Dirt Talk Podcast

In this episode, Aaron talks about a recent trip to a BIG gold mine. 

Round Mountain, a small mining town in Nevada is home to the Kinross gold mine.  Surrounding the town is mostly military-owned land.  The sprawling arid landscape is broken up by the steep mountain peaks that the town backs up to. 

Just outside of town, this is the most interesting feature of the land: an open pit gold mine thousands of feet across and hundreds of feet down. The mine is host to seriously cool machines featuring, CAT 7495 Electric Rope shovels, 793 haul trucks, all followed by 994k loaders to clean up the rest. Just as impressive as the mining process is the refining process. Aaron dives into the formula behind extracting microscopic gold from raw ore. Spoiler: the process is very effective! Stay tuned to figure out how this mine can make approximately 235,690 oz. of gold a year.

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In this episode, Aaron is Joined by Bob Higgins President/CEO of Barge Designs Solutions. Barge is an employee-owned company that makes building plans for notable civil construction projects such as bridges, highway overpasses, and wastewater solutions, to name a few. 

Bob also touches on his time as an Air Force serviceman, during the time of operation Desert Storm/ Desert Shield and how that structure helped shape his path for the future. To hear more about Bob’s story and the important work that they do at Barge stay tuned for this fascinating episode about construction design. 

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In this episode, Aaron and take a look at an Article published on For Construction Pros, written by Calvin Beyer. It's not the most fun or easy article to read but it is important information nonetheless.

This week we dive into the opioid crisis in construction.  Based on a 2020 report people who worked in construction are at the highest risk for overdose deaths of any occupation. Several risk factors contribute to this statistic. 

That is why it's so important to be armed with the right resources and information so we can all work to lower this number significantly. All it could take is one conversation. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction you can visit na.org/ aa.org or ask your employer about more resources. 

**NOTE** In this episode, Aaron mentions the suicide prevention hotline and uses the in correct number. The number for the suicide prevention hotline is 988.

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In this episode, Aaron is joined in the studio by Rory San Miguel Co-Founder and CEO at Propeller Aero. Using their own tech AeroPoints and simple DJI drones Propeller is revolutionizing the surveying game. 

Many people when they think of construction think of relatively low-tech solutions. Take for example bulldozer, it has one job, it uses lots of diesel power to push dirt. Yes I know there is a lot more to it these days with GPS and grade control and what have you put at its core it's a simple concept.

 What if we could have cutting-edge technology with simple implementation? At Propeller that’s the idea and that theory has been proven to work on job sites all around the world.. Strap in for a truly fascinating episode!

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This week we got a special episode that’s not something you would normally see. BuildWitt as you may know has our internal podcast to provide more information for our team members. The other day Aaron and I were talking and we decided “Hey there is some great stuff that could be helpful for more than just our team, so why leave it on the cutting room floor?”

I’m excited to share a little sneak peek of what Aaron and Jason have to say about our business, what we have going on this year, and how we are constantly learning and growing. They touch on some internal strategy, the excitement around the Dirt World Summit, and all the amazing folks that we have the honor and privilege to work with. Hope you enjoy!

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In this episode, Aaron Is joined once again by Nick Schiffer. Nick works tirelessly to solve some of the most particular problems regarding home building. He has the eye for it and the passion to follow through. If you have a dream Nick is the guy to make it happen. 

In this episode, they talk about an amazing spec build that Nick and his team are doing. They also talk about the nuances of home building and the challenges with all of his work being on social media. To learn more check out NS Builders on YouTube. 

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In this week's Monday episode Aaron and I sat down to talk about machines. Specifically a very special wheel loader. 

Most Caterpillar 988 H models can be found in quarries but that's not exactly what Bulk Equipment Company has in store for their 988 wheel loaders. Instead Bulk heavily modifies these machines for a specific application. Hot work. These machines are modified to withstand high heat from slag piles, a co-product that is a result of the steel making process. 

In this episode we will give some background on why these machines are needed, the specific application they are needed for, and the essential modifications necessary to handle this environment. Tune in to find out what makes these machines so dang cool! (no pun intended.) 

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In this episode, Aaron invited back Will Schuler, owner and CEO of Will Power Excavation. You may remember Will from last time as the guy who made his first million in the heavy civil business when he was still in high school! Now Will’s business is approaching 100 employees and he is more than willing to reflect upon the failures and successes that got him here. 

From the technical side to the personal side Will shares it all, but why? As a young leader, Will is confident that sharing the 'secret formula' for success might just be the key to elevating the entire industry. Who doesn’t love some healthy competition? All that to say if you want to find out what it takes to compete in the heavy civil world look no further. 

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In this episode Aaron is once again answering your questions from Instagram. Thank you everyone for submitting questions to Instagram and remember you can always email us directly at [email protected]. The questions are as follows. 

What advice do you have for someone starting a small business? 

Best way to get into the dirt world?

How did you start filming? When did you start filming? Why?

Best advice for a young person in a leadership role?

Most unique job?

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On this Episode Aaron is Joined by Rob White Owner/CEO of OccuMED1 an occupational health services company primarily providing service to Construction companies. 

The conversation starts with some background about Rob's time in the military starting out in the Air Force and later in the Army National Guard. It was during this time in the military that Rob found his passion for medicine and was trained as a flight surgeon. 

Later they talk about how Rob came to be a PA and his journey that eventually led to him working in the dirt world. They discuss the service that OccuMED1 offers and how it can protect you employees and your company. To learn more visit occumed1.com 

If you have any questions or feedback, email the Dirt Talk crew at [email protected].

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