Episodes

Episode Summary: In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Al Petrangeli, COO at Carroll Daniel Construction and former CEO of Balfour Beatty’s Southeast Region, to explore what it takes to lead with humility while driving massive growth. From growing up in an Italian family restaurant to leading billion-dollar construction businesses, Al shares his story of servant leadership, grit, and building organizations where people and culture come first. He opens up about the...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Between the Builds, host Chris Fay reflects on his conversation with Tony Iannessa, Founder and CEO of BIG Construction, to explore one of the hardest truths in leadership. Sometimes the thing holding your company back is you. Using Tony’s shift from “BIG 1.0” to “BIG 2.0" as a framework, Chris breaks down what it really means to stop being the system and start building systems. From vulnerability and empowerment to the psychology of delegation, this episode c...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Tony Iannessa, Founder and CEO of BIG Construction, to explore what it takes to build a high-performing, values-driven company from the ground up. From the early “Big 1.0” days of grit and long hours to the evolution into “Big 2.0,” Tony shares how he learned to scale through people, process, and purpose. They dive deep into the human side of leadership, the tension between vision and execution, the emotional ...

Episode Summary: In this Between the Builds reflection, host Chris Fay reflects on his recent conversation with Chris Dornfeld, co-founder of Whistle Rewards which was acquired by One10 where he now serves as Executive Vice President of Product Strategy. Fay dives into the science of immediate recognition, exploring how micro-rewards can reshape workplace motivation and culture. He breaks down how generational differences, from Baby Boomers to Gen Z, impact how people respond to feedback and ap...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Chris Dornfeld. At the time of recording Dornfield was the President and Co-Founder of Whistle Rewards, which has since been acquired by One10 where he now serves as the Executive Vice President of Product Strategy. Together they explore how behavioral science, neuroscience, and real-time recognition are transforming the way teams adopt technology and drive performance. From his early days as an architect to be...

Episode Summary: In this Between the Builds reflection, host Chris Fay looks back on his conversation with Maor Farid, founder and CEO of Leo AI, and unpacks a powerful theme: the way our lived experiences, both triumphs and setbacks, shape who we are as leaders and builders. From Maor’s time in the Israeli military and at MIT to Chris’s own story of rejection from the University of Georgia leading to unexpected opportunities, this episode explores how the moments we often overlook or even resis...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Maor Farid, co-founder of Leo AI, to explore how artificial intelligence, military discipline, and heart-centered leadership are reshaping the future of engineering and innovation. From his journey through Israel’s elite defense units and MIT to building a startup transforming mechanical design, Maor shares how purpose and people remain at the center of groundbreaking technology. The conversation dives into th...

Summary: In this second installment of Between the Builds, host Chris Fay digs deeper into a theme that resonated in a recent conversation with Ryan Suydam and Tim Asimos from Client Savvy; the power of listening. Drawing from industry data, personal practice, and practical tools, Chris explores why so many leaders miss the mark on client and employee feedback, and what it really takes to bridge the gap between perception and reality. From annual surveys to personalized follow-ups, he lays out a...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Built With Purpose, host Chris Fay sits down with Ryan Suydam, co-founder of Client Savvy and now CX Architect at ClearlyRated, and Tim Asimos, Head of Growth at Client Savvy, to unpack how listening, empathy, and purposeful leadership can transform client relationships and fuel organizational growth. From Ryan’s journey starting in architecture to building one of the leading client experience platforms in professional services, to Tim’s perspective on evolvin...

Episode Summary: In this first Between the Builds segment, host Chris Fay reflects on key lessons from his conversation with Chad Cousins, CEO of McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, and shares his own insights from stepping into leadership roles. Chris explores the critical moments of transition—how new leaders can honor legacy while steering toward innovation, why first impressions shape long-term trust, and how a simple 100-day plan can set the foundation for success. With practical advice dra...