KCB Boiler Room Podcast

Of all the panels we’ve hosted, this one on artificial intelligence and predicting what the future, felt like the one that was most in need of a follow up, especially because the speaker is one of the most down-to-earth while simultaneously brilliant and charming people you’ll ever come across, Michael Oh, founder and president of TSP Smart Spaces. The three moments in Michael’s presentation that we most wanted to revisit:the moment during his presentation when he talked about how few people ever ask him what generative AI is the scary “5 people will do what 20 do today” statistic about AI disruption but also opportunity for architectsthe “vanilla middle” and staying away from that, especially in designYou may notice that this sounds like it was our “introductory” podcast. And that’s because it was! We delayed going live in the hopes of getting Mike’s “Boombox Story." Instead, we'll record an entirely new episode with his Boombox Story. Original presentation: “Beyond AI: Visioning Design & Construction in 2030”Original date of panel: 11.12.24

Two years after a panel we hosted about why you should work with interior designers, we invited panelist and interior designer Kristen Rivoli back to the Boiler Room to reminisce, as well as to check in about how things have changed.The three clips we listened to from the original panel: Kevin’s strong feelings on interior designers (16:02); Kristen’s ideas on how to find a designer if you’re a builder (32:00); and the importance of being on the same page with everything before the client gets wedded to something (49:00).Kristen’s “Boombox Story” also came up, with special mention of her “Mixtape Story,” featuring “I Alone,” by Live’s best album, Throwing Copper, back when she was “dating her husband.” Pearl Jam, the Police, and the Beastie Boys also got a shoutout. We were getting major Nora Ephron vibes. Note: we jumped right into this episode with Kristen and Kevin reminiscing about the panel almost as soon as she walked through the front door. Quick to hit the “record” button, this meant we didn’t get the formal introduction to this episode. The subject matter—introducing designers to builders—is something both Kevin and Kristen feel particularly passionate about, so things quickly took off, and the vibe was just too good to interrupt. 

Anything involving a discussion of our team is worth revisiting, so having an entire 90-minute panel on this subject in a room full of some of the best of the best in the Boston build-design community was an awesome experience worthy of numerous podcast episodes. For the first of this revisiting, we went with fellow builder, Eric Adams, of Adams + Beasley Associates. Winner of the Boston Globe’s “Top Places to Work” five years in a row, Eric has a lot to say about how to run a construction company.Eric also shared the first “Boombox Story,” something we'll be asking all of our guests to share in future episodes. While it won’t bring you to tears, it’s unexpectedly amazing. Like if Steven Spielberg was going to do a movie short of a Boombox Story, this would be it.  The three moments we brought Eric in to revisit were Kevin’s favorite part of camaraderie—eating lunch together; Eric’s story of a moment that’s stayed with him involving this adage: “When money isn’t a problem, everything else is”; and another moment Eric had on the panel about democratizing success.