Dirt Talk Podcast

I texted Kimo asking when he was available for a podcast, and there we were talking 30 minutes later after he finished his run.

Kimo is the owner of Maui based Truth Excavation, a company performing excavation and utilities work around the Hawaiian island. He's as honest as it gets regarding his business, life, and lessons learned in this impromptu podcast interview.

Unlike a lot of other business owners in the dirt world, Kimo didn't grow up in love with heavy equipment. By chance, he got his start as a laborer at the age of 18, and he did whatever he had to do on the ground to make ends meet. Seeing the guys in the machines in air conditioning gave him the idea of becoming an operator.

Thanks to busting his ass and asking as many questions as he could, he learned how to operate, read plans, and manage projects. All of a sudden, when the company he worked for went under and the market crashed, he figured he could start his own company. So he did. How hard could it be?

After nine years of business, he's selling the company to move onto other projects and to enjoy life in general. It's been a wild ride, and we get into a lot of the lessons he's learned along the way.

If you're looking to learn more about Kimo, the best place to find him is on Instagram at @tru.xlife

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

When Don needed to support his family at age 17, he went looking a well-paying job. Not exactly flush with options, he found a gig at a local demolition company thanks to an intro from his friend's dad.

Starting as a laborer, he worked his ass off and grabbed ahold of more responsibility and leadership opportunities when they presented themselves. By his 20's, he was managing demolition crews across town and learning a whole lot of lessons while he did it.

Fast forward a few years and he's now part owner and Director of Field Operations of MILBURN Demolition out of Chicago. Started only a few years ago, they've already completed hundreds of wild demolition projects all over Chicagoland.

Don and I talk about how he rose through the ranks thanks to sheer work, why the demolition industry needs to change, and how he's raised his kids while working long hours.

Learn more about Don and MILBURN at https://milburn.com/

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

In this episode, I dig into (no pun intended) how Heath Hanna went from Caterpillar dealer instructor to mining company owner in only a few years.

Since he bought a heavy equipment magazine as a kid, Heath fell in love with big iron moving big dirt. Starting in the industry at age 14, he knew that the Dirt World was for him.

After college, he found an opening at the Yancy Bros Caterpillar dealer and eventually became a certified dealer instructor (CDI). He taught Cat machine operators all over Georgia how to get the most out of iron in only his 20's.

You'd think that running all the latest and greatest Caterpillar equipment would've satisfied his heavy equipment itch, but he still wanted more. Fearing the regret of not making the leap, Heath quit to start his own company.

Starting with pouring a sidewalk at someone's house, he worked his way up to moving millions of yards of dirt for the largest mining companies in the US while his wife supported the family for years. It was an uphill battle the whole way, which even included sleeping in bulldozers at times.

It's a remarkable story, and this guy is full of advice and lessons learned about running a business, operating equipment, and life in general.

Check out Contour at contourmc.com or @contourminingconstruction on Instagram to learn more about Heath and his business.

As for the Liebherr 9800 video he mentioned, see the link below to check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrtK626tad0&feature=youtu.be

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

Dylan is president and owner of RAWSO Constructors, a heavy construction company based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

With no formal construction background, he started in the construction industry at random while in school and quickly fell in love with it. After working for other contractors for a few years out of college, he decided to start his own construction company. Starting only with a skid steer grading driveways, he now has over 70 employees on many large project sites with a fleet of world-class Caterpillar iron.

We talk about how he started in construction, how he started his business, the reality of what starting a construction company takes, how he's balanced family with the business, and what advice he has for people beginning their careers.

You can learn more about RAWSO at rawso.com or by searching @rawsoconstructors on Instagram. Yes, they're hiring!

Let me know what you think!

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

Welcome to the first-ever episode of Dirt Talk where I preface what to expect on the upcoming podcast!

After a year of everyone telling me to do a podcast on my travels, BuildWitt, and the people I'm lucky enough to meet in the dirt world, I finally got my act together and created it. I'm beyond excited to start this project and I'm hoping you enjoy it as much as I will!

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