Dirt Talk by BuildWitt

July 27, 2026 Why Airport Stress is a Fool’s Errand… (Building BuildWitt #63) BuildWitt Update #63– DT 464 Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 23, 2026 Betting on People, Not Balance Sheets W/ Bryan Peters (DT 463) Bryan Peters is the founder of AdvanceTrac Equipment, a construction equipment rental company he built from a single used skid steer in 2021 while working a full-time job, and a former operator in the family equipment business that first lit his entrepreneurial fire at age 14. He walked away from a comfortable salary, went all in on his own company, and spent a year navigating far more uncertainty than he expected before the business finally found its footing. He reveals why construction's fragmentation isn't the industry's liability but its greatest asset, and why the only way to fix a broken industry isn't through institutional capital or consolidation but through small businesses that choose to pour into their people instead of chasing a number on a balance sheet. Follow Bryan on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-peters-095a2745/ Learn more about AdvanceTrac Equipment at: https://www.advancetrac.net/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 20, 2026 Arctic Circle to Dutch Steel Mill  (Building BuildWitt 62) DT 462 BuildWitt Update #62– DT 462 Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 16, 2026 Why Your Construction Company Needs a Brand Not Just a Logo w/ Chase Harris (DT 461) Chase Harris is the founder of FieldWrk, a branding and marketing agency built exclusively for the construction industry, and a former creative lead at BuildWitt who helped shape the brands of some of the most recognized contractors in America. He bought the creative side of the business he helped build, becoming an overnight business owner, and spent a year figuring out who he was as a leader before figuring out where the company was going. He reveals why brand isn't a logo or a website but rather an operating system,  and why the contractors ignoring it aren't just losing talent, they're leaving their culture to chance. Follow Chase on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-harris-887076a8/ Learn more about FieldWrk at: https://www.fieldwrk.co/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 13, 2026 From Manhattan to Marble (Building BuildWitt 61) DT 460 BuildWitt Update #61 – DT 460 Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 9, 2026 They’re Making Mental Health Worse in Construction w/ Rich Jones (DT 459) Rich Jones is the founder of BuildWell Health, a behavioral health company built specifically for the construction industry, a licensed clinical addiction specialist, and a person in recovery himself from opioid and alcohol use disorder for over 26 years. He watched the industry spend years talking about mental health at safety weeks and conferences — and nothing change — so he built a model that works. He reveals why construction doesn't have a mental health problem — it has a systems problem — and why the companies still handing out EAP phone numbers and calling it done are making things worse, not better. Follow Rich on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardjones5/ Learn more about BuildWell Health at: https://buildwellhealth.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 6, 2026 BuildWitt Kids, Leaderboards, and Budget (Building BuildWitt 60) BuildWitt Update #60 – DT 458 Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 2, 2026 Five Days in Switzerland Changed Everything w/ Shay Stutsman – DT 457 Shay Stutsman is the owner of Stutsman Gerbaz Earthmoving, a third-generation excavation and site work company based in Aspen, Colorado, and one of the most forward-thinking contractors in America. He flew to Switzerland to spend five days watching a single company work — and came home and changed everything. He reveals why American contractors have a productivity problem disguised as a labor problem — and why the companies still doing things the way they did them ten years ago are running out of time. Follow Shay on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shay-stutsman-982593227/ Learn more about COMPANY at: https://www.sgearthmoving.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 29, 2026 Q2 Results and Dirt World Productivity Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 25, 2026 Why Great Construction Starts Below Ground w/ Jonathan Pease (DT 455) Jonathan is the founder of Rock Solid Stabilization & Reclamation, a nationwide specialty contractor. He stumbled into soil stabilization after watching a fly ash demonstration two weeks before bidding a car dealership job — and turned a niche no one wanted into one of the most in-demand specialties in modern site work. He reveals why every road, parking lot, and data center in America is only as good as the dirt underneath it — and why the industry is still barely scratching the surface of what stabilization can do. Follow Jonathan on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-pease-a2943620/ Learn more about Rock Solid Stabilization at: https://www.rocksolidstabilization.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 23, 2026 South Korea and Indian Adventure w/ HD Construction! South Korea and Indian Adventure w/ HD Construction! – DT 454 The Vlog crew, Ben and Wyatt, join me this week to recap our recent adventure to South Korea and India with HD Construction Equipment, AKA Hyundai and Develon, within the US. We visited their shipyard, excavator factories, and customer sites across both countries. Watch the first vlog in the series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyjXbYX3dnI Learn more about HD Construction Equipment: https://na.hd-hyundaice.com/ Learn more about Develon: https://na.develon-ce.com/en Want to better train and develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 22, 2026 Up and Out Or In the Weeds? BuildWitt Update #58 – DT 453 Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 18, 2026 Why Small Business Beats the Corporate Ladder w/ Matt Moldenhauer – DT 452 Matt Moldenhauer is a Partner at Elmore Companies and a former Bain & Company consultant who left the 34th floor of a Chicago high-rise to run a logging company in rural South Carolina. He walked away from the corporate ladder the same year he was offered everything it promised — and spent seven years building one of the fastest-growing logging and wood supply companies in the region. He reveals why small business is the most underrated vehicle for building wealth in America — and why the construction industry is sitting on one of the biggest untapped acquisition opportunities in the country. Follow Matt on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-moldenhauer-16b92411/ Learn more about Elmore Companies at: https://elmorecompanies.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 15, 2026 Announcements and You Can Too! BuildWitt Update #57 – DT 451 Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 11, 2026 Dragging Construction Into the Future - Tristan Wilson  ( DT 450) Tristan Wilson is the founder of Edgevanta, an estimating automation software built for civil contractors, a former road construction operator, and author of a weekly newsletter covering construction technology and industry trends. He spent years on paving crews watching estimators hand-enter numbers into spreadsheets and wonder why nobody had fixed it yet — so he built the fix himself. He reveals why construction tech keeps failing contractors, why the industry is at a once-in-a-generation inflection point, and what it actually takes to drag one of the oldest industries in the world into the future. Follow Tristan on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristan-a-wilson/ Learn more about Edgevanta at: https://www.edgevanta.ai/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 8, 2026 New Architecture, Frank and Announcements BuildWitt Update #56 – DT 449 Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 4, 2026 Why Construction Is Losing the Next Generation - Fred Mills Fred Mills is the founder of The B1M, the world's largest YouTube channel dedicated to construction and infrastructure, a construction media pioneer, and author of the new book Mega Builds. He quit his job in construction the same week his son was born to build a media company nobody believed in — editing videos in hospital while his wife slept after giving birth. He reveals why the construction industry's mental health crisis isn't a people problem — it's a systems problem — and why the stories being left untold about the world's greatest projects are costing the industry an entire generation of talent. Follow Fred on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-mills-35a8412b/ Learn more about The B1M at: https://www.theb1m.com/ Check out the latest videos at: https://www.youtube.com/@TheB1M Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

June 1, 2026 African Mining Adventure BuildWitt Update #55 – DT 447 Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 28, 2026 It's Not the Pay, It Never Was Ken Rusk w/ Rusk Industries – DT 446 Ken Rusk is the author of Blue Collar Cash, founder of Rusk Industries, a drainage and excavation company in Toledo, Ohio, and a Fox News contributor who has appeared on over 327 podcasts in the past two years. He spent 40 years figuring out why some employees thrive and others just survive — and the answer had nothing to do with pay or benefits. He reveals why employers who can't find good workers are the actual problem — and the surprisingly simple system he's used for decades to turn blue collar workers into goal-crushing machines. Follow Ken on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-rusk-2656a7175/ Learn more about Rusk Industries  at: https://www.kenrusk.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 25, 2026 Dirt World Sold Out BuildWitt Update #54 – DT 445 Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 20, 2026 They Tried to Undo 100 Years of His Family's Work Herb Sargent w/ Sargent Corporation – DT 444 Herb Sargent is the Board Chair of Sargent Corporation, a 100-year-old employee-owned civil construction company in Maine, and co-host of the Starbuck & Sargent podcast. He bought back his family's company — six times the size of his own — the same year a German-owned parent company tried to undo everything his grandfather built. He reveals why the construction industry's biggest problem isn't workforce shortage, it's leadership — and why employee ownership might be the only vehicle left to rebuild the American middle class. His new book, “The Hard Work Starts Today,” documents the 100-year Sargent journey, from simple REO Speedwagon to a 9-figure business. Follow Herb on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/herb-sargent--esop/ Learn more about Sargent Corporation at: https://sargent.us/ Want to better train and develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 20, 2026 Speaking, Waiting Lists and Solving Problems BuildWitt Update #53 – DT 443 Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brandon Lindsey is VP at Hoopaugh Grading Company, host of the Give Us the Dirt Podcast, and Co-Founder of Dream on 3, a sports dream-granting organization for kids battling life-altering conditions. He quit his 20-year corporate career the day he was finally offered the job he'd been working toward his whole life and joined Hoopaugh Grading in 2018. He reveals why the construction industry doesn't have a workforce problem - it has a development problem - and why the companies ignoring that are headed toward extinction. Follow Brandon  on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonlindsey272/ Learn more about Hoopaugh Grading Company and Dream on 3  at: https://hoopaughgrading.com/ and https://dreamon3.org/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Vinoski is the Co-Founder of Firesteel Industrial Solutions, a consulting business for modern American manufacturing companies. Jim’s a major advocate for reindustrializing America, with many contributions to Forbes, his Manufacturing Talks Podcast, and his new book “American Manufacturing: 22 Tales of Integrity, Ingenuity, and the Modest Heroes Who Built a Nation,” out this June. Follow Jim on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimvinoski/ Learn more about Jim & his podcast, Manufacturing Talks,  at: https://www.manufacturingtalks.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ricky is the owner of East Coast Demolition, a third-generation abatement and demolition company serving North Carolina and Virginia. As he’s taken over the business, he’s focused on investing further in equipment, people, and safety to compete at a higher level with major GCs and the US Government. Follow Ricky on LinkedIn at: linkedin.com/in/ricky-webb-650a64158/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3BzjqQBTHYQ16HBkReJLpQfQ%3D%3D Learn more about East Coast Demolition at: https://www.eastcoastdemolition.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices