Nic Parish became VP of Operations and Contracting at Burns Dirt Construction in Columbus, MS before his 30th birthday, but he's already gained a wealth of experience and is actively applying that hard-won knowledge in both his company as well as in his community. In addition to Burns Dirt, he is also a founding member of Forge Your Path, a non-profit in MS whose mission is to, "[make] the trades cool again." (We'd like to point out that they've always been cool, and we're sure Nic agrees!).

This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt chats with Nic Parish about dirt world workforce development, growing a team locally, and why the Lt. Governor of Mississippi chose him for a role on a team to attack the "people problem" in the workforce in MS. We'd say that Nic is going places since he's not even 30 years old, but realistically, he's already flying down the road. He and Aaron also discuss fish tanks and why Nic's team at Burns Dirt is able to hire and retain so many young people.

Follow Nic on IG @nicparish.

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

If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to [email protected].

Stay Dirty!

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron and Alex discuss BuildWitt Training before diving into what Aaron believes the Dirt World will look like in the future.

Keaton Turner and Aaron Witt have a complex history: Keaton's company Turner Mining Group was a client of Aaron's in the early days of BuildWitt... and then TMG no longer required the services of BuildWitt. But the two have kept in touch, with Keaton appearing on the 11th episode of Dirt Talk and Aaron appearing on the first episode of Keaton's podcast. Now, with both guys having grown their respective businesses in different ways, they reconnected in the Dirt Talk studio to catch up.

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron and Keaton talk about having to let your business "grow up", why you have to make sure to not overcorrect, and why a business "breakup" is sometimes the best thing for both parties. An all-time episode between old friends.

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

If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to [email protected].

Stay Dirty!

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron and Alex talk about the challenges that come with leading a company from the road before making an announcement about a podcast series they'll be releasing. Then, they discuss a question about whether to start a career in the public or private sector.

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

If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to [email protected].

Stay Dirty!

Jimmy Starbuck is back on the podcast, but this time it's in person. Jimmy runs Starbuck Excavation out of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and a few weeks ago, we heard the man himself would be stateside and we knew we had to have him back on the podcast. He had no shortage of opinions and strategies to share, and we had a ball getting to chat for an hour. We were also joined by Trevor and Missy Scherber as studio guests - a real "who's who" of Dirt World folks.

In this week's episode, host Aaron Witt and Jimmy Starbuck discuss why Jimmy prefers to focus on digging holes and trucking the dirt away, the differences in safety approaches between the US and Australia, and why it's always better to triple-dip.

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

If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to [email protected].

Stay Dirty!

This week, Aaron and Alex discuss for a second the challenges of recording 4 podcasts in a day before they do a recap on Aaron's recent travel to North Dakota and Ohio. Then, they dig into a question about how lower-ranking crew members can make suggestions to leadership that are more likely to be well-received.

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

If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to [email protected].

Stay Dirty!

Early in life, Tyson Smith (of TJS Excavation) had lived a common Dirt World story: grew up obsessed with building things in the sandbox and started working in construction before he started high school. But unlike many who end up jumping right into the Dirt World, Tyson's path took a few turns. He went to college on an athletic scholarship and studied computers. He then proceeded to build a career in the tech industry for almost 20 years before EVENTUALLY deciding that his childhood love was calling him home to the Dirt World. Fast forward a few years, and now Tyson runs TJS Excavation, a 1-man outfit out of eastern Oklahoma.

This week on Dirt Talk, Tyson was kind enough to join host Aaron Witt in the Dirt Talk studios to talk about his story of how he made his way back to the dirt. They also chatted about mentorship, the importance of therapy and its role in mental health, and how operating equipment is just straight-up fun.

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

If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to [email protected].

Stay Dirty!

This week on Dirt Talk: Monday Edition, Aaron and Alex talk about making a podcast, Aaron's camera in Africa, and his recent travel to Saudi Arabia and UAE. Then, they dig into a question about why some brands of equipment get unnecessary shade (like LinkBelt!).

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

If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to [email protected].

Stay Dirty!

Fan-favorite Kimo Clark is back on Dirt Talk. When we first chatted with Kimo, he was planning to sell his company Truth Excavation and semi-retire and move on to the next phase of life. But fast forward 2 years, and Kimo's journey has been admittedly winding.

Though this conversation starts with Kimo and host Aaron Witt discussing doing 10 burpees every 10 minutes of the conversation, the guys get into a wide range of topics and Kimo shares the progress of his journey in the Dirt World. Kimo spends a good portion of the conversation talking about his philosophy on developing people in his company that boils down to the idea that he "pours into them like a cup" with his knowledge and experience. Additionally, the guys touch on pushing one's self to strengthen and prepare the mind, the part that faith has played in his career, and the advantages and challenges in store for the youngest generation of folks in the Dirt World.

Thank you to Kimo for his honesty and transparency.

If you're looking to learn more about Kimo, the best place to find him is on Instagram at @tru.xlife.

In this week's episode of Dirt Talk: Monday edition, Aaron and Alex chat about getting negative comments online before Aaron launches into an impromptu book report on the old out-of-print book Foremen: Leader or Drivers? that was published 80 years ago. Aaron gets pretty passionate about the lessons he learned from the book and how we could all apply them to the Dirt World today. Afterward, the guys talk about why some companies could have employee turnaround issues even as they invest in training and caring for their people.

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

If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to [email protected].

Stay Dirty!