Welcome to the Construction Disruption Podcast, where we
Intro:uncover the future of design, building, and remodeling.
Todd Miller:I'm Todd Miller of Isaiah Industries, manufacturer
Todd Miller:of specialty metal roofing and other building materials, and
Todd Miller:welcome to Construction Disruption.
Todd Miller:Um, we're real excited about today's episode.
Todd Miller:As always, we have a great guest, so, uh, let's go ahead and get things going.
Todd Miller:So, of course, here on the show, we cover a wide variety of topics, topics
Todd Miller:and we have a wide variety of guests and this episode is no different.
Todd Miller:Today we're talking with Matt Vetter, president of Schafer Construction
Todd Miller:based in Brighton, Michigan.
Todd Miller:As head of a construction company that does a wide variety of work from
Todd Miller:industrial and commercial buildings to multi family religious buildings and
Todd Miller:everything in between, Matt sees some of the unique and varied challenges
Todd Miller:that are faced by our industry.
Todd Miller:And aside from his work at Schafer, he is facing these challenges head
Todd Miller:on in a number of ways, trying to solve them for our industry and
Todd Miller:to take us all to a higher level.
Todd Miller:Um, well, we're going to dig into all that here in just a little bit, but first
Todd Miller:Matt, Welcome to Construction Disruption.
Todd Miller:Pleasure to have you here today.
Matt Vetter:Thank you for having me, Todd.
Matt Vetter:I've been excited to come on.
Matt Vetter:I know we, we scheduled this quite a while ago, so I'm glad it's finally here.
Todd Miller:Well, I am as well.
Todd Miller:So a lot of times we start the show with a really lame dad joke,
Todd Miller:and sometimes we have a co host, so we do those in between us.
Todd Miller:Well, you're going to be the victim of my dad joke today, if that's okay.
Matt Vetter:Hey fire away
Todd Miller:Okay, so I I read the other day, um that the
Todd Miller:average dog barks 267 times a day.
Todd Miller:It seems to like a lot I have one that barks probably a lot more
Todd Miller:than that and one a lot less Um, of course keep in mind that 267 is
Todd Miller:only a rough estimate Rough, rough.
Todd Miller:Got it.
Todd Miller:Yeah, it's as good as it gets.
Todd Miller:Anyway.
Matt Vetter:It's a good estimator joke.
Todd Miller:Well, we want to focus on things that you're doing today
Todd Miller:to help our industry because I think you're really doing some unique and
Todd Miller:special things to benefit our industry.
Todd Miller:But, um, first of all start out by telling us a little bit about your own history.
Todd Miller:Um, how you got involved with Schafer Construction and, uh, became head of it,
Todd Miller:and, um, tell us, give us an overview of the types of work that Schafer
Todd Miller:Construction, uh, gets involved with.
Matt Vetter:Sure.
Matt Vetter:So, um, I started in the construction world when I was 17 years old.
Matt Vetter:I worked for a residential, uh, framing and remodeling crew.
Matt Vetter:We did custom homes and additions, remodels.
Matt Vetter:Decks, garages, you name it.
Matt Vetter:Um, I did residential work, uh, via that company and another company that I
Matt Vetter:formed, uh, way back then for a number of years, um, 2008 came around and, and the
Matt Vetter:residential markets, as everybody knows, kind of took a tailspin to put it lightly,
Todd Miller:remember it all too well.
Todd Miller:Yes.
Todd Miller:Yeah,
Matt Vetter:yeah, I do too.
Matt Vetter:Um, Luckily, you know, by, by the grace of God, I had an opportunity
Matt Vetter:to kind of follow my lap to, to jump ships and move from the residential
Matt Vetter:world into the commercial world.
Matt Vetter:Uh, and I spent the next decade building quick serve pizza
Matt Vetter:restaurants across the country.
Matt Vetter:Um, you could probably guess which one, but when the economy had
Matt Vetter:tanked, cheap pizza was a pretty hot.
Matt Vetter:Item, uh, so we were, we were busy.
Matt Vetter:We were building hundreds and hundreds of these things a year.
Matt Vetter:Um, and it was, it was fun.
Matt Vetter:It was, you know, I made great money, but I traveled a ton and that that kind
Matt Vetter:of took its toll on me after a while.
Matt Vetter:So I put roots back down here and in southeastern Michigan, um, headed
Matt Vetter:up a pre construction department for a large local general contractor
Matt Vetter:here for a number of years.
Matt Vetter:And then, uh, as luck would have it, had another opportunity, um,
Matt Vetter:to come out to Brighton, Michigan and purchase Schafer construction.
Matt Vetter:So that's what I did.
Matt Vetter:I kind of jumped on it.
Matt Vetter:Um, when, when opportunity knocks you, you should open the door every single time.
Matt Vetter:Love that.
Matt Vetter:A little quick background on Schafer.
Matt Vetter:We've been, uh, in operation since 1997.
Matt Vetter:Um, we build today.
Matt Vetter:We build literally everything other than single family homes.
Matt Vetter:So, as you mentioned, a lot of light industrial, uh, office product,
Matt Vetter:although not as much office today as we, we used to, um, religious
Matt Vetter:institutions, recreational facilities, um, municipal projects, you name it.
Matt Vetter:We, we, uh, we'll tackle it.
Matt Vetter:So it's been, uh, it's been a great last, uh, seven years.
Matt Vetter:Um, and we're, we're looking forward to the future.
Todd Miller:How is the construction industry in Southeast Michigan right now?
Todd Miller:Is it, I mean, there's a lot of work going on and a lot still on the books
Todd Miller:or what are you seeing out there?
Matt Vetter:You know, to be honest, Todd, we have not seen any slowdown whatsoever.
Matt Vetter:We're still feeding off of the pent up demand from the, from the COVID mess.
Matt Vetter:And that continues to kind of feed our, our, uh, Revenue goals and we'll take it.
Todd Miller:Well, that's great.
Todd Miller:And you know, what I find so often is the companies that are doing things.
Todd Miller:Well, um, they tend to, to weather some of those ups and downs a
Todd Miller:whole lot better than the others.
Todd Miller:So good for you.
Todd Miller:So Brighton, Michigan, there's a ski slope there.
Todd Miller:Isn't there?
Todd Miller:Am I mistaken on that?
Todd Miller:Well,
Matt Vetter:you're right.
Matt Vetter:Mount Brighton.
Matt Vetter:I spent the majority of my childhood and teenage years, uh, snowboarding out here.
Todd Miller:Oh, awesome.
Todd Miller:Yeah, my business partner is actually from Northwest Ohio, Napoleon, Ohio, and
Todd Miller:I believe Brighton is one of the areas his family used to go skiing years ago, so.
Todd Miller:So one of the things is I picked around on Schafer Construction's website,
Todd Miller:and it was really thought provoking.
Todd Miller:through your foundation that you've started that I first came to know you.
Todd Miller:But as I picked around on Schafer's website, um, your core values really hit
Todd Miller:me a lot of times core values are just one word and you kind of see the same thing on
Todd Miller:everyone's site, but, um, yours are really specific and a little bit more defined.
Todd Miller:So, um, your core values are put the project first.
Todd Miller:Be the problem solver.
Todd Miller:Love that.
Todd Miller:Always embody honesty and integrity.
Todd Miller:Be respectful and have a 100 and 0 mindset.
Todd Miller:Um, tell us a little bit about what those core values mean to your company and even
Todd Miller:how they impact your daily activities.
Matt Vetter:Um, great question.
Matt Vetter:Uh, and I love answering it because they mean literally everything to the company.
Matt Vetter:Um, we made a conscious effort.
Matt Vetter:About six years ago to really shift our focus from just, uh, you know,
Matt Vetter:your standard construction company to, to affirm really doing great things.
Matt Vetter:And we recognize that the way to do that is to build a culture.
Matt Vetter:And the way to build a culture is to base your company on, on a very
Matt Vetter:strict and rigid set of core values.
Matt Vetter:So, uh, we came up with this list and it's changed a bit over
Matt Vetter:the years, um, but not much.
Matt Vetter:We, we hire.
Matt Vetter:By these values, we fire by these values when necessary.
Matt Vetter:We we vet potential clients and partners by these these core values.
Matt Vetter:Um, you know, it's it's far more than a pretty picture on the
Matt Vetter:wall in our conference room.
Matt Vetter:It really is a a It's our North star, you know, it guides us in everything we do.
Todd Miller:That's cool.
Todd Miller:Well, your, your last core value, the have a hundred and no mindset, um, give
Todd Miller:me a little bit of background or, you know, what that, what that means to you.
Matt Vetter:Yeah.
Matt Vetter:So that's the one that everyone asks about and it's actually my favorite.
Matt Vetter:And, um, so a hundred to zero mindset is, is the mentality that when we commit to
Matt Vetter:going and doing anything, whether that's going after a prospect, whether it's
Matt Vetter:a project we've signed, whether it's.
Matt Vetter:Starting a foundation doesn't doesn't matter if we're going to commit resources
Matt Vetter:and commit our our brainpower to going after something we're going to fight so
Matt Vetter:fiercely to win that we want to run the score up on our our opponent 100 to 0.
Matt Vetter:There are there are no opportunities for for anything less.
Matt Vetter:It is.
Matt Vetter:It is.
Matt Vetter:We are going to crush anyone in our way.
Matt Vetter:Respectfully, uh, and, and, and win.
Matt Vetter:And that's, that's how we continue to operate to this day.
Todd Miller:Oh, I love it.
Todd Miller:And that, what a great rallying cry that becomes for your entire organization
Todd Miller:to have that kind of mindset.
Todd Miller:Um, love it.
Todd Miller:That's great.
Todd Miller:You know, one of the things I I've been talking some about lately is,
Todd Miller:um, I'm seeing a lot in some of the leadership books out there about how
Todd Miller:core values are really What a lot of companies are focusing on now more
Todd Miller:than mission, because I think in our fast changing world, sometimes that
Todd Miller:mission has to stay a little bit fluid, but it's going to be fluid within
Todd Miller:the boundaries of your core values.
Todd Miller:Is that kind of what you find?
Todd Miller:Also?
Matt Vetter:Yes, because.
Matt Vetter:The precision it takes to, to set up a mission statement that it can, whether
Matt Vetter:the time, right, whether your entire existence as a company, it's, it's almost
Matt Vetter:immeasurable and it's almost impossible to do because the economy is always changing.
Matt Vetter:The environment's always changing your clientele changes.
Matt Vetter:There's so many things changing.
Matt Vetter:And so I think that having that core values really as a structural
Matt Vetter:piece to stand on, it allows you to Almost manipulate your, your mission
Matt Vetter:statement as you continue to progress and grow through the industry.
Todd Miller:Absolutely.
Todd Miller:I love it.
Todd Miller:And it's just been interesting how I've seen that.
Todd Miller:I really first started taking note of it from a lot of leadership
Todd Miller:things, probably 6, 8 months ago, but just makes a whole lot of sense.
Todd Miller:And if you can get your entire organization driving
Todd Miller:behind the same core values.
Todd Miller:Um, that's going to carry you a long way.
Todd Miller:So, so back in January of 2021, I believe, which was kind of the height
Todd Miller:of COVID for a lot of folks, um, like many folks, including those of us
Todd Miller:here at construction disruption, you decided to start a podcast, uh, that
Todd Miller:you named the construction corner.
Todd Miller:Uh, can you tell us a little bit about what you do on the show and
Todd Miller:what your goal is through the podcast?
Matt Vetter:Yeah, so just to clarify a bit, I joined an existing show.
Matt Vetter:Um, one of my very best friends, Dylan Mitchell started it a couple of years
Matt Vetter:prior to that, I joined as co host in 21.
Matt Vetter:And, um, you know, our goal in that show is really to, To bring awareness
Matt Vetter:to the industry that that we both know and love that we all know and love.
Matt Vetter:Um, we, we had, you know, have a very wide variety of guests on that can speak to
Matt Vetter:different different areas of construction.
Matt Vetter:We, we never really focused too heavily on on the commercial versus residential side.
Matt Vetter:Dylan, my, my co host is an electrical engineer.
Matt Vetter:I'm obviously a former carpenter, so I'm, you know, one step above a pirate, but,
Matt Vetter:but I do like to talk from time to time.
Matt Vetter:So the two of us kind of had that opposite side of the, uh, of the
Matt Vetter:prospect table mentality to, to go about these conversations.
Matt Vetter:So it's been, uh, it's been a lot of fun and had a lot of
Matt Vetter:good conversations through that.
Todd Miller:Man, that's great.
Todd Miller:And I find that you can learn so much also, um,
Matt Vetter:just seconding that you can, you learn a ton by having conversations.
Todd Miller:So just to tell our audience, um, we are doing
Todd Miller:challenge words again this episode.
Todd Miller:No pirate was not Matt's challenge word Um, but kind of keep the ear out
Todd Miller:for any words that we might use that might be a little bit different That we
Todd Miller:have both been challenged to work into the conversation Later on the show.
Todd Miller:I'll tell you whether we were successful or not.
Todd Miller:So, um, yeah, no, I I I love it.
Todd Miller:So you've got quite a few episodes under your belt now also with podcast
Matt Vetter:Oh, yeah, we're, we're, uh, I don't remember a few hundred by now.
Todd Miller:They build up quick, that's for sure.
Matt Vetter:Yes.
Todd Miller:Well, that's cool.
Todd Miller:We'll keep up the good work.
Todd Miller:I've been listening to it a little bit here and there, and I want to
Todd Miller:make it part of my regular listening.
Todd Miller:My problem is I only have about a 10 minute commute to and from work every day.
Todd Miller:That would be my podcast time, but it's a pretty short drive.
Todd Miller:So after that, then, um, just earlier in 2024, and this was kind of where I,
Todd Miller:uh, first became aware of you, Matt.
Todd Miller:I saw a press release or something that you had out there.
Todd Miller:Um, you started something called the Build Better Foundation.
Todd Miller:And your tagline for the foundation is make the trades cool again, which I love.
Todd Miller:Um, I assume you started the Build Better Foundation because you saw a
Todd Miller:concern in the construction industry that you wanted to try to address.
Todd Miller:Um, in particular, maybe in Michigan.
Todd Miller:Can you tell us a little bit about what you saw that became
Todd Miller:the impetus for you to say, hey, I want to do something about this?
Matt Vetter:It's a systemic problem that frankly, all of us
Matt Vetter:in the industry are to blame for.
Matt Vetter:And it's, it's been going on for the past 20 plus years in that we allowed
Matt Vetter:the public school systems in particular to, to really beat college as the
Matt Vetter:only option into our, our heads and into now the heads of our children and
Matt Vetter:their children, um, you know, when I was growing up and when I was in high
Matt Vetter:school, we had, it wasn't trade school.
Matt Vetter:Then it was called voc tech and.
Matt Vetter:It was looked at as it was the option for the burnouts for
Matt Vetter:the kids who couldn't graduate.
Matt Vetter:You know, it was, it was, it was low tier option mentality.
Matt Vetter:And it was, there was never a, a push or even the conversation that there's
Matt Vetter:alternatives out there to a 4 year degree and construction is obviously, uh, uh,
Matt Vetter:an industry that while 4 year degrees are, are valuable to some aspect and
Matt Vetter:what we do, uh, it's not a requirement.
Matt Vetter:And it, again, it's been going on for forever and it's just something that
Matt Vetter:kind of has been boiling and boiling inside me for a very long time.
Matt Vetter:You know, we, we don't have.
Matt Vetter:Young people flooding into the industry.
Matt Vetter:Like we need, you know, you asked me earlier how the, how the market is here.
Matt Vetter:And it's great.
Matt Vetter:The problem is we have all the projects that we need.
Matt Vetter:What we don't have is the people to build them.
Matt Vetter:And, you know, we share for constructions, a paper GC, we
Matt Vetter:don't self perform anything.
Matt Vetter:We manage the deals and the projects.
Matt Vetter:So the labor market for us is not as critical, but But all of
Matt Vetter:our specialty contractors, our trade partners, they rely on that.
Matt Vetter:And so what build better foundation is, is aiming to do.
Matt Vetter:And in our first initiative now is we're actually having a launch
Matt Vetter:party in a couple of weeks.
Matt Vetter:We're going to start providing scholarships to, to kids or to anyone
Matt Vetter:looking to get into either a trade school or even a, you know, a four year CM
Matt Vetter:program or, or an apprenticeship, um, something that's Just to kind of help
Matt Vetter:them get a little seed money, whether it's, you know, paying for books,
Matt Vetter:paying for tools, paying for boots.
Matt Vetter:I don't, I don't really care.
Matt Vetter:Um, the goal is just to, to do our little bit that we can to try and help raise
Matt Vetter:awareness and, and try and get more interest and involvement in the industry
Matt Vetter:that frankly, we all, we all love.
Todd Miller:No, I, I hear you and I love and applaud what you're doing.
Todd Miller:Um, it's funny, you know, a few years ago, um, When unemployment rates,
Todd Miller:you know, just were running so low and they were telling us, gosh,
Todd Miller:they're lower than even the number of people who don't want to work.
Todd Miller:Um, you know, and I think that brought a lot of attention and people
Todd Miller:started focusing on the construction trades and the shortages, but, uh,
Todd Miller:you, you hit the nail on the head.
Todd Miller:We started experiencing this 20, 25 years ago, um, just with a
Todd Miller:lower influx of new folks into our, uh, Into our great industry here.
Todd Miller:So, um, yeah, so, so, uh, you know, I, I know that you're raising funds and
Todd Miller:you're going to start the scholarship program, um, any other, you know,
Todd Miller:insight as far as what you're doing or, you know, how, how are you managing
Todd Miller:to gain traction with the foundation and get some interest out there?
Todd Miller:Uh, I can imagine we've got some listeners are saying, wow, I
Todd Miller:ought to start that in my area.
Todd Miller:Um, tell us a little bit about, you know, how you get off the this
Todd Miller:off the ground and make it happen.
Matt Vetter:Um, it's not been easy.
Matt Vetter:Um, contrary to popular belief or to my mistaken belief, setting up an actual 501
Matt Vetter:C3 is a tremendously difficult process and go figure the IRS doesn't, doesn't
Matt Vetter:make it easy for you to not pay taxes.
Matt Vetter:So, um, it's been kind of a labor of love that took frankly, almost a
Matt Vetter:year before we were able to launch.
Matt Vetter:Um, you know, social medias.
Matt Vetter:Great.
Matt Vetter:Um, as much as I, I love to hate it, it, it helps us get our word out.
Matt Vetter:It's, it's how I met you, Todd.
Matt Vetter:And, um, you know, that, that's, that's been huge for us.
Matt Vetter:Podcasting is, is another, uh, media choice where, you know, it's,
Matt Vetter:it's low cost, but it's high reach.
Matt Vetter:And it's, it's just a matter of, of.
Matt Vetter:You know, a pyramid stack.
Matt Vetter:And if we can have one conversation today, but you've got 50 or a hundred or however
Matt Vetter:many listeners, you know, the hope is each one of those listeners might take a piece
Matt Vetter:of this and then go talk to somebody else.
Matt Vetter:And it just keeps kind of spider webbing from there.
Matt Vetter:So we don't do a lot of, you know, typical marketing yet.
Matt Vetter:Um, obviously as a startup, we're, we're pretty strapped for, for budgeting.
Matt Vetter:We want to put most of the money that we have into actually, you know, Helping
Matt Vetter:those folks who are trying to get into the industry versus, you know, spending it
Matt Vetter:on, on ad spend or, or things like that.
Todd Miller:Well, and it's interesting.
Todd Miller:So I'm involved with a national trade organization that started
Todd Miller:a scholarship program recently.
Todd Miller:And, um, interestingly, as, as we looked at it.
Todd Miller:Um, our initial scholarships are not even requiring you to be in the trades.
Todd Miller:I think we want to get there eventually, but we were initial like, we're not
Todd Miller:sure we can even give away these scholarships if we restricted to that.
Todd Miller:Um, and we were restricting it to children or grandchildren
Todd Miller:of, Members of the organization.
Todd Miller:Um, but so I, I, I agree with you.
Todd Miller:These things take a little bit of time, but on the other hand, um, that's kind
Todd Miller:of what makes you a change maker out there and what drives some changes.
Todd Miller:So I'm kind of curious.
Todd Miller:I mean, what is it in you?
Todd Miller:I mean, you, you could.
Todd Miller:Live just fine.
Todd Miller:You could, you could still be building, building pizza stores, but you know,
Todd Miller:you could live just fine, uh, heading up Schafer construction and not have to have
Todd Miller:all these other things on your plate.
Todd Miller:What is it that kind of drives you personally saying, Hey, I want to, I want
Todd Miller:to be a bigger part of change than this.
Matt Vetter:Um, that's pretty deep question, Todd.
Matt Vetter:I wasn't it's a good question.
Matt Vetter:You know, I, I candidly, I've done really well in my career and, and I've, I've
Matt Vetter:proven to myself, I've proven to my, my family and my, my friends that this
Matt Vetter:is a, not just a viable career choice, but it's a potentially very lucrative
Matt Vetter:and very successful career choice.
Matt Vetter:And you're right, I could, I could do nothing else and I could do less
Matt Vetter:than I do and still be perfectly fine.
Matt Vetter:But, you know, it seems sounds a little cheesy, but I want to make my mark, right?
Matt Vetter:We built great buildings and that's, that's fine and good.
Matt Vetter:We.
Matt Vetter:We build a lot of cool stuff at the construction company, but if I can
Matt Vetter:do a very small part, if we through the organization can do a small part
Matt Vetter:to then boost the industry, that's allowed us to find this success.
Matt Vetter:It's like a, it's like a triple win for me.
Matt Vetter:So that's kind of, it's that a hundred to zero mindset, right?
Matt Vetter:I, I don't want to stop.
Matt Vetter:So I like stacking up the chips.
Matt Vetter:I like seeing the wins and if I can promote and provide an
Matt Vetter:opportunity for somebody else to also then see those wins and that's.
Matt Vetter:That's all I can ask for.
Matt Vetter:That's great for me.
Todd Miller:Yeah, I love it.
Todd Miller:And you're right.
Todd Miller:It's so easy.
Todd Miller:And, you know, I'll even have people come into my life or saying, Todd, slow down.
Todd Miller:You got to do less right now.
Todd Miller:I'm doing what I'm driven to do and why I feel like I'm called to do.
Todd Miller:Um, well, I'm kind of curious, you know, speaking of that,
Todd Miller:how do you balance it all?
Todd Miller:Um, where do you find the space and the place to kind of recharge
Todd Miller:yourself and be able to keep all this, all these plates spinning?
Matt Vetter:So I get asked that all the time and people say the same thing, you
Matt Vetter:know, you need to slow down, you need to find more balance and, um, I'm not going
Matt Vetter:to swear on your podcast, but I find that the term work life balance is BS.
Matt Vetter:There, there is, when you're an entrepreneur, there is no such thing.
Matt Vetter:There is no such thing at all.
Matt Vetter:What, what there is though, is finding.
Matt Vetter:A way that you can satisfy all of your needs and the needs of those
Matt Vetter:around you who, who rely on you while still keeping the ship afloat.
Matt Vetter:And, and I think that's different than balance in my mind anyways.
Matt Vetter:So, um, you know, I've got three, three boys and a wife and some dogs.
Matt Vetter:And, you know, there's, there's a lot of, of needs out there.
Matt Vetter:There are a lot of buckets that I need to fill, but, um, in my mind, I can't do.
Matt Vetter:Any one of those without all of the others.
Matt Vetter:Also.
Todd Miller:Yeah, I think that's interesting.
Todd Miller:You know, I, especially in the summer, I tend to be a pretty big baseball fan.
Todd Miller:And of course, my team is the Reds.
Todd Miller:You you might be more of a Tigers fan up there, but, um, yeah, Yeah, it's
Todd Miller:interesting as I watch those players, I love seeing, you know, the stories
Todd Miller:about them personally because of what it takes to them to be, you know,
Todd Miller:an elite level athlete like that.
Todd Miller:And, you know, make no mistake about it.
Todd Miller:They are.
Todd Miller:I mean, they're doing things every day that the rest of us could never
Todd Miller:dream of doing, even though we may look at it and think we could.
Todd Miller:Um, and yet, you know, You know, you talk about them and how do they achieve
Todd Miller:work life balance, and I agree with you.
Todd Miller:It's kind of baloney.
Todd Miller:Um, and I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but, but I guess, you know, you talk
Todd Miller:about, okay, well, they're an athlete and they're doing what they're called to do.
Todd Miller:Well, those of us in business are doing what we're called to do also.
Todd Miller:Um, and it takes commitment and it takes a lot of drive and
Todd Miller:perseverance and a lot of hard work.
Todd Miller:So, um, kudos to you.
Matt Vetter:All right.
Matt Vetter:Thank you.
Matt Vetter:And you're right.
Matt Vetter:I mean, I'm more of a basketball guy myself.
Matt Vetter:I'll relate things to Michael Jordan or to Kobe Bryant.
Matt Vetter:You know, those two, they were in the gym at three o'clock in the morning and they
Matt Vetter:were in the gym immediately after games.
Matt Vetter:And, you know, there's a different mentality.
Matt Vetter:You have to have to be successful as an owner and not everyone needs that.
Matt Vetter:We don't, we don't want everyone to be an entrepreneur or a leader of a company.
Matt Vetter:We need people that just want to work and there's nothing wrong with that, but
Todd Miller:absolutely.
Matt Vetter:You know, and I just think that's, that's part
Matt Vetter:of the burden that we bear.
Matt Vetter:As entrepreneurs is, is the lack of that, that, you know, admitted
Matt Vetter:work life balance concept.
Todd Miller:Yeah.
Todd Miller:Interesting.
Todd Miller:Well, I'm kind of curious who have been some of the strong mentors or positive
Todd Miller:influencers in your life, uh, along the way, anyone in particular come to mind.
Matt Vetter:Uh, my father is a huge one.
Todd Miller:He
Matt Vetter:suffered a massive setback professionally when I was in high school.
Matt Vetter:Uh, and rather than, you know, tucking tail and admitting defeat and, and.
Matt Vetter:You know, laying down for the rest of his life.
Matt Vetter:He turned it around and and Started his own company.
Matt Vetter:Um, that, which was kind of my first real taste of, of entrepreneurship.
Matt Vetter:And I saw that and I thought, wow, my, you know, dad's his own boss.
Matt Vetter:How, how the heck do you do that?
Matt Vetter:Mm-Hmm, . Um, so, you know, that that was a, a pivotal moment in my life.
Matt Vetter:And, you know, I've, I've learned a lot through those experiences.
Matt Vetter:Certainly.
Matt Vetter:Um, I have other mentors along the way too, but, you know, I, I would say is a,
Matt Vetter:a, a kind of life altering, uh, moment.
Matt Vetter:That, that was it.
Todd Miller:Yeah, very interesting.
Todd Miller:Well, you and I, you're a lot younger than me, but you and I have very
Todd Miller:similar stories because I've got similar experience with my father also.
Todd Miller:So, uh, very interesting.
Todd Miller:Well, Matt, it's been a great time talking to you.
Todd Miller:We're kind of close to wrapping up, but we kind of call the business
Todd Miller:end of things and here in a little bit, we'll give you a chance to
Todd Miller:share all your contact information.
Todd Miller:Um, but is there anything we haven't covered today that you wanted to be
Todd Miller:sure and share with our audience?
Matt Vetter:No, I think we've touched on it.
Matt Vetter:You know, obviously my my big focus right now outside of the construction
Matt Vetter:company is is the build better foundation.
Matt Vetter:So any, any, any way anyone can help either financially or or just helping to
Matt Vetter:get the word out is is always appreciated.
Todd Miller:Cool.
Todd Miller:And I'm sure you'd love to talk with folks who may want to start something
Todd Miller:similar in their regions to and share with them what you've learned.
Todd Miller:That's cool.
Todd Miller:Well, and I will tell you if you're someplace in Southeast Michigan
Todd Miller:and looking to have a building built, uh, Schafer construct should
Todd Miller:be a great option to talk to you.
Todd Miller:So that's cool too.
Matt Vetter:We do that too.
Todd Miller:Well, before we close out, I am going to invite
Todd Miller:you to take part in something we call our rapid fire questions.
Todd Miller:They're not really that rapid, but we'll do them as quick as we can.
Todd Miller:Um, so these are seven questions kind of out of the blue that you have no idea.
Todd Miller:We're going to ask, um, are you up to the challenge of rapid fire fire away?
Todd Miller:Cool.
Todd Miller:And I think I said, we're going to ask, I guess it's going to be me.
Todd Miller:Um, but anyway.
Todd Miller:Number one, what is a product or service that you've purchased in recent years
Todd Miller:that has been a real game changer for you?
Todd Miller:Sort of a, where have you been all my life
Matt Vetter:moment?
Matt Vetter:Uh, I joined a entrepreneurial mastermind called the Arate Syndicate
Matt Vetter:about four years ago, and it has been an absolute game changer.
Matt Vetter:I wish I had started.
Matt Vetter:Much sooner.
Todd Miller:So for our audience that doesn't know, tell us a little bit
Todd Miller:about how that mastermind group works.
Todd Miller:Does it meet once a week, once a month virtual, I assume?
Matt Vetter:Yeah, it's virtual meetings.
Matt Vetter:Primarily.
Matt Vetter:There's a, there's a call 3 times a week on on zoom.
Matt Vetter:There's a, I'm sorry, 3 times a month on zoom.
Matt Vetter:Uh, a Facebook group.
Matt Vetter:And then a few times a year, there are opportunities for in person meetups.
Matt Vetter:Um, all of which I've done all the above.
Matt Vetter:And it's from a, from a business ownership perspective, it is, it is
Matt Vetter:1000 percent changed the trajectory of,
Matt Vetter:of where Schafer construction
Matt Vetter:is going and, and where we were.
Matt Vetter:And it's, you know, It's been a very beneficial thing.
Todd Miller:Uh, cool.
Todd Miller:Good for you.
Todd Miller:That's great.
Todd Miller:Question number two, if you could have any superpower, what superpower
Todd Miller:would you choose to have and why?
Matt Vetter:I've always thought flying would be cool.
Matt Vetter:Um, I don't really know why maybe, maybe to cut down on my commute, maybe.
Matt Vetter:So I don't have to fly commercial.
Matt Vetter:Uh, so I guess until I get my, my first jet.
Matt Vetter:Um, being able to just to fly like Superman would be, would be kind of fun.
Todd Miller:There you go.
Todd Miller:Sounds good to me.
Todd Miller:Okay.
Todd Miller:Question number three.
Todd Miller:Do you have a bucket list vacation?
Matt Vetter:Um, I have a lot of bucket list vacations.
Matt Vetter:Um, my wife and I are, she's a very similar mindset to me and we're,
Matt Vetter:we're always working on something.
Matt Vetter:So we, we've become very good at kind of coupling our travel options with,
Matt Vetter:um, Our entrepreneurial ventures.
Matt Vetter:So everywhere we go to where we always are going kind of with the
Matt Vetter:look in the eye of, you know, how can we turn this into something new?
Matt Vetter:How can we turn this into either another business or an opportunity?
Matt Vetter:And so really any, anywhere we go that we haven't been yet, our
Matt Vetter:bucket list adventures to us.
Matt Vetter:Good deal.
Todd Miller:Well, this next one is a would you rather question.
Todd Miller:Would you, would you rather have spaghetti for your hair
Todd Miller:or maple syrup for your sweat?
Matt Vetter:Um, boy, that's equally, equally disgusting.
Matt Vetter:I think I would go with, uh, with maple syrup, I guess.
Matt Vetter:And I don't have a good answer.
Matt Vetter:I like maple syrup more than I like spaghetti.
Matt Vetter:We'll leave it at that.
Todd Miller:See, I would take the spaghetti because I haven't
Todd Miller:had hair in about 30 years, so I'd have to go with that.
Todd Miller:Okay, another would you rather question.
Todd Miller:Would you rather have a permanent clown face or would you rather always
Todd Miller:have to wear giant clown shoes?
Matt Vetter:I'm a shoe guy.
Matt Vetter:I'd go with the shoes.
Matt Vetter:I like my my Jordans and my my cowboy boots, but I I'd add
Matt Vetter:some clown shoes into the mix.
Todd Miller:There you go.
Todd Miller:Love it.
Todd Miller:Okay.
Todd Miller:Next to last question.
Todd Miller:If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would
Todd Miller:you choose to have dinner with
Matt Vetter:historical figure?
Matt Vetter:I would probably go with, uh, you know, a John Adams or a Paul Revere type.
Matt Vetter:Type figure just to kind of pick their brain on, you know, what, what their,
Matt Vetter:what their mindset was, what their, uh, what their core values were when
Matt Vetter:they were, you know, working on, on the revolution and the constitution
Matt Vetter:and that phase of our country's existence, that'd be pretty neat to me
Matt Vetter:to understand more on a deeper level, especially given where we are today.
Todd Miller:Yeah, I agree.
Todd Miller:Cool.
Todd Miller:And I love the flag.
Todd Miller:You said, uh, they're behind you.
Todd Miller:You said a friend made that for
Matt Vetter:you.
Matt Vetter:He did.
Matt Vetter:I have a good friend.
Matt Vetter:He, uh, he owns a company unrelated to woodworking.
Matt Vetter:Um, but he's also a pretty accomplished woodworker.
Matt Vetter:So he made this and shipped it up from, uh, shipped it over from New Jersey.
Matt Vetter:Uh, and it's, it's hung on my wall ever since.
Matt Vetter:Wow, that's beautiful.
Matt Vetter:Thank
Todd Miller:you.
Todd Miller:Last question.
Todd Miller:What would you like to be for remembered for at the end of your days?
Matt Vetter:I think that's easy.
Matt Vetter:Everybody wants to be remembered for making a difference making a positive
Matt Vetter:change You know and that's that kind of goes along with the question you asked
Matt Vetter:me earlier and why I do all that I do um You know, it'd be pretty boring to
Matt Vetter:me to just live a mediocre existence.
Matt Vetter:That's never interested me.
Matt Vetter:Um, never been a guy that wanted to punch a clock and, and go sit down and, and, you
Matt Vetter:know, watch TV every night so I can turn my time into, into valuable production
Matt Vetter:and make, make a positive impact.
Todd Miller:Good for you.
Todd Miller:Well, you are well on the path to making that difference and
Todd Miller:you are making that difference.
Todd Miller:So it's been great.
Todd Miller:So Matt, thank you again, um for folks who want to get in touch with you or learn
Todd Miller:more about Schafer construction
Todd Miller:or the construction corner podcast or The build better
Todd Miller:foundation, uh, what are the best ways for them to do that?
Todd Miller:And we'll put this information in the show notes as well, by the way.
Matt Vetter:I appreciate that todd Um easiest way to get a hold
Matt Vetter:of me is my my personal linkedin.
Matt Vetter:It's Matt Vetter Pretty easy to find.
Matt Vetter:Uh, the website company website is Schafer Construction.
Matt Vetter:net.
Matt Vetter:Um, through that site, you can get to the build better foundation also.
Matt Vetter:So it's all a pretty easy one stop shop.
Todd Miller:Cool.
Todd Miller:Well, we encourage everyone to check that out and, and especially
Todd Miller:check out what Matt's doing through the build better foundation.
Todd Miller:And, uh, it's an important part of, uh, continuing our industry and
Todd Miller:hopefully improving it on our industry.
Todd Miller:And, uh, so check that out for sure.
Todd Miller:So Matt, I have to ask you, did you get your challenge word in?
Matt Vetter:I sure did.
Matt Vetter:I used precision when I talked about the precision of making
Matt Vetter:crafting a mission statement that can withstand the test of time
Todd Miller:and you did it.
Todd Miller:Well, you're right.
Todd Miller:I remember it now, but went right over my head at the time I worked mine in,
Todd Miller:which was traction didn't use it that way.
Todd Miller:But for all you business owners out there, Matt and I were
Todd Miller:talking about the book traction.
Todd Miller:Great business leadership book, business management book.
Todd Miller:So we highly recommend that if you're looking for something.
Todd Miller:Matt, this has been great.
Todd Miller:Thank you so much.
Todd Miller:It's been really good to get to know you and to learn more about what you're doing.
Todd Miller:Keep up the great work.
Todd Miller:I
Matt Vetter:appreciate it, Todd.
Matt Vetter:It's been fun.
Todd Miller:Well, thank you to our audience for tuning into
Todd Miller:this very special episode of Construction Disruption with Matt
Todd Miller:Vetter of Schafer Construction
Todd Miller:based in Brighton, Michigan.
Todd Miller:Please watch for future episodes of our podcast.
Todd Miller:Don't forget to leave a review on Apple podcasts or YouTube.
Todd Miller:Um, we always have great guests just like today, and we appreciate that.
Todd Miller:Um, but until the next time we're together, keep on disrupting and
Todd Miller:challenging, looking for better ways of doing things, and don't forget to
Todd Miller:have a positive impact on everyone you encounter, make them smile, give them
Todd Miller:encouragement, so God bless and take care.
Todd Miller:This is Isaiah Industries signing off until the next episode
Todd Miller:of Construction Disruption.
Intro:This podcast is produced by Isaiah Industries, manufacturer of specialty
Intro:metal roofing and other building products.