Dirt Talk Podcast

Since I'm a terrible planner, I forgot to schedule someone interesting for this week's episode. Instead, and to your likely disappointment, I opened up the microphone and talked about how I started in construction.

I talk about the early years before construction entered my life, how I learned to work hard, how I got my first construction job with no experience, and a few other summer construction adventures leading up to my junior year of college.

Whether you're someone looking to learn more about me or looking for a shot in the construction industry, this podcast episode is for you.

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*If you don't like swearing, then this ain't the episode for you!*

In this week's episode, I sit down with Taylor White, who runs the day to day at Ken White Construction in Ottowa, Canada.

I first saw Taylor's videos and photos on Instagram and Youtube. I was immediately curious since he does a damn good job bringing people along on the day to day of a growing family business.

Even though he didn't start the business, he's hell-bent on transforming his father's business before him built into a large construction company doing anything from trucking to site development to materials.

I love talking to him because he is who he is. While only 25, he has a damn good grip on who he is and how to tell his story.

We cover all sorts of topics, from transitioning the business to fitness and mental health.

Follow Taylor and Ken White Construction at @kwc2000 on Instagram or by searching "Ken White Construction" on YouTube!

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Initially beginning his career as a site development contractor, Isaac Barlow started to see issues with how his business and other construction businesses tracked time and costs associated with each project. With little to no data, no one could accurately manage and estimate work.

Once he realized he could potentially create a solution for his company, but many other construction companies, he set out to research why construction companies fail. The number one reason? Not lack of skillset. It was entirely due to a lack of information.

What followed is what's now been over a decade long mission to develop a software to help contractors go into battle daily armed with the information to operate their businesses effectively.

Busybusy's story is such a cool one, and Isaac explains the whole process of how they developed the software, what the early problems with it were, and how they've rolled it out to thousands of contractors around the world on this podcast.

If you're a contractor looking for a better way to track time or to learn more about busybusy, check out https://busybusy.com/!

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"Listen, we don't expect you to know all this stuff. Ask -- there are people with much more experience here who are here to support you. But the minute you say, 'I got this, and I know this,' you own that. And if you can't do that, then that's a problem. We want you to ask for help and give you whatever support we can, but if you try to be too confident and it doesn't work, then there's a different conversation that has to be had."

From a young age, Ford Berg and his siblings napped in the family camper as their parents tirelessly worked together to grow their logging business. Home-school, hard work, and family-time were blended day in and day out, forging a deep understanding in Ford about what it takes to get the job done right and on time.

While at Temple University, Ford followed in his parents' footsteps and launched his first business, performing environmental tests in residential developments between classes with his younger brother Luke. During the winters, when construction would slow, he began chasing snow removal jobs to keep a steady cash-flow.

As the business quickly grew, Ford ended up leaving college just three classes short of graduation to focus on building Berg into what it is today. Sixteen years later, Berg Construction handles heavy civil construction, municipal utility work, commercial and residential site development, road construction and asphalt paving, as well as landfill construction projects. And wouldn't you know, the entire family – including Ford's parents – all work for the company.

The Berg model is simple — find incredibly talented people with prior business ownership experience and let them run with their divisions. Berg Construction supports four different divisions, with talented leadership teams and a field of committed people.

Learn more about Ford and Berg Construction by visiting bergconst.com!

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Dan and I break down BuildWitt and explain what our business does, why our mission is so important, and how we make decisions in this episode. Since we get so many questions as to what BuildWitt is, we thought we'd take a bit of time and break it all down the best we can.

To learn more about BuildWitt, check out buildwitt.com!

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MILBURN Demolition began in early 2014 as a one-person show -- a guy who thought demolition didn't have to be unsafe, dirty, or old-school.

James Milburn stumbled into demolition while going to school at Purdue for Construction Management. After attending demolition conferences, he fell in love with the world of demolishing stuff and decided it was the career path for him. He quickly went to work for a few demolition companies after school and began to learn how the industry operated.

What he learned was that the world of demolition is an aging dinosaur. It's not always safe, there is no sense of service to customers or employees, and there is no urgency to try new ways of doing business. James had a choice -- either stay at existing companies with limited upward mobility and potential or pave his path by starting a modern demolition company. Despite the financial risk and his young family, he chose the latter largely thanks to his wife Jess's confidence and support in the vision.

Thanks to his retirement savings and a loan from his parents to make payroll, he began the business in 2014. He was a breath of fresh air for massive development companies looking for a better demolition solution, and MILBURN quickly began to win much more work than James could handle. The rest is history...

Check out MILBURN Demolition at milburn.com and follow James on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmilburn/

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In this episode, I interview Quinton Galbraith, the man behind @caterpillarwrenching on Instagram and a technician at Peterson Cat.

From the moment you meet this guy, it's obvious that he loves wrenching on big iron, and he has absolutely no fear of getting his hands dirty.

Unlike many technicians, Quinton didn't have any mechanical background before joining Peterson. While he was young, he worked odd jobs from moving to construction. He found the world of Caterpillar equipment through a relative and kept applying until he got a job at Peterson.

He started by sweeping floors, then helped in the tool room, and today he does anything from minor repairs to full rebuilds on all sorts of sweet equipment. Nothing is below him, and he's hugely passionate about inspiring others to pursue a career as a technician.

He's proof that you don't need experience to be successful as a technician. He's got there through hard work, an open mind, and a ridiculous hunger for learning.

Check him and other technicians out on Instagram @caterpillarwrenching or @heavywrenching and check out his new online store to buy stickers at https://caterpillarwrenching.store/!

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At the bottom of the recession, Alan Guy, along with two other partners, Richard Leider and HT Tran, started a construction company called Anvil Builders. The three of them began to bidding work in a cramped hotel room in downtown San Francisco and took whatever they could to make a dollar.

Less than a decade later, Anvil was leading disaster cleanups after wildfires swept through Santa Rosa, Malibu, and Paradise.

"I'm employee number 35 at Anvil, which means that there were 34 people at this company that we hired before we even dreamt of getting a paycheck. That was three years before we ever paid ourselves a dime. It was a tough time, but I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Learn more about Anvil Builders at https://anvilbuilders.com/ and follow Alan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-guy/!

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Tom Squeri is the CEO of Graniterock, a 120-year old materials and construction business based out of Watsonville, California. Even with nearly 1,000 people among their ranks, they're still a humble, family-owned business with a caring and local feel.

In 2012, when Graniterock's then CEO Bruce Woolpert tragically passed away, Tom abruptly found himself in Graniterock's lead role from his position of general counsel. While Graniterock's board acknowledged that they had their business units led by talented individuals, they needed someone to continue molding and leading Graniterock's culture.

To me, the most shocking aspect of Graniterock is their incredible sense of humility despite over a century of success shaping the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. It's always a good day whenever I'm with Graniterock thanks to their culture, people, and of course, their D11's.

Tom and I talk all about training, recruiting, building culture, maintaining humility, and hopefully, everyone who listens can learn as much as I did.

Learn more about Graniterock on LinkedIn or @graniterock22 on Instagram!

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Jason Miller is the President of Midwest Mole, an Indiana-based tunneling contractor.

Jason started with Midwest Mole in his teens since his dad was a foreman there at the time. After giving college a shot for a semester, he decided it wasn't for him, so he dove headfirst into tunneling as a career.

Starting as a laborer, he worked his way through the ranks to the top as an owner while maintaining an extreme sense of humility. He hasn't forgotten where he started, and he leads the company with that field-first mentality to this day.

We talk about the intricacies of tunneling, what his thoughts are on the next generation, and why their line of work is only for a specific type of person. Digging a cramped tunnel by hand deep underground isn't for everyone, which is why the Moles at Midwest Mole are so proud of what they do.

Learn more about Midwest Mole at midwestmole.com and follow Jason on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmiller8/

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