Advertise on podcast: Smarter Building Materials Marketing

What does it take to move a category that has barely changed its thermal performance since the '90s? On this episode of Smarter Building Materials Marketing, Beth talks with Avi Bar, Chief Revenue Officer at Alpen High Performance Products, about running a 40-year-old company with a startup's instincts. Avi explains why Alpen keeps high performance out of the luxury lane, why he runs sales, marketing and service as one revenue motion, and how connecting AI agents to Salesforce and HubSpot is surfacing trends his team couldn't see before.

Ask most marketers what's driving demand and you'll get a list of campaigns. When host Zach Williams asked Erin Plummer, CMO of Hancock Lumber, she started somewhere else: customer intimacy and the discipline of deciding what not to do. In this episode she breaks down how a seventh-generation lumber dealer keeps marketing aligned to its mission as it scales, and why saying no is the strategic move she protects most.

How do you attract, retain, and actually connect with the next generation of workers in building materials? Beth sits down with Mike Ellerbrook, Senior Vice President of UFP Site-Built, to talk about what his team learned by going directly to Gen Z, why bridging the gap between tribal knowledge and tech-native skills is a two-way street, and how the launch of Frame Forward Systems turned a product rebrand into a real growth engine. Mike shares the internal playbook behind going all in on brand, the four pillars his sales team leans on, and why being interested might be the most underrated leadership move in the industry.

What does it look like to bring an entirely new product category into residential construction? On this episode of Smarter Building Materials Marketing, Beth talks with Brian Sheng, Co-Founder and CEO of Aquaria, about building a company that delivers clean water to homes by harvesting it from the air. Brian shares how Aquaria found its first customers, why they positioned alongside solar and backup power to accelerate adoption, and what he has learned about balancing hands-on product experiences with AI-powered customer support.

We're bringing this one back for the brand and strategy folks in our audience. Jenny Nail's conversation on how Oldcastle APG is balancing B2B partnerships with a direct-to-consumer push (and putting the homeowner at the center of all of it) has only gotten more relevant as that shift continues to play out across the industry. If you missed it, this is a good one to catch. Enjoy! What does it take to lead growth inside one of the most recognizable names in building products? Beth sits down with Jenny Nail, Chief Revenue Officer at Oldcastle APG, to explore how the brand has evolved beyond masonry into a full outdoor living powerhouse. Jenny shares how Oldcastle APG is balancing B2B partnerships with a growing direct-to-consumer focus, how customer decision-making is shifting, and why internal culture plays a critical role in long-term success.

We're pulling this one out of the archive for the sales folks in our audience. Bradley Hartmann's conversation on value-based selling has only gotten more relevant since it first aired — so we wanted to make sure it got in front of anyone who missed it, and give returning listeners a reason to come back to it. Enjoy! What happens when market conditions shift and your team has to learn how to sell again? In this episode, Beth talks with Bradley Hartmann, CEO of Bradley Hartmann & Co., about how to train sales teams that have grown used to order-taking, how to clearly define sales activity, and why tightening the feedback loop between sales and marketing might be the most underrated growth lever in building materials today.

We're bringing this one back. Karli Slocum's conversation with Beth on digital strategy, self-serve experiences, and brand consistency in the building materials space was packed with insights that hold up ... and then some. If you missed it the first time around, now's your shot. If you caught it already, it's worth a second listen. Enjoy! How do you serve a customer who wants to be hands-on and self-serve—but still expects a high-touch experience when it counts? In this episode, Beth talks with Karli Slocum, Vice President of Marketing and Product at 3form, about building the digital tools designers actually want, translating online behavior into offline sales, and making sure the brand shows up consistently from product sample to project handoff.

In a product category where white is white and red is red, how does a manufacturer stand out? On this episode of Smarter Building Materials Marketing, Zach and Beth talk with Brandon Guthrie, Marketing Director at Durasein Solid Surface, about how the company invested in a full-scale rebrand, built a specification-first go-to-market strategy, and created a brand that architects and designers actually want to engage with. They also get into Brandon's take on trade shows, why internal trust matters more than big budgets, and what it means to grow a brand with patience and precision.

Trade shows are one of the biggest line items in a building products marketing budget, but too many manufacturers treat their booths like product showrooms instead of experiences. On this episode of Smarter Building Materials Marketing, Beth talks with Shaun Jennings, Senior Marketing Communications Manager at FastenMaster, about what it actually takes to make a trade show booth work. They cover how to choose the right shows, why product demonstrations outperform displays, how to staff a booth for real conversations, and why the best trade show marketing happens after everyone goes home.

This week’s episode is a little different. Instead of a guest interview, Beth shares a field report from IBS 2026 in Orlando — breaking down what actually stood out on the show floor. From hidden products made visible, to gamified lead capture, to brands repositioning themselves around partnership instead of product, this episode unpacks the booth strategies that felt intentional and the ones that felt forgettable. The strongest brands weren’t just showcasing products. They were designing for decision-making and building ROI directly into the experience. If trade shows are part of your 2026 strategy, this one’s worth a listen.

Acoustic products are technical, customizable, and often overlooked in commercial construction. So how does a manufacturer stand out in a category where performance matters more than aesthetics and complexity can overwhelm buyers? On this episode of Smarter Building Materials Marketing, Beth talks with Cody Martell, Marketing Director at Conwed, about simplifying complex product lines, segmenting massive catalogs, and building brand recognition through better documentation and presentation. It’s a practical look at making highly technical products easier to understand and easier to buy.

Florida Paints has been around for decades, competing in a category where brand loyalty, regional trust, and contractor relationships matter just as much as price. But proving the impact of marketing in that environment isn’t simple. In this episode of Smarter Building Materials Marketing, Beth sits down with Santiago Quintero, Director of Marketing at Florida Paints, to talk about how the company approaches measurement, alignment, and accountability in a traditionally hard-to-track industry. Santiago shares how Florida Paints connects marketing activity to real business outcomes, why internal trust matters as much as dashboards, and what it takes to earn buy-in from sales and leadership.

AI is quickly changing how product imagery gets created, edited, and personalized in building materials. In this episode of Smarter Building Materials Marketing, Beth and Zach talk with Greg Weyman, Founder and Managing Partner at MarketThrive, about how manufacturers are blending AI and CGI to build scalable visual content libraries. Greg shares how these tools are helping brands visualize complex products, cut down lead times, and produce tailored assets for different marketing channels—all while keeping creative costs in check. It’s a look at how the product imagery workflow is being reimagined from the ground up.

Garage doors are often an afterthought. But the right door can boost curb appeal, improve energy efficiency, and deliver one of the highest ROIs in home improvement. In this episode of Smarter Building Materials Marketing, Zach and Beth talk with Tina Mealer, Director of Marketing at Haas Door, about why this category deserves more attention. Tina shares how her team is helping builders and dealers rethink garage doors as both a performance upgrade and a design decision.

INTUS Windows designs and manufactures high-performance windows and doors for commercial and multifamily projects. On this episode of Smarter Building Materials Marketing, Beth PopNikolov sits down with Kurtis Perdelwitz, INTUS’s Director of Marketing & Communications, to unpack how the brand has embraced alignment between sales, marketing, and customer service—and the surprising tech that’s helped them grow 30% without adding headcount.