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Join us for insightful conversations with industry leaders on the Design-Build Delivers Podcast. We bridge industry insights with practical applications to explore the flexibility of design-build in a changing construction and design landscape.
Thank you to our 2025 Design-Build Delivers partner, ARKANCE an Autodesk Platinum Partner.
Latest Episode
January 2026 – “It’s Still Painted the Wrong Color”: Lisa Washington and Virginia McAllister on Collaboration, Risk and 2026
Each year, the Design-Build Delivers Podcast chats with ED/CEO Lisa Washington, CAE, and DBIA’s new National Board Chair about what’s ahead for the industry.
In this episode, Washington and host Erin Looney are joined by 2026 National Board Chair Virginia McAllister for a forward-looking conversation on collaboration, risk and the priorities shaping design-build in the coming year. Together, they explore what’s driving continued growth in the delivery method, where teams tend to struggle and how education and shared understanding remain essential as design-build expands.
Recent Episodes
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December 2025 – All In at the Design-Build Conference & Expo, Part 2: Leaders Who Move Design-Build Forward
Part 2 of our post–Design-Build Conference & Expo podcast coverage focuses on DBIA’s individual honors, featuring interviews with this year’s Distinguished Leadership Award recipients and the 2025 Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award winner. These conversations highlight the achievements being recognized and the leadership behind them. -
November 2025 – All In at the Design-Build Conference & Expo: Teams that Won Big in Vegas
We’re back from Las Vegas and reliving the 2025 Design-Build Conference & Expo in Part 1 of this two-part recap. This episode focuses on the teams that won big in Vegas: the Project of the Year, the Chair’s Award and the top three finishers in DBIA’s National Design-Build Student Competition. -
October 2025 – AI, Data and the Design-Build Owner: A Conversation with ARKANCE
Artificial intelligence is no longer an abstract idea for design-build teams. It’s already changing how projects are delivered, managed and maintained. In this episode, DBIA’s Director of Virtual Design and Construction Brian Skripac is joined by three leaders from ARKANCE — Jason Kunkel, Senior Practice Manager; Nick Miller, Director of BIM Services; and Justin Friedman, Practice Manager | Facilities Management — to explore how data and AI are reshaping the Owner experience. -
September 2025 Bonus Episode – Lessons in Risk, Readiness and Speed: Revisiting UC Riverside’s North District Phase Two
DBIA National Board Members Deb Sheehan of DPR Construction and Susan O’Connell of AC Martin explore design justice, community context and why “offensive” isn’t always straightforward. From satisfaction surveys to public art, they unpack how design-build teams navigate human complexity with empathy, flexibility and a touch of humor. -
September 2025 – Need a Chicken. Got a Chicken: Why Human-Centered Design Is More Complex Than It Looks
How do you bring empathy, listening and iteration into projects built for real people? In this episode, Erin Looney talks with Deb Sheehan and Susan O’Connell about the realities, challenges, and opportunities of applying Human-Centered Design within design-build delivery. -
August 2025 – Smarter, Faster, Still Human: How AI Agents are Changing Design-Build
Brian Skripac, DBIA’s Director of Virtual Design & Construction, and Paul Hedgepath, Director of Virtual Construction at MJ Harris share how AI is moving from speculation to application and delivering real value in scheduling, safety and specs. From waterproofing details resolved in seconds to healthcare owners eyeing AI for facilities management, the stories highlight both the […] -
July 2025 – Design-Build at 14,000 Feet: How a “Small” Federal Project Redefined Possibility on Pikes Peak
What does it take to deliver a mission-critical federal facility atop one of the most extreme environments in the U.S.? In this episode, we head to Colorado’s Pikes Peak to explore the award-winning High Altitude Research Lab, a 4,000-square-foot facility rebuilt under intense weather, logistical and design constraints. Joe Opyd shares how his team used design-build to meet the moment and what this “small” project reveals about trust, flexibility and collaboration. -
June 2025 – Inside the College of Fellows: Wisdom, Wit and What’s Next
What do you get when you sit down with two DBIA Fellows who’ve seen it all and still want to make things better? Join host Erin Looney as she chats with Darlene Septelka, FDBIA, and Bill Reifsteck, CRIS, FDBIA, about building strong teams, smarter projects and a more connected design-build future. -
May 2025 – “It Was Just a Conversation at a Table”: How Design-Build Mentorship Opens Doors for the Next Generation
There’s no official job description for a mentor and no script for how a single introduction can change a student’s life. But when Kent State senior Lola Preseren met DBIA Fellow and 2023 Brunelleschi Award winner Bill Hasbrook at a DBIA conference, everything changed. -
April 2025 Bonus Episode – Lessons in Risk, Readiness and Speed: Revisiting UC Riverside’s North District Phase Two
In this bonus episode of Design-Build Delivers, we continue the conversation from April’s feature, Living Labs and Inclusive Housing: How Design-Build Serves Higher Education. Jason Dunster, Senior Integrated Design Director at McCarthy Building Companies, returns to share additional insights on what made UC Riverside’s North District Phase Two project a model for inclusive, collaborative campus housing. -
April 2025 – Living Labs and Inclusive Housing: How Design-Build Serves Higher Education
In this episode of the Design-Build Delivers Podcast, we spotlight one of the fastest-growing sectors for design-build: higher education. From inclusive student housing to sustainable infrastructure, campuses across the country are embracing collaboration, speed and innovation. -
March 2025 Bonus Episode – Federal Shifts, Design-Build Impacts
In this bonus episode of Design-Build Delivers, we’re zooming out from state-level policy to explore the federal developments shaking up the AEC industry. From Project Labor Agreement (PLA) rulings to sweeping new tariffs and shifting immigration policies, recent federal activity is already influencing how projects are planned, priced and staffed. -
March 2025 – Advocating for Design-Build — Without Squeezing the Life Out of It
Design-build is on the rise, but keeping up with legislative changes is no small task. In this episode, we explore the latest policy updates, new bills shaping the industry and the challenges design-build faces across the country. -
February 2025 – Trends, Takeaways and the Future of Design-Build: Unpacking the New FMI Study
In this episode of the Design-Build Delivers Podcast, we chat with Emily Beardall from FMI Corporation to explore what she and her team found in the 2024 Design-Build Utilization Study. The latest data highlights design-build’s continued momentum, with projected growth reaching $1.1 trillion in spending by 2028. -
January 2025 Bonus Episode – Penguins, Power and the Final Frontier: A Look at Three Award-Winning Projects
Get excited for the 2025 DBIA Project/Team Awards by revisiting some of 2024’s biggest winners. In this Design-Build Delivers Podcast Bonus Content Episode, we shift the focus from process to the projects themselves — what makes them stand out, the unexpected challenges they overcame and the surprising ways they came together. -
January 2025 Bonus Episode – Kicking Off 2025 with Lisa Washington and Tom Foley
DBIA Executive Director/CEO Lisa Washington and DBIA National Board Chair Tom Foley (Commissioner, New York City Department of Design and Construction) talk about the power of legislative advocacy in expanding design-build authority across the nation. Tom reflects on New York City's hard-fought legislative wins and how DBIA's national support helped secure critical alternate delivery methods. Lisa explains how DBIA's educational advocacy equips regions and chapters with the resources needed to drive change at the grassroots level. -
January 2025 – Looking Back, Building Forward: Kicking Off 2025 with Lisa Washington and Tom Foley
In this first episode of 2025, host Erin Looney kicks off the year with an inspiring conversation featuring DBIA’s Executive Director/CEO, Lisa Washington, CAE, and Thomas J. Foley, P.E., CCM, DBIA, Commissioner of NYC’s Department of Design and Construction and DBIA’s new National Board Chair. Together, they reflect on the game-changing wins of 2024, explore […]
Past Episodes
2024
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December 2024 – The Design-Build Delivers Podcast Countdown: Fresh Content from the Top 5 Episodes of 2024
TRL may have given us the Backstreet Boys v. NSYNC* showdown, but we’re bringing you the ultimate design-build throwdown: the Top 5 Design-Build Delivers Podcast episodes of 2024! This isn’t just any countdown –– we’re going into the vault to bring you fresh content from your favorite conversations of the year. -
December 2024 – Everything’s Bigger in Texas –– Even This Episode: A Texas-Sized Recap of the 2024 DBIA Conference (Part 2)
In this special episode, we’re bringing you the highlights from the 2024 Design-Build Conference & Expo in Dallas, held Nov. 6-8. Part 2 features our chats with Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award winner Don Warren, FDBIA, and Distinguished Leadership Award winners Emily Galliers, MCIOB, DBIA, and Rod Pope, PE, FDBIA. -
November 2024 – Everything’s Bigger in Texas –– Even This Episode: A Texas-Sized Recap of the 2024 DBIA Conference (Part 1)
In this special episode, we’re bringing you the highlights from the 2024 Design-Build Conference & Expo in Dallas, held Nov. 6-8, with interviews featuring the Project/Team Award winners, including team members from the Holt Watters Field Camp, NREL Research and Innovation Laboratory and the Project of the Year winning Applied Research Building at the University […] -
October 2024 – From Legislation to Landmark Projects: How the New York City DDC is Doing Design-Build Right
Tom Foley and David Varoli from New York City’s Department of Design and Construction and Richard Thomas from DBIA break down the challenges and triumphs of NYC’s design-build journey — and what it means for the future of project delivery across the U.S. -
September 2024 – Maximizing Collaboration with USCAD: Streamlining Design-Build through Common Data Environments
We explore the powerful role technology plays in bringing teams together on design-build projects. We were joined by Neetha Puthran and Aaron Wagner from U.S. CAD, an ARKANCE Company, along with Brian Skripac from DBIA, to discuss how common data environments (CDEs) and tools like Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) are transforming collaboration. -
August 2024 – The Human Side of Progressive Design-Build with Geoff Neumayr
In this episode of the Design-Build Delivers Podcast, we revisit Progressive Design-Build (PDB) with industry leader Geoff Neumayr, who recently retired as Chief Development Officer at San Francisco International Airport. Geoff shares his insights on how PDB –– and design-build broadly –– is driving meaningful change across the industry. From the early days of PDB at […] -
July 2024 – Much More Than an Afterthought: Updating the Owner Advisor Primer for Better Design-Build Outcomes
Discover the keys to successfully engaging an Owner Advisor in design-build projects with the latest episode of the Design-Build Delivers Podcast, and get ready for the upcoming release of the updated DBIA Owner Advisor Primer. In this episode, we explore the updates and feature insights from two of the top industry experts. Learn how Owner […] -
June 2024 – Leading the Way: Insights from DBIA’s First Collaborative Delivery Leadership Academy Graduate
In the episode, Rene Divelbiss, the first graduate of DBIA’s Collaborative Delivery Leadership Academy shares valuable insights from the six-course curriculum and encourages other design-builders to hop on board with her. She talks about the diversity of roles in the room with her, the path to an impact statement and the ways in which the Academy increased her self-awareness and adaptability, making her better prepared to be an integral part of her design-build team. -
May 2024 – From Sci-Fi to Site Plans: How Augmented Reality is Changing Design-Build
This month’s episode delves into the use of augmented reality on job sites with Argyle CEO Maret Thatcher and DBIA’s Director of VDC Brian Skripac. Listen to discover how AR solutions like Argyle can help design-build teams meet the standards of Design-Build Done Right®, understand the impact of increased technology use on job sites and explore what’s next for technology in the AEC industry — and maybe a sci-fi pop culture reference or three. -
April 2024 – Blueprints to Inclusion: Championing Women in Design-Build and Beyond
In the latest episode of the Design-Build Delivers podcast, we sit down with Anna Pridmore, LaDrena Dansby and Barbara Wagner to discuss the impact and future of women in the AEC industry and how design-build is well-situated to support and elevate women. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, from the challenges women face in the industry to the unique skills and perspectives they bring. -
March 2024 – Fighting for Design-Build Authorization in Your State? DBIA Has Your Back with Resources and Lessons Learned
Over the last few months, we’ve talked a lot about the new Guide for Enactment of Design-build Legislation, Model Legislation and updated 2023 State Statute Report. In this episode, East Coast Region Vice President of Operations for Lydig Construction Vince Campanella and Vanir Construction’s Vice President and Director of Design-Build Program and Services Mike Meredith talk about those advocacy resources once again, this time focusing on their application and conceptualizing them within the industry and legislative arenas broadly. -
February 2024 – A Bridge Too Far?: Contextualizing DBIA’s New Position Statement on Bridging Documents and Prescriptive Requirements
Last month, DBIA released Prescriptive Design and the Use of Bridging Documents, a new position statement that aligns with DBIA’s Design-Build Done Right® Best Practices. We invited Bill Kent, LEED AP, FDBIA, and Shailendra Patel, PE, FDBIA, to answer several questions about the new position statement and help illustrate just where it fits into the greater design-build landscape. -
January 2024 – Tackling State Design-Build Legislation: California’s PDB Bill as a Starting Point
We talked to a few of the people who helped pass a bill expanding PDB authority to all agencies in California. We take what they learned and we discuss ways to scale it and apply those lessons along with DBIA resources like our updated State Statute Report and our upcoming Model Legislation to guide other states to successfully pass bills to advance design-build authority.
2023
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December 2023 – That’s a Wrap on 2023: Lisa Washington and Dana Pomeroy Look Ahead to 2024 on Design-Build Delivers Podcast
Join DBIA's CEO, Lisa Washington, and National Board Chair-Elect, Dana Pomeroy, in a captivating year-end podcast episode. Reflect on 2023's milestones and discover exciting plans for 2024. From celebrating the 30th anniversary with resource releases to exploring fresh ways to connect with MWDBEs, regions, partner organizations, design professionals, young professionals, students and more, this episode encapsulates a year of growth and sets the stage for the next chapter in design-build excellence. -
November 2023 – Celebrating DBIA’s 2023 Design-Build Conference & Expo Winning Teams, Projects and People
In this supersized episode, DBIA celebrates the winners from the 2023 Design-Build Conference and Expo. We caught up with Chair’s Award winner Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Project of the Year 1021 O Street State Office building and the winning National Design-Build Student Competition team from the University of Florida. Brunelleschi Lifetime Achievement Award winner Bill Hasbrook and Distinguished Leadership Award winners Linnell Stanhope, Kathy Tuznik and Nick Ulliman reflected on their awards as well. -
October 2023 – Building Beautifully: Weaving Sustainability Into the Built Environment
Climate change and sustainability touch every corner of the news cycle and every corner of our lives – as they should. We're increasingly aware of how important it is to take action to mitigate the man-made impacts on the climate, and the built environment is taking stock of how to address climate change and increase sustainability. In this episode of the Design-Build Delivers Podcast, Molly Jones talks about Building Beautifully, her 2024 book that tackles how project delivery method impacts sustainability. -
September 2023 – Elevating the Design in Design-Build
We spoke with members of the Design Professionals' Advisory and Engagement Committee who helped craft updates to DBIA’s Position Statement on Design Excellence, which was originally released in 2014. We discussed the changes that were made, why a new statement was important now and how design excellence is vital to Design-Build Done Right®. -
August 2023 – To BIM or Not to BIM: New Design-Build Delivers Podcast Explores BIM Standard, Meaningful VDC Usage
Technology seemingly develops right before our eyes. Smarter, faster and more sophisticated tools and programs consistently streamline work across industries, and the AEC industry is no exception. What can design-builders do to ensure the adoption and use of any technology is worth their time and effort and maintains the whole-team approach? -
July 2023 – Leading with Humanity: Building a Design-Build Team with Inclusion and Support in Mind
On this episode, we talk about the philosophy and strategy of working well with our fellow humans in design-build projects – and across the industry. From meaningful DEI to job-related empathy, leadership self-awareness to bringing out the best in teams, we explore several ways to ensure that, no matter our role, we lead with humanity and, as our guest Kabri Lehrman-Schmid puts it, “create an environment of psychological safety to center team development, information sharing and engagement.” -
June 2023 – FMI’s 2023 Market Report: Diving into the Details
In March, FMI Consulting forecast design-build projects will account for nearly half (47%) of all construction by 2026 and $1.9 trillion in spending, even with a looming recession in the greater industry. That news is good for DBIA and good for Owners and practitioners, but how can the data help them plan for that future? Emily Beardall from FMI joined this month’s Design-Build Delivers podcast to answer that question and to talk about the challenges and opportunities behind the findings. -
May 2023 – Spotlighting the Updates to DBIA’s Universal Best Practices
Since the initial release of DBIA’s Design-Build Done Right® Universal Best Practices in 2014, both design-build and the construction, architecture and engineering (AEC) industry at large have seen significant evolution. To reflect those changes and provide room for continued growth, DBIA has released an update to the Best Practices, available now in the DBIA Bookstore. -
April 2023 – Design-Build Certification: What it Means and Where it’s Heading
In this month’s Design-Build Delivers podcast, we talk about the design-build certification process, the role DBIA credential holders play in delivering the nation’s most efficient projects and what’s ahead for those interested in becoming certified. -
March 2023 – An Inside Look: How DBIA’s Design-Build Award Winners Redefine Project Excellence
So, you’ve done the hard work as a team and delivered a design-build project to be proud of. Now what? Now is the time to share your success by entering that project in DBIA’s 2023 Design-Build Project/Team Awards. In this podcast episode, long-time DBIA awards jury chair Barbara Jackson, gives us a look inside the jury deliberation process and what it takes to be a DBIA award-winning project. -
February 2023 – New Design-Build Project Delivery + Design Management Tools Coming in 2023
As a long-time supporter of the Charles Pankow Foundation, DBIA is excited to share the news about new design-build tools they’ll release in 2023. First is the online Project Delivery Assessment Tool, which allows Owners to assess their ability to deliver projects using design-build. The second phase of this project is an update to the Professional Guide to Managing the Design Phase of a Design-Build Project, including new focused guides for five sectors. We talk to two guests working closely with the Pankow Foundation to create these invaluable new design-build tools. Greg Gidez and Bryan Franz offer a preview of what’s ahead. -
January 2023 – From Alternative to Mainstream: Celebrating 30 Years of Design-Build
In 1993, some of the industry’s giants gathered in Washington, D.C., to talk about the need for a new organization dedicated to educating the nation and teaching design, construction and engineering professionals about design-build. This year DBIA celebrates its 30th Anniversary and the incredible achievements we’ve seen over those decades. In this episode, DBIA’s National Board Chair, Deb Sheehan, and DBIA Executive Director/CEO, Lisa Washington, look back on an incredible 30 years while also looking forward to what they predict lies ahead.
2022
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December 2022 – This is What Design-Build Excellence Looks Like — DBIA’s 2022 Project of the Year
The podcast episode features a discussion with three project leaders who worked on the construction of California’s Natural Resources Agency's new home, which won DBIA’s 2022 National Design-Build Project of the Year. Despite facing challenges like the pandemic, wildfires, and civil unrest, the team's collaborative approach resulted in a remarkable project delivering beauty, community, and resiliency. This team's story offers valuable real-world lessons from award-winning projects. -
November 2022 – Why Use a Design-Build Owner Advisor?
The role of the Owner Advisor has developed over the years as increasing project complexities have led Owners to seek more advice throughout the design-build process. From procurement, design and construction to project delivery, a good Owner Advisor can help deliver project success. In this episode of Design-Build Delivers, we talk to Molly A. Jones, the Chair of DBIA’s Owner Advisor Committee, about the who, what, when, and why of choosing an Owner Advisor. -
October 2022 – 2022 is a Record Year for Design-Build Advocates
Each year, design-build advocates across the nation and in the halls of Congress work to ensure that states and federal agencies have full access to design-build to deliver their projects. That authority has never been more important as we rebuild in the post-Covid environment and launch a new infrastructure reinvestment era. DBIA’s advocacy team continues to lead that effort to educate lawmakers and advocate for expansive design-build authority. In this episode, DBIA’s Vice President of Advocacy and Industry Engagement, Louis Jenny, and Richard Thomas, Director of State/Local Legislative Affairs give us details on why 2022 was a record-breaker for the passage of design-build legislation. -
September 2022 – Updated DBIA Contracts Are Out!
DBIA’s contract documents have been the go-to resource for America’s design-build teams for years. Now, with important 2022 updates available, these timely and customizable documents are ready to help teams face the challenges of today’s marketplace. In today’s Design-Build Delivers podcast, we talk to two design-build Contracts Committee Chairs (current and past) about this impressive suite of design-build contract documents and how they will help teams deliver the nation’s most cost and time-efficient projects in the nation. -
August 2022 – Powering the Grid: How Are We Going to Electrify America?
Providing a reliable and resilient energy flow to America’s communities has been increasingly challenging. Climate change has tasked many systems while usage also continues to rise. In today’s episode of Design-Build Delivers, we talk to two green building experts, Kevin Hydes and Sam Brooks, about the imperative to rebuild our power grid for the future, making it more resilient to the impacts of climate change while increasing access to affordable and reliable clean energy. -
July 2022 – Using Design-Build Innovation to Maximize Infrastructure Investment
As we move into the second half of 2022, implementation of historic federal infrastructure investment is underway. Agencies and industry alike are getting new information almost daily on how the roughly $1.2 trillion will be distributed nationwide. In this episode we talk to long-time federal market pros, Laura Stagner and Thom Kurmel about how design-build teams will play a vital role in helping agencies manage workforce, supply chain and cost certainty challenges. -
June 2022 – Building Resilient Projects to Create Strong Communities
Resilient design and construction is all about finding solutions to deliver longevity, innovation, and adaptability in our projects. Successful resiliency programs can be as unique as the projects they’ll deliver; however, good resiliency programs have some essential elements. In this episode of Design-Build Delivers, DBIA’s VDC Director Brian Skripac talks to USCAD’s Troy Gates and Ryan Colker from the International Code Council about a wide range of resiliency topics to help your team deliver projects that stand the test of time. -
May 2022 – National Design-Build Student Champions are Ready for the Future
It’s that time of the year when university students in design and construction programs nationwide prepare to compete in DBIA’s annual Design-Build Student Competition. This event provides an unparalleled opportunity for students to show off their skills while meeting design-build industry leaders one-on-one. So, what makes a championship design-build student team? In this episode of Design-Build Delivers, the impressive competitors from the University of Colorado Boulder talk about the process, collaborating as a team and the incredible payoff once it was all over. -
April 2022 – Rethinking the Office
Whether you’re back in the office, working remotely, or both, organizations continue to rethink how they manage a constantly changing COVID environment. For design-build teams tasked to create efficient, sustainable and flexible office space – innovation is more important than ever. In this episode of Design-Build Delivers, we talk to one design-build team who successfully met that challenge to rethink the office space and deliver a workplace that really “works” during COVID and beyond. -
March 2022 – Delivering Infrastructure in the Water/Wastewater and Transportation/Aviation Sectors
The passage of historic infrastructure investment brings tremendous opportunities for the design-build industry, communities, and the entire nation as we make once-in-a-generation improvements to America’s aging infrastructure. What is the state of infrastructure investment implementation and how can the design-build team prepare for what’s ahead? Those issues and so much more will fuel next month’s Design-Build for Water/Wastewater and Transportation/Aviation Conferences. In this episode, we talk to DBIA Water/Wastewater Markets Committee Chairman, John Giachino and Transportation/Aviation Chairman, Jim Avitable, about both events and why they’re especially important this year. -
February 2022 – People, Process, Technology: Maximizing VDC in Design-Build
The digital transformation now underway in our industry will transform the way we work and deliver design-build projects. But the successful use of virtual design and construction is about far more than just software and tech tools. In this episode, VDC Directors, Brian Skripac with DBIA and Alex Belkofer with McCarthy, talk about the importance of having the right people and processes in place to capture the full value of virtual design and construction on design-build projects. -
January 2022 – New Year, New Opportunities for Design-Build Teams
They say information is power and that’s why DBIA is committed to bringing design-build teams the latest research and data to help drive your business decisions. As we begin 2022, with historic infrastructure investment on the way, it’s especially important that our design-build industry and Owners understand the marketplace today and into the future. In this episode of “Design-Build Delivers” we get a detailed look at design-build market data through 2025. FMI’s Paul Trombitas talks about market analysis by sector, region, and so much more.