“We’re not overly concerned about what our titles say externally. We’re far more interested in what they say internally.” – Mitch Cornelius, CTO at Fortis Construction
In today’s episode of Bricks and Bytes, we had Mitch Cornelius from Fortis Construction who shared insights on innovation in construction for a $2.7B company.
Tune in to find out about:
✅ Why Fortis focuses on employee experience over ROI when evaluating new tech
✅ How they reduced tech fragmentation by moving from dozens of point solutions to a platform approach
✅ Their “80% rule” for technology adoption across project teams
✅ Why they engage with early-stage startups but deliberately avoid establishing a CVC arm
The construction industry is evolving rapidly with AI and other technologies. Hear how Fortis is positioning itself as a pioneer rather than a cowboy in this changing landscape.
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Chapters
00:00 Intro
03:30 Introduction to Fortis and Its Operations
06:29 The Role of the CTO in Innovation
09:40 Innovation as a Company-Wide Responsibility
12:30 The Innovation Team Structure
15:33 Sources of Innovation: Field vs Management
18:34 Pain Points in Innovation and Technology
21:22 Evaluating Technology Providers
24:33 Point Solutions vs. Platform Solutions
27:29 User Experience and Adoption of New Tools
30:31 The Future of Construction Technology
41:31 The 80% Rule and Superintendent Workloads
42:34 Pioneering vs. Cowboy Mentality in Startups
45:03 Strategic Partnerships with Early Stage Startups
46:32 Corporate Venture Capital: A Different Approach
48:46 AI in Construction: Current Trends and Future Potential
53:24 Collaboration with Big Tech Companies
56:00 Interest from Big Companies in Construction Tech
57:25 Advice for Early Stage Startups
01:00:29 Collaboration Among Contractors
01:02:35 Pricing Models for Technology in Construction
01:07:41 The Future of General Contracting
