In this episode Aaron is Joined by Nick, Matt and Marty Coppock (President, Vice President, and Vice President of operations) at Rock n Dirt excavating. As you might have guessed, Rock n Dirt is a family company. Although it’s awesome to see a family working together, as some may know it's not always the easiest to work with people you’ve known your whole life. In this episode Aaron and the Coppocks dig into what life is like at Rock n Dirt excavating. They talk about the tricky nature of emerge...
May 23, 2024•1 hr 27 min
In this episode, Aaron is on his own to bring you another book report. He’s picking up where he left off in the Persistence Creates Opportunity: Building America for 50 Years, a book made for Ames Construction that periodically details their history. In this episode, Aaron reads from the 1960’s to the 1980’s which was a pivotal time in the history of Ames. They talk about the changing business and personal life of Dick Ames and some of the most important contracts that the company ever won. To l...
May 20, 2024•51 min
In this episode Aaron is joined by Immanuel Martinez, Public Works Division Manager at Sunland Asphalt & Construction,LLC. Although Sunland does some pretty awesome work all throughout Arizona and other parts of the southwest, in this episode Aaron focuses on a project of sunland’s that he saw personally last year in the southeast. Without giving too much away, it's in Miami and features some very fast vehicles. Aaron and Immanuel discuss the intricacies of such specialized asphalt paving. W...
May 16, 2024•1 hr 26 min
As the title suggests Jay Collup, President of Collup Enterprises, is an expert in the Dirt World and has plenty of experience in the seat and as a leader. In this episode, Aaron and Him sat down to catch up and talk about training and how folks can improve efficiencies on a site. Along with a small two-person excavating and grading business, Jay’s main goal is to train the next generation of expert operators. He’s achieving this by offering his unique simulator service. Jay and his team offer s...
May 13, 2024•1 hr 25 min
In this episode, Aaron is joined by Chad Abernethy CEO of Abernethy Contracting. Abernethy is a Dirt World staple in their home state of North Carolina doing everything from utilities and site prep to concrete and asphalt paving. Chad being the CEO gives personal insight into what it means to be a leader in the industry and balance the want and need to be in the field versus behind the scenes. He shared the lessons learned and the success he’s had buying back the family business and leading the ...
May 09, 2024•1 hr 8 min
In this episode, Aaron shares some shocking figures about interstate bridges from an article published by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, by Chief Economist Allison Black. He Also Shares some numbers directly from the Federal Highway Administration, the Department of Transportation, and President Biden’s Infrastructure Act. These facts and figures paint a concerning picture of the state of our bridge and interstate systems, highlighting the point that this issue need...
May 06, 2024•34 min
If you have listened to Dirt Talk for a while you might know that Kimo, owner of Truth Excavation, is a bit of a regular at this point. Kimo has joined Aaron twice in-studio and in this episode joined him via satellite internet video call in an unfinished office as a result of the reconstruction of Lahaina and its infrastructure In this episode, Kimo breaks down the 2023 Lahaina fires, which devastated the community and affected him and Truth Excavation personally last August. He gave his honest...
May 02, 2024•1 hr 4 min
In this episode, Aaron is joined by Jonathan Campbell, Executive Vice President of Campbell Companies, a parent company for various businesses, including Wheeler Caterpillar, one of our favorite Cat dealers and service centers. During the conversation, Aaron and Jonathan delve into the workforce challenge. Jonathan shows no hesitation in addressing the sometimes polarizing topics of immigration and the border wall, recognizing their impact on the workforce. Drawing from his wealth of knowledge a...
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr 4 min
In this episode, Aaron is joined by Ryan Sistad, Executive Director at Better in Our Backyard. Ryan is a proud Minnesotan hailing from Duluth. Minnesota is also home to essential mining and infrastructure, more specifically copper and nickel. These resources are essential to keep the lights on for Hundreds of Thousands and will be vital in creating the infrastructure for a future of emission-free energy. Ryan and the team at Better in Our Backyard Help to advocate, educate, and create community-...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 16 min
In this episode, Aaron answers some questions from Instagram as follows. -How do you find a mentor and do you/did you have one? -Will BuildWitt ever make content for vertical construction? -What Podcasts do you listen to? -Will AI replace operators? -What are your hobbies besides construction? If you want to hear Aaron’s off-the-cuff option about a whole bunch of random stuff from people online that he doesn’t know about, this is the episode for you. Who knows, maybe your question will come up. ...
Apr 22, 2024•33 min
In this episode, Aaron delves into the world of asphalt paving in the Northeast. Josh, the vice president of American Paving Specialists, LLC, and Matt, the foreman/marketing specialist at American Paving Specialists, LLC and founder of Raised on Blacktop, are brothers whose extensive shared experience in the industry since childhood has cultivated their passion and expertise in asphalt paving. The brothers began their journey and continue to work at their family's Connecticut-based paving compa...
Apr 18, 2024•1 hr 7 min
In this episode, Aaron discusses, you guessed it, draglines. These Mammoth machines work 24/7 and are the heart of one of America's largest coal strip mining operations at North American Coal. Aaron and the gang have had the honor to go see these machines work in person in the coal fields at the NACCO Freedom mine just outside of Beulah, North Dakota. That particular machine “Missouri Quest” works strip by strip to clear overburden using a 123-yard bucket! As the machine works to clear the overb...
Apr 15, 2024•28 min
In this episode, Aaron is joined by Tim Schurrer, CEO of David Novak Leadership, Author of "The Secret Society of Success” and Host of the "Build a Winning Team" podcast. Tim draws on his experience from being a creative manager to his time as COO of StoryBrand, to producing the How Leaders Leaders Lead podcast with David Novak, and through experiences on his podcast. Tim has a wealth of knowledge on leadership and what it means to be at the helm of any business. That coupled with his electric o...
Apr 11, 2024•1 hr 26 min
In this episode, Aaron sat down with Dan and Randy to talk shop about BuildWitt. The Executive leadership team is in constant communication with each other and you might be wondering what the heck they talk about for all this time. Today you’re in luck because you get to be a fly on the wall for a pseudo-ELT meeting. They discuss what we did last year, what we are looking forward to next year, and things that are still in the planning stages. There is lots of talk about the summit and the amazin...
Apr 08, 2024•54 min
In this episode, Aaron is joined by Philip Sutton, a Lecturer at Ohio State University. Philip teaches three classes, estimating construction, heavy construction, and the program's capstone course. These courses cover a wide range of topics to prepare students to join the workforce as leaders in their respective fields. Philip draws his knowledge from years of experience in the field, both directly in the field and in the office as an estimator. Ultimately he decided that he could better serve h...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr 12 min
In this episode, Aaron cracks open one of the many books at our office to share something that many might not get the opportunity to read themselves. For its 50th anniversary, Ames Construction had a wonderful coffee table book made. The book titled Persistence Creates Opportunity: Building America for 50 years and details their entire history with many retellings of projects they have completed. For this episode, Aaron focuses on the humble beginnings of Ames Construction which starts with the ...
Apr 01, 2024•30 min
A Growing Business and Media Presence with Taylor White – DT 222 In this episode, Aaron got a chance to sit down with Taylor White, Director at Ken White Construction to talk about what it takes to grow an earthmoving business. On top of all Taylor's responsibilities at the company, Taylor also runs a successful YouTube channel @KenWhiteConstruction where you might know him from. Aaron and Taylor cut it up about what it means to run a company and have almost every aspect of it on social media. T...
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 5 min
In this one, Aaron is Joined once again by Jason to talk about what it means to build a work environment that celebrates all different people. Just before this was recorded Women in Construction Week was taking place. During this week Jason had the opportunity to be a part of the Werk-Brau WIC Summit. As a result of reflecting on this experience, Jason and Aaron started to unpack what inclusion means for our business and the industry as a whole. Words and recognition are nice however at the end ...
Mar 25, 2024•41 min
In this episode Aaron is Joined by Rob Seibert President of, Off The Road: North America at Bridgestone Americas. You may know bridgestone for their personal vehicle tires or maybe from racing, or if you’re from Nashville the Arena downtown. The average person might not think about the hundreds of thousands of tons of raw materials carried by haul trucks or moved by machines, all carried by air and rubber. This is exactly what Rob is interested in, to him tires are more than just something cool ...
Mar 20, 2024•56 min
In this episode, Aaron talks about a recent trip to a BIG gold mine. Round Mountain, a small mining town in Nevada is home to the Kinross gold mine. Surrounding the town is mostly military-owned land. The sprawling arid landscape is broken up by the steep mountain peaks that the town backs up to. Just outside of town, this is the most interesting feature of the land: an open pit gold mine thousands of feet across and hundreds of feet down. The mine is host to seriously cool machines featuring, C...
Mar 18, 2024•47 min
In this episode, Aaron is Joined by Bob Higgins President/CEO of Barge Designs Solutions. Barge is an employee-owned company that makes building plans for notable civil construction projects such as bridges, highway overpasses, and wastewater solutions, to name a few. Bob also touches on his time as an Air Force serviceman, during the time of operation Desert Storm/ Desert Shield and how that structure helped shape his path for the future. To hear more about Bob’s story and the important work th...
Mar 14, 2024•1 hr 23 min
In this episode, Aaron and take a look at an Article published on For Construction Pros , written by Calvin Beyer. It's not the most fun or easy article to read but it is important information nonetheless. This week we dive into the opioid crisis in construction. Based on a 2020 report people who worked in construction are at the highest risk for overdose deaths of any occupation. Several risk factors contribute to this statistic. That is why it's so important to be armed with the right resource...
Mar 11, 2024•26 min
In this episode, Aaron is joined in the studio by Rory San Miguel Co-Founder and CEO at Propeller Aero. Using their own tech AeroPoints and simple DJI drones Propeller is revolutionizing the surveying game. Many people when they think of construction think of relatively low-tech solutions. Take for example bulldozer, it has one job, it uses lots of diesel power to push dirt. Yes I know there is a lot more to it these days with GPS and grade control and what have you put at its core it's a simple...
Mar 07, 2024•1 hr 4 min
This week we got a special episode that’s not something you would normally see. BuildWitt as you may know has our internal podcast to provide more information for our team members. The other day Aaron and I were talking and we decided “Hey there is some great stuff that could be helpful for more than just our team, so why leave it on the cutting room floor?” I’m excited to share a little sneak peek of what Aaron and Jason have to say about our business, what we have going on this year, and how w...
Mar 04, 2024•33 min
In this episode, Aaron Is joined once again by Nick Schiffer. Nick works tirelessly to solve some of the most particular problems regarding home building. He has the eye for it and the passion to follow through. If you have a dream Nick is the guy to make it happen. In this episode, they talk about an amazing spec build that Nick and his team are doing. They also talk about the nuances of home building and the challenges with all of his work being on social media. To learn more check out NS Buil...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 5 min
In this week's Monday episode Aaron and I sat down to talk about machines. Specifically a very special wheel loader. Most Caterpillar 988 H models can be found in quarries but that's not exactly what Bulk Equipment Company has in store for their 988 wheel loaders. Instead Bulk heavily modifies these machines for a specific application. Hot work. These machines are modified to withstand high heat from slag piles, a co-product that is a result of the steel making process. In this episode we will g...
Feb 26, 2024•28 min
In this episode, Aaron invited back Will Schuler, owner and CEO of Will Power Excavation. You may remember Will from last time as the guy who made his first million in the heavy civil business when he was still in high school! Now Will’s business is approaching 100 employees and he is more than willing to reflect upon the failures and successes that got him here. From the technical side to the personal side Will shares it all, but why? As a young leader, Will is confident that sharing the 'secre...
Feb 22, 2024•1 hr 33 min
In this episode Aaron is once again answering your questions from Instagram. Thank you everyone for submitting questions to Instagram and remember you can always email us directly at dirtalk@buildwitt.com . The questions are as follows. What advice do you have for someone starting a small business? Best way to get into the dirt world? How did you start filming? When did you start filming? Why? Best advice for a young person in a leadership role? Most unique job? If you have any questions or feed...
Feb 19, 2024•56 min
On this Episode Aaron is Joined by Rob White Owner/CEO of OccuMED1 an occupational health services company primarily providing service to Construction companies. The conversation starts with some background about Rob's time in the military starting out in the Air Force and later in the Army National Guard. It was during this time in the military that Rob found his passion for medicine and was trained as a flight surgeon. Later they talk about how Rob came to be a PA and his journey that eventual...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr 15 min
In this episode of the Monday Dirt Talk Aaron breaks down a project and in an unprecedented turn of events he came prepared this time. He shares some interesting facts about how the mine got its start, the scale of the operation, and the products that are made at the Kennecott mine. He also shares his personal experience getting to go and photograph this modern marvel. Later we discuss some recent history that might surprise you. If you like big machines and moving lots of earth this is the epis...
Feb 12, 2024•46 min
