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alk into any modern office building or something remarkable happens. Multiple The Building Materials Narrative Challenge
Wgather around any kitchen table, and brain regions activate simultaneously: the Building materials companies face unique
you encounter the invisible architecture of sensory cortex lights up, the motor cortex storytelling challenges. Unlike consumer
an entire industry. The concrete beneath engages as we picture ourselves performing brands or technology companies, their impact
your feet, the steel in the walls, the lumber the work, and the frontal cortex connects the remains hidden within walls, beneath floors,
in the framework—each material represents narrative to our own experiences. behind facades. The drama unfolds invisibly:
thousands of decisions, innovations, and Research indicates that 74% of in tensile strength preventing structural
human stories. Yet for all their ubiquity, employers struggle to find skilled talent, failure, in supply chain orchestration
building materials remain largely invisible yet organizations that master storytelling in delivering materials precisely, in sustainability
to the very people who might dedicate their recruitment consistently outperform their innovations reducing environmental impact
careers to creating them. peers. Stories create the empathetic bridge without compromising performance.
The building materials industry faces a that transforms job postings from information This invisibility compounds talent
crisis of both labor and identity. In 2025 and into inspiration. acquisition difficulties. While technology
2026, the industry needs to attract 1.5x more Consider this typical advertisement: companies benefit from cultural narratives
workers than normal circumstances would “Seeking experienced project manager about disruption and innovation, building
require. But the challenge isn’t just filling for commercial construction materials materials organizations must create
positions—it’s about awareness. Talented distribution. Responsibilities include compelling stories from scratch. They must
professionals struggle to see themselves in an inventory management, vendor relations, and help potential employees understand that
industry they barely know. quality control.” behind every structure stands a network of
The solution lies at the intersection of Now imagine instead: “Sarah started professionals whose expertise literally holds
traditional recruitment and the ancient art here five years ago, frustrated by waste she up the world.
of storytelling. The path to solving the talent witnessed on building sites. Today, she leads Successful companies make the invisible
shortage runs directly through narrative. our sustainable materials initiative, working visible through human-centered narratives.
directly with architects to specify recycled They tell stories about engineers whose
The Science Behind Stories content products that have diverted over beam calculations protected schools during
The human brain processes stories 10,000 tons of waste from landfills while hurricanes, or quality control specialists
differently than facts. Bullet-pointed job reducing project costs by 15%. She describes whose vigilance prevented materials failures
descriptions listing “competitive salary” and her work as ‘building the future, literally.’” that could have compromised hospital
“growth opportunities” confine neural activity The first treats candidates as resume- foundations.
to language processing centers. But introduce bearers seeking employment. The second
a story—about a materials engineer who recognizes humans seeking purpose, growth, Storytelling in Practice
helped design fire-resistant wood composite and meaningful work. One example of putting narrative into
that saved lives in Northern Ontario—and practice happens at Owens Corning, where

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www.lbmao.on.ca LBMAO Reporter - September-October 2025 19