Josh Nowlin | 10262026

Guest: Josh Nowlin

Host: Randy Chaffee

Producer / Director / Co-Host: Wes Wyatt

📌 Episode Overview & Intro Chat

• Show Intro & Banter:
• Randy and Wes kick off the episode with playful banter about fake technical freezes during pre-show prep, having "Wes bots," and upcoming personal milestones (including Wes's daughter Carson's wedding).
• Welcoming Josh Nowlin:
• Randy introduces long-time friend and industry leader Josh Nowlin, Director of Sales and Marketing at Burrows Post-Frame Supply.
• Josh currently serves as Vice President / President-Elect of the National Frame Building Association (NFBA) and is slated to succeed current President Joe Shimp.
• Randy and Josh reflect on their recent board meetings in Salt Lake City, emphasizing their shared philosophy: "Stop living off the industry and start living in the industry" by giving back, mentoring, and serving.

🏗️ Elevating the Post-Frame Industry: "A Rising Tide Lifts All Ships"

• Open-Door Collaboration Over Fear of Competition:
• Josh and Randy challenge the traditional, secretive contractor/manufacturer mindset. Josh shares that Burrows regularly hosts tours for other operators—even those considering setting up competing roll formers.
• In a specialized sector, secrets don't last long; opening up, sharing operational best practices, and building peer relationships creates a stronger overall market.
• Building Science & High Standards:
• The real adversary of post-frame construction isn't a rival post-frame builder down the street—it is traditional stud framing, masonry, and structural steel.
• If sub-par post-frame buildings fail because of poor ventilation, weak insulation, or improper engineering, the entire industry takes a reputational hit. Elevating building science, code compliance, and structural integrity ensures the method continues expanding nationwide.
• Expanding Beyond the Farm:
• Post-frame has permanently transcended basic agricultural machinery sheds. Today, the sector drives high-margin projects:
• Complex equestrian arenas and high-end commercial event/wedding venues.
• Municipal facilities, warehouses, and retail spaces.
• The massive Barndominium boom has matured to the point where institutional lenders (like Freddie Mac) readily finance builds, requiring builders to adhere to strict residential standards and building codes.

🏛️ Previewing the 59th Annual NFBA Conference & Expo (Columbus, OH)

• Dates & Location:
• When: February 8–10, 2027.
• Where: Greater Columbus Convention Center, Downtown Columbus, Ohio.
• Shift in Show Schedule:
• Schedule Adjustment: Due to convention center logistics, the schedule begins slightly earlier in the week:
• Monday: Dedicated educational tracks and classroom sessions open early.
• Tuesday: The exhibit trade show floor officially opens.
• Early Preparation & The "Host Hotel" Advantage:
• Josh and Randy urge attendees to register and book rooms early.
• Host Hotel Networking: The trade show starts long before and extends well after exhibit hall hours. Staying at the central host hotel lets builders and suppliers network casually in the lobby, over morning coffee, or at evening dinners, where the most impactful deals happen.
• Promoting Post-Frame Nationally:
• The NFBA is aggressively marketing the post-frame method externally by sending delegations and maintaining a presence at adjacent industry expos (such as the International Builders' Show and major roofing expos) to educate mainstream general contractors, architects, and engineers.
• Future Host City Reveal (2028):
• Josh announces that the NFBA has officially locked in Des Moines, Iowa, as the host city for the 2028 NFBA Conference & Expo, returning to one of the association's most well-attended, high-energy hubs.

🤖 Modern Technology, AI, & Digital Presence

• Website Shelf-Life & Discoverability:
• Websites are no longer static brochures; if a builder’s website hasn't been overhauled in 2 to 3 years, it is already obsolete.
• New generations of post-frame buyers (25-to-45-year-olds building homes and event venues) conduct intensive digital research using LLMs and modern search engines. If a company lacks an active digital footprint and updated content, prospective clients simply hire whoever shows up in their feed.
• Leveraging AI as a Force Multiplier:
• Administrative & Research Efficiency: Josh highlights how AI creates operational bandwidth, using it for research, workflow automation, and podcast audio editing via platforms like Riverside.
• Trip & Route Architecture: Randy shares how he uses ChatGPT to structure entire multi-day travel itineraries in minutes—mapping meetings (1 hour 15 minutes each), prioritizing specific hotel chains and airlines, calculating realistic driving times, and identifying lower-priority accounts along the route to maximize face-to-face field touches.
• Everyday Practical Use: Josh shares a real-world example of using conversational prompts to automate daily used-car market searches for his children (filtering for clean titles, mileage thresholds, and vehicle history), illustrating how everyday familiarity with prompts translates into professional efficiency.

🎙️ Closing & Post-Frame 360

• Read Before You Go:
• Josh plugs Randy's newly released book, The Closers – Part 7 (covering trade show infiltration and relationship mastery), recommending every attendee read it before arriving in Columbus to maximize their ROI on the floor.
• Post-Frame 360 Podcast:
• Randy directs listeners to tune in to Josh's industry show, Post-Frame 360, which dives deep into post-frame engineering, building trends, and interviews with leading professionals nationwide.

💡 Key Takeaway

"Attending an industry conference isn't an obligation—it's an opportunity. Treat the NFBA Expo not as a walk around an exhibit floor, but as a full-immersion event: plan your schedule weeks in advance, stay at the host hotel, engage with your competitors, and commit to elevating the standard of post-frame construction across the country."

Josh Nowlin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshnowlin

Burrow's:

https://www.burrows-supply.com/

NFBA:

(Specifically the 59th Annual Conference & Expo)

https://nfba.org/aws/NFBA/pt/sp/building-expo

Randy Chaffee:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/randychaffee/

https://www.facebook.com/therandychaffee

Source One Marketing:

https://www.sourceonemarketingllc.com

Building Wins:

https://www.buildingwins.live

Wes Wyatt:

https://www.weswyatt.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/weswyatt/

https://www.facebook.com/weswyatt/