Dirt Talk by BuildWitt

Training and Leadership Questions Answered! -- DT134

This week on Dirt Talk, the DT crew has collected some of the most asked-about topics and combined them into one episode to answer YOUR questions about the importance of training and leadership in the Dirt World. Spanning over six months of conversations, we hope that every listener learns something new or sees a new perspective that they hadn’t considered before. Questions/topics discussed include: “Why is it so hard to train my team and get them to work quickly?” Asking yourself why other team...

Full-Time Job or Internship? -- DT133.5

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron Witt and Alex Horton are back at it, catching up after another long stretch of travel for Aaron. The guys discuss the Appalachian Trail and the “time warp” of living on the road before diving into this week’s topic: Interns . They discuss the value of skipping the unpaid internship and just getting out in the field and working. Then, they answer a question about the value of outward-facing branding and why it works for some companies to paint all of their equipment....

Why Old Equipment is Better with George Marsh -- DT133

George Marsh is a collector at heart. Recently, he’s begun hunting for and collecting chain saws. Why? “Why not?!” he says. But because this is a podcast about construction, George’s most obvious (and precious) collection is the armada of heavy equipment that he and his father have accumulated over the years. According to George, a self-proclaimed “old iron enthusiast,” they have something like 70 pieces on their property… and most of them still run! But in addition to the old equipment, he’s al...

Determining How Much You Should Be Paid -- DT132.5

This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt is joined by Eric Jumper to talk equipment (of course), but the conversation quickly evolves into a conversation on how you approach valuing your work abilities and how to use certain tools to develop yourself and your career. The guys also touch on landfills, meat processing, and machine rental. Later, Aaron and Eric answer questions like “what is strip mining?” and “how do you determine how much you should be paid?” Don’t forget to check out the video of...

Solving the Diesel Tech Shortage? with Tyler Robertson of Diesel Laptops -- DT132

If you’ve spent any time working in or around the Dirt World, you know this one thing to be true: there is a labor shortage. And if you’ve been listening to Dirt Talk for any length of time, you know that host Aaron Witt is very passionate about working with folks in the industry to fix that issue. Enter Tyler Robertson: CEO of Diesel Laptops . In addition to being a badass company name, it’s also precisely what the company sells. Diesel Laptops “originally set out to help clients with their dia...

A BuildWitt Update with Aaron Witt and Dan Briscoe -- DT131.5

This week, we’ve got a special edition of Dirt Talk: host Aaron Witt and producer Alex Horton are joined by BuildWitt Co-President Dan Briscoe to discuss what’s been going on lately on the business side of BuildWitt. Suppose you’ve been following along with the BuildWitt story for the last few months. In that case, you know that we’ve been working on rolling out BuildWitt Training, a software platform built for the Dirt World to address the “people problem”: how can our industry better attract, ...

Oil & Gas with Reilly Sasse - - DT131

Reilly Sasse gives a sh!t about the blue collar world. You can see it on his company Red River’s website, you can see it on his LinkedIn, and you’ll pick up on it quickly when you chat in person… and luckily, Reilly was kind enough to come hang with the Dirt Talk crew at the BuildWitt HQ last week. Reilly is CEO of Red River, a company in Wyoming that does manufacturability and fabrication for the oil and gas industry. This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt and Reilly Sasse dig deep on the stat...

Public Sector vs Private Sector - - DT130.5

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron gives a preview of his upcoming trip to Canada. Among other things, he’s pumped to go see the oil sands at Fort McMurray. Later, he and Alex discuss public work vs private work and the complications and opportunities that come with each. They then speak a little about joining a union before addressing BuildWitt’s future plans regarding getting involved in government. Don’t forget to check out the video of this podcast on the Dirt Talk YouTube channel or on the Build...

How to Attract the Next Generation with Will Schuler -- DT130

“Senior year, I made a million dollars.” When the BuildWitt crew is universally pumped to have a guest in the studio for Dirt Talk, you know you’ve got a good one. Will Schuler is CEO of Will Power Excavation , based near Indianapolis, IN. He’s only just entered his 20s, but had already built a great business. From the beginning, Will has made it clear that taking care of his employees and ensuring everyone is well-trained are very high on his priority list. He was kind enough to travel down I-6...

Aaron & Eric Take New York -- DT129.5

Just like Kevin McCallister got Lost there in Home Alone 2 and The Muppets took Manhattan, Aaron Witt and Eric Jumper went to New York and saw some iron. They braved the streets, they saw the dirt, and it was good. They sat down to debrief the trip and weigh in on what it’s like to drive in New York City. Additionally, like usual, there are gas station reviews followed by dozer talk. Don’t forget: you can watch Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt App AND our YouTube Channel. To connect with other people ...

Avocados & the Dirt World with CJ Shade -- DT129

CJ Shade of Shade Farm Management is a 6th-generation California family farmer from Santa Barbara, CA. In addition to being an avocado guy, he’s also spent plenty of time in equipment, mainly in the agriculture sector. He was kind enough to hop on a call to talk dirt and California farming. This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt chats with CJ Shade about working hard when you’re young, land clearing, and avocados (of course). Later, they discuss the challenges of growing your business AND growi...

What is a Motor Grader? -- D128.5

This week on Dirt Talk, the guys discuss a pressing question from the internet: what is a motor grader? Aaron also digs in on the importance of our teams traveling the Dirt World before weighing in on the “perception” of consolidation in the Dirt World. Don't forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! You can learn more about it at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app . To connect with other people who listen to this show, use and search for the hashtag #betterdirtworld and join in...

Young Buck in the Dirt World with Justin Hoerner -- DT128

Host Aaron Witt introduced Justin Hoerner to co-host Alex Horton via email with the subject line “Young Buck @ a Start Up”. Of course, the wheels immediately began turning, knowing that if Aaron is pumped to have another young guy on the pod, his story is going to be pretty good. Folks, Justin did not disappoint. Justin Hoerner is an Assistant Project Manager (/precon manager/marketer/assistant super/recruiter/IT manager…) at Bruce Builders in Eldridge, IA, a small commercial GC that a co-worker...

Out With the Stereotypes, In With an Improved Dirt World -- DT127.5

So there are a lot of fancy restaurants here in Nashville, the home to BuildWitt. But would you ever catch your podcast hosts Aaron Witt and Alex Horton in one? That’s how this episode starts, but there’s plenty more to talk about this week, too, like: *When developing, the workforce can feel at odds with the traditional tough-guy persona of the Dirt World. *Why that persona isn’t doing us any favors. *How the construction industry should pump up how we invest in our workforce. *What kinds of co...

Technology in the Dirt World With Austin Conti -- DT127

On the outside looking in, people might think the dirt world and technology are completely unrelated. And while construction is often lagging behind, that doesn’t mean the industry is lacking in technological needs—or advancements. This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt sits down with Austin Conti, the co-founder and CEO of Tenna. Conti talks all about his international experience in construction operations and how his passion for entrepreneurship and technology led him to create his company—a ...

Does the Dirt World Prepare for Economic Decline? DT--126.5

This week on the Dirt Talk podcast, host Aaron Witt and Alex Horton discuss how economic decline affects (or doesn’t affect) the work of the Dirt World. They also dig into how that approach affects how BuildWitt does business. Later, they dig into taking the appropriate amount of ownership in a situation without letting that “ownership” be a detriment and the adverse effects of specific demographics retiring from the workforce before new demographics join it. Don't forget you can watch or listen...

Logging and Trucking with Matt Moldenhauer -- DT126

The last time we chatted with Matt Moldenhauer, he told the story of how he went from “big-time business consultant” to southern logging business owner. Almost two years later, he’s back to talk about lessons learned and educate our listeners on the logging industry. He also gives a little background to his start in the industry and how he and Aaron got connected years ago. This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt and guest Matt Moldenhauer, President of Bellwether Forest Products and Managing Di...

Job Shopping For Leverage? -- DT125.5

This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt, and Alex Horton give some background to the inner machinations of BuildWitt and how/why the company is structured the way it is. They then answer questions about whether job shopping to keep management honest is a good way to keep pay competitive and the differences between construction in Europe and America. Don't forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! You can learn more about it at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app . To connect with...

Cultivate Better People with Matthew McQueen -- DT125

In some ways, the early days of RAWSO coincided with the early days of BuildWitt. We’ll always love telling their stories, so we know just how lucky we were to sit down with the RAWSO Constructors VP of Operations, Matthew McQueen. Matthew learned work ethic from his dad before joining Eutaw Construction out of college. He moved to Middle Tennessee in 2014 and would later go on to meet RAWSO Founder and President Dylan Stephens. After realizing they shared a defined vision for the Dirt World and...

Let Everybody See the Scoreboard -- DT124.5

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron and Alex discuss public speaking before diving into how BuildWitt uses investment money and how that can sometimes differ from the contractors in the Dirt World. They then chat about the importance of communicating to all of the people on the team relevant context and allowing the entire crew to “see the scoreboard” as it relates to finance and how work gets done. Later, they answer questions about the stability of blue-collar work vs 9-5 jobs in an economic downtur...

Family and Aggregates with John Scepaniak -- DT124

Flash back a few days: Eric Jumper: “Hey man, you should have John Scepaniak on Dirt Talk. He’s a cool dude.” Alex reaches out to John. John: “Yeah, want me to just come to Nashville tomorrow?” The magic of Dirt World folks, y’all. If you want to do things right, do them in person. John Scepaniak is part of the 3rd-generation of Scepaniaks at Wm. D Scepaniak, Inc., one of the nation's leading family-owned and operated aggregate services contractors out of Minnesota. John was born and bred in the...

Dirt Talk Trailer

Buying a Company You Can't Afford -- DT123.5

This week on Dirt Talk, Alex and Aaron talk about food and ask a fundamental question: "Can you cook veggies on a hotdog roller?" Aaron talks about his “privilege,” and why BuildWitt is “doomed” because he eats at too many fancy restaurants for breakfast. Later, Aaron talks about the standard of leadership and what it should look like: don’t be a complete jerk before weighing in on ways to acquire a small dirt company without the cash to buy it outright. They also reflect on the John Muir quote,...

Unique Investments in Your People with Dan Garcia -- DT123

It was only a short time ago that BuildWitt and C.W. Matthews got connected, and yet there's been a certain buzz among the BuildWitt folks that had been to visit some C.W. Matthews job sites: "you gotta have Dan Garcia on Dirt Talk." With a ringing endorsement like that, it was only a matter of time. Dan Garcia has been President at C.W. Matthews Contracting Co., Inc. for over 9 years. He's clearly a compassionate leader, and throughout the conversation, his care for the people who work with him...

What's the Point of Structure? -- DT122.5

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron and Alex discuss some feedback about the structure of Dirt Talk and the complicated relationship that feedback has with creative endeavors, especially when it comes to podcasting (they're super appreciative of the feedback, though!). Later, the guys address at length a question from a contractor looking to start hiring for the first time while trying to button up the business before the hirings happen. Then, they consider an email from a listener from the coal indus...

Thanks, Failure! with Justin Martin & David Brown -- DT122

Sometimes, things just work out. That's how Justin Martin (CEO of Nox Group Companies, which is the umbrella corp over Corbins, among other companies) & David Brown (President of D. Brown Management) ended up on Dirt Talk. It all started with Aaron telling the Dirt Talk crew that Justin happened to be coming to town, and would be a great Dirt Talk guest. And then Justin showed up at the office to record and he'd brought David along. After a few minutes of small talk, Aaron asks David, "Can y...

The Higher Education System Isn't Designed For Blue Collar Work -- DT121.5

This week on Dirt Talk, Alex and Aaron talk about traveling to Starkville, MS via the Natchez Trace and the increase in trucks due to e-commerce. They also discuss the challenges of greatly increasing the rail system in the United States. Later, they further investigate the American infrastructure life-cycle before broaching the (sometimes) complicated topic of oil and natural gas and its difficult PR relationship with the typical person. Then, they answer a question about the need for "operator...

Teaching Novices About the Dirt World with Eric Jumper -- DT121

For better or for worse, Mr. Eric Jumper is back to shoot the poop with host Aaron Witt. The guys meander through all kinds of Dirt World topics, but they do spend a good bit of time on the importance of training non-Dirt World folks in the ways of the Dirt World. They also check in about the grandeur of Buc-ee's, Eric's upcoming trip to do some work with Shay Stutsman in CO, and the perils of dredging (hard on machines, watch out for turtles). Follow Eric on IG @eric_jumper . Don't forget you c...

Make Good Decisions Easy -- DT120.5

Aaron and Alex chat about the possibility of Aaron needing to hire someone to take his CEO role someday, operator comfort, and why it's so important to make it easy for team members to make good decisions. Don't forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! You can learn more about it at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app . 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 have questions/comm...

Aaron's Euro Trip -- DT120

This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Wit regales co-host Alex Horton with the details of his recent trip to Europe. Aaron loves a play-by-play, and the short version is laid out below. Among other things: Aaron and Angel pregame their trip to Europe They met up with a few guys from Stutsman Gerbaz Inc . out of Colorado who were ALSO traveling abroad In Zurich, they took a trip to see a bridge demo, where they found they weren't the only onlookers The gang went to a few Aregger demo sites where the...