Builders Makers Doers: The Resilience Behind American Business

Most trades businesses are still built around a few key people.

The owner knows everything. The foreman keeps jobs moving. The systems live in someone’s head. And eventually growth starts creating pressure instead of freedom.

That’s a big reason Aaron Gunderson started buying trades businesses.

Aaron is the CEO of Bison, a company that acquires and operates businesses across landscaping, roofing, irrigation, and other trades-related industries. In this conversation, he breaks down what actually makes a trades company valuable, why keeping good people matters more than perfect systems, and where many operators quietly get stuck as they grow.

This episode matters because a lot of trades businesses are running into the same challenges:

Scaling without structure.
Keeping key employees.
Building systems while still running jobs every day.
Trying to grow without losing what made the business work in the first place.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What Aaron Gunderson looks for when evaluating trades businesses for acquisition
Why key employees are often more valuable than equipment or assets
How growing companies create opportunities that keep strong people from leaving
Why many trades companies struggle with systems, marketing, and operational structure
Practical ways AI is already helping operators improve efficiency and decision-making

If you own, lead, or are trying to grow a construction, landscaping, roofing, or specialty trades business, this conversation will feel practical, familiar, and immediately relevant.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers for more conversations with operators, builders, and business owners.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts

Andy Bassett
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett
President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Why Aaron Gunderson buys businesses
02:10 – From rental properties to acquisitions
05:00 – Why Bison focused on trades companies
08:15 – What makes a trades business valuable
11:00 – How acquisitions are evaluated
14:05 – The challenge of keeping key people
19:10 – Biggest problems in the trades today
21:25 – Why employees leave to start competitors
26:00 – Marketing and AI for trades businesses
29:15 – Using AI to improve operations
31:00 – Building companies that scale long term
34:10 – Leadership, communication, and growth

We often talk about the 10 impact areas of risk within a business. Now, you can join us for a FREE Resiliency Audit. In 30 minutes, we'll comb through your business, find where you may be at risk, and deliver a detailed plan on how to address the issues. Time to stop being reactive – and commit to being proactive. Schedule your audit today. 

You clearly like learning how other businesses are building resiliency. From the people the hire to their safety practices, risk management strategies, exit planning and more. Now, you can do a deep dive on YOUR business – for free. We'll dive into your business and deliver a detailed report that shows you actionable next steps and potential cost long-term savings. Sign up today at www.ellerbrock-norris.com/resiliency.

Some businesses look simple from the outside.

Then you hear what it actually takes to build one.

Grant Stahla built Stahla Services in a niche most people would overlook: premium mobile restroom trailers, shower trailers, and temporary site support.  But the real story is not about trailers.  It is about capital pressure, sales discipline, hiring the right people, managing seasonality, using vendors well, and building a business that can keep growing without losing what makes it work.

In this episode, Andy and Elliot sit down with Grant to talk through the lessons behind more than a decade of building, struggling, adjusting, and scaling.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- Why a narrow niche can become a serious growth advantage
- How Stahla went from brand-first marketing to a real sales system
- Why the right leadership hire can expose the gap you did not know you had
- How creative contracting helps manage seasonality and protect overhead
- Why AI should strengthen the business without damaging the customer experience

If you own, lead, or help run a trades business, this episode will hit home.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts    
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn    
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book    
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts

Andy Bassett    
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris    
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett    
President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris    
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Builders, Makers, Doers    
01:20 - What Stahla Services does today    
03:35 - Serving job sites nationwide    
04:35 - Starting the business in college    
07:35 - Finding opportunity in an overlooked niche    
10:25 - Early challenges and capital pressure    
13:15 - The sales system they were missing    
16:25 - Hiring the leader they needed    
22:20 - Why people became the biggest win    
26:15 - Building culture with a remote team    
30:20 - Why vendors matter more than owners think    
31:55 - Creative contracting and seasonal growth    
33:35 - What Grant is building next    
35:30 - AI infrastructure without AI slop    
40:00 - Staying focused on what customers value

We often talk about the 10 impact areas of risk within a business. Now, you can join us for a FREE Resiliency Audit. In 30 minutes, we'll comb through your business, find where you may be at risk, and deliver a detailed plan on how to address the issues. Time to stop being reactive – and commit to being proactive. Schedule your audit today. 

You clearly like learning how other businesses are building resiliency. From the people the hire to their safety practices, risk management strategies, exit planning and more. Now, you can do a deep dive on YOUR business – for free. We'll dive into your business and deliver a detailed report that shows you actionable next steps and potential cost long-term savings. Sign up today at www.ellerbrock-norris.com/resiliency.

Most trades owners know people are hard to find.

But the bigger issue is what happens when recruiting stays reactive.

Wrong hires create turnover.
Turnover hurts culture.
Culture problems hit safety, continuity, growth, and long-term business value.

In this episode of Builders, Makers, Doers, Andy Bassett and Elliot Bassett talk about why recruiting is not just an HR task. It is one of the most important systems inside a resilient trades business.

They break down what they have seen with clients, what they have experienced inside Ellerbrock-Norris, and why the strongest companies are always building a pipeline of the right people before the need becomes urgent.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- Why people are the foundation of a resilient business
- How reactive recruiting creates hidden costs across the company
- Why the wrong person in the wrong seat can damage culture fast
- How recruiting impacts safety, continuity, key personnel planning, and exit readiness
- Why employer positioning matters just as much as client positioning

If you own, lead, or help run a trades business, this episode will hit home.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts

Andy Bassett
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett
President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

Chapters:
00:00 – Recruiting as business resiliency
03:40 – Why recruiting needs a system
07:20 – The best leaders always recruit
10:45 – The real cost of bad hires
12:50 – Moving beyond reactive hiring
15:40 – Wrong person, wrong seat
17:10 – How hiring impacts business risk
19:40 – Defining the ideal employee
22:40 – Marketing to talent, not just clients
26:10 – Turning culture into a recruiting advantage
28:05 – Why pre-hire systems matter
31:05 – A real trades company recruiting journey 

We often talk about the 10 impact areas of risk within a business. Now, you can join us for a FREE Resiliency Audit. In 30 minutes, we'll comb through your business, find where you may be at risk, and deliver a detailed plan on how to address the issues. Time to stop being reactive – and commit to being proactive. Schedule your audit today. 

You clearly like learning how other businesses are building resiliency. From the people the hire to their safety practices, risk management strategies, exit planning and more. Now, you can do a deep dive on YOUR business – for free. We'll dive into your business and deliver a detailed report that shows you actionable next steps and potential cost long-term savings. Sign up today at www.ellerbrock-norris.com/resiliency.

 Most trades owners think insurance is the safety net.

It is not.

Insurance can help you survive a bad event. It does not make your business resilient.  In this solo episode, Andy and Elliot break down the difference between being insured and actually building a business that can take a hit, keep running, protect profit, and hold its value over time.
In this episode, you’ll learn:

✅ Why insurance should be treated as catastrophic protection, not the whole strategy
✅ How one injury can quietly impact safety, retention, workflow, and future profit
✅ Why shopping the market is usually the wrong move when costs rise
✅ How weak continuity planning can kill a business even when the insurance works
✅ Why de-risking your company can directly increase business value

If you own, lead, or help run a trades business, this episode will hit home.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts:

Andy Bassett
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett
President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

Chapters:
00:00 The core question
00:30 Resilient vs. insured
03:00 Why owners default to price
07:05 Insurance helps you survive
10:15 Why shopping the market fails
14:20 When one injury hits everything
17:50 Key people and retention risk
23:25 Hidden costs owners miss
26:15 Insurance worked, business failed
28:45 De-risking increases business value
31:30 How to start building resilience 

We often talk about the 10 impact areas of risk within a business. Now, you can join us for a FREE Resiliency Audit. In 30 minutes, we'll comb through your business, find where you may be at risk, and deliver a detailed plan on how to address the issues. Time to stop being reactive – and commit to being proactive. Schedule your audit today. 

You clearly like learning how other businesses are building resiliency. From the people the hire to their safety practices, risk management strategies, exit planning and more. Now, you can do a deep dive on YOUR business – for free. We'll dive into your business and deliver a detailed report that shows you actionable next steps and potential cost long-term savings. Sign up today at www.ellerbrock-norris.com/resiliency.

Most contractors still think about risk management as a cost.

A policy.
A renewal.
A box to check.

That is the wrong lens.

In this episode of Builders, Makers, Doers, Andy and Elliot replay a webinar focused on a better way to think about risk management in a trades business. Not as an insurance conversation, but as a business strategy that protects profit, reduces stress, and helps owners build a stronger company over time.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

✅ Why risk management should be treated as a profit strategy, not just an insurance decision
✅ How one issue can quietly hit payroll, operations, insurance costs, and margin at the same time
✅ Why safety, benefits, and business continuity decisions have a much bigger financial impact than most owners realize
✅ How customer concentration, leadership blind spots, and poor transition planning create risk that insurance alone cannot solve
✅ What Andy and Elliot mean when they talk about building a more resilient business

If you own, lead, or help run a trades business, this episode will give you a sharper lens on risk, profit, and long-term business value.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts

Andy Bassett
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett
President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

Chapters:

00:00 – Welcome to Builders, Makers, Doers
02:00 – Risk management should protect profit
06:50 – The real resiliency problem
09:45 – Why insurance is not enough
12:15 – How risk hits multiple expenses
19:20 – The 10 impact areas of risk
26:05 – How EMOD impacts profit
29:35 – Health insurance cost control
33:10 – Customer concentration and continuity risk
35:30 – Exit planning and business transition
40:05 – Hidden leadership blind spots
42:30 – Prioritize, evaluate, implement 

Most people talk about starting a business like it begins with a polished plan.

A lot of times, it does not.

It starts with a problem.
A market gap.
A few people willing to bet on an idea.
And a founder figuring it out in real time.

That is what makes this conversation with Dalton Daeges so relevant.

Dalton did not come from the concrete world with some perfect roadmap.

He was looking at business acquisition opportunities, trying to understand where the real opportunity was, and ended up building Concrete Delivered from the ground up after recognizing a gap in the Omaha market.

What followed was everything most people never see from the outside:

The financing conversations.
The rough business plan.
The barrier to entry.
The people challenges.
The scheduling chaos.
The reinvestment decisions.
And the pressure of building something real while still working a day job.

Andy and Elliot sit down with Dalton to talk through what it actually looks like to build a trades business when the timing is not perfect, the resources are limited, and the risk is real.

They unpack the role of partnerships, why more capital matters, how leadership changes when you are not physically there every day, and why some of the smartest growth decisions are the ones that make a business more resilient, not just bigger.

They also get into one of the biggest realities owners run into once a business starts moving:

Starting the business is one challenge.
Keeping people aligned is another.
Building something that can operate and grow without breaking every week is something else entirely.

If you are trying to build a trades business, buy one, scale one, or just make better decisions with less guesswork, this episode will hit home.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts

Andy Bassett
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett
President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

Chapters:

00:00 – Welcome to Builders, Makers, Doers
03:35 – The idea that led to Concrete Delivered
07:00 – Building the business plan from scratch
11:05 – Running the company with a day job
15:15 – Why none of the owners took a salary
17:10 – Buying a second business to stabilize growth
21:30 – The hardest part: people and operations
27:40 – The woodburn boiler story
31:30 – The bigger vision beyond one company
37:15 – The buy-or-build threat from a larger company
41:20 – Dalton’s best advice for future owners
44:15 – Final thoughts

Most trades business owners think they have a leads problem.

A lot of times, they do not.

They have a systems problem.
A leadership problem.
A capacity problem.
A business that still depends too much on them.

That is what makes this conversation with Mike Andes so relevant.

Mike built Augusta Lawn Care from a single operation into more than 200 franchise locations. But the real value in this episode is not just the growth story. It is how clearly he explains what actually keeps a business stuck.

Andy and Elliot sit down with Mike to talk through the difference between demand and real operational readiness. They unpack what a system actually is, why simplicity matters, how to identify the true constraint inside a business, and why leadership is often the issue long before owners want to admit it.

They also get into one of the biggest growth shifts a trades owner has to make:

Doing the work is one skill.
Teaching the work is another.
Leading leaders is something else entirely.

If you are trying to grow a trades business without creating more chaos, more bottlenecks, and more dependence on yourself, this episode will hit home.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts

Andy Bassett
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett
President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

America does not just have a labor problem.  It has a capacity problem.

In this episode of Builders, Makers, Doers, Andy and Elliot sit down with Kory Anderson, founder of Anderson Brands, to talk about what it really takes to preserve American manufacturing, rebuild the skilled trades pipeline, and create businesses that last. 

Kory explains that Anderson Brands is built around two core missions: strengthening American manufacturing through foundry operations, and filling the pipeline of young men entering the skilled trades through Iron Warrior and Iron Warrior Academy.

This isn’t just a conversation about foundries.

It’s a conversation about stewardship.

Kory lays out a mission that feels bigger than one company. He talks about why foundries still matter, why America cannot afford to lose more industrial capacity, and why the labor shortage is deeper than most people think. He makes the case that the country did not just lose workers. It lost exposure, mentorship, and belief in the trades over time.

This is what you’ll discover:

• Why preserving foundries matters far beyond manufacturing
• What is really driving the skilled trades pipeline crisis
• The decision that led Kory to buy Dakota Foundry
• Why systems are the first move in any turnaround
• How character can outperform experience in hiring
• Why AI is increasing demand for the trades
• Why the trades do not have an opportunity problem, but a branding problem

About Kory Anderson:

Kory Anderson is the founder of Anderson Brands, the company behind Dakota Foundry, Muncie Castings, Anderson Industries, Iron Warrior, and Iron Warrior Academy. He is on a mission to strengthen American manufacturing and help bring the next generation into the skilled trades.

If you are an owner, operator, builder, or manufacturer trying to protect what matters and build something that lasts, this conversation will hit home.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts

Andy Bassett
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett, President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

Most businesses don’t stay stuck because they lack ambition.

They stay stuck because they try to serve everyone, carry everything themselves, and delay the changes growth actually requires.

In this episode of Builders, Makers, Doers, Andy and Cameron sit down with Natasha Broxton, CEO and founder of Select Auto Parts and Sales in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This isn’t just a story about auto parts. It’s about focus.

Natasha didn’t step into an easy business.  She built her company in a tough, old-school industry where speed, trust, relationships, and operational discipline matter every day.

What makes this conversation so strong is that Natasha sees the business clearly.  She talks about the shift from working in the business to leading it.

Why visibility creates credibility.
Why every owner should know who their preferred customer is.
And why “marketing to everyone” usually costs more than it returns.

This is what you’ll discover:

• Why founder growth starts with letting go of doing everything yourself
• How clarity around your preferred customer changes the economics of the business
• Why visibility creates trust, partnerships, and new opportunities
• The real cost of broad, unfocused marketing
• How Natasha built loyalty with repair shops and body shops
• Why lifelong learners adapt faster than legacy operators
• How AI can solve real operating problems, not just create noise
• Why systems can open doors for people without decades of industry experience
• Why modernizing an old-school business starts with mindset first

Natasha also shares a lesson a lot of owners learn the hard way:  The businesses that grow usually get clearer before they get bigger.

If you’re an owner, operator, or builder trying to modernize your business while protecting what makes it work, this conversation will hit home.

And it’s practical.

▶ Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book
https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts

Andy Bassett
CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Cameron Carlow
Chief Marketing Officer | Brand Builder, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ccarlow/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/

Most trades businesses do not get into trouble because they lack skill.

They get into trouble because they chase work they should not take.

In this episode of Builders, Makers, Doers, Andy and Elliot sit down with Chris Tyrrell, owner of Chris’s Garage Doors in Denver, Colorado.

This is not just about garage doors.

It is about discipline.

Chris did not build his business by trying to be everything to everyone.

He learned the hard way what happens when you take on work outside your lane.

He underbid a job.

Got into work he should not have taken.

And came out of it with a lesson a lot of owners learn too late:

Not every dollar is the right dollar.

But this conversation goes deeper than operations.

It gets into ethics.

Pricing.

Community impact.

Culture.

And the tension every owner feels when they are trying to build a real business without losing themselves in the process.

This is what you’ll discover:

• Why early growth can create problems if you chase the wrong jobs
• The hard lesson Chris learned from underbidding commercial work
• Why ethical pricing is more complicated than most customers realize
• The difference between charging for time and charging for expertise
• Why doing the right thing does not always scale the fastest
• How Chris measures success by impact, not just income
• Why giving back can become part of a company’s operating system
• How community involvement can strengthen team culture and loyalty
• Why grassroots networking still works for trades businesses
• Why purpose is a stronger foundation than passion in business

Chris also shares a perspective more owners need to hear:

Doing the right thing matters.

But that does not mean it always wins on a spreadsheet.

This episode is not about feel-good business advice.

It is about building a company with clarity.

It is about knowing what kind of work you should take.

What kind of leader you want to be.

And what success actually means when you are the one carrying the weight of the business.

If you are an owner, operator, or builder trying to grow without drifting away from your values, this conversation will feel honest.

And useful.

🎧 Watch the full episode and subscribe to Builders, Makers, Doers.

Stay Connected & Follow the Movement

• Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts
• Follow Builders, Makers, Doers on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/company/ellerbrock-norris/

• Grab a copy of Andy Bassett’s book → https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/book

Connect with the Hosts

Andy Bassett, CEO, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-bassett-cpcu-cic-7711853/

Elliot Bassett, President and Partner, Ellerbrock-Norris
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-bassett-aip-cpcu-84499515/

🌐 https://www.ellerbrock-norris.com/