This week, we’ve got a special edition of Dirt Talk: host Aaron Witt and producer Alex Horton are joined by BuildWitt Co-President Dan Briscoe to discuss what’s been going on lately on the business side of BuildWitt. 

Suppose you’ve been following along with the BuildWitt story for the last few months. In that case, you know that we’ve been working on rolling out BuildWitt Training, a software platform built for the Dirt World to address the “people problem”: how can our industry better attract, train, and retain our people? BuildWitt Training was built to make training content easily accessible and easily digestible. We’ve been building the software AND the content and partnering with industry experts to ensure the training content is valuable and first-class. 

Aaron and Dan discuss why it made sense to go this route as a business and why it’s becoming a rallying cry throughout the industry to get other folks to step up to the plate and double down on training their people. 

There’s a lot of good information here, whether you’ve been following BuildWitt for years OR you’re new to the BuildWitt story and are just learning about everything the BuildWitt crew is working on.

Remember that you can watch/listen to episodes on the BuildWitt app and on our Dirt Talk YouTube Channel.

Stay Dirty!

Reilly Sasse gives a sh!t about the blue collar world. You can see it on his company Red River’s website, you can see it on his LinkedIn, and you’ll pick up on it quickly when you chat in person… and luckily, Reilly was kind enough to come hang with the Dirt Talk crew at the BuildWitt HQ last week. Reilly is CEO of Red River, a company in Wyoming that does manufacturability and fabrication for the oil and gas industry. 

This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt and Reilly Sasse dig deep on the state of oil and gas in America. Reilly shared why he wanted to go to work at such a young age, his background working for Tapani for many years, and why he places such an emphasis on humility in his own life. Later, he and Aaron chat about the disconnect between the blue collar world and the folks who think blue collar workers don’t care about the environment and why it’s important to not reject emotion for the sake of business. 

Don’t forget to check out the video of this podcast on the Dirt Talk YouTube channel or on the BuildWitt app!

To connect with other people who listen to this show, use and search for the hashtag #betterdirtworld and join in on the conversation.

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron gives a preview of his upcoming trip to Canada. Among other things, he’s pumped to go see the oil sands at Fort McMurray. Later, he and Alex discuss public work vs private work and the complications and opportunities that come with each. They then speak a little about joining a union before addressing BuildWitt’s future plans regarding getting involved in government. 

Don’t forget to check out the video of this podcast on the Dirt Talk YouTube channel or on the BuildWitt app!

To connect with other people who listen to this show, use and search for the hashtag #betterdirtworld and join in on the conversation.

“Senior year, I made a million dollars.”

When the BuildWitt crew is universally pumped to have a guest in the studio for Dirt Talk, you know you’ve got a good one.

Will Schuler is CEO of Will Power Excavation, based near Indianapolis, IN. He’s only just entered his 20s, but had already built a great business. From the beginning, Will has made it clear that taking care of his employees and ensuring everyone is well-trained are very high on his priority list. He was kind enough to travel down I-65 to Nashville to record a podcast at BuildWitt HQ, and we’re sure it won’t be the last time! Will shared how and why he got started in the Dirt World at such a young age, how he started pricing work when he was just getting started, and he was very open about the challenges of balancing high school and work. 

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron Witt and Will Schuler weigh in on what being young in the Dirt World means (and what opportunities that creates), how the Dirt World can better attract more young folks and the challenge (and benefits) of being a young leader. 

Don’t forget that you can watch the Dirt Talk podcast on the Dirt Talk YouTube channel. 

Stay Dirty!

Just like Kevin McCallister got Lost there in Home Alone 2 and The Muppets took Manhattan, Aaron Witt and Eric Jumper went to New York and saw some iron. They braved the streets, they saw the dirt, and it was good. They sat down to debrief the trip and weigh in on what it’s like to drive in New York City. Additionally, like usual, there are gas station reviews followed by dozer talk.

Don’t forget: you can watch Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt App AND our YouTube Channel.

To connect with other people who listen to this show, use and search for the hashtag #betterdirtworld and join in on the conversation.

CJ Shade of Shade Farm Management is a 6th-generation California family farmer from Santa Barbara, CA. In addition to being an avocado guy, he’s also spent plenty of time in equipment, mainly in the agriculture sector. He was kind enough to hop on a call to talk dirt and California farming.

This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt chats with CJ Shade about working hard when you’re young, land clearing, and avocados (of course). Later, they discuss the challenges of growing your business AND growing yourself simultaneously, as well as how CJ financed his first pieces of equipment.

To follow along with CJ’s story, follow @sfm.inc on IG.

This week on Dirt Talk, the guys discuss a pressing question from the internet: what is a motor grader? Aaron also digs in on the importance of our teams traveling the Dirt World before weighing in on the “perception” of consolidation in the Dirt World. 

Don't forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! You can learn more about it at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app.

To connect with other people who listen to this show, use and search for the hashtag #betterdirtworld and join in on the conversation.

Host Aaron Witt introduced Justin Hoerner to co-host Alex Horton via email with the subject line “Young Buck @ a Start Up”. Of course, the wheels immediately began turning, knowing that if Aaron is pumped to have another young guy on the pod, his story is going to be pretty good. Folks, Justin did not disappoint.

Justin Hoerner is an Assistant Project Manager (/precon manager/marketer/assistant super/recruiter/IT manager…) at Bruce Builders in Eldridge, IA, a small commercial GC that a co-worker started and Justin soon followed him to. Since the company is in the growth phase, Justin is seeing first-hand how to build the business and is already a well-rounded part of the Dirt World. He’s also a young guy who readily admits he has a ton to learn, but is thankful for the multiple stops on his journey. 

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron and Justin discuss the risks and rewards of leaving a comfortable position to join a start-up company. Later, they dig in to why self-development is so important (ESPECIALLY when you’re young), lessons already learned, and why some people still think it’s controversial to move straight into a construction job after high school.

Don't forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! You can learn more about it at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app.

To connect with other people who listen to this show, use and search for the hashtag #betterdirtworld and join in on the conversation.

So there are a lot of fancy restaurants here in Nashville, the home to BuildWitt. But would you ever catch your podcast hosts Aaron Witt and Alex Horton in one? That’s how this episode starts, but there’s plenty more to talk about this week, too, like:

*When developing, the workforce can feel at odds with the traditional tough-guy persona of the Dirt World.

*Why that persona isn’t doing us any favors.

*How the construction industry should pump up how we invest in our workforce.

*What kinds of companies make up the Dirt World anyway.

Plus, Aaron and Alex tackle the age-old question of how small business owners can best navigate that first hire. 

What’s next? Don’t forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app. Connect with others who listen to the show by dropping or searching #betterdirtworld. Or reach out with any questions, comments, concerns, or Nashville restaurant recommendations to [email protected].

Stay Dirty!

On the outside looking in, people might think the dirt world and technology are completely unrelated. And while construction is often lagging behind, that doesn’t mean the industry is lacking in technological needs—or advancements. 

This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt sits down with Austin Conti, the co-founder and CEO of Tenna. Conti talks all about his international experience in construction operations and how his passion for entrepreneurship and technology led him to create his company—a construction technology platform that revolutionizes equipment fleet operations.  

You can follow Austin Conti on LinkedIn or learn more about his company at Tenna.com or on Instagram at @tenna_co.