When Aaron welcomed Bec Askin onto The Good Builder Podcast, he did not frame it as a typical career interview. He framed it as a deliberate challenge to the way the industry often talks about leadership, construction pathways, and what “success” looks like in building.

Askin, who now leads the modular division at Adapt Modular (part of Campbell Construction Co.), arrived with a story that threads through two decades of construction work, study during COVID, solo parenting, and a sharp view of what the industry still gets wrong about women on site and the systems that support housing delivery.

She also brought something else that is harder to measure, but easy to hear in the conversation. A belief that building is not just an output. It is stability, dignity, and the ability for families to feel safe again.

“I never chased it. I fell into it”

Askin described her entry into construction as accidental rather than planned. Early on, she helped her husband at the time with his business while still working full time, then gradually took over more responsibility as the company grew.

The business, she explained, expanded into large scale subcontracting work in Townsville, including concreting packages tied to Defence Housing Australia projects. At its peak, the team was working across hundreds of homes a year, and Askin was running the administration that kept the engine turning.

It was not a role she imagined for herself when she was younger. In high school, she says, her ambition was to become a peacekeeper for the United Nations. In a moment that landed with familiar humour for many builders, the podcast suggested construction still demands plenty of peacekeeping, just with different uniforms and different stakes.

Her point was simpler. Construction became the path in front of her, and over time she found she loved the variety, the people, the constant problem solving, and the mix of clients and projects.

Starting again as a single mum

The turning point came after her marriage ended. Askin described being “faced with a crossroads”, weighing whether to start fresh in a completely new field or double down on the industry she already understood.

She chose to go deeper.

“I decided, well, that’s what I know. Let’s dig in,” she said, before Aaron pushed her to stop glossing over the scale of what followed.

Askin started again in a reception role at another builder, then worked her way up through the ranks as she built knowledge and capability. She pursued a Certificate IV in Building and Construction, studying for around two years while working full time and raising two children. She did it during COVID, at a time when supply shortages, uncertainty, and financial pressure were normal for most of the sector.

For Askin, that period was not only about professional development. It was about survival and stability.

Her children, she said, became her “why”. She spoke about being the primary parent most of the time and needing to create a stable foundation in an environment where housing costs were rising and supply was tightening.

That drive translated into tangible outcomes. Askin described securing her own home, becoming the provider, and then taking the next step: earning her QBCC licence.

For a large part of the audience, that trajectory will feel familiar in its pressure. Builders and building staff across the country are carrying heavier workloads, navigating regulatory change, and trying to keep businesses afloat while also holding family life together. Askin’s story is a reminder that much of the industry’s real resilience sits in people’s private lives, not on company websites.

Women on site: more accepted, still tested

Askin is candid about what it was like entering site environments as a woman.

In earlier years, she said, it was common to hear comments like “don’t get your boots dirty” and “don’t break a nail”, with cat calling treated as part of the culture. She spoke without bitterness, but without nostalgia. It was “what it was”, she said, in a male dominated environment where women on site were still unusual.

Today, she believes the industry is more accepting, but not fully equitable.

Her argument is not that women are blocked from entering. It is that women are often expected to prove competence before they are granted the baseline trust many men receive automatically.

She gave a recent example of being grilled with questions about codes and industry knowledge, describing it as something she sees repeatedly. In her view, the issue is less about stigma and more about an ingrained default assumption that women must validate their place.

Her response is to educate rather than retreat. She framed it as an “education piece”, and a chance to demonstrate capability, but she also made the broader point: the industry still has work to do if it wants true equality rather than symbolic participation.

The overlooked workforce issue: long service leave for admin

One of the most practical insights in the episode was also one of the most overlooked.

Askin highlighted long service leave as an example of structural inequity inside building businesses, particularly for administration staff who are not trades but are just as exposed to the cyclical nature of the industry.

Her point was blunt. In many cases, administrative workers only qualify for long service leave if they remain with the same builder for more than ten years. In a sector dominated by contracting arrangements and shifting pipelines, that continuity is rare. Across 25 years, she said, she has not earned any long service leave.

In the conversation, Aaron linked it to something he had seen in franchise environments: the recognition that admin teams keep the business moving, and that without them, building companies face major operational risk.

For many builders, the admin team is not a back office function. It is the control centre for contracts, variations, scheduling, client communication, compliance paperwork, and supplier coordination. In high volume operations, it is also the difference between predictable delivery and chaos.

Askin’s argument is that long service leave should be pooled across the industry, reflecting the reality that admin work is often transient for reasons outside the employee’s control.

Adapt Modular: born from insurance demand and disaster recovery

Askin’s current role sits at the intersection of insurance building and modular housing delivery.

She was approached by Ben and Sarah Campbell, owners of Campbell Construction Co., to lead a new modular division called Adapt Modular. Campbell Construction operates across multiple regions, with offices spanning Queensland and beyond, and has built a strong position in insurance building.

The reason for launching a modular arm was not branding. It was response.

The company identified a clear gap: families displaced by catastrophic events are often stuck in temporary accommodation for far too long. Askin referenced Lismore as an example, where people remain in caravans years after major flooding.

For Campbell Construction, Adapt Modular is positioned as a way to shorten the time between disaster and dignity.

Modular construction, Askin explained, can deliver quality housing in a significantly shorter timeframe after floods, fires, and other disasters. It provides a pathway back to normal life without forcing families into extended hotel stays, unsafe temporary arrangements, or caravan living.

A small building, a big impact: the Badduri school project

The most vivid example of Adapt Modular’s work in the episode was not a house. It was a small disabled bathroom amenities building for a state school in Badduri, a tiny town around two hours north of Birdsville, on the edge of the Simpson Desert.

The building is under 20 square metres, but the specifications are anything but small.

Askin described the accessibility requirements, including a motorised ceiling hoist with high weight ratings, an automatic sliding door, and structural engineering adjustments to support the door system and hoist loads. She also described an adult change table designed for high support needs.

The purpose is immediate: to support a student who is in a wheelchair and non verbal, improving her ability to attend school and access essential facilities.

The purpose is also long term. Askin noted the building could remain in place for decades, serving future students and potentially the community.

In remote Australia, where public infrastructure upgrades can be slow and costly, modular delivery is not simply a construction method. It becomes a way to close service gaps that would otherwise remain open for years.

Breaking the modular stigma

Askin is also clear about the misconception that modular homes are boxy, low grade, or temporary “dongers”.

She said Adapt Modular builds to the same standards as Class 1A homes and still must meet National Construction Code requirements. The benefit is time, not quality reduction.

There is also complexity that many outsiders miss. Unlike project homes built repeatedly under similar conditions, modular homes are typically site specific. Wind ratings, climate zones, transport constraints, and footing conditions all influence design and engineering. That means every build requires detailed up front investigation.

Adapt Modular is also pursuing both permanent and temporary housing solutions. Askin described single module temporary homes that can be placed on a policyholder’s land for one to two years, then removed, refurbished, and redeployed.

The underlying philosophy is simple: if a family has already been through a major loss, they should not be forced into substandard living conditions while waiting for repairs or rebuilds.

NCC reform, prefab friction, and the need for clarity

The episode also moved into a live industry tension point: how NCC changes affect modular and prefabrication differently to traditional building.

Askin explained that the NCC is heavily geared towards slab on ground construction, which can place modular builders “behind the eight ball” from the start. Some compliance requirements are difficult to translate directly to raised or transportable structures, forcing modular builders to find alternative pathways to meet performance outcomes.

She also pointed to the broader problem of inconsistency between states, especially around energy efficiency changes. When different jurisdictions adopt different settings at different times, modular builders shipping across borders cannot rely on a single standardised process. Every job becomes a fresh compliance exercise.

Her argument is not that the NCC should stop evolving. It is that ambiguity, grey areas, and unnecessary complexity create risk, delays, and rework. A clearer, more consistent path would reduce cost and friction for everyone.

What makes a good builder

Askin’s final answer landed because it did not chase a trendy leadership slogan.

A good builder, she said, is someone who operates with integrity. Someone who does the right thing when no one is watching, communicates openly, builds trust, and remembers the human element behind every contract.

It is not anti profit. It is pro responsibility.

For an industry battling reputation issues, rising expectations, and tighter regulation, that definition is not soft. It is foundational.

Because for most clients, a home is not a product. It is the place where life happens. And in Askin’s world, the end result is still the point.

Author: TGB Editorial