Episodes

Stefanie Couch, founder of Grit Blueprint, joins Megan Kacvinsky and Vardhan Mehta to explore how building materials brands can turn real projects, people, and expertise into media that builds authority. She shares why visibility, differentiated branding, executive thought leadership, and a willingness to stand out are increasingly important for long-term growth.

Summary Ahad Ahmed, director at Zak Exhibitions and Conferences, joins Megan Kacvinsky and Vardhan Mehta to explore how facade specification decisions are shaped across global markets. Drawing on 225 editions of Zak World of Facades in 51 countries, Ahad discusses event strategy, sponsor ROI, code and carbon pressures, EPDs, digital specification, AI, and the future of facade-focused collaboration. Key Insights A tightly curated audience can change the value of an industry event. Zak World o...

Glass and glazing veteran Max Perilstein joins Megan Kacvinsky and Vardhan Mehta to unpack what manufacturers often miss after the sales pitch: quality, technical support, training, and trust. Drawing on decades in the industry and more than 200 podcast interviews, Max shares how manufacturers can strengthen customer relationships, close technical gaps, and build stronger organizations.

In this episode of Inside the Spec, Megan Kacvinsky and Vardhan Mehta sit down with KP Reddy, construction technology entrepreneur, investor, and founder of Zero RFI, to explore how AI could reshape the way buildings are designed, built, and operated. The conversation focuses on breaking down industry silos, giving building product manufacturers a stronger seat at the table, and using technology to connect product decisions with real-world building performance.

This episode of Inside the Spec highlights the conversations architects were having beyond the show floor at the 2026 AIA Conference. Industry leaders discuss how AI is reshaping product discovery and workflows, why trustworthy sustainability data matters more than ever, and what building product manufacturers can do today to support architects.

Joe Matejka, founder of Walk Your Plans, joins hosts Megan Kacvinsky and Vardhan Mehta to share the origin story behind the first life-size blueprint projection facility in the United States — and how a miscalculated great room at a Yellowstone lodge sparked a business that now has 55 signed locations nationwide, with international expansion on the horizon.

In this episode, co-hosts Megan Kacvinsky (CEO, Point To Point) and Dave Lamont (Executive Chairman, Acelab) sit down with David Bernardino of Bernardino Enterprises to explore the full landscape of alternative capital sources available to building products manufacturers — from family offices to foreign sovereign wealth funds — and how to craft the right pitch story to attract the right investors.

Co-hosts Megan Kacvinsky and Vardhan Mehta welcome Frank Coppola III of Coppola Brothers to pull back the curtain on what happens in the closed-door meetings between owners, architects, and GCs — and what building products manufacturers must understand to win specification and keep it through installation.

In this episode of Inside the Spec, hosts Megan Kacvinsky and Vardhan Mehta are joined by Amy Baker and Juste Fenou to unpack the rapidly evolving and controversial changes surrounding CSI (Construction Specifications Institute) and its licensing of MasterFormat. The conversation explores how a long-standing, widely adopted industry standard is shifting from a historically accessible system to a potentially restrictive, subscription-based model. The discussion highlights the legal ambiguity around intellectual property, the widespread implications for architects, manufacturers, and specifiers, and the broader concern that these changes could disrupt workflows, budgets, and innovation across the built environment.