Shane Patterson started his career selling tires and making good money. Life was good… until he realized that the Dirt World was calling. So he took a job as a haul truck driver to get out from behind a desk, and over the span of 18 months, he earned more and more responsibility (and the accompanying skills) by asking directly for it when he saw how he could help the team. 

Shane would go on to realize that he could take the soft skills learned from sales and the technical experience he was learning from his construction job and build something for himself. So with a total of 2 side jobs under his belt, he took a chance with his wife and started Patterson Excavating in Zionsville, Indiana. With a focus on growing and leading the people that he brings into the company, he’s been able to experience firsthand just how hungry the new generation coming into the Dirt World is to build things that last.

This week on Dirt Talk, Shane Patterson joined host Aaron Witt in the BuildWitt HQ to discuss the importance of asking for what you want, communicating to a team the specifics of why growing a company helps everyone involved, and why Shane is so passionate about instilling in his employees the drive to accomplish huge goals. The guys also discuss a boots-on-the-ground perspective of the challenge and opportunity of bringing young people into a more traditional industry.

Check out more about Patterson Excavating at pattersonexcavation.com or follow them on IG at @pattersonexcavating.

If you have any questions or feedback, email the Dirt Talk crew at [email protected].

Stay Dirty!