Dirt Talk by BuildWitt – Details, episodes & analysis

David Burkhart is the CEO of Garney Construction, a national water and wastewater contractor. Aaron and David talk about his progression through the company, Garney's employee ownership program, and the state of US infrastructure. Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Stay Dirty! **UPDATE** Dirt Talk is STOKED to announce Ariat as our first official sponsor for the year! They make world-class footwear and workwear that we see on every job site we visit, and their folks are just as great as their products. Dirt Talk listeners can receive 10% off their first order with Ariat by clicking here or visiting Ariat.com/dirttalk.

Aaron highlights a few articles detailing the struggle to permit mines in the US despite our growing hunger for natural resources and plentiful reserves. Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Stay Dirty! **UPDATE** Dirt Talk is STOKED to announce Ariat as our first official sponsor for the year! They make world-class footwear and workwear that we see on every job site we visit, and their folks are just as great as their products. Dirt Talk listeners can receive 10% off their first order with Ariat by clicking here or visiting Ariat.com/dirttalk.

Scott Lidster Operator Training Specialist self employed at Australian Earth Training has seen more of the Mining industry than most. Starting in construction and moving to mining in Australia, Scotts career has taken him to some pretty Interesting places.  Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Stay Dirty! **UPDATE** Dirt Talk is STOKED to announce Ariat as our first official sponsor for the year! They make world-class footwear and workwear that we see on every job site we visit, and their folks are just as great as their products. Dirt Talk listeners can receive 10% off their first order with Ariat by clicking here or visiting Ariat.com/dirttalk.

This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt is joined by Alex Horton and Mr. i_filmdrt himself, Angel Torres. Aaron and Angel recount their recent trip to Hawaii to visit Goodfellow Bros, Alpha Inc, and Truth Excavation. While there, Aaron got to do a podcast with Steve Goodfellow (DT158), as well as squeeze in a “nutz fit” workout with Kimo Clark aka Jimmy Cheezenutz. If you have any questions or feedback, email the Dirt Talk crew at [email protected]. Stay Dirty!

Aviv Leibovici is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Buildots, a construction tech company based in Tel Aviv with locations in the UK and US, as well. Buildots uses AI and powerful data systems to connect all of the aspects of construction projects, from the first day of design to the last day of construction, to bring accuracy to data analysis and keep everyone on the the same page through the construction process. Surprisingly, Aviv is relatively new to construction, but he knew through his research that there was a technology gap in the traditional construction process and understood that he and the other founders of Buildots could fill it. This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt is joined by Aviv Leibovici, who joined the pod from London. They discussed Aviv’s entrance into the Dirt World, the similarities and differences between tech and construction companies, and the challenges of discussing tech with construction leaders who have had negative experiences with other new technologies. Thanks to Aviv and Buildots for coming on the podcast. To learn more about Buildots, check out buildots.com or follow them on IG at @buildots. If you have any questions or feedback, email the Dirt Talk crew at [email protected]. Stay Dirty!

Jeremy Whitaker is the Director of Training & Recruitment at C.W. Matthews Contracting out of Marietta, Georgia. It’s something of a unique position, but as you’ll learn from the podcast, Jeremy has the unique background and career path to match. He worked for multiple years a carpenter, a phys ed teacher, a musician/worship leader before he ever began teaching and training young people in construction. After a varied career, he felt the call on his life to combine his passions and experiences and joined up with C.W. Matthews to scale his construction education efforts.  This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt and Jeremy Whitaker chat about what a career looks like when the two constants are “Jesus and construction”. Jeremy then shares his experience and expertise with engaging high schoolers in the Dirt World and why the current education system discourages students from going into blue-collar careers. If you want to learn more about the work that Jeremy Whitaker is doing with C.W. Matthews, you can get more info at cwmatthews.com.  If you have any questions or feedback, email the Dirt Talk crew at [email protected]. Stay Dirty!

Ken Rusk is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Blue Collar Cash: Love Your Work, Secure Your Future, and Find Happiness for Life, entrepreneur, and blue-collar advocate “showing that there’s no degree required for comfort, peace, and freedom.” Ken never went to college and instead spent his younger years digging ditches and working in construction. Through hard work and patience, he’s become a very successful entrepreneur and now specializes in mentoring and coaching folks in goal setting, life visualization, career paths, and sound financial planning. Ken is passionate about helping people achieve their dreams regardless of their educational background or past. This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt and Ken Rusk discuss the myths associated with the necessity of college and the systems in place to discourage young people from pursuing blue-collar careers. Ken speaks on why he felt called to write his book Blue Collar Cash and why he never considered himself an author, even after writing a book. Aaron and Ken also discussed the value of empowering teams to discuss and solve business problems independently from “the boss.” To learn more about Ken Rusk and to order a copy of his book, go to kenrusk.com. If you have any questions or feedback, email the Dirt Talk crew at [email protected]. Stay Dirty!

It’s not really a stretch to say that Ryan Neal is a Caterpillar equipment expert. After a career as an equipment operator, he joined the corporate arm of Caterpillar as a Senior Product Demonstrator Instructor. He worked his way up over the course of 16 years and is now the Market Professional for Large Excavators. In addition to it sounding like an awesome job, it IS an awesome job. And thankfully, he was kind enough to stop by the BuildWitt HQ with his family a few weeks ago to chat on the podcast. This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt and Ryan Neal discussed a number of Dirt World topics: nuclear/wind/solar energy, the challenges of communicating the importance of technology, and why it’s important to know that a good work ethic can be learned.  Thanks to Ryan and his family for the visit and time on the podcast. You can follow Ryan Neal on LinkedIn or on IG at @rneal1977. If you have any questions or feedback, email the Dirt Talk crew at [email protected]. Stay Dirty!

Aaron Witt recaps his experience at CONEXPO 2023 a few weeks ago. He lays out the difference between his first CONEXPO, when he essentially snuck in and 2023, when he spoke at an event each day that he was there. He also wrestles with the bizarre nature of being something of a celebrity among parts of the Dirt World, and why that requires an intentional mindset shift. If you have any questions or feedback, email the Dirt Talk crew at [email protected]. Stay Dirty!

The BuildWitt relationship with Nic Parish (VP of Operations + Contracting for Burns Dirt out of Columbus, Mississippi) had quite the start. Nic emailed the podcast team and led with this:  “A few other business owners and I started a nonprofit geared towards recruiting in our industry a few years ago called FORGE. Please check us out at www.forgeyourpath.com. Starting this nonprofit led me to be appointed by the governor of Mississippi to a 5-person committee to redesign workforce development in Mississippi”. I don’t want to say it was a flex, but it was certainly a good hook. Nic was one of the first guests on the podcast in our new podcast studio (check out episode DT107), and we’re excited to have him back on the pod.  This week on Dirt Talk, Nic Parish and host Aaron Witt catch up on what’s been going on with Burns Dirt AND BuildWitt before digging into their respective roles in the shared mission to make the Dirt World a better place. They chat about why Nic feels he has a responsibility to help his competitors in certain areas, why approaching employee development requires real intentional care and not just a bonus here or there, and why Burns Dirt decided to add topographic art to their trucks and machines. (Editor’s note: They look cool as hell. Check it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cidt5s9MZ50/) Thanks to Nic and the entire Burns Dirt team. If you want to learn more about them, follow @burnsdirt on IG or check out burnsdirt.com. If you have any questions or feedback, email the Dirt Talk crew at [email protected]. Stay Dirty!