there's this fear that you've got to hit the brakes immediately, as soon as you see that accident ahead sign. But the truth is, is that when you're riding down the highway, the odds are you're not going to you know, you're going to start being cautious, but you're not going to hit the brakes immediately and try to stop because that would just cause more accidents. And so that's where I think we are heading into 2023. We're positive, but we're nervous. We're in that period in which it's time to start checking where you are, thinking about what you might have to do to brake. But frankly, you probably were speeding above the speed limit anyway.

Todd Miller:

: 00:31:22

Mm hmm. Interesting.

Craig Webb:

: 00:31:23

And it's probably time to get back to the speed limit.

Todd Miller:

: 00:31:26

Yeah. No, that makes a lot of sense, really does. Very good. Well, this has been very enjoyable. We've talked a lot about a lot of subjects, you know we're close to wrapping up the business end of things here. And it's been a real pleasure and privilege to talk with you. Is there anything we haven't covered today that you would like to share with our audience yet?

Craig Webb:

: 00:31:45

I would say that building material dealers historically have been three things. They sold your stuff, they delivered it, and they gave you credit. I think the number one thing in the future that building material dealers are going to do is they're going to be advisors. They're going to be the people who will help you build better, build faster, build cheaper, suggest alternative products. All of those things. And as you go along as a builder, having those kinds of conversations and finding those kinds of dealers, I think, are one of the best ways that you can get ahead as a contractor. Surround yourself with smart people and there are a lot of smart people at lumberyards that you can go to that you're just not going to get from going online and trying to buy the stuff in bulk and figuring it out yourself. So I think that taking advantage of the smarts, the advisory services, the consulting that a building material dealer can do for you is something I would recommend strongly.

Todd Miller:

: 00:32:53

I think that's great advice. And I know that, you know, coming out of the pandemic, one thing we've seen really proliferate is a lot of webinars and online learning opportunities for all types of things. And I love in particular, you know, when I'm seeing distributors, dealers get involved with tech and be able to make advice, consultative advice to their customers on tech they should be exploring and different things. So that's great advice. Well, before we close out, I have to ask if you're willing to participate in something we call our rapid-fire questions. So, Craig, this is seven questions, some may be serious, some may be silly. All you gotta do is give an answer to each and our audience needs to understand if Greg agrees to this, he has no idea what we're about to ask him. So are you feeling up to the challenge of rapid-fire this morning?

Craig Webb:

: 00:33:44

Well, this is a real trust exercise, isn't it?

Todd Miller:

: 00:33:47

Well, there's always powerful editing.

Craig Webb:

: 00:33:51

Okay, let's go for it.

Todd Miller:

: 00:33:52

Great. Well, we'll alternate asking you the questions. You want to start out, Seth?

Seth Heckaman:

: 00:33:57

Sure, wuestion number one, if someone asked the first grade Craig Webb what he wanted to be when he grew up, what would he have said?

Craig Webb:

: 00:34:05

Oh, I've wanted to be a journalist since I was 16. Before that, I probably, probably wanted to play football at Notre Dame University because I grew up across the street there.

Seth Heckaman:

: 00:34:14

Very neat.

Todd Miller:

: 00:34:15

Awesome. Question number two, what is your favorite meal?

Craig Webb:

: 00:34:19

Spaghetti alla carbonara. My first job outside of college was at an English language newspaper in Rome, Italy. The Daily American, apparently owned by the CIA in the 1950s, by the way. But yeah, that's where I learned to love Italian food, even though I grew up in a Anglo-Saxon English family.

Todd Miller:

: 00:34:37

Very cool.

Seth Heckaman:

: 00:34:38

The Daily American. I need to look up the Wikipedia page on them, evidently. So question number three, are you a morning person or a night owl?

Craig Webb:

: 00:34:47

Journalists historically have been more night owls, although that's made things very hard for me in the construction supply business because, you know, the number of people who get up at 4:00 in the morning is just frighteningly huge in this industry.

Todd Miller:

: 00:35:00

Yes, very good. Next question. Have you ever been told that you look like someone who is even more famous than yourself? And if so, who was that?

Craig Webb:

: 00:35:10

Lately, in in my older age. A couple of people have said I look like Dan Aykroyd today.

Todd Miller:

: 00:35:16

Interesting. I could see that. Well, unfortunately, our audience can't really see that, but they can maybe hear it or imagine it, I guess. Very interesting, cool.

Seth Heckaman:

: 00:35:25

Next question. If aliens landed on Earth tomorrow and offered to take you home with them, would you go?

Craig Webb:

: 00:35:31

No, not because I'm not that interested in aliens, but just because there's so many more things to discover in our own world, getting involved in lumber and wood. The wood industry has been one of the great joys of my life these past years. Just I just wrote a story yesterday about how they're using wood in Finland to help create materials that can be used in electric vehicles and the batteries that go in them. The way trees talk to each other. The wood wide web is, is an absolutely amazing thing. There's so much more to learn in this world that I don't need to go to another world.

Todd Miller:

: 00:36:12

Well, we will have a whole episode sometime on trees talking to each other. I want to, I want to hear more about that. You got me on that. So next to last question, well you've already been to Italy but to live there, but what is your bucket list vacation?

Craig Webb:

: 00:36:27

Well, my bucket list vacation, I think, would be a combination of Sienna, Italy and Iceland. My wife and I have gone there something like nine times already. And in a few, by the time this podcast will have been broadcast, we will have been once again in these thermal pools overlooking bays and things like that in Iceland. A wonderful place.

Todd Miller:

: 00:36:51

Very cool. I'm seeing more and more of people visiting there. And yeah, it's pretty fascinating. So maybe I need to get that on my list.

Craig Webb:

: 00:36:58

It's not like Ohio at all. I think that.

Seth Heckaman:

: 00:37:02

Last rapid-fire question, and one of our favorite questions here at Construction Disruption, do you prefer the top or bottom half of the bagel?

Craig Webb:

: 00:37:13

Bottom, because that's frequently where the salmon or other good things are looking.

Todd Miller:

: 00:37:18

So the bagel is a conveyance device of other good things. That's good. Well, this has been great, Craig. Thank you. So I need to recap for our audience our success on our challenge words. We were actually all successful. I was getting pretty nervous, though. I had the word indisposed and I was really kind of struggling with how I was going to work that in. Seth, your word was?

Seth Heckaman:

: 00:37:42

I had dither. So, young people dithering about their career options.

Todd Miller:

: 00:37:47

Love it. And Craig, your word was?

Craig Webb:

: 00:37:52

Cattywampus, which unfortunately too many construction projects have an example thereof.

Todd Miller:

: 00:37:59

That is true. That word does kind of hit home in our industry. Well, Craig, this has been a real pleasure. Thank you so much. For folks who would like to get in touch with you, I know you've got a pretty good social media presence, but how can they most easily get in touch with you?

Craig Webb:

: 00:38:14

Well, my website is webb and that's W-E-B-B-analytics.com. I'm also on Twitter and I'm on LinkedIn.

Todd Miller:

: 00:38:24

Fantastic. Well, thank you again for joining us. And thank you to our audience for tuning into this episode of Construction Disruption with Craig Webb of Webb Analytics, the Lumberyard Whisperer. Craig, you are a true asset to our industry and I love the information you bring to us. The insight is fantastic. So, been a pleasure to have.

Craig Webb:

: 00:38:46

Thank you, sir.

Craig Webb:

: 00:38:47

Todd Miller: And I would invite our audience to please watch for future episodes of our podcast. We always have great guests here. And don't forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or YouTube. Until the next episode, we encourage you, change the world for someone. Make them smile, encourage them. Powerful yet simple things you can do to change the world. God bless, take care. This is Isaiah Industries signing off until the next episode of Construction Disruption.

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