How a French Developer Rebuilt Miami’s Luxury Market - One Spec Home at a Time with Pascal Nicolai
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
How a French Developer Rebuilt Miami’s Luxury Market - One Spec Home at a Time with Pascal Nicolai Pascal shows up in Miami in 2008 with some cash from selling assets in France, right when everything's melting down. Most people would think that's terrible timing, but he saw it differently. "I said to my wife at the time, look, I think there is one opportunity to go there, it is now. I don't think we're going to see this kind of opportunity in our lives. The market was crashed, very accessible if you have some money." He didn't even know he'd end up in construction. His specialty...
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Are You Leaving Money on the Table? CRM for Builders with Shari Morton
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
CRMs aren't sexy. Understatement of the year! They're not the kind of thing you get excited to talk about at the jobsite. But here's the thing: if you're building homes and not using one, you're probably leaving serious money on the table. And we're not talking pocket change here. In this episode, Michael invited Shari Morton, founder and Chief Growth Officer of Shared Drive, to talk about something most builders would rather avoid: customer relationship management systems. We call it the "broccoli" of the building industry. Everyone knows it's good for you, but most people stay away from it...
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Build For Speed: America Needs Housing Now! with Scott Menard
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Scott Menard has been in construction since he was 17 years old, starting as a laborer for KB Homes during summer breaks. Over nearly four decades, he's worked his way through purchasing, project management, land acquisition, and operations at some of the nation's most respected builders, including Ryland, Taylor Woodrow, and Shea Homes. Now he's the president of Homes Built for America, a company that didn't exist four years ago and is already the 14th largest builder in the San Francisco Bay Area. They're doing something many builders won't touch: focusing exclusively on first-time...
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How Two Brothers Survived the Housing Crisis and Scaled to 1,000+ Homes | Chris & Clif Poston
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
There's something rare about sitting down with two brothers who genuinely like working together. Chris and Clif Poston make running a homebuilding company that closes over 1,000 homes a year look almost easy, but their story is anything but. Clif: "Doing what we say we're going to do is really, really important. A foundation of our business. And we try to get that out to people in every aspect of the business, from our employees, to the marketing side, to the sales side, to dealing with our vendors, to dealing with the public when it comes to buying land and rezoning." The Poston brothers...
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Housing, Policy, and the Fight for Affordability with Jim Tobin
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Jim Tobin never set out to spend 27 years at the National Association of Home Builders. He wanted to fly helicopters like his dad photographed at Sikorsky Aircraft. Then politics caught his attention, and he found himself on Capitol Hill in 1995, thinking he'd become a defense lobbyist selling guns and things that go boom. Instead, he landed at NAHB and discovered something better: an industry that builds shelter, creates wealth, and gives families a shot at the American dream. Now as President and CEO of NAHB, Jim spends his time doing something most association heads don't: actually visiting...
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Debunking the Modular Myth with Ken Semler
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
If you've ever driven past a construction site and wondered why we're still building houses the same way we did 50 years ago, this conversation is for you. Michael sits down with Ken Semler, President and CEO of Impresa Modular, who's spent the last 25 years trying to get people to understand what modular construction actually is. And no, it's not a double-wide trailer. That's the first misconception Ken tackles, and honestly, it's the one that's been holding the industry back for decades. Ken's journey into modular started almost by accident. He was flipping houses back in 2003 when his day...
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The $4 Million Bottleneck: Working ON Your Business, Not IN It with Glen Harris III
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Glen Harris III was living the contractor's dream in 2016. His custom home building company was doing $4 million in revenue, clients were happy, and he was making good money. There was just one problem: he WAS the business. Every estimate, every decision, every five-minute phone call ran through him. He'd hit a ceiling and couldn't see how to break through it. This episode is about what happened next and why it matters if you're stuck in the same trap. What You'll Learn Why systems beat hustle when you want to scale. Glen breaks down the moment he realized working harder wasn't going to get...
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Start Small, Build Big: Lance Williams on 30 Years of Homebuilding, Risk, and 100% Completion Rate
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
In this conversation, Lance walks through what it actually takes to build a homebuilding business that lasts. He talks about why his first hire made the first project successful (because he knew what he didn't know), how to structure your first deal so you have enough margin to survive your mistakes, and why contingency planning isn't optional when unexpected costs show up. When Lance Williams started his homebuilding company in 1996, his equity partners were his wife, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law. Talk about pressure! He'd just been laid off during a market downturn, took a short...
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Builder Mindset to Business Mindset with Duane Johns of Alair Homes
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Most builders hit a wall. They work 80-hour weeks, carry tools, manage crews, chase payments, and somehow still struggle to make ends meet. Sound familiar? That was Duane Johns twenty years ago, grinding it out in Charlotte, North Carolina after moving from the Hamptons. Then 2008 hit. While other builders went under, Duane used the crisis as a mirror. "I think that that too, one thing that happened in that 2008 environment, especially the few years after, was everyone got reduced to a commodity, you know, I mean, the builders or modelers, they had the lower hand, no doubt." The...
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Scaling a Construction Business: From College Dropout to $100M+ Builder
Builder Straight Talk Podcast
Starting a construction company during the 2008 recession sounds insane, but sometimes desperation breeds the best business decisions. Matt Millsap's story starts like a lot of ours do - working weekends with dad, thinking he was going to hang out with friends but ending up tearing out bathrooms instead. What makes his story different is where it goes from there. After flunking out of college, Matt found himself cutting grass for a builder who saw something in the kid. That builder, Mark, became the mentor who taught him everything. It was old-school apprenticeship at its finest, and Matt...
info_outlineIn this episode of Builder Straight Talk, Michael Krisa invited Sergio Barajas to explore the construction industry's critical labor shortage and how the NHCA is addressing it through education, networking, and business development.
Sergio shares how the alliance grew from zero to 2,500 members across eight markets in just 14 months, with plans to reach 5,000 members in 15 markets by year-end.
The conversation covers the stigmatization of blue-collar work over the past 20 years and how removing shop classes from schools disconnected young people from building trades. With only 1.3-1.4 people entering trades for every five retiring, and over 400,000 unfilled construction jobs nationally, the industry faces an unsustainable gap that the NHCA is working to close.
What we discussed:
The NHCA originated four years ago when Home Depot asked NAHREP to convene Hispanic contractors for a roundtable discussion. Expecting 10-15 attendees, they got 30-40, revealing significant unmet needs in the community. The alliance now operates as a comprehensive ecosystem including architects, engineers, contractors, insurance providers, and suppliers, creating opportunities for members to do business without leaving the network.
Sergio advocates for changing the narrative around trades work, showing it offers faster paths to entrepreneurship than traditional college degrees. Within two years of apprenticeship, someone can start their own company, compared to waiting four to six years for a college degree that might not lead to employment. The alliance operates three academies focused on trade workers, construction management, and community development.
The organization's philosophy centers on "doing well by doing good," fostering a culture where members lead with giving rather than taking. This approach creates real-time business discussions and deals at local chapter meetings, with members immediately connecting on jobs and bids rather than postponing conversations.
NHCA installed its National Board of Directors in June 2025. The Board is focused on identifying and addressing systemic challenges facing Hispanic professionals in the construction industry - particularly in areas like access to capital and underrepresentation in leadership. Although Hispanics make up over 30% of the construction workforce, they hold only 15.72% of management positions.
Upcoming Conference
NHCA is hosting a "Build the Builder" series at AVANCE Global, the nation’s leading convention focused on advancing Latino professional and economic mobility in San Diego, September 18-21, 2024.
The six classes, and other sessions offered over two days will cover topics such as site selection, bidding, project management, blueprint reading, and how to engage with national general contractors.
The goal is helping contractors transition into development and become bigger industry players. The conference expects 5,000-7,000 participants and offers special $99 registration for students and new apprentices.
- Conference Sessions: https://nhca.pro/events/nhca-at-avance/agenda/
- Conference Registration Link: https://web.cvent.com/event/6841a1b5-e363-4dc0-9d8a-d1afd1e094ff/regProcessStep1:73acb36c-020f-4eab-b440-9eee056907db?RefId=NHCA&rt=xLGWjF7T4UeeMzQ3qFB58g
Industry Impact
The alliance addresses both immediate workforce needs and long-term leadership development. By partnering with companies like VDCI to translate training materials into Spanish and connecting members with major projects, the NHCA removes barriers while building capacity. Sergio's approach focuses on meritocracy and business development rather than divisive conversations, asking simply "Can you do the job well?"
The organization seeks diverse sponsors across the construction ecosystem, from safety equipment manufacturers to insurance companies and vehicle dealers. Early sponsors benefit from becoming part of the alliance's DNA as it grows nationally.
About Sergio Barajas
Sergio Barajas is the driving force behind the National Hispanic Construction Alliance (NHCA), a trade association launched under NAHREP® to support and elevate Hispanic trade workers and contractors in the U.S. construction industry.
A UCLA graduate and seasoned construction and real estate entrepreneur, Sergio holds certifications in Construction Management and Project Management. He brings deep experience in project oversight and construction financing, using his expertise to break down systemic barriers and create new opportunities for Hispanic contractors nationwide.
"We want to be part of the business of construction, not just labor. Hispanic workers represent a significant and growing portion of the workforce. We're ready and eager to take on greater roles in leadership and business ownership." - Sergio Barajas
Contact Information
Website: nhca.pro
Email: vision@nhca.pro or sbarajas@nhca.pro
Phone: 714-883-2855
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:47 Blue Collar Work
04:36 Opportunities in the Trades
06:57 NHCA
10:26 Members' Business Growth
12:45 Alliances and Networking
17:40 Challenges and Solutions in the Industry
23:07 Advances in Construction
32:27 Upcoming Conference
36:16 Ideal Sponsors
38:40 Trade Show and Expo Components
41:29 Strong Foundation for the Future
50:29 Five Pillars of NHCA
53:26 Final Thoughts