Co-hosts Aaron Witt and Alex Horton discuss Aaron's travels out West this past week as he went to visit some Dirt World friends, and all of them are either past or future guests on the Dirt Talk podcast. They also answer a few listener questions about a workplace culture of learning, the dos and don'ts of asking for a raise, and if BuildWitt will have a booth at CONEXPO in 2023! To connect with other people who listen to this show, use and search for the hashtag #betterdirtworld and join in on t...
Jul 05, 2021•36 min
Have you ever wondered anything about the gold mining industry? Enter David Garofalo, Chairman & CEO of Gold Royalty Corp. He's the premier name in the mining and precious metal industry. David has 30 years of experience in the creation and growth of over 15 multi-billion dollar sustainable mining businesses across multiple continents and led the largest merger in gold mining history valued at $32 billion. He started in finance but has clearly been working in the Dirt World for many years an...
Jul 01, 2021•1 hr 15 min
Aaron and Alex face their toughest obstacle yet - the lawn crew just outside the windows of the BuildWitt Studios (Aaron's dining room, for just a few more weeks). But they pushed through because we're on a mission. This week, the guys take on tough topics like Santa, what industry leaders read/listen to, and will BuildWitt start selling autographed merch. To connect with other people who listen to this show, use and search for the hashtag #betterdirtworld and join in on the conversation. If you...
Jun 28, 2021•36 min
We've got another young buck on the podcast to challenge Aaron for the Young Buck throne! This week, we've got Ben Warren of Warren Land Solutions , who was gracious enough to come by the BuildWitt Studio (Aaron's house for only a few more weeks!). He mentioned that this is his first podcast appearance, but don't let the fact that he's green fool you - he has plenty of great stories and earned experience to share. Aaron and Ben dug into how the land clearing business is a different beast than ot...
Jun 24, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 73
We often speak about why our company values are important to us, and today we talk a little about why it's important for every company to be driven by those values. We believe it's not enough to identify the core values of the company - the entire company needs to be speaking those values out loud... and often.! Aaron and Alex also talk about BuildWitt employee travel (and whose responsibility it is to book it) and where Aaron is gonna park his skid steer. To connect with other people who listen...
Jun 21, 2021•31 min
We've hinted at it for some time now, but now it's official: the BuildWitt crew has officially announced the upcoming launch of their leadership platform, BuildWitt Leaders! There have been a lot of questions about what exactly "BuildWitt Leaders" is, so we got Aaron Witt (CEO and Chief Dirt Nerd), Dan Briscoe (President), and Randy Blount (Advisor) to get together and lay it all out. Simply put, BW Leaders is an online platform of videos and education tracks for the leaders (and future leaders)...
Jun 17, 2021•56 min•Ep. 72
Aaron and Alex are back in the studio together after a week apart! They get to effectively go back in time and answer a question from a few weeks ago, as well as discuss attracting a new generation to the dirt world and how to manage a crew of people that are older than the leader. Check out the BuildWitt Youtube Channel . Thanks again for listening! If you have questions/comments/concerns, please reach out at DirtTalk@buildwitt.com. Stay Dirty....
Jun 14, 2021•40 min
CONEXPO-CON/AGG is a big deal. It's part equipment trade show - part dirt world family reunion IN LAS VEGAS and it's anything but a breeze to organize. The event is put on by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers every 3 years and it takes every bit of that time in between to put all of the pieces together. Fortunately, Dana Wuesthoff (Show Director) and Caroline Roberts (Director of Event Operations) were kind enough to take an hour off and give us the inside scoop on the event's history a...
Jun 10, 2021•53 min•Ep. 71
This week on the Monday edition of Dirt Talk, Aaron and Alex chat about Aaron's upcoming trip through the South and why he prefers driving instead of flying right now. As always, the guys also discuss some listener-submitted questions/topics, including operator school, selling an equity stake in your business for cash, and why it's still tough to find good people to work at your business these days. Thanks to everyone who sends in questions! If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out at ...
Jun 07, 2021•46 min
Colby Williams describes his skills as "pushing buttons". But if you've come across his work as Fueled Photography , then you know he's no hack. For years, Colby has been shooting cars, trucks, bulldozers, cement trucks, cranes - if it looks cool, chances are good that Colby has photographed it. And we at Dirt Talk were lucky enough to have him come on the pod and talk about his story. Colby and host Aaron Witt have plenty in common - they both spend a lot of time shooting big equipment all over...
Jun 03, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 70
This week, Aaron and Alex discuss their recent travel and answer listener-submitted questions about photography, job titles and company structure, and two-stick controls vs full joysticks. If you have questions/comments/concerns, please reach out to DirtTalk@buildwitt.com. Stay Dirty!
May 31, 2021•38 min
Anthony Garcia (of Rogers Group in the southeast US) has been bouncing around the last few years. He's been hired at Rogers Group multiple times. He's moved to and from Alabama multiple times. And now, after working for Reed Contracting for a time, he's now running what was formerly their operations after Rogers Group acquired Reed Contracting. Knowing that, it is easy to understand why he's perfectly suited for that work. Anthony and Dirt Talk host Aaron Witt discuss Anthony's winding road that...
May 27, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 69
Aaron and Alex FINALLY talk about what happened on Aaron's trip to see the official BuildWitt Skid Steer in the Caterpillar Factory! Yes, folks, it's actually real and not a joke. As always, the guys answer a few questions too. Keep the questions coming! If you have questions/comments/concerns, please email Alex at DirtTalk@buildwitt.com. Stay Dirty
May 24, 2021•45 min
Some people say that they'd go to any lengths to achieve their goals, but not everyone would move halfway around the world like Michael Bullock aka @the_english_earthmover . Michael was born and raised in England, but has been working in the Dirt World in Australia for years now. He's built up quite a following on his IG acct @the_english_earthmover where he has been posting photos of equipment and projects for years. Michael was gracious enough to find time (with a 13 hour time difference!) to ...
May 20, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 66
And we're back! Aaron and Alex are back to answer YOUR questions. Thanks to our listeners for sending in such great questions. This week, the guys talk about some really exciting upcoming travel for the BuildWitt team, and then dig into some questions. They discuss union vs non-union wages and how and when to ask for a raise. If you have questions/comments/concerns, please reach out at DirtTalk@buildwitt.com. Stay Dirty!
May 17, 2021•43 min
Two years ago, Bridger Snow was still in high school. Since then, he's not only started his career in the Dirt World -- he is the owner of Snow Excavation in Northern Utah. He's learning a lot of lessons the hard way in real-time, but he's far ahead of the rest of us when we were his age! Bridger was kind enough to take a few moments out of his weekend to chat with Aaron, and even though Aaron is clearly threatened by Bridger being even younger than Aaron, they were able to spend a lot of time o...
May 13, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 67
Aaron and Alex are back at it again. After a light week of user-submitted questions where Alex had to fake one, the Dirt Talk community showed up in full-force and truly flooded the inbox with great questions. We're so thankful for the Dirt Talk listeners. This week, Aaron take a positive approach in talking about General Contractors (he's actually pretty nice!). He and Alex also talk about lack of training in the Dirt World (and what is being done about it) and deciding who to market yourself t...
May 10, 2021•39 min
We know, we know... this isn’t our typical podcast guest on Dirt Talk, but give Nick Schiffer (of NS Builders ) some credit - he’s got some serious construction bona fides. Nick started NS Builders in 2014 and has gained a lot of wisdom in the triumphs (and failures) of growing a custom home builder. He shares about his dreams of building homes all over the world, how video and social media sets his business apart, and how he’s pretty good with a classic Bobcat. Nick is also a host on the NS Bui...
May 06, 2021•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 66
Podcasts aren't easy, as much as Aaron and Alex seem like it is (that was sarcasm). And while the Thursday episodes have been humming, we realized we didn't get any listener-submitted questions this past week. So listen as Alex tries to casually drop in a question that sounds really formal and Aaron busts him for just making it up. In all seriousness, the guys are so thankful for the continued engagement and support that they continue to receive. Our listeners are the best, and we're so grateful...
May 03, 2021•45 min
Randy Blount (of Blount Contracting ) recently sold the family business to WW Clyde after running the company for almost 15 years. He took over the company in his early 20s after his father passed away. The traditional way this could have played out is that he would have continued to run the company in AZ and surrounding areas and then passed the business on to his children or other family, but he instead chose a different path and sold the company after having significantly grown the business. ...
Apr 29, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 65
Aaron is in Nashville and Alex is on a Florida beach. A perfect setup for a podcast, no? This week, Alex and Aaron catch up on BuildWitt office updates, exciting planning meetings last week, and Aaron explains why he thought it would be a good idea to run at least 48 miles in 48 hours (spoiler: he completed his run challenge). They also discuss a few listener-submitted questions about stress management, different machine sizes around the world, and if Aaron will personally do all maintenance on ...
Apr 26, 2021•41 min
"Owner-Operator" is not the most common path in the Dirt World. It requires more admin work typically, and you have to actually buy the machine, of course. But for those who can make it happen, it opens up a world of possibilities in the Dirt World. This week, Aaron spoke with John Schiedeck of Schiedeck Construction about the owner-operator life. John's an absolute weapon with a blade, making him one of the best graders out there. He recently moved from California to Texas, but was gracious eno...
Apr 22, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 64
This week, Aaron and Alex catch up across the TN/AL state line. They check in about BuildWitt stuff happening and answer a few submitted questions like asking to hop in equipment on the job site, tracks vs wheels, and "the competition".
Apr 19, 2021•46 min
These days, the concept of “Company Culture” can be somewhat of a buzz-word, but the best companies truly understand what it is and why it’s important to have good culture. It’s also vital to know what “good company culture” is not . Enter Eric Sellman, a VP & General Manager of Mortenson Civil out of Minneapolis, MN. He and Aaron dug into this a little bit. Aaron has said many times before that, in his opinion, “company culture” is more than “ping pong tables and beer” (though the new BW of...
Apr 15, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 63
This week's theme is the benefit of finding ways and opportunities to meet people and why it's so important to get face time whenever possible. Practicing what they preach, Alex and Aaron met in the illustrious BuildWitt Studios (aka Aaron's dining table, for now) to catch up and answer a few questions. This week's questions are especially exciting because they are from some of our younger listeners. Alex and Aaron touched on topics such as designing an office that people WANT to be in, the valu...
Apr 12, 2021•48 min
This week’s guest is the newest team member with BuildWitt: VP of Business Development Ben Schwanberg. Ben and Aaron sat down in the illustrious BuildWitt Studios (aka Aaron’s house, at the moment) to smoke ribs, drink beer, and talk Dirt World stuff. While the ribs were cooking, the guys sat down to talk about Ben’s history in the industry, haul truck drivers, and not compromising on your goals. Buckle up - it’s a good one. As always, if you have questions, comments, or concerns, email the Dirt...
Apr 08, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 62
Aaron and Alex are back in the studio together after Aaron was traveling last week. The chemistry was evident as they were able to have a conversation about the Dirt World and vaguely related topics like gas-powered generators, steak, and rain. As always, they answered listen-submitted questions about work-life balance, productivity on airplanes, and the BuildWitt philosophy on photography. We're so thankful for the questions and feedback we receive. If you have questions, comments, or concerns,...
Apr 05, 2021•47 min
Alex Burnett is an “equipment trainer” in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada… but what that really means is that he knows his way around all kinds of equipment. And in Canada, they move a lot of dirt. Alex has all kinds of stories and offers a different perspective on the Dirt World in Canada than what is typical from our Dirt Talk guests. Alex works in the “oil sands” industry, which has many similarities to the American oil industry. Still, only a handful of countries in the world have oil sands (Canad...
Apr 01, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 61
Aaron is in Arizona. Alex is in Tennessee. But through the miracles of modern technology, they were able to have and record a face-to-face conversation. To say that they're excited to be the first people to ever have a video conversation would be a stretch because these two would never exaggerate or use sarcasm in any form. With Aaron taking the entire week "off work" (technically, though no one can keep him from the Dirt for long), Alex held down the fort in the BuildWitt home-base of Nashville...
Mar 29, 2021•49 min
This week's Dirt Talk is with one of BuildWitt's own: our Chief People Officer Jake Schmidtlein. Though his title might sound fancy, his blue-collar and dirt world bona fides are legit. He grew up working in the family business, racing go-karts and stacking thousands of bricks for money to buy fireworks. Jake's journey from brick-stacker to CPO at BuildWitt is anything but linear. He's worked in finance, ran a race track, and headed up business development for a John Deere dealership (Murphy Tra...
Mar 25, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 60
