Dirt Talk Podcast

Aaron is in Arizona. Alex is in Tennessee. But through the miracles of modern technology, they were able to have and record a face-to-face conversation. To say that they're excited to be the first people to ever have a video conversation would be a stretch because these two would never exaggerate or use sarcasm in any form.

With Aaron taking the entire week "off work" (technically, though no one can keep him from the Dirt for long), Alex held down the fort in the BuildWitt home-base of Nashville as Aaron traveled the Southwest visiting family and Big Iron.

The guys had some especially thought-provoking listener-submitted questions this week, with one answer ending with Aaron admitting he didn't really answer the question, so you know the info was good. Aaron and Alex touched on dealing with the haters, engaging young people who have an interest in entering the Dirt World, and what exactly is the point of LinkedIn.

Thank you SO much to our listeners who have submitted questions and have been generous and supportive enough to continue sharing the podcast. We have a great time working on the podcast and hearing from so many perspectives in the industry that we love. It continues to be a privilege to build an engaged community of so many different types of folks who want to make the Dirt World a better place.

If you have any questions or feedback, please email us at [email protected]. We've loved the questions so far, and we're finding that each question submitted is also a learning experience, so thank you very much. Keep it coming!

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This week's Dirt Talk is with one of BuildWitt's own: our Chief People Officer Jake Schmidtlein. Though his title might sound fancy, his blue-collar and dirt world bona fides are legit. He grew up working in the family business, racing go-karts and stacking thousands of bricks for money to buy fireworks.

Jake's journey from brick-stacker to CPO at BuildWitt is anything but linear. He's worked in finance, ran a race track, and headed up business development for a John Deere dealership (Murphy Tractor). He's always had a passion for training and people development, and after being hired as VP of Business Development, he was asked to transition to Chief People Officer during his second week at BuildWitt, and boy are we excited for that.

Thanks to Jake for taking the time and sharing his winding road that led him to BuildWitt.

If you have any questions for Aaron or Alex, please email [email protected].

And remember... Stay Dirty.

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Aaron and Alex met to record this podcast with 24 hours (spread over the following 3 days) of MSHA Part 48 training staring them and almost the entirety of the BuildWitt team in the face. Though there was much to look forward to with the training, it meant that a 5 (or 6) day work week would have to be squeezed into a Monday and a Friday. With their backs against the wall, Aaron and Alex bravely put their stresses aside and recorded their Monday podcast, as promised.

The guys answered questions on skip loaders, which states Aaron did NOT visit in the past year, and about the land clearing industry. They also discussed the questionable safety of school buses when they were kids and the excitement and relief of adding talented folks to the BuildWitt team.

If you have questions or feedback for the Dirt Talk team, please email us at [email protected].

Stay Dirty!

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Nick Bezates considers himself a utility man. He works on all kinds of projects in the Pacific Northwest, but he’s really made his name with a specific set of skills: welding. Nick and Bezates Construction Inc. have become one of the contractors to call in Oregon (and the surrounding states) for welding projects.

Aaron and Nick had a wide-ranging conversation and touched on topics like how people get into welding, re-starting a family business, counting on your own quality of work, and the “joys” of working in a muddy hole.

To learn more about what Nick and co, are up to, check out his IG at instagram.com/bezatesn.

Please submit questions and feedback to [email protected]. 

Stay Dirty!

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Good Monday to you all! We've received some great questions from y'all, and a few questionable submissions as well (you know who you are). So thanks to all who've reached out, and please keep them coming!

This week, Aaron and Alex discuss a few BuildWitt company values, the pros & cons of starting a business, and --- HOLY SH!T you guys we saw a flatbed truck drive past with a skid steer, and less than ten minutes later, pass by again but this time, it had a mini excavator back there too. Whoever loaded it up that quick is a wizard and deserves internet points or something.

If you have any questions or feedback for the podcast, we're always open at [email protected]. Look forward to hearing from y'all.

Stay Dirty!

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Trace Hall knows his way around a LOT of Cat equipment. He’s been with Thompson Machinery in Smyrna, TN for almost 20 years and is now a Sales Manager. 

The BuildWitt team recently met up at Thompson to drive a skid steer and a mini excavator. After seeing us out in the yard, Trace comes over and says, “I got something else you should check out!” and comes back with a full-size excavator for the team to try. After that, I knew I needed to get to know this guy. 

On this week’s episode, Trace and I discuss the ins and outs of CAT dealership culture, my first skid steer, and identifying competitive advantages. 

To learn more about what Trace and the team at Thompson is up to, check out their website at thompsonmachinery.com. 

Please submit questions and feedback to [email protected]. 

Stay Dirty!

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On this Monday episode (our second on the feed), Alex and I dig into the good stuff. We discuss the recent travel of our BuildWitt team, our growing collection of Dirt Nerds™, the awesome work that our new BuildWitt Partner J.W. Fowler is doing on the West Coast, and what it feels like to operate large equipment.

Our guest this Thursday is Trace Hall of Thompson Machinery in LaVergne, TN. We'll talk all things Caterpillar and the inner workings of the Cat dealer world.

Please submit questions or any feedback to [email protected].

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Ryan Chrisman (@beefybladehand on IG) is a weapon with a grader. He’s made a name for himself online with his warm-hearted early morning greetings, wild blade videos, and educational content on how to use machines and grade control to its fullest potential.

Dirt’s been in the blood of Ryan’s family for multiple generations. He ran tractors and skid steers starting at age 7 and naturally got into the Dirt World as soon as he could start working. We talk about his operator experience and opinions on equipment, working 100+ hours a week, and advice for young workers entering the industry.

Check out Ryan on Instagram at @beefybladehand!

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A big week in Dirt talk history: we'll begin posting 2(!) episodes per week beginning this week.

Our regular Thursday episode will continue to come as scheduled, but we're also adding a Monday episode each week with Aaron and new producer on the show, Alex where they touch on BuildWitt happenings and answer listener-submitted questions. This week, they'll touch on succession plans for family businesses, what to do if a fire alarm goes off during a podcast, and if it's a serious no-no to accidentally refer to someone from Kansas as a "Cornhusker".

To submit questions to be answered on the podcast, please email [email protected]

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Frisch and Sons is an expert at making Southern California pools disappear. For the past year or two, I’ve watched their videos online as they’ve maneuvered their baby skid steers (Bobcat S70’s) across tiny backyards, in and out of pools, and even through people’s living rooms. Yep… just another day at the office for Frisch and Sons.

Since I’ve spent entire days of my life watching their pool demolition videos, I figured I’d give Bobby Frisch, who’s the second generation to lead the company, a call. We talk about why so many people want their pools gone, how many trips it takes to fill a pool with dirt, and how they’re training the next generation—everything you’ve ever wanted to know about pool demolition and more.

While no, I’m not targeting contractors that only rely on skid steers to perform their work, it’s certainly a plus that they have a fleet of twelve S70’s that are so small you can nearly put them in your pocket.

To learn more about Frisch & Sons, follow them on Instagram at @frischandsons or visit their website at frischandsons.com

Here’s the video of a Bobcat going through a house: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLcUMROJOuj

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