While Ron Kellish was working for a big four accounting firm in Chicago, he got a call from Larry Ames, who recently began his new earthmoving company, Bemas Construction. He and Larry had worked together in the past, and as Ron admits, Larry was the only one who could've talked him into coming back to Denver.

Larry Ames grew up building the family business, Ames Construction, into the behemoth it is today. After helping to move 100 million yards of earth for the new Denver International Airport, Larry wanted to return to his roots by leaving the big family business and starting Bemas after buying a small scraper spread.

Since Larry's always in the field and doesn't even have an office at Bemas' headquarters, he's relied on Ron and others to help lead the business while he does what he loves: moving dirt.

While Ron's title is CFO, he wears tons of hats and touches all aspects of the business. In this episode, we talk about the money side of earthmoving, why it's essential to take care of people, and how Bemas structures its benefits to give everyone a lot more than just a paycheck.

To learn more about Bemas, check out their website at https://bemas.net/

After a long career as a Sheriff in Fresno, Josh McCahill took out a second mortgage on his house to buy an old bulldozer to start his ag business. Today, after years of six and seven-day workweeks, McCahill Enterprises works with large agricultural corporations to remove old trees and vineyards to prepare farmland for more profitable crops.

To remove hundreds of acres of trees at a time, Josh's company uses all sorts of custom dozers, excavators, and loaders. It's such unique work full of challenges and seems to wreak havoc on equipment, but his company loves to roll with the punches.

Check out Josh's daily adventures on Instagram at @mccahilldozing -- their work is badass!

Dan Briscoe, COO of BuildWitt, and I sat down to discuss what we learned and accomplished in 2020. We talk about our business model, how we've grown, and where we're heading into 2021.

Many people still don't realize that BuildWitt is a marketing agency well beyond a "kid with a camera," as we often say (I occasionally miss those simpler days).

Since "transparency wins" is one of our company's core values, we tried to be as transparent as possible with this episode. Hopefully, this episode provides better insight into who we are and what we do!

In this episode of Dirt Talk, I was lucky enough to chat with Kari Taylor (President, North America Sales) and Matt Ackley (Chief Marketing Officer) of Ritchie Bros, the infamous global equipment auctioneer.

As a dirt and equipment enthusiast, auctions have always fascinated me. I loved learning all about how Ritchie Bros manages to sell hundreds of thousands of machines annually.

While we spent a lot of time talking about their traditional auctions, we heavily explore their transition to the online auction world with the acquisition of IronPlanet and COVID. I've confirmed that you can, in fact, but a skid steer on your phone in any one of their weekly unreserved auctions.

To learn more about Ritchie Bros or participate in an auction, check out their website at https://www.rbauction.com/.

Nick Frederick is Vice President of Witech Excavating (https://witechcompany.com/), a mass excavation contractor based in the Chicagoland area.

Starting at Witech as a laborer and later marrying the owner's (Tom Witvoet) daughter, Nick is currently transitioning to lead the business as Tom retires.

Even though Witech began from humble beginnings as an idea born out of ministry work and family history, the company today moves millions of yards of earth for some of the largest development projects in Chicago.

Nick and I talk about how he started in the Dirt World, how faith plays a role in their business, and why moving big dirt in the Midwest is so challenging.

Garrett Moss, President of Moss Utilities, has dealt with many general contractors as a utility subcontractor for large development projects around the DFW area.

After speaking out against plenty of old school and harmful practices many general contractors believe in via LinkedIn, I figured I'd get him on the podcast to discuss his thoughts on the subject.

While there are some great general contractors out there, everyone who follows me on social media knows I'm not the biggest fan of them, and we stay away from working with GC's for a reason.

If you want to hear more about Garrett's business story, check out episode 15 of Dirt Talk.

Jarryd McNeil is a 15-time X Games motocross medalist who's traveled the world performing wild tricks on dirt bikes since he was a young kid. Growing up on a dairy farm, he fell in love with riding dirt bikes and operating heavy equipment. Once Jarryd was old enough, the ultimate goal was to become a professional rider in America. He left school early, moved to California when he was eighteen, and got to work.

I talk with Jarryd about his career, love for America, Southern California farm, baby cow, and heavy equipment. His passion for the Dirt World is undeniable, and I'm stoked to see how his life changes as he takes on building more earthwork projects.

To follow Jarryd's wild life, check him out on Instagram at @jarrydmcneil.

After being unexpectedly fired from the best job of his life, Dary Langfitt (@rockbottomenterprises on Instagram) told everyone in his family that he would start a landscaping business. How hard could it be?

Once the Alaskan winter calmed down and the work season began, he kept his word by starting Rock Bottom Enterprises, a landscaping and now construction business still located in the great state of Alaska.

Dary and I talk money, working on the north slope oil fields, and how to build ice roads. Just Alaska things...

In this episode, I talk with Michelle Walker, VP of Finance and Administration of SSC Underground, about suicide prevention in the construction industry.

According to the CDC, while we as an industry rarely discuss it, construction ranked #1 for suicides by career. It's a serious issue that Michelle and the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention are bringing to light.

We discuss why mental health/suicide is an issue, to begin with, what we can all do to address it, and why it's ok not to be ok.

To learn more about CIASP and access their free resources, visit www.preventconstructionsuicide.com.

If there was one podcast episode that I wish would be shared amongst people, it's this one.

Eric Jumper (@eric_jumper on Instagram) and I sat down at my kitchen table last week to discuss his upbringing in the dirt world, why building terrain parks makes for a wild job, how dredging works, and why / why not you should operate equipment with the doors and windows open.

While thrilling isn't a word I'd use to describe our conversation, it was indeed dirty.