What To Build: Anya Boguslavsky (Project Manager, Greystar)
Conversation with Anya Boguslavsky, Project Manager at Greystar Development/Construction. We chat about the categories of problems that really capture Greystar’s attention, and how to build a product that can be easily adopted by the construction industry.
1. Tell us about yourself, where you currently work, and your path on getting there.
I’ve been working as a project manager for Greystar Development / Construction for almost a year, and prior to this I worked for other general contractors. Greystar is the largest multifamily housing operator and developer in the USA and one of the largest global investment management companies. We have our own self perform branch, which helps us cut out the middle man (General Contractor) and be more efficient.
I’m excited to work here because Greystar is very innovative and very willing to take on new technologies and processes, within reason, while keeping an eye out for developing trends.
2. Tell us about your role and what your mandate is and how this specifically relates to working with startups?
While I was hired under Greystar Construction, my work spans across pre-construction, construction, development and tenant experience. Specifically, I manage the 3D modeling process (i.e., design and construction) and I also help vet any new smart building technologies for our projects; typically, these are our larger projects because the larger the project, the more likely it is that we’ll have the budget to spend on new innovations.
My goal in working with startups is to increase our efficiency and get results quickly and of course, most importantly, save us time and money. If the solution being offered is too difficult to learn or takes too much time to get up to speed, it’s not going to work. We’re still very cautious about who we work with, and right now it’s mostly people we know from the industry or personal connections. We prefer to have had a prior existing relationship with the founders beforehand and no I don’t mean someone I’ve met once or three times at a conference.
3. What are some of the interesting types of projects that you’re currently doing with startups?
Two areas of interesting projects we’re working on with startups include:
a) We’re working with a startup in the 3D modeling space. In general, 3D modeling is completely revamping how we model and build our projects. This startup is more established and they’ve got a great process; the only challenge is that their system can afford to be even simpler, which would allow for faster adoption from our design and subcontractor teams.
b) We’re partnering with some earlier stage startups that are creating safety related sensor and drone products for field construction workers. One of the startups we’re collaborating with is OpenSpace.
4. What number of these projects move into production? By what criteria? One of the challenges we see startups facing is how to move a customer from pilot to production.
If a startup can show that they’re easy to onboard and that they can quickly save us time and money then we are more likely to work with them. Your solution has to hit one of our profitable priority areas, and also be reasonably priced for the value add.
We’re only interested in partnering with startups that focus on one of our core priorities. For example, something like 3D modeling touches every single project we do regardless of size. Other large scope areas for us include MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing), and everything underground and also interiors. If what the startup is working on isn’t directly affecting one of these areas or addressing safety in the field then it’s probably not going to be a good fit for us.
The other things to think about is how to get your solution to be so simple and intuitive that a child can quickly learn how to use it. And, lastly, pricing such that we would accept.
5. What are the major challenges in your industry these days, and specifically ones that you think can be addressed by the right type of AI and or robotics application? Can you give some detailed examples?
There’s a giant opportunity in the area of standardization.
Every designer draws the same detail but in their own creative way. Our 3D modeling process monitors the design changes from the start and keeps the architects from redesigning or adding items while they’re building. We need to eliminate last minute changes that come from the architect or owner side, and in my opinion this can be done with technology because there are too many moving pieces — the 3D model needs to be the source of truth for everyone and consolidate everything into one place.
Right now we have drawings created by designers and all of the sub-contractors and no one has the time to overlay them and check all of the details to ensure consistency — this can cause a lot of confusion when we start to build, especially if the designs are continually being adjusted. But this is essentially what the BIM process is supposed to take care of. Our European counterparts have been using this technology more extensively than here.
Other opportunities include a communications platform that subcontractors can all use to talk to each other before the project begins, and hence decrease coordination issues. Currently, everyone is in communication across multiple platforms such as phone, SMS, email, etc. Procore is being used as a general place to store documents, RFIs, submittals, and finances but it’s not an interactive tool like Slack for example and has no direct connection to the model or other aspects of the job (permits etc). I think the tricky part will be to create an incentive for everyone to adopt such a universal communications tool.
6. What type of startup would you be most excited to see?
Having a system that detects all of the discrepancies among all of the drawings would be great. Ideally, this product would be able to do object recognition and labeling for us (ex. this is a water proofing detail, this is a stove, etc.), help us see if something is drawn incorrectly, and also see if there’s any discrepancies or inconsistencies in the drawings relative to prior projects. Currently, we spend a lot of time standardizing drawings at the start of each project.
7. What should startups know about your industry before going in? What nuances or details about the industry are not so apparent from someone looking in?
Construction is a hard industry to be in — it’s very blunt. You’ll need a sales person who has a lot of experience in the construction industry, someone who can get respect from construction folks and who has worked with them on projects in the past.
Simplicity is the key to success. If you build something, make sure you have someone unbiased check out your UI/UX; make sure a child can quickly learn how to use your product.
Lastly, your solution needs to focus on where the money is in the industry because that’s where firms are more likely to have budget to spare.
8. Lastly, any recommended resources / reading (ex. Industry conferences, publications, experts to follow, etc.) for startups looking to build in your space?
Beyond conferences, it’ll be best if you can shadow someone in construction for a few months if possible. You need to be proactive and approach your potential customers and understand what they do on a day to day basis. If you’re going to be working on 3D modeling for example, you need to understand how to read construction drawings; spend the time to educate yourself first.
Personalities can be strong in our industry. Understand who you’re talking to and why they would or would not want to talk to you and when would be the right timing to talk with them. Make sure they’re not super busy trying to break ground on a new project for example; also figure out who’s interested in new innovations within the organization and talk with those specific individuals. But most of all, DO NOT PESTER. No one appreciates email marketing or soliciting from a stranger… it takes time to establish trust. And please do not ask us what problems we would like solved or what startups we would like to see. By the time you’ve reached out to us, we expect you to have already come up with a very specific solution to a very specific problem.
