the mash

In the distillation process, the mash is where raw ingredients come together for the start of something awesome. Our blog works the same way. We load up the hopper with relevant facts, smart insights and random thoughts, then watch new ideas bubble up.

The Leader’s Trap

Taking risks is hard. It’s even harder when you’re comfortable. It’s why companies with the biggest share of the market so often fail to exercise true market leadership. At one time, they must have been consciously seeking to advance the market by aggressively taking advantage of unusual, growth-oriented opportunities. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have become so large. So, what caused them to alter their mindset and actions? Learn more about “the leader’s trap” and how to avoid it.

AI is here to stay. Are you ready to leverage it?

The building materials industry is at a unique crossroads: customers want more personalized service than ever before. And AI may lend itself best to the needs of the building materials industry to deliver that. Executive Creative Director and Brand Strategist Anita Holman explores how this game-changing tool could enhance every brand’s ability to develop personalized advice in ways that were never humanly possible before.

One House, Multiple Families: Why America Needs Multigenerational Housing for the Masses

The sandwich generation isn’t just a social problem; it’s an innovation problem, too. At some point in our lives, many of us become filling for the so-called sandwich—caring for our own children and our aging parents at the same time. Or we experience transition, in our jobs, relationships, or health, and need to live with family or friends to bridge the gap. This need for multigenerational housing is in direct opposition to our current priority building single-family, nuclear homes in the U.S. Here’s why one writer believes that needs to change, and why it’s an untapped opportunity for the construction and design industries.

your content doesn't suck, the algorithm does

You’ve hired the right team. You’ve invested in a social strategy. Yet you’re still not seeing the results you want on TikTok, the current king of social channels. According to our in-house social media guru Hayley Kandik, it’s not you, it's the algorithm. Don’t be discouraged—with a few small tweaks, you can press forward with creating an identity for your brand on TikTok that serves both your goals and your audience.

How adaptive ball fields are bringing a community together—and what it can teach us about inclusive building  

When the city of Mason approached the Challenger Baseball League about building an adaptive field, Jen Christmas was all in. Not only did she co-lead a $2.5 million capital campaign—she discovered the game-changing power of having the right people ask the right questions. It leads to adaptive construction that does more than comply with laws; it brings together a community of people in ways that weren’t possible before.

Experience The World (While You Work): How to Succeed as a Digital Nomad

Work From Home has become almost commonplace, but what happens when you set up your laptop from much further away than the kitchen table? Airbnb’s recent “work from anywhere” announcement reflects a trend toward embracing more varied and distant remote work locations. To pull it off, you'll need more than strong Wi-Fi—you’ll have to think differently (and proactively) about how fully remote workers participate in a hybrid workplace. Our resident digital nomad shares her strategies.

How Technology Impacts Customer Engagement

Is technology changing to meet consumers’ evolving needs or are consumers changing as a result of what technology enables? Like the chicken and the egg, it really doesn’t matter which came first. Consumer expectations and technology will keep changing, and if your brand is too chicken to keep up, you may be left with egg on your face (pun intended). Read on to learn why sharpening your digital CX is essential to your business survival.

NeoCon Overview 2019

NeoCon, hosted annually in Chicago at theMART, provides a massive snapshot of the commercial design industry’s latest innovation. Team Interrupt was there this past June to take in the sights and offer their perspective on the current state and future of the show and the industry.