How AI, Culture, and Offsite Construction Are Reshaping the Industry
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Built to Scale | Audree Grubesic
The construction industry is entering a new era — one defined by smarter systems, better communication, stronger teams, and a growing willingness to rethink how projects are delivered. In a recent conversation on Built to Scale by PrimeGrowth AI, Audree Grubesic, founder of Offsite Dirt Network, co-author of The Modular Mindset, and Chief Revenue Officer at Merlin AI, shared her perspective on the major shifts transforming construction today.
From AI-powered workflows to offsite construction and the role of culture in team performance, the conversation made one thing clear: the future of construction belongs to companies willing to adapt.
Culture Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage
One of the biggest shifts Audree pointed to is the growing importance of culture within construction companies. For years, the industry has focused heavily on output, schedules, and budgets — all critical factors — but now more leaders are realizing that strong teams require more than processes alone.
Culture plays a major role in how people communicate, how they solve problems, and how effectively they work together. Companies that invest in team development, communication, and leadership are often better positioned to improve productivity and long-term performance.
In an industry with countless moving parts, a healthy culture can become one of the strongest assets a company has.
AI Is Creating New Opportunities for Efficiency
Artificial intelligence is beginning to make a measurable impact across construction workflows. Audree noted that more companies are starting to explore how AI can improve their day-to-day operations, especially in areas where repetitive tasks, missed details, and data overload slow teams down.
Rather than viewing AI as something abstract or intimidating, she encourages construction professionals to think about how it can support practical needs.
Examples include:
Improving visibility into schedules and change orders
Tracking inventory and procurement more accurately
Identifying patterns in recurring issues
Reducing time spent on repetitive administrative work
Supporting faster, more accurate estimating
In construction, where every delay, revision, or oversight can have ripple effects across an entire project, tools that improve awareness and response time can make a significant difference.
The Value of End-to-End Visibility
One of the most powerful themes from the discussion was the need for connected systems. Construction teams often work across multiple platforms, spreadsheets, communication tools, and tracking systems. As projects become more complex, disconnected workflows can create confusion, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities.
Audree explained how systems like Merlin AI are designed to create end-to-end visibility across the sales process, estimating, procurement, project operations, and completion. When teams can see how one change impacts the rest of the job, they can make better decisions faster.
This kind of visibility becomes especially valuable in offsite and modular construction, where standardization, speed, and coordination are essential.
Estimating and Procurement Are Major Areas for Improvement
When discussing where AI can make the greatest impact, Audree highlighted two areas: estimating and procurement.
Estimating is often one of the most time-consuming and difficult parts of the construction process. In modular and offsite construction, standardized assemblies and repeatable systems create opportunities to streamline estimating significantly. Instead of spending days building estimates manually, companies can use smarter systems to generate proposals faster and with better accuracy.
Procurement is another major opportunity. In offsite construction, materials are often purchased in bulk and used across multiple projects moving through a production line. Tracking exactly where those materials are going — and making sure orders are fulfilled on time — is essential for keeping builds on schedule.
AI-supported systems can help flag missing items, automate ordering workflows, and improve transparency across the manufacturing and construction process.
Offsite Construction Still Has Untapped Potential
Audree also addressed a reality familiar to many in the industry: offsite and modular construction are still widely misunderstood.
Even though prefab, modular, and pre-assembly systems have been used for decades, many people still associate modular construction with outdated ideas or assume it is a niche approach. In reality, offsite methods are already being used in healthcare, data centers, hospitality, multifamily housing, and many other sectors.
The bigger challenge may not be whether offsite construction works — it is whether the industry is ready to talk more openly about how often it is already being used.
As labor shortages continue, demand for housing increases, and the need for efficiency grows, offsite construction offers an industrialized approach that can help companies build faster and more predictably.
Attracting the Next Generation
Another important part of the conversation centered on the future workforce.
Construction is facing a significant labor challenge, with many experienced professionals nearing retirement and fewer younger workers entering the trades. At the same time, younger generations are learning differently, communicating differently, and engaging with work through technology in new ways.
Audree pointed out that companies will need to evolve how they train, communicate, and recruit if they want to attract younger talent. That may include using more video-based learning, more interactive systems, stronger digital communication, and more intentional culture-building.
The future of construction will not depend only on better tools — it will also depend on whether companies can create environments where the next generation wants to build.
A Human-Centered Industry Still Wins
While technology and innovation were major themes of the conversation, Audree repeatedly returned to one core idea: construction is still about people.
Leadership, listening, communication, and service remain essential. The most effective companies are not just the ones with the newest tools — they are the ones that know how to build strong teams, empower people, and create systems that help everyone do their jobs better.
As the industry continues evolving, the companies that embrace both human connection and smarter systems will be the ones best positioned for long-term success.
FAQs
1. How is AI being used in construction today?
AI is being used to support estimating, procurement, scheduling, inventory tracking, workflow visibility, and change order management. These tools help construction teams reduce repetitive tasks, improve accuracy, and make better decisions faster.
2. Why is offsite construction becoming more important?
Offsite construction helps address labor shortages, improve project speed, reduce site disruption, and increase efficiency through standardized building systems. It is becoming increasingly relevant as the industry looks for scalable ways to meet demand.
3. What role does culture play in construction company growth?
Culture affects communication, leadership, team performance, and problem-solving. Companies with strong cultures are often better equipped to retain talent, improve collaboration, and perform more effectively across complex projects.
Prefab-ulous Whisperer
Founder OSD
Audree M. Grubesic is an offsite construction expert and owner of Modular Sure Site LLC (MSS) and Dynamic Modular Solutions (DMS), focusing on factory project pipelines. MSS and DMS collaborates with builders, contractors, and developers new to offsite construction.
With over 20 years of experience in marketing, sales, and homebuilding, Audree is a seasoned professional and a national speaker at events like World of Modular and Advancing Prefab. Passionate about sustainable building, she fosters communities committed to ensuring everyone has a place to call home.
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