{"podcast":{"title":"FMI Built-In Podcast","slug":"fmi-built-in-podcast-5972281","podcast_index_feed_id":5972281,"rss_url":"https://media.rss.com/fmi-built-in/feed.xml","website_url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/fmi-built-in","image_url":"https://media.rss.com/fmi-built-in/20240109_050145_d18ee0574dcc167165e2a6fd42650be8.jpg","author":"FMI Corp.","episode_count":54,"summary":"The FMI Built-In Podcast is FMI Corp.'s podcast for those in the built environment. More than just a construction podcast, we'll talk to industry leaders and subject matter experts about best practices, challenges and opportunities, the underlying economic trends, and insights to help executives and managers better lead their companies. We'll uncover the characteristics of top firms and explore what makes great leaders. We'll dive deep into various market segments, and we'll have conversations that help those with a passion for continuous improvement better their management and their companies.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-09T04:22:18.833283+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fmi-built-in-podcast-5972281"},"episode":{"title":"Nate Koetje on the Field-First Operating Philosophy Behind Feyen Zylstra","slug":"nate-koetje-on-the-field-first-operating-philosophy-behind-feyen-zylstra","published_at":"2026-05-12T14:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fmi-built-in-podcast-5972281/nate-koetje-on-the-field-first-operating-philosophy-behind-feyen-zylstra","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fmi-built-in-podcast-5972281","url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/fmi-built-in/2813303","audio_url":"https://content.rss.com/episodes/180040/2813303/fmi-built-in/2026_05_11_15_17_38_55251f71-f13c-46bf-a905-dcb2e8e55eed.mp3","summary":"In this episode of FMI's Built In Podcast, FMI Consulting President Scott Winstead sits down with Nate Koetje, CEO of Feyen Zylstra. Feyen Zylstra is a 600-person commercial and industrial electrical contractor headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with offices in Nashville, Charlotte, and Charleston. Since stepping into the COO role in 2008 and becoming CEO in 2013, Nate has led one of the more disciplined growth stories in the trades. But he pushes back hard on the idea that there was ever a master plan. Scott and Nate get into the four phases every construction CEO lives through, why \"the process is the goal\" became Feyen Zylstra's operating philosophy, and what it actually takes to build a field-first culture at scale. What we cover: The four phases: entrepreneurial grit, \"culture is king,\" financial discipline, and process is the goal Why field-first is an operating constraint, not a slogan How to think about geographic expansion without ever making an acquisition The case for not having a growth strategy What to look for when selecting leaders who can handle adversity Nate's advice to his younger self: dream big, act small","meta_description":"In this episode of FMI's Built In Podcast, FMI Consulting President Scott Winstead sits down with Nate Koetje, CEO of Feyen Zylstra. Feyen Zylstra is a 60…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2596,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/fmi-built-in-podcast-5972281/episodes/nate-koetje-on-the-field-first-operating-philosophy-behind-feyen-zylstra/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/fmi-built-in-podcast-5972281/nate-koetje-on-the-field-first-operating-philosophy-behind-feyen-zylstra.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}