Bucket Talk

For our second episode of season 5, we caught up with Matt Gentry, owner of Gentry Custom Knives. Based out of southwest Michigan, Gentry crafts each custom knife himself, to the exact specifications of the customer. Amongst Matt’s work, you’ll find hog splitters, fixed-blade bird and trout knives, gut-hook skinners and even chef’s knives. Listen in as Matt chats with our hosts Jeremy and Eric about learning a craft with the help of YouTube, the ins and outs of getting into social media, how COVID impacted his career trajectory, and much more.

When Matt started making knives about eight years ago, it was just a hobby. After receiving a handful of inquiries into how to buy one of these custom knives, he realized this could be more than a hobby. He took it on as a side hustle to supplement his income and things took off from there. Once COVID hit and his day job took a hit, however, he realized this knife business could be something much bigger.

“After doing that for like a week, I was like, man, we got to make a change. And I got to sell this business because it's just way more lucrative to make knives and just I enjoyed it a lot more, you know.”

He sold his half of his auto shop to his business partner and went all-in on the knife work, which has taken off in a big way. He’s now seen so much success that he just takes custom orders; he’s already booked into 2023. What makes his business special is that anyone can contact him, share their vision for the knife and from there, the rest is up to him. While it is still a job, he’s in a place he wants to be — and he doesn’t take it for granted.

“A lot of people that reach out to me like, Matt, what do you do? And how do you do it? And I think I'm not saying it's locked [in], because I've worked my ass off to promote and grow and do all this stuff. But I just am really, really grateful for all the awesome customers that I've gained over the years.”

To kick off Season 5, we linked up with Paul and Susan Kadilak, the Massachusetts-based couple at the helm of Kadilak Homes. They take on renovation projects with a goal of helping homeowners fall back in love with their homes. Not only that, but they document it on their TV show Renovation Rekindle which you can tune into for free on their website. Listen in as our hosts chat with Paul and Susan about how they met, how they balance careers, and what their family history means to their business.

Susan Kadilak, as she puts it, grew up “in the dirt.” Her dad and grandfather were builders — essentially she was around the trades from birth, learning everything she could along the way. Paul spent years working to get himself a job as a firefighter, which he did and still does today. After meeting in the late 2000s, they joined forces renovating homes. Their road to the top had humble beginnings.

“That was like the worst, [most] humbling time to come. We were doing, you know, projects in Boston — all structural work — a ton of old houses that needed foundation work, nothing Instagram or nothing social media worthy at all…he's probably like, why are you doing this?”

The hard work and keen eye for quality work paid off. Having grown up around masons, Susan wasn’t going to half-ass it — it was all or nothing. Quality and true craftsmanship was the most important thing. This attitude has been highly rewarding, and it’s something they try to prove to each and every one of their clients — they know what they’re doing.

“I think we've always taken control of the projects because we truly want the clients to love their house… We do love being home because we love our house.”

Now that they’ve really built something for themselves, they’re focused on doing the best work they can and passing their knowledge along to the next generation. When it comes to hard work, you don’t have to look far with these two. If you’re looking for some inspiration or want to figure out how to get a renovation going yourself, look no further than the Kadilak’s website or social media channels, where you’ll see the fruits of all their hard work over the years.

For our season 4 finale of Bucket Talk, we talk with Don Ducharme, who is a stonemason by trade but also is the Director of Career Technical Education at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School in Danvers, Massachusetts — just a short way from BRUNT HQ. He started doing masonry from a young age but went to school for Medical Technology. After a short career in the med-tech world, he got into teaching masonry at a vocational school, eventually working his way up to administration. Listen in as he chats with Eric and Jeremy about getting into masonry with his father, his intro to teaching and administration, and much more.

In seventh grade, Don started working summers with his father’s masonry business. In college he studied Medical Technology, but his stay in that field was short-lived. He was eager to get back into the trades but also to become a teacher. He taught masonry at a vocational school for seven years and eventually got into administration, where he still works today as Director of Career Technical Education at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical school in Danvers, MA.

“Many of the trade guys are actually pulled right out of the trades. The week prior to starting to teach, I was laying bricks, then I learned to become a teacher. What works is that everybody has apprentices along the way. So you're teaching guys, when you're in the field, and that kind of gives you the inclination that you'll be good at teaching as well.”

Though he had been a masonry teacher for some time, he now oversees a ton of other departments at the school, giving him the opportunity to reach even more students, though he’s not directly instructing them anymore. He likens it to being a foreman — you manage and lead the folks directly beneath you, and the knowledge trickles down.

“I wish I got into education sooner. To be able to have the effect that I have on students every day. And then the other thing that I've learned most recently is to say, ‘No, this is a job that's 24/7.’ As far as education, obviously, everything we went through with the pandemic has really changed the scope of things. But sometimes it's not about just making the dollar every weekend. It's about being happy, being comfortable in your shoes and that sort of thing.”

Since he is in a position to work with so many kids, he was the ideal liaison for BRUNT to make an impact in the future of the trades. Through Don, BRUNT has been able to cultivate an ongoing partnership with Essex North Shore, donating boots to students in the Carpentry, Construction Craft Laborers, Electrical, Landscape & Turf Management, Masonry & Tile Setting, and Plumbing pathways. And that is, hopefully, just the beginning of a lasting relationship.

“It's really about building relationships. One of the things that many teachers that become administrators are wary of is losing that connection with the students. So instead of you having that direct connection with the students, you're helping many other teachers become better. When you look back at it, you're really helping so many more students. If I help five teachers that have 30 kids in front of them, instead of just helping 30 Kids, I'm helping 150 kids.”

Don doesn’t plan on moving on anytime soon — he loves his current job and is always working to take on more. Not only is that an important character trait as a tradesman, but it makes him an invaluable role model to the hundreds of students that come through his school each year.

This week on Bucket Talk, we meet HVAC technician and hobby woodworker Nate Adams, who you can find on Instagram as @builtby_n8. He’s been in the HVAC trade for 20 years, working on the sales side for the last 15 after starting his career with an apprenticeship. Since he’s no longer out and about working with his hands, he decided to get a woodworking shop going. To Nate, woodworking is not only a fun way to get his hands dirty, but it is a form of therapy and a time to relax. Listen in as Nate chats with our hosts about making his way from apprentice to sales, finding solace in the workshop and helping others learn their craft.

As of now, Nate has been in the HVAC trade for 20 years. He got his start like many others in the trades, with an apprenticeship. Initially inspired by seeing his father build a house from scratch with his buddies in the days before YouTube, he knew that getting into the trades was what he wanted to do.

“My dad was always tinkering and fixing stuff. [He] built the house he currently lives in…[If] he was under the car, I was under the car with him. If he was under the tractor, I was under the tractor with him. So that's kind of where I think my love of tools and working with my hands came from.”

After an unfortunate setback, Nate found himself off of the hands-on side and on the side of the manufacturers — initially working in shipping and receiving, and eventually working his way up into a role in sales. When most folks would have thrown their hands up and quit, Nate pushed forward.

“The way I look at it is you can never give up, like whatever situation you've dealt with, whether it's pushed on you or you put yourself in it, you got to keep just plugging away and figure it out and do the best you can”

Since he’s no longer spending his days actually working hands-on with HVAC stuff, finding time to work with his hands is a void he has to fill; working with his hands is what he loves to do. This is where he found his passion for woodworking. Once he had his space built out, he started posting his work on social media and his Instagram took off from there. He wasn't woodworking just to be popular on social media — he was looking to find some zen in the craziness of life.

“I just enjoy what I do. It's my outlet, my stress relief, if you will. So my goal with the shop was to set it up so that I didn't have to spend an hour setting the shop up and then try to do a few minutes of work because that's all the time I had left. I got two kids and a job and a lot of other things that pull me in different directions. I wanted my shop to be set up so I could walk out, spend 30 minutes, set it down, walk away from it, and then come back, you know, without having to do a ton of setup.”

Now that he’s got social media worked out, he’s finding new ways to use his platform to help other makers, whether it is a video on tips and tricks or unboxing a new tool someone might be looking for. He’s got a pretty good setup in the HVAC space and wants to continue doing what he’s doing, both there and with his woodworking. From the sound of it, he has a handful of paths in front of him, all which lead to success.

On this week’s episode of Bucket Talk, we chat with Boston-based hardscaper & business owner Victor Oliveira, aka @thegoodbossofficial on Instagram and TikTok, along with his long-time mentor, OG Dave. At 16, Victor bought a truck from his uncle for $700, whipped up some business cards at the local Fedex Kinkos and started his own landscape business.

From an early age, Victor knew school wasn’t for him. When he was in 10th grade he dropped out of high school and decided to start his own landscape business. He bought a truck from his uncle, made some business cards at the local Kinkos and got started from there. By the time his first year ended, he already had seven accounts, in spite of the challenges that come with starting a company.

“The easiest way to do it is just to do it. You know, like, just don't think about it, just ask questions, you know, just keep going. Don't let something so simple shut you down. Just find a way around it. If you can't get through that wall, just find a way around it.” - Victor

Victor was working on one of his first big jobs with OG Dave’s son Sean, and when they realized they needed some help they called on Dave and his 42 years of experience to lend a hand. From that day on, it has been a collaborative effort. Just a few moments with OG Dave and Victor and you know that their work is their true passion. Take a quick look at their work and you can tell they’re not only experts of the landscape and hardscape craft, but guys you just want to be around.

“My biggest thing is, I go above and beyond to make someone happy. You know, if I'm working on the house, I want to make sure they're extremely happy. Even if I have to take money off. Because you know, that's how I get more work. Word of mouth is my best and only advertisement.” - Victor

Between the two of them, there is a lot of wisdom. Dave brings decades of experience and knowledge to the job and Victor, along with his skills, brings an attitude and leadership that is hard to compete with. He is known as The Good Boss for a reason; he keeps his team tight and treats his people well. If you’re on their team, you’re taken care of.

“I would say try to do what you like to do. Whatever it is. It's cliche, but in the beginning, it's all about the money. But you know, after a certain amount of time, you've got to like what you do, or sell it and move on to something else.” - OG Dave

When it comes to advertising, Victor and OG Dave let their work and their character do the talking. Something isn’t up to par? They won’t charge for it. It is all about relationships for them — without honesty and a humble spirit there is no new work. To them, a few thousand bucks isn’t worth losing a solid account and it shows.

On this week’s episode of Bucket Talk, we chat with heavy hauler Teddy Verras, who you may know as @heavy_haul_n_fool on Instagram and TikTok. After securing a commercial driver’s license just out of high school, he started hauling heavy freight, such as 200,000 pound excavators and other oversized loads. Listen in as he chats with Eric and Jeremy about the ins and outs of heavy freight hauling and the future of the trucking industry.

After high school, Teddy moved to Elko, Nevada where he applied for a summer job with Nevada Department of Transportation, which led him to get his commercial driver’s license, and, eventually, into heavy freight hauling.

“I started getting my feet wet by hauling like excavators and stuff like that…that's how I got into like the medium duty stuff. And from there, I got put into a heavy truck, another four axle truck with a big trailer and they sent me down to Arizona to pick up a big drill rig. And they were pretty much like, please figure it out and don't break nothing or get hurt. It took me forever to get this job done. But I got it done.”

Today, Teddy hauls excavators and other heavy, oddly shaped loads for his company, oftentimes with rigs so big that he’s got the highway patrol escorting him from place to place. He’s been in the game long enough at this point that if something needs to be moved, no matter the size, he can handle it.

“...Excavators and rollers and backhoes and you name it, I can drive it. One of my favorites was when one of our customers had a Hitachi 600 excavator, weighing like 200,000 pounds. It was freaking crazy.”

Moving forward, Teddy says he’s looking into buying his own truck in the future and building his own company from the ground up. But for now he’s enjoying being a company man on the road while he works towards the next level.

“It's always like the next logical step. You know, some people become a company driver and they're okay with it. But you know, I could make more money hauling groceries owning my own truck than I do now as a company driver heavy hauling.”

If you want to know what life on the road is like for a heavy hauler, Teddy documents his life in depth on TikTok and Instagram.

On this week’s Bucket Talk, we catch up with Captain Dave Marciano, captain of the F/V Hard Merchandise, which you may know from National Geographic’s hit show Wicked Tuna. Based near Gloucester, Massachusetts, prime fishing country, Marciano has been a fisherman all his life and has been on boats since he was 12. Listen in as Jeremy and Eric sit down with Captain Marciano to learn about commercial fishing, being a fisherman on TV, the challenges of the current fishing industry in America and tools of the fishing trade.

Raised in Beverly, MA, about 15 minutes from the fishing mecca of Gloucester, Dave had a passion for fishing from a young age — he loved it enough to get a job on a boat when he was just 12 years old.

“Nobody in my family was a fisherman before me. I just had a passion for fishing. That started when I was a young kid; my parents couldn't keep me away from the water. I just started fishing. You know, nothing fancy, with barbers and minnows for bass and panfish and everything else and trout. And you know, that passion just kept growing.”

He started from the bottom and worked his way up, eventually buying his own boat, the Angelica Joseph, and starting his own business, Angelica Fisheries, in 1995. While fishing was his passion, as he got older and more in-tune with the business, he realized that commercial fishing was not entirely about passion, but about the thrill of succeeding.

“Commercial fishermen are opportunists. We're not in it for the sport, we're not in it for the thrill — although it is a very thrilling occupation. Maybe that's part of the adrenaline rush that keeps you into it…the search for the big score. But, you know, that became part of the year, you know what I mean? If tuna fishing was good (if we say good, if it was lucrative), if we could make some money doing it, we would do it. I've always felt that was the key to successful tuna fishing.”

After some time running a successful business, Captain Marciano got the opportunity to join the National Geographic’s show Wicked Tuna, which documents the lives of tuna fisherman in the Atlantic — revealing just how difficult a life on the water can be. Despite the difficulties, Marciano has seen his time on TV, not only as a way to grow his business, but as a blessing to him and his family.

“[Fishing] is quite an anonymous way to make a living. But [the show] has been one hell of a wild ride, you know. I will say that it's been an opportunity of a lifetime for me and my kids…It's given me an opportunity to figure out how to continue, you know, owning my boats, and surviving, and even thriving in the fishing industry.”

Marciano is still thriving in his industry, and putting on a show for us on NatGeo. It is hard to know what will happen in the future of commercial fishing, but it is evident that the F/V Hard Merchandise will continue to be a force in the northeastern fishing community.

On this week’s Bucket Talk, we talk with plumber George DeJesus, who calls in from Morris County, New Jersey. He learned how to be a plumber at an early age, taking a plumbing job in midtown Manhattan fixing up five-star hotels. After some time on the job, he realized that there was an opportunity to grow outside of the confines of contracting, so he decided it was time to be his own boss. From there, he got his own gear, started doing his own marketing and built a company that lets him do work on his terms.

George DeJesus began his career as a plumber in New York City, leading crews in high rises in downtown Manhattan. He realized that a job as the leader of a plumbing crew was his calling after working some jobs in NYC where he was able to learn and thrive on the job in a really short time.

“My dad was a general contractor and he used to take us to work with [him] because that was just a way for daycare to kind of watch us during our day instead of having someone watch us he took us to work…I'm a plumber, I chose the plumbing trade, because…I just happened to enjoy more of just putting stuff together.”

Working in hotels and in other parts of New York City, he was able to not only see some crazy vistas at the top of high-rises, but he learned skills and work ethic that helped him grow into the plumber that he is today — and the skills that equipped him for a steady career. After some time working with volatile contractors, though, he realized that he was leaving a lot of work, and money, on the table. He was ready to work for himself, in spite of the challenges that lay ahead.

“[My friends] kept telling me, you know, you should be working for yourself. I don't want to do that. I already failed one time. I don't want to do it again. I'm afraid, I don't want to do it. You know, and, and I just fought myself and I came back…I made it to the point where I'm like, yeah, I should be on my own.”

George made that vision a reality — he’s now his own boss, no restrictions, nobody to report to. He has taken on his own clients and does his own marketing, meaning he can work when he wants to. Not only is he crushing it in his day job, but he’s also gained a huge following on social media, reaching over 38,000 followers on Instagram by posting videos of the work he’s doing. Check out George on Instagram @georgetheplumber.

On this week’s Bucket Talk, we talk with DIY interior designer Cori Bosco, who calls in from her home in Florida. She began her career as a PE teacher but in the late 2000s, she got her real estate license and started flipping houses on the side. Fast forward 10 years, she has amassed a following of over 5 million on TikTok as East Coast DIY, sharing her journey as a house-flipper and designer. Listen in as Eric and Jeremy chat with Cori about getting into real estate

Cori Bosco - known as @eastcoastfloridadiy on Instagram and East Coast DIY on TikTok - has been flipping houses for a long time now. After starting her career as a teacher, she started flipping houses on the side. When her and her husband bought a house in late 2019, they suddenly had a bunch of time on their hands thanks to COVID. Her kids told her about TikTok and she decided to post videos about her journey flipping houses and designing their interiors.

“So in May of 2020, I [make] my first post, and I didn't think it was gonna go anywhere. Like I was never out to, you know, try to get followers or anything like that…my first post which was of our kitchen, our family room and then out to like the view of it in our backyard view and it like within the first day got like 2.2 million views. Wow, like, oh my gosh, this is kind of cool.”

By December of 2020, Cori had amassed 500,000 followers, posting photos and videos of projects they had done around the house along with some videos of her favorite Amazon finds. Around that time, she entered a competition through Jeffrey Court tile to see who could do the best renovation of one room in their house using their tile. Just when she found out she got selected, though, her husband got activated for the Army Reserves and had to leave for a year.

“We had our little thing, where I would do some parts, he would do some parts and we made a great team, but [this time] I'd have to do everything on my own. I was like, I don't know if I'm up for this, no, you know what, I can do it, I can do this…if I remember correctly, it was the same week he left that I had to start this project and I'm like, What am I getting myself into…but it ended up being awesome.”

This was a turning point, not only for Cori, because she learned so many new skills, but for her TikTok. Once she realized that social media was a viable source of income, she went full steam ahead, creating content around the house renovation she was doing. One thing she realized was that to keep gaining followers, she needed to be constantly creating new content.

“We're excited to see what happens, you know, and what renovations and stuff we have coming up. So I definitely can't sit still, I know I'm gonna be busy, you know, doing stuff. And with my followers expecting new content, you know, every day every other day, I gotta come up with something new.”

Moving forward, Cori and her husband Vinnie are taking on new projects, currently working on a condo they bought. The plan is to keep flipping houses, with Cori eventually getting her contractor’s license to unlock the ability to do bigger projects without jumping through hoops.

On this week’s Bucket Talk, we talk with Jason Costello, a landscape curber based in Southern California. Over 20 years ago, Jason and his family all needed some curbing done at their homes. Rather than pay out of pocket, they bought a machine and did it themselves. Jason has been curbing ever since. Listen in as Eric and Jeremy chat with Jason about becoming a landscape curber, incorporating his family into the business, and making some of the most satisfying TikTok videos out there.

Jason Costello, known by Jason Costco on social media, has been landscape curbing for over two decades now. After realizing the exorbitant cost of having someone else outfit his new home with landscape curbs, he decided to take matters into his own hands and buy a curbing machine himself. This allowed him and his family to do their own projects, while taking on some others to pay off the machine.

“...how I got into it, [is] kind of a funny thing because it was actually an accident…I started looking through the phone book and found someone that actually offered landscape curbing. Call them, get an estimate…and by the time I was done with the math on what I wanted to put in my yard, the total was pretty good. So the idea came about…I wonder what one of these machines would cost.”

At the time, there was no YouTube to turn to for instruction and the only classes he could take were hundreds of miles away, so everything he learned was through trial and error. A curb didn’t come out right? Tear it up and do it again. Since then, he has taken some real classes to hone his craft, but to get his start, he did it all the old fashioned way.

“So I had a couple phone numbers that I called kind of, you know, pick these guys brains a little bit and ask how they did certain things. And, you know, if you have a bump here, how would you do that? Why is my curb doing this? So it was kind of just, ask some questions, trial and error.”

There is an art to landscape curbing. Many landscapers see it as a specialty job, which has helped Jason get work over the years. He comes in to build a specific part of the landscaper’s vision, then moves on to the next gig.

“I'm kind of a specialty guy… basically like a framer, [who] would, for the house, come to your framing and get out of there. When I come in, the landscapers will either have a line painted on the ground, or a landscaper that just comes out and freehand. He'll just start dragging designs on the ground and say, ‘Hey, can you do this?’”

Jason has also managed to find a cool way to get involved with social media: his oddly satisfying TikTok videos. Mixing the ASMR of his trowel gliding across fresh concrete and the satisfaction of watching a curb take the perfect shape, his videos not only take you through a bit of the curbing process, but leave you feeling better for having watched them. This has led to his account, @jasoncostco, having over 725,000 followers and over 8,000,000 likes.

“The real message is, for us anyway, is to try to just get more people that are inclined to work with their hands to do so. I mean, I feel that some people are just pushed away because that's not what they're supposed to do when really, they were born to do it.”