Sound Capital

With IBS just a week away, you can already feel where the conversations are going.

Builders are talking through what feels possible, what feels tight, and what they are taking a closer look at this year.

We are going into next week focused on listening first.

If you are attending IBS, pay attention to the recurring themes. They usually tell you more than any headline. And stop by Booth S1298.

Quick heads up for builders, this week’s Builder Straight Talk episode is a good one.

There are more than 400,000 open construction jobs right now. Most builders don’t need a statistic to feel that. You feel it when projects take longer, when schedules get tight, and when it’s harder to find reliable trades you can count on.

In this episode, Michael Krisa sits down with Mark Pursell to talk about something builders deal with every day. You can do everything right inside your own business and still feel stuck, because no single builder can fix the labor shortage alone.

Yes, builders can invest in their teams, support their trade partners, and create great places to work. But real change happens when the industry works upstream with schools, training programs, and organizations to get more people exposed to the trades earlier.

That’s why the work being done alongside National Association of Home Builders and the National Housing Endowment matters. This isn’t about charity. It’s about protecting the future of building.

If labor shortages are slowing your jobs or stretching your teams thin, this conversation is worth your time.

Listen here:

400,000 Open Construction Jobs That No One Is Talking About with Mark Pursell - Builder Straight Talk Podcast Mark Pursell has had one of those careers that makes you wonder how it all fits together. Hockey player in Michigan. Door-to-door 401k salesman. Construction finance guy who traveled to 85 countries. CEO of the Premium Cigar Association, where he built a cigar lounge in Washington, D.C. and used it....