Future Construct: Danielle O'Connell and Johnny Fortune at Geo Week 2023

By Luke Lightning

April 17, 2023 

It's almost April, and we are excited to launch a new series of episodes featuring our guest host, Mark Oden (CEO of BIM Designs, Inc), and several keynote speakers we met at Geo Week 2023 in Denver, CO!

This week, for Season 3, Episode 13, we are thrilled to welcome back to the show Danielle O'Connell, the Senior Director of Emerging Technology at Skanska USA, and Johnny Fortune, the BIM Program Director at the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) (24-minute episode). The naturally flowing conversations between Danielle and Johnny took an introspective look into various topics, from guests' backgrounds and the work Skanska USA and NIBS do to involvement in presentations at Geo Week and points of excitement from the conference.

Click to listen to our interview on Apple, Spotify, or Google, or watch on our Facebook or YouTube channels.

About Danielle O'Connell In 2020, Danielle was listed as one of 17 women that are changing the face of construction. In her career, Danielle has provided leadership, supervision, input, and guidance on integrating, incorporating, and adopting new and emerging technologies relevant to needs in the design and construction of facilities. She has overseen teams dedicated to providing design and construction-related services, including GIS, BIM, CAD, document management, and various graphic requests. Danielle has directed and managed consultants and sub-consultants GIS, CAD, and BIM submissions; and reviewed and investigated the integration of these design/construction technologies.

About Johnny Fortune Johnny Fortune is a technology leader and subject matter expert in building information management (BIM) for the architecture, engineering, construction, and owner/operator industry. He serves as the Director of the U.S. National BIM Program with the National Institute of Building Sciences, where he focuses on the program launch and implementation plan to improve efficiencies in the design and construction industry. Johnny over 20 years of experience in computer-aided design and BIM management.

Throughout the interviews, Danielle and Johnny discussed numerous topics with our host Mark Oden, including:

- How Danielle's role brings focus into the work that Skanska USA does for their clients

- Danielle's perspective on app fatigue and what she's driving for to eliminate that association with apps after prolonged use

- Who Johnny sees as potential early adopters of new industry BIM standards

- Johnny shedding light on how to make the right decisions on adopting technology and change management

Click to listen to our interview with Danielle O'Connell and Johnny Fortune on Apple, Spotify, or Google, or watch on our Facebook or YouTube channels.

SHOW NOTES

0:12 - Mark Oden introduces Danielle O'Connell, the Senior Director of Emerging Technology at Skanska USA.

4:05 - Mark: "Can you guide us through how you personally see change management and how you've implemented that at Skanska and seen the successes from that?"

9:32 - Mark: "So, speaking of other things Geo Week-related, what else have you taken away, and what else are you excited about seeing?"

12:05 - Mark Oden introduces Johnny Fortune, the BIM Program Director at the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS).

16:27 - Mark: "Would any designer, general contractor, or owner be a consumer of this [BIM] standard? Who would be the typical users?"

20:46 - Mark: "Switching gears to Geo Week, you were on the keynote panel, and a huge portion of the conversation was about making the right decisions in adopting technology and change management. What were your key takeaways?"

About BIM Designs, Inc.

BIM Designs, Inc. is an agile BIM design, modeling, consulting, and coordination service provider for architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) contractors and developers that desire experienced journeymen detailers and engineers for Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection (MEPF) modeling, Laser Scanning, and Virtual Design Construction (VDC) projects.

If you need 3D BIM modeling, design, and MEP detailing services, BIM Designs, Inc. (BDI) has the expert tradesmen who know how to precisely design and model your systems. Contact us today for a free estimate or to discuss your project needs.