Dirt Talk Podcast

September 10, 2026

The Newest Tools Won't Save Your Company w/ Christian Weibell  (DT 477)

Christian Weibell is the VP of Engineering at BuildWitt, a software engineer with a PhD in instructional psychology and technology, and a former excavation contractor who spent eight years running a construction company while building a career in tech. He taught himself excavation by renting equipment, watching hours of YouTube, and figuring jobs out as he went, eventually growing from side projects into commercial work before finding his way back into software.

That strange mix of dirt, software, and learning science now puts him in a unique position to think about where construction is headed. Christian explains why the biggest opportunity with AI isn’t replacing operators with autonomous machines, but helping the people already in the industry work faster, learn better, and make better decisions. He breaks down why AI today feels a lot like the internet did in the late ’90s, what construction leaders are getting wrong about adoption, and why the companies that win won’t be the ones chasing the newest tool—they’ll be the ones that figure out how to make their people better with it.

Follow Christian on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcjw/

Learn more about BuildWitt at: https://buildwitt.com/

Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com

Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]!

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September 7, 2026

The World's Best Sales Strategy (Building BuildWitt 69) DT 476

BuildWitt Update #69– DT 476

Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week.

Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary

Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product

Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 3, 2026

Artificial Intelligence Isn't Taking These Jobs w/ Darren Paulson – DT 475

Darren Paulson is the VP of Product at BuildWitt and a construction technology veteran who spent more than two decades managing systems, data, and technology across some of the largest civil and concrete operations in the West. He’s touched nearly every corner of construction tech, from business systems and GPS to the tools contractors are now using to rethink how work gets done.

He breaks down why construction has historically struggled to adopt new technology, where AI can actually make a difference, and why the goal shouldn’t be replacing the people doing the work. Instead, the best technology should eliminate the paperwork, repetitive processes, and other nonsense that gets in their way so they can spend more time doing what the industry exists to do: build.

Follow Darren  on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-paulson-51aa43149/

Learn more about BuildWitt at: https://buildwitt.com/

Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com

Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 31, 2026

Knock Before Kicking In Doors  (Building BuildWitt #68)

BuildWitt Update #68– DT 474

Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week.

Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary

Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product

Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 27, 2026

The Invisible Billion-Dollar Industry w/ David Giannetto ( DT 473 )

David Giannetto is the CEO of Felix Construction, a 500-person water and wastewater contractor based in Phoenix. He converted Felix to an ESOP in February 2025, cut turnover in half within the first year, and watched profitability follow.

Follow David on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-giannetto-882aa511/

Learn more about Felix Construction at: https://felixconstruction.com/

Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com

Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 24, 2026

My All Time Best Move In Business  (Building BuildWitt #67)

BuildWitt Update #67– DT 472

Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week.

Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary

Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product

Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 20, 2026

He Says What Other Lawyers Won't w/ Matt Margolis (DT 471)

Matt Margolis  w/ Margolis Law – DT 471

Matt Margolis is the founder of Margolis Law, based out of West Palm Beach, Florida. He built his entire practice on being the only lawyer in the room willing to tell clients what their contracts are actually doing to them, and one of the few legal voices in the industry making the case that most construction companies are one bad clause away from a problem they never saw coming. He breaks down why the standard construction contract has become a weapon that protects nobody, and why the contractors who treat legal as an afterthought aren't just taking on risk, they're handing it to everyone around them.

Follow Matt on LinkedIn at: 

Learn more about Margolis Law at: https://www.margolispllc.com/lets-get-started

Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com

Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 17, 2026

The Power of “I Am Sad” (Building BuildWitt #66)

BuildWitt Update #66– DT 470

Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week.

Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary

Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product

Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 13, 2026

Building Something Worth Staying For w/ Jim Rhodes  (DT 469)

Jim Rhodes is the Senior Vice President at Wayne Brothers Companies, a 750-person civil construction firm operating across the Southeast, the Chairman of ReGroup Carolinas, an Industry Advisory Board Member at UNC Charlotte. He reveals why the industry's workforce problem is a leadership problem disguised as a labor shortage, and why the companies willing to share ownership aren't just retaining people — they're building something worth staying for.

Follow Jim on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-rhodes-8a032367/

Learn more about Wayne Brothers at: https://waynebrothers.com/

Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com

Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 10, 2026

Shared Principles Make Big Decisions Easy (Building BuildWitt #65)

BuildWitt Update #65– DT 468

Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week.

Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary

Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product

Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices