Dirt Talk

Episode 55

BuildWitt Q&A 2

In this Dirt Talk episode, Aaron is joined by himself to answer your questions submitted via Instagram. No script and plenty of nonsense.

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Episode 54

Gaurav Kikani

The word "autonomous" is a hot topic for cars, planes, and any other machines that move. While self-driving cars are neat, this isn't Car Talk; this is Dirt Talk.

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Episode 53

Pat Allen

Since we’ve received plenty of feedback about interviewing more people who “do the work,” I finally heeded your advice and sent Pat a DM on Instagram asking if he’d lend me an hour or two of his Sunday morning. He said sure.

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Episode 52

Marty Leum

Marty Leum grew up traveling the country to race dirt bikes. Since he was around tracks so much, he began helping out where he could, whether it was hanging banners, or eventually, running equipment to clean up and build tracks.

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Episode 51

Rebecca McGrew

I recently met Rebecca McGrew, whose formal title is Manager, Environmental and Regulatory Affairs at North American Coal. She was extraordinarily knowledgeable about mining and mitigating the environmental impacts of extracting resources from the earth

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Episode 50

I Don’t Understand Safety?

Thanks to some recent internet criticism (I should know better about going down this rabbit hole, and yet here I am), I decided to take to the podcast to explain my stance on safety, photographs, and the mining world.

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Episode 49

Ron Kellish

In this episode, we talk about the money side of earthmoving, why it's essential to take care of people, and how Bemas structures its benefits to give everyone a lot more than just a paycheck.

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Episode 48

Josh McCahill

After a long career as a Sheriff in Fresno, Josh McCahill took out a second mortgage on his house to buy an old bulldozer to start his ag business.

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Episode 47

BuildWitt 2020 Review

Dan Briscoe, COO of BuildWitt, and I sat down to discuss what we learned and accomplished in 2020. We talk about our business model, how we've grown, and where we're heading into 2021.

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Episode 46

Ritchie Bros

In this episode of Dirt Talk, I was lucky enough to chat with Kari Taylor (President, North America Sales) and Matt Ackley (Chief Marketing Officer) of Ritchie Bros, the infamous global equipment auctioneer.

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Episode 45

Nick Frederick

Nick Frederick is Vice President of Witech Excavating, a mass excavation contractor based in the Chicagoland area.

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Episode 44

Garrett Moss Part 2

Garrett Moss, President of Moss Utilities, has dealt with many general contractors as a utility subcontractor for large development projects around the DFW area.

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Episode 43

Jarryd McNeil

Jarryd McNeil is a 15-time X Games motocross medalist who's traveled the world performing wild tricks on dirt bikes since he was a young kid.

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Episode 42

Dary Langfitt

After being unexpectedly fired from the best job of his life, Dary Langfitt told everyone in his family that he would start a landscaping business. How hard could it be?

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Episode 41

Michelle Walker

In this episode, I talk with Michelle Walker, VP of Finance and Administration of SSC Underground, about suicide prevention in the construction industry.

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Episode 40

Eric Jumper

Eric Jumper and I sat down at my kitchen table last week to discuss his upbringing in the dirt world, why building terrain parks makes for a wild job, and other "dirty" topics.

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Episode 39

The Dirt Ninja

Tom Gardocki, known as the Dirt Ninja online, co-owns a residential excavation company in New Hampshire.

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Episode 38

Garret Wilson

I reached out to Garret Wilson, who's said to be the world's best operator, and asked if he'd like to be on the podcast. He said no, but I managed to get him on anyway.

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Episode 37

Sam Meeker

Sam Meeker is a Caterpillar dozer extraordinaire and is formally a Product Application Specialist for Track-Type Tractors.

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Episode 36

Mike Willhite

I talk with Mike Willhite, owner of Willhite Grading and Excavation, about his past controversies, life lessons, and business experiences.

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Episode 35

Dane Cotten

Dane started his Bozeman, Montana-based excavation business a few years ago when he grew tired of his job. He abruptly quit, financed a skid steer the same day, and he was off to the races to build a business from nothing.

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Episode 34

Brett Baker

Brett is a self-proclaimed red neck from West Tennessee who now manages entire projects at only 24-years old. Initially studying nursing in college, he dropped out of school two semesters short when he had a child to rejoin the construction industry.

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Episode 33

Matt Moldenhauer

Even though he knew nothing about logging when he started, thanks to his consulting skillset combined with humility, Bellwether Forest Products moves five times the wood than it did just a few years ago when Matt joined the business.

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Episode 32

BuildWitt Q&A

I made a post via Instagram stories asking for questions that I'd answer on an upcoming podcast episode. To my surprise, people actually submitted somewhat thoughtful questions. From business ownership to whether I believe mayonnaise is an instrument, I answered each question as genuinely as I could.

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Episode 31

Jimmy Starbuck

I stayed up well past my bedtime to talk dirt with Jimmy Starbuck, owner of Starbuck Excavation in Melbourne, Australia. If you're on social media, you've likely seen Jimmy's diggers with the enormous "STARBUCK" logo on the boom and counterweight.

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Episode 30

Herb Sargent Part 3

On this episode, Herb Sargent and I chat about life, anxiety, my recent struggles and his life lessons.

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Episode 29

Ryan Neal

When it comes to excavators, Ryan Neal knows just about everything there is. As Regional Product Application Specialist for large excavators at Caterpillar, Ryan spends his days testing new excavators, talking to customers, and training operators worldwide.

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Episode 28

To College or Not to College?

I explain why I went to college, what I think the major mistakes people who go to college make are, and how to get the most out of it if you do go, in my opinion. Like anything else in life, there's a right and wrong way to do college.

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Episode 27

Letsdig18

Chris Guins (better known as letsdig18) lives for earthwork as an owner/operator for his family's excavating business and himself. At any point in time (weekends included), odds are you'll find him mucking out a pond in North Carolina with a Volvo excavator while wearing cargo shorts.

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Episode 26

My Dirt Adventures Pt. 2

I explain how Skanska nearly fired me for accidentally ripping out an important railroad signal line, how I got a job with Kiewit, how I got a tour of the largest tunneling project on earth, and why I began posting dirt photos on Instagram.

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Episode 25

My Dirt Adventures Pt. 1

I opened up the microphone and talked about how I started in construction. I talk about the early years before construction entered my life, how I learned to work hard, how I got my first construction job with no experience, and a few other summer construction adventures leading up to…

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Episode 24

Taylor White

In this week's episode, I sit down with Taylor White, who runs the day to day at Ken White Construction in Ottowa, Canada.

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Episode 23

Isaac Barlow

Initially beginning his career as a site development contractor, Isaac Barlow started to see issues with how his business and other construction businesses tracked time and costs associated with each project.

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Episode 22

Ford Berg

From a young age, Ford Berg and his siblings napped in the family camper as their parents tirelessly worked together to grow their logging business.

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Episode 21

Dan Briscoe Part 2

Dan and I break down BuildWitt and explain what our business does, why our mission is so important, and how we make decisions in this episode.

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Episode 20

James Milburn

MILBURN Demolition began in early 2014 as a one-person show -- a guy who thought demolition didn't have to be unsafe, dirty, or old-school.

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Episode 19

Caterpillar Wrenching

Quinton Galbraith started by sweeping floors, then helped in the tool room, and today he does anything from minor repairs to full rebuilds on all sorts of sweet equipment. Nothing is below him.

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Episode 18

Alan Guy

At the bottom of the recession, Alan Guy, along with two other partners, started a construction company called Anvil Builders. The three of them began to bidding work in a cramped hotel room in downtown San Francisco.

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Episode 17

Tom Squeri

Tom and I talk all about training, recruiting, building culture, maintaining humility, and hopefully, everyone who listens can learn as much as I did.

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Episode 16

Jason Miller

Jason started with Midwest Mole in his teens since his dad was a foreman there at the time. After giving college a shot for a semester, he decided it wasn't for him, so he dove headfirst into tunneling as a career.

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Episode 15

Garrett Moss

Garrett Moss is the President of Moss Utilities, a utility contractor in the DFW area that he began three years ago in his early 30's.

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Episode 14

Dan Briscoe

BuildWitt VP Dan Briscoe and I talk about how we met, why he joined BuildWitt, and how it’s worked out so far.

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Episode 13

Herb Sargent Part 2

While I don't know what to do, Herb Sargent, President of Sargent Corp, might have a better idea.

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Episode 12

Mikel Bowman

"I think about, 'how do I punch yesterday's Mike Bowman in the gut and defeat him? How do I do better every day?"

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Episode 11

Keaton Turner

Keaton and I dive into the struggles of starting a business, how he's financing his growth, and the growing pains involved.

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Episode 10

Dozer Dave Turin

Dave and I talk about our frustrations with our generations and each other's, how Dave is training and hiring, and we get into Dave's new show, Dave Turin's Lost Mine.

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Episode 9

Herb Sargent

Herb R. Sargent, President and CEO of Maine-based Sargent Corp, has an incredibly unique story because he's third-generation construction while also being a first-generation business owner.

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Episode 8

Craig Kahoun

Craig and I dive into technician training, how much they do for their customers, and how they're digitally transforming their entire business.

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Episode 7

Missy Scherber Part 2

This episode follows my first interview with Missy Scherber, where we discussed what she does daily and what it's like to be a woman in construction.

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Episode 6

Missy Scherber Part 1

Missy is a passionate person who, when she sees a gap, she immediately fills it. When I say she dove into the dirt life, I mean it.

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