HILTI released 30 new products at the World of Concrete trade show last month, and there are even more to come. W&C met with Matt Jackson, Senior Director of Electric Tools and Accessories at HILTI, to discuss the new products.

One product Jackson is especially proud of is the new 22-volt battery, which works with any type of job. “We were able to deliver all the performance that you need on 22 volts,” Jackson said.

HILTI took another step forward into the digital age with the battery. The battery is able to collect data regarding what tool it was used with, what it was used for and more. “Every time the battery is taken off the tool or tools, it will communicate with the charger and it will be sent to the cloud,” Jackson said.

HILTI will be releasing more products in the coming months, including a high-speed charger that can charge batteries in 30 minutes.

W&C's Editor John Wyatt speaks with Fresco Harmony’s Nick Harmon, the owner and founder of the company. Originally, Harmon worked around the West as an apprentice before he discovered drywall. In this podcast, he outlines the course of his life that led him to where he is now.

In this first part of a podcast series, Harmond outlines his career and what BUILD'23 meant for the company.

In this episode, Anna Anderson, CEO of Art Unlimited, digs into the latest search result reports and how contractors can endure what is looking to be a slow start to the busy season.

Thea Dudley speaks with Jill Bloom regarding how subcontractors paid $97 billion more than expected for labor and materials in 2022, which has an impact on their profits. In this episode of “If Walls Could Talk,” W&C’s Bloom speaks with Dudley of Pocket Protectors, also known as the “Credit Overlord,” to talk about how recent economy increases have affected subcontractors’ cash flows.

The biggest issue Dudley had with subcontractors paying more than expected was that subcontractors’ average wait time in order to be paid was 74 days. In the meantime, they had to pay their employees and pay for materials.

Tom Harris joins W&C again for this podcast of “If Walls Could Talk.” Tom Harris is owner of Tom Harris PUR Consulting. Today’s theme is on the Inflation Reduction Act – Stimulus or Deterrent?

According to Harris, the phone is ringing and the questions are coming in, but it’s still too early to tell if it’ll turn into energy efficient work.

“The early adopters to saving energy have already converted and are working their plan,” said Harris. “I think the rebate and tax credit offering will push a big number of building owners into doing the work they’ve wanted to do for years – they’ll spend the money over the next few years toward energy conservation activities in both residential and commercial markets.”

What should contractors know about this technology? Chat GPT is a language processing tool and it’s incredibly intuitive. There are a variety of apps that use this technology. You can ask questions; you can ask it to do things. From these questions, you’ll get a response. And what is the future of this? Will it provide more good than not? It’s certainly a technology that needs to be monitored.

For this episode of “If Walls Could Talk,” W&C Group Publisher Jill Bloom speaks with the Northwest Wall & Ceiling Bureau’s Executive Director Terry Kastner. From May 4-6, the NWCB will be holding its Annual Wall and Ceiling Conference and Trade Show in Huntington Beach, Calif. Walls & Ceilings is a proud media partner for this event. One of the highlights is a panel of professionals that includes the banking industry, accountants, lawyers and others that will join contractors for this thoughtful discussion.