Scott Sedam | ProBuilder

Scott Sedam

Scott Sedam is president of TrueNorth Development, a consulting and training firm that works with builders to improve products, process, and profits. A senior contributing editor to Pro Builder, Scott writes about all aspects of the home building business and won the 2015 Jesse H. Neal Award, business journalism's most prestigious prize, for his commentary in Pro Builder. Scott invites you to join TrueNorth's Lean Building Group on LinkedIn and welcomes your feedback at scott@truen.com or 248.446.1275.

RELATED STORIES

Business Management

12 Things I Wish I Knew About Building Before I Turned 40

Sharing lessons learned in the hope that the next generation of industry leaders can avoid making the same mistakes

Man sitting with laptop and wearing a time machine helmet

Business Management

What I Learned From Bill, Part 2

10 lessons from Bill Pulte, the Master Builder. Part two in a two-part series

Leadership

A Mentor Like No Other—What I Learned From Bill Pulte

A student discovers the master. Part one in a two-part series about PulteGroups' Bill Pulte

Home builder Bill Pulte, of PulteGroup, was an industry leader and mentor

Business Management

So, You Want to Be a Production Builder?

The transition from custom to production requires far more than just a portfolio of standard plans

Once custom house with a red roof stands out among white-roofed tract homes

Business Management

Why Dr. W. Edwards Deming Never Gets Old

Solid advice from an expert who's been around awhile: Consider your operating philosophy thoughtfully

Business Management

Doc, We Hardly Knew Ye

Most industries have seen massive productivity gains since the ’50s—except home building. But if we took Deming's teachings to heart, things might be different

Business Management

The VPO Cure: Step-by-Step Guide to Reduce Waste and Boost Your Bottom Line

Any work commissioned after the start of a home spells waste, and that waste is crippling. Here’s the fix

pouring out medicine onto a spoon to find a cure for variance and construction waste

Business Management

What Lies Beneath—the Sinking of a Home Builder

You can have as many plans, elevations, and options as you like, but only if you have the systems, processes, and staff to seamlessly handle them

giant iceberg with bulk of the iceberg submerged under water out of view

Business Management

Home Builders' Variance Measurement Quagmire—the Nightmare Continues

Managers use some remarkably creative ways to avoid reporting variance. That’s the first mistake

Business Management

The Lazy Engineer Isn't Interested in Efficiency

Wanted: A new job description for an old profession

Business Management

Welcome to a Home Builder's VPO Nightmare

Each variance purchase order is a failure, for everyone. It’s lose, lose, lose—for the builder, the supplier or trade, and for the customer

Business Management

Grand Theft Home Building

Someone is stealing from your business, eroding your margins, and beating up your bottom line. Beware: Bandits remain at large

Hooded thief stealing from home builders' business

Labor + Trade Relations

Immigration and the Leadership Gap—the Readers Speak

Reader response on the labor shortage, immigrant workers, and the need for action comes flowing in. Here’s a sampling

immigration reform-leadership gap-image Pro Builder article

Labor + Trade Relations

15 Ways to Solve Your Trade Shortage

A message for the Housing Giants to move the needle on addressing the trade shortage

Builder solutions to solve the labor shortage

Labor + Trade Relations

Immigration Reform and the Leadership Gap

The U.S. is overdue for immigration reform, and it's time for builders to step up and play a leading role in that movement

Immigrant construction worker carries materials on site during labor shortage

Business Management

Does the Old School Still Rule?

A lesson in how essential truths endure and key best practices remain relevant in home building

old school vs new school in construction

Labor + Trade Relations

The Trade Shortage: Opportunity Lost ... or Gained?

In terms of how builders run their companies, stop and ask yourself: Have we gotten better or worse since the crash?

Labor + Trade Relations

Trade Shortage Survey Results, Part 2

The survey shows the trade shortage gets worse before it gets better

Labor + Trade Relations

Survey Says: Insights on the Effects of the Labor Shortage, Part I

In Part 1 of this article series about the construction labor shortage, we look at the impact of the trade shortage on margins, quality, and delivery nationwide

Education + Training

Shop Class Makes a Comeback in Colorado

Shop class is back, and it has the potential to make a huge impact on the trade shortage

Shop class is making a comeback in Colorado

Education + Training

The Best-Kept Secret in Solving the Trade Labor Shortage

The Home Builders Institute is dedicated to providing a path to employment for those who need one—and it’s helping alleviate the labor shortage in the process

Construction jobs training for home builders

Business Management

That Was Then. This Is Now.

No one wants to hear about how great it was 30 years ago. Experience is one thing, but relevance is just as important

Scott Sedam's old photos, including the Beatles

Innovation

Home Builders Need to Innovate or Get Back to Basics

What the home building industry really needs now

Construction

Wanted: More Than a Few Good Architects and Engineers

The vast majority of architects aren’t trained in the intricacies of efficient construction. Engineers are trained, but most show little or no concern

architect and engineer on jobsite check house plan

Labor + Trade Relations

Quest to Create a New Generation of Skilled Trades

How MiCareerQuest aims to finding an answer to the construction industry's labor shortage

Students exploring trade careers at the MiCareerQuest exhibits in Michigan

Home Builders Institute's Schools to Skills Grant Application Open Through December

As Mortgage Rates Rise, Buyers Lose Purchasing Power

Renters Are Choosing Single-Family Homes for These Features