The Curious Builder Collective Is Growing: Dallas-Fort Worth and Utah
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Something pretty cool happens when you put a group of builders in a room and give them permission to actually talk to each other. As in, real conversations about what is working, what's not working, where we're struggling, how we're making money, where we're losing money, and what we can learn from the person sitting across the table. That's what The Curious Builder Collective has been about from the beginning. And now we're bringing it to two new communities.
We're officially launching new Curious Builder Collective hubs in Dallas-Fort Worth and Utah, led by ambassadors who already embody everything we're trying to create: Isaac Wright in DFW and Stephanie Dailey and Trapper Roderick in Utah. Even better? The remaining 2026 sessions in both new markets will be free to attend.
If you've been looking for a different kind of construction networking, one built around actual relationships, transparency, and collaboration, this is your chance to experience what the Collective is all about.
Why We're Expanding
The Collectives have always been rooted in a simple idea: Collaboration over competition. There are incredibly talented builders, remodelers, designers, tradespeople, and construction professionals all over the country. But historically, our industry hasn't always been great at sharing what we know. We protect our processes. We hide our numbers. We pretend everything is going great.
Meanwhile, the builder down the street might have already solved the exact problem keeping you awake at night. What if we just talked about it? That's the kind of construction networking we're trying to create with The Curious Builder Collective. These aren't giant conferences where you sit in the back of a ballroom listening to someone talk at you all day. They're intentionally smaller communities where people can actually get to know each other, ask honest questions, learn together, and help each other get better.
As we've watched that happen in our existing Collective hubs, we've also started seeing other communities where the right people and the right energy are already there. Dallas-Fort Worth and Utah included.
Why Utah—and Why Now?
I've thought for a while that Utah could be an incredible home for a Collective. Then I started spending more time talking to builders there. During Q2, while we were working through The Psychology of Money, I interviewed several Utah builders. The more conversations I had, the more obvious it became. These people were great. They were open, authentic, curious, and fun to talk to. They wanted to share what they knew and learn from other people.
We've also built relationships with people like Tyler Webster and the team at Old Mill, who have been part of the podcast and attended Sauna Camp. They're passionate about wellness, but they're equally passionate about bringing people together and seeing other people succeed.
At some point, I stopped thinking, "Utah would be a great place for a Collective someday." and started thinking "Why aren't we doing this already?" I think the construction community in Utah is a match away from exploding in the best possible way. There are talented builders doing incredible work, and there's a real appetite for community. We just needed the right people to help bring them together, and we’ve found them.
Meet Utah Collective Ambassador Trapper Roderick
I've gotten to know Trapper through Contractor Coalition Summit, which is actually a common thread among many of our Collective leaders. Roughly 90% of the people leading our Collectives have been part of Contractor Coalition. That makes sense when you think about it.
People don't show up to the Contractor Coalition because they think they already know everything. They come because they want to learn, expand, collaborate, and become better business owners. Trapper has that mindset in spades.
One thing I've always appreciated about him is the way he talks about his dad and the building legacy he came from. His dad was an exceptional builder (Trapper would tell you one of the best) but Trapper has also reflected on how valuable more collaboration with other builders could have been, particularly when it came to the business side of construction.
As Trapper builds his own legacy with Roderick Builders, he's taken that lesson seriously. He wants builders to share. He wants them to understand their businesses. He wants them to make more money, build healthier companies, and learn from one another rather than figuring everything out the hard way in isolation. That's basically the poster child for The Curious Builder Collective.
Meet Utah Collective Ambassador Stephanie Dailey
And then there's Stephanie. She's a force. I had Stephanie on The Curious Builder Podcast, I've spent time with her at IBS, and one thing becomes obvious pretty quickly: she knows people. More importantly, she genuinely likes bringing them together. Stephanie has an incredible network, a ton of enthusiasm, and exactly the kind of energy we want inside a Collective.
Trapper and Stephanie also bring different strengths to the table, which is one of the things I'm most excited about. We're not looking for ambassadors who want to stand at the front of the room and establish themselves as the smartest people there. We're looking for people who know how to create a room where everyone gets smarter because they're there. That's what Stephanie and Trapper can do.
How Dallas-Fort Worth Happened
The Dallas-Fort Worth Collective came together in an equally organic way. Mike Weaver lives in the DFW area, and Emser has been a fantastic sponsor of the Collectives for the past couple of years. We'd already seen great momentum with our Austin Collective when Mike essentially came to us and said, "Hey, I think this could work in Dallas."
Even better, he already knew someone who could help lead it. Isaac Wright of Providential Homes. There wasn't some massive market analysis or five-year expansion strategy behind it. There was a great construction community, a trusted partner who saw the opportunity, and the right person willing to step up and lead. Sometimes that's all you need.
Why Isaac Wright
Like Trapper, Isaac is an alumnus of Contractor Coalition. That's important to me because he's already experienced the kind of environment we're trying to recreate at a local level.He comes into this with an open mind and a willingness to collaborate.
Our ambassadors need to lead by example. They need to be willing to share their own experiences, ask questions, contribute thought leadership, and encourage the builders in their communities to show up for one another. Isaac has that mindset.
Dallas-Fort Worth already has an incredible construction industry. We're not trying to manufacture a community that doesn't exist. We're creating a place for that community to get in the same room.
Why the Rest of 2026 Is Free
Normally, we don't launch a new Collective in the third or fourth quarter. Our standard Collective model includes a membership because, frankly, I think having a little skin in the game matters. If people invest in something, they're more likely to show up. And we want people to show up.
But because we're launching Dallas-Fort Worth and Utah later in the 2026 season, we wanted to do something different. The remaining 2026 sessions for both new Collectives will be free. No complicated partial membership. No barrier to entry. Come experience it.
Our goal is to get 20 to 30 builders in the room and let them see for themselves what happens when you bring together construction professionals who are willing to be open, curious, and collaborative. Then, beginning with the 2027 season, Dallas-Fort Worth and Utah will move into the standard Collective membership model.
Come Build This With Us
The growth of the Collectives has never been about planting flags on a map so we can say we're in another city. We want to go where there are communities ready for this kind of conversation and leaders willing to create the right culture. That's what we see in Dallas-Fort Worth. It's what we see in Utah. And it's what we see in Isaac, Stephanie, and Trapper.
The construction industry gets better when we stop pretending we have to figure everything out alone. So if you're a builder in Dallas-Fort Worth or Utah, we'd love to get you in the room for one of our remaining 2026 gatherings. Come meet some people. Ask questions. Share something that's working. Talk about something that isn't. And experience what construction networking can look like when everyone leaves competition at the door.
