THE ZINE

Thoughts, ideas, news, and discoveries from the team behind 7PM.

Success Stories

Concrete Evidence

A West Broadway flatwork firm turned one Metro contract into eight-figure output and a dozen local payrolls — here is what that kind of growth actually looks like from the ground.

By Carl Brazley5 min read
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Joseph Scott Sr., owner of Joash Construction, photographed for the 7PM Zine cover
More From the Studio
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The Contingency Conversation

In a market where input prices swing double digits and lead times run to years, the contingency line is not padding. It is the most honest number on the page — if you are willing to explain it.

By Carl Brazley5 min read
Two people shaking hands across a desk covered with paperworkMarketing

How Owners Find You Now

Contractors are spending more on marketing than they have in five years, and the old channels are not the ones paying it back. For an MBE, the shift is an opening — if you read it right.

By Carl Brazley5 min read
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The Stadium That Becomes a Pitch

Sixteen venues across three countries had to become World Cup stadiums without a single new one being built. The 2026 conversions are a master class in designing for a building's second job.

By Carl Brazley5 min read
A construction worker resting on scaffolding at an active jobsite, in black and whiteAI

What the Camera Catches

Contractor AI adoption doubled in a single year. On the jobsite, that mostly means one thing — a camera watching the work. Here is what it actually catches, and what it still cannot.

By Carl Brazley6 min read
A wheel loader working a construction site with staged materials in the backgroundProject Management

The Decision You Make Before the Drawings

Public owners are moving to progressive design-build and CMAR faster than at any point in a decade. The delivery method you pick shapes the project more than any design choice that follows it.

By Carl Brazley7 min read
A highway construction laydown yard with staged pipe, precast, and materialsConstruction

Pricing a Moving Target

Steel, aluminum, and copper carry the heaviest tariffs in years, and input prices are climbing at the fastest pace since 2022. Here is how we are writing volatility into a number a client can trust.

By Carl Brazley6 min read
A blue Liebherr tower crane against an overcast sky on a construction siteConstruction

The Four-Thousand-Worker Jobsite

The data-center boom is rewriting what a large project looks like — and pulling skilled trades off every other job in the market, ours included. Here is how we are reading it from Louisville.

By Carl Brazley6 min read