In this episode, host Tim O'Brien is joined by founder and president of Charis Homes, Glenna Wilson, to discuss High Performance Homes and breaking barriers to entry for women in the home building and construction industries. For more information about Charis Homes, visit www.charishomes.com

In this episode, Tim O’Brien is joined by owner of Digitek Digital, Dave Mihalovic, to discuss home automation and how new homeowners can optimize their smart home technology. Dave provides insights on what to do and what to avoid as it relates to the technology in your new home.

In this episode, Tim O’Brien talks about our process for surveying customers throughout their new home journey, including design, construction, and customer care. Through the use of third-party surveys from Avid Ratings, which is a comprehensive customer experience surveying platform, we have consistently improved on our commitment to deliver extraordinary experiences to our customers.

In this episode, Tim O'Brien speaks with the Director of the Dane County of Energy and Climate Change, Kathy Kuntz, about their mission to design and implement collaborate initiatives that accelerate change and yield substantive results for energy use and climate change in Dane County and beyond. For more information, visit https://daneclimateaction.org/

In this episode of the Building Sustainably Podcast, Tim O’Brien meets with the National Director of AeroBarrier, Paul Springer, to discuss the innovative way in which AeroSeal's innovative home sealing product aims to benefit both new and existing homes. Tim and Paul talk through the application process and the benefits of creating an airtight home. For more information, visit aeroseal.com/aerobarrier/

In this episode of the Building Sustainability Podcast, Tim O'Brien talks about the importance and benefits of using geothermal energy in homes. Geothermal energy is a renewable resource that is naturally produced in the earth’s core. By utilizing this energy source, you can reduce your energy costs, improve the comfort of your home, and extend the useful life of your equipment.

In this episode of the Building Sustainability Podcast, Tim O'Brien is joined by Melissa Songco, Chief Executive Officer of Habitat for Humanity, to discuss their story and efforts to help the Waukesha community. Habitat for Humanity has been building affordable housing for families for many years. Being a non-profit organization, Songco talks about how they benefit from the love and support within the community.

In this episode of the Building Sustainability Podcast, Tim O’Brien is joined by Ryan Hanna, Executive Vice President of Dave Jones, Inc, to discuss the advantages of building strong relationships with your coworkers, business partners, customers, and the community. They also dive into the significance of having a strong company culture, as well as the benefits of apprenticeship programs for high schools and universities to assist students in transitioning into the trades.

In this episode of the Building Sustainability Podcast, Tim O'Brien is joined by Rachel Flint, Vice President of Hubbell Homes in Des Moines, Iowa, to discuss the advantages of participating in the Builder 20 Group through the National Home Builders Association. This diverse group of homebuilders across the country meets to discuss every aspect of their businesses. Through these transparent peer conversations and site visits, builders can gain insights and apply new processes and ideas ...

In the final part of this three-part episode, Tim finishes his conversation with president of TrueNorth Development, Scott Sedam, as they break down principles of lean construction as it relates to total quality within the homebuilding industry.

In part two of this three-part episode, Tim O’Brien continues his conversation with president of TrueNorth Development, Scott Sedam, as they discuss how the Total Quality Management (TQM) model has had an effect on the homebuilding industry through programs such as the National Housing Quality Awards.

In this part one of this three part episode, Tim O’Brien is joined by president of TrueNorth Development, Scott Sedam, to discuss the history of the Total Quality Management (TQM) model, and how companies were able to improve products, process, and profits through a focus on quality.

In this episode, Tim O'Brien is joined by our very own, Danny Lowery, President of our Madison division, to discuss the McKenzie Regional Workforce Center. Danny explains how the project was conceived, how he first got involved, and the commitment by the Boys and Girls Club to develop a new, diverse generation of skilled tradespeople throughout the Madison area and beyond. For more information, click here.

It should be no surprise that this trend is elevating the home office from an amenity to a must-have. A new home is a chance to create an office that's functional and useful—a space you will look forward to stepping into each morning. In this episode, Tim O'Brien highlights some important things to consider when creating a work-from-home space within your budget.

In this episode, Tim explores the three different home building processes, which include Production, Semi-Custom, and Custom. Tim explains that although one is not necessarily better than the other, it’s important to think about the pros and cons of each to determine which process is right for you and your family.

In this episode, Tim is joined by our Lead Home Designer, Andrew Elder, to discuss the process of creating new home plans. Andrew details how a plan goes from a prototype to a finished home plan and explains his thoughts on several elements that go into designing a new home.

In this episode, Tim O’Brien details the challenges faced by the home building industry in 2021 such as supply chain issues, building material costs, and labor shortages and how those challenges will potentially continue through 2022. Tim also summarizes a 2022 market outlook from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) as interest rates are projected to increase, and housing affordability remains low.

In this episode, Tim O’Brien is joined by Tom Gillespie to discuss the National Housing Quality Award and its impact on homebuilders across the country. Tim and Tom go through how the award was created, as well as delve into the rigorous application and extensive criteria in which applicants are judged on each year.

In this episode, Tim is joined by Vice President of Customer Success and Sales at Avid Ratings, Zach Buehl, to discuss the importance of third-party surveys for homebuilders. Zach explains how the data collected from Avid Surveys is used by companies to gather consumer insights on all aspects of their business, including products, processes, and people.

In this episode, Tim O’Brien explains the TQM (total quality management) approach as a management system for a customer-focused organization that involves all employees in continual improvement. It uses strategy, data, and effective communications to integrate the quality discipline into the culture and activities of the organization. Tim explores the history of this approach, and how we implement it into Tim O’Brien Homes to deliver value to our employees, Trade Partners, and customers.