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Welcome to the Building Scale Podcast...

The Building Scale Podcast is a place where the only thing we take seriously… is growth (and maybe coffee ).

Building Scale is where ambitious AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) leaders come to laugh, learn, and level up. We’re talking real conversations with firm founders, operations gurus, and marketing wizards who’ve figured out how to grow their companies without losing their minds (or their margins).

Whether you’re stuck in the weeds or scaling at warp speed, this podcast is your backstage pass to the wins, fails, and WTF moments of building a business in AEC. No fluff. No jargon. Just smart people sharing what worked - and what totally didn’t.

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Stories, not lectures. Our guests get real about their journeys, from basement startups to boardroom domination.

Insights with a side of laughs. Yes, you’ll learn something. No, you won’t be bored to death.

Actionable advice. We dig into the “how,” not just the “what,” so you can walk away with tools, not just inspiration.

For Builders, By Builders. Whether you're running your first project or managing your fiftieth office, Building Scale brings you the stories that build businesses. So throw on your hard hat (or your headphones) and join us for impactful conversation and growth tips.

Recent Guests:

Building Scale

We interview successful Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) business leaders to learn how they use people, processes, and technology to scale their businesses.

Gary McCoy shares how Blink Energy Services grew from a side hustle into a full-time business built around energy compliance and building code work. He talks about spotting a hard-to-find market need, hiring early, and shaping culture with a four-day workweek and personality tools like Enneagram and Working Genius. The conversation covers training, reducing rework on site, expanding into commissioning and retrocommissioning, and the lessons learned from moving too fast in Austin. Gary also discusses the value of a fractional CFO, building science, HVAC-driven testing, and using data to guide upgrades.

Connect with Gary McCoy, Partner, Blink Energy Services –
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blinktexas/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blink-energy-services/
Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/blink-energy-insights-7468370575976202240/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/blinktexas/
Website: https://blinktexas.com/gary
Phone: 214-325-7632

Connect with Justin & Will –
Will's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willforet/
Justin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justneagle/

Learn More & Connect With Spot Migration –
Website: https://www.spotmigration.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spot-migration
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spotmigration
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Spotmigration

Do you want to be a guest on the show? Go to https://buildingscale.net/guests
Need to discuss your IT and Cybersecurity Strategy? Go to https://buildingscale.net/help

(0:00) Introduction and sponsor call to action
(1:47) Guest introduction: Gary McCoy and Blink Energy Services
(3:16) The origin story of Blink Energy Services
(4:18) Starting as a side hustle to pay for a tractor
(5:02) What energy compliance and building code work involves
(6:36) Spotting a market need in a required, hard-to-find service
(7:44) Going full time and building a real company
(8:35) Growth, first hires, and building a knowledgeable team
(10:59) Four-day workweek and creating a culture around employee fit
(13:05) Using Enneagram and Working Genius for team dynamics
(14:55) Understanding burnout and improving communication with personality tools
(18:25) Lessons from early hiring and integrating personality assessments
(21:13) Training timelines and becoming effective in the role
(23:31) What inspectors do daily and reducing rework on-site
(27:03) Winning work through referrals and client relationships
(28:04) Expanding from multifamily to commercial, industrial, and commissioning
(30:36) Diversifying services for continued growth
(31:58) Future growth: retrocommissioning and utility rebate work
(33:23) Scaling headcount, statewide expansion, and franchise vision
(36:47) Lessons from expanding too quickly into Austin
(38:38) The impact of a fractional CFO on growth decisions
(41:59) Continuous improvement and learning from business mistakes
(42:07) Equipment and technology for field and design teams
(44:17) Mechanical systems, especially HVAC, drive most testing work
(46:22) Applying building science to remodeling and existing buildings
(47:21) Diagnosing and resolving humidity issues
(49:36) Triaging fixes by cost and impact
(50:10) Common construction mistakes and installation issues
(51:42) Using utility savings and modeling to prioritize upgrades
(52:48) Advice: trust your gut but back it up with data
(54:10) A story about choosing HD DVD vs. Blu-ray
(55:10) How to contact Gary McCoy and Blink Texas
(56:07) Sponsor: Building Scale