Dirt Talk Podcast

Dane started his Bozeman, Montana-based excavation business a few years ago when he grew tired of his job. He abruptly quit, financed a skid steer the same day, and he was off to the races to build a business from nothing.

While DC Excavation is small, they have an incredibly slick fleet with all the gizmos and gadgets imaginable from engcons to Trimble 3D GPS.

Dane and I talk life, business, equipment, and of course, dirt.

Learn more about Dane and DC Excavation by following them on Instagram @dcexcavation.

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This episode is a whole new world for Dirt Talk! We finally took the podcast on the road to interview RAWSO Constructors foreman/superintendent Brett Baker on his site development project in Antioch, Tennessee.

Brett is a self-proclaimed red neck from West Tennessee who now manages entire projects at only 24-years old. Initially studying nursing in college, he dropped out of school two semesters short when he had a child to rejoin the construction industry.

We go into his story, what he does day to day at RAWSO, why the grass ain't always greener on the other side, and what advice he has for other youngins looking to move up in the world of construction.

Learn more about RAWSO Constructors at RAWSO.com!

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In this episode, learn how Matt Moldenhauer went from big-time business consultant to southern logging business owner (Bellwether Forest Products).

Even though he knew nothing about logging when he started, thanks to his consulting skillset combined with humility, Bellwether moves five times the wood than it did just a few years ago when Matt joined the business.

Since Bellwether was one of the first-ever businesses I visited with BuildWitt, I have a soft spot for the company. Not only do I have fond memories, but it's a great company filled with remarkable people. The Southern blue-collar culture is unlike anything I've ever experienced before in the best of ways.

Learn more about Bellwether's operations on Instagram @bellwether_fp or by following Matt on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-moldenhauer-16b92411/.

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This past weekend, I made a post via Instagram stories asking for questions that I'd answer on an upcoming podcast episode. To my surprise, people actually submitted somewhat thoughtful questions.

With that, I turned on the microphone and went down the list of questions cold-turkey. From business ownership to whether I believe mayonnaise is an instrument, I answered each as genuinely as I could.

Hopefully, you enjoy -- if people like this, maybe we'll do it again sometime!

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In this episode, I stayed up well past my bedtime to talk dirt with Jimmy Starbuck, owner of Starbuck Excavation in Melbourne, Australia.

If you're on social media, you've likely seen Jimmy's diggers with the enormous "STARBUCK" logo on the boom and counterweight.

We get into how he went from working in a soap factory to buying an excavator with a car loan, how he's grown his business, how he's become vertically integrated, and how COVID is affecting Australian businesses.

Not only is this interview a damn good lesson in entrepreneurship, but Jimmy is pretty damn funny too.

You can find Jimmy online at @starbuckexcavation.

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On this episode, Herb Sargent and I chat about life, anxiety, my recent struggles and his life lessons.

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When it comes to excavators, Ryan Neal knows just about everything there is. As Regional Product Application Specialist for large excavators at Caterpillar, Ryan spends his days testing new excavators, talking to customers, and training operators worldwide.

After working as an operator in the construction industry for about a decade, Ryan had the chance to become a demonstrator instructor at Caterpillar's Edwards facility in Peoria, Illinois. During his time there, he became familiar with every machine in Cat's product line and flew to countries from Sweden to India to help operators get the most out of their machines.

These days, his entire focus is on large excavators and how to make them the best.

We talk about Ryan's early days, his travel experiences, how a new excavator goes from drawings to reality, and we touch on the 395, obviously.

To learn more about Ryan, give him a follow on Instagram at @rneal1997 or watch him drive a mini excavator through a china shop here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3sdMEgor7E.

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In this episode, I explain why I went to college, what I think the major mistakes people who go to college make are, and how to get the most out of it if you do go, in my opinion. Like anything else in life, there's a right and wrong way to do college. While it's no longer a requirement for "success" in the year 2020, it's still a fantastic thing to do, if you do it right.

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Chris Guins (better known as letsdig18) lives for earthwork as an owner/operator for his family's excavating business and himself. At any point in time (weekends included), odds are you'll find him mucking out a pond in North Carolina with a Volvo excavator while wearing cargo shorts.

I titled the episode "dirt celebrity" as somewhat of a joke, but thanks to Chris's few hundred thousand YouTube subscribers and millions of weekly video views, a lot of people know who he is.

Started somewhat on accident, he began recording his days and posting it to YouTube. Amazingly, it took off, and he's posted videos almost daily every since.

We get into how Chris started in the excavating business, what he does day to day, what his thoughts are on YouTube, and discuss his kickass new bucket custom-built for him by AMI.

To learn more about Chris, grab some popcorn and search "letsdig18" on YouTube.

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On the second installment of me talking about my background and experiences in the Dirt World (you all enjoyed the first one more than I thought you would), I pick up back on the railroad.

I explain how Skanska nearly fired me for accidentally ripping out an important railroad signal line, how I got a job with Kiewit, how I got a tour of the largest tunneling project on earth, and why I began posting dirt photos on Instagram.

As I'm typing this out, there's more than I thought there was in the episode. Part three about my time working in Texas is coming soon. Enjoy!

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