Drilling Deeper: A Pit & Quarry podcast

On this episode of “Drilling Deeper,” Luck Stone’s Rusty Minix joins the show to discuss what the company has learned from nearly two years of autonomous hauling at its Bull Run operation – and how that experience is shaping its next deployments. With more than four million tons hauled autonomously by Cat 777 trucks, Minix shares how the technology is performing and what it means for the people wo...

Ken Simonson, chief economist at the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), joins Drilling Deeper to assess the state of the construction industry as 2026 winds down and the outlook for 2027 begins to take shape. Simonson examines the performance of key construction markets, including the tremendous growth in data centers and the expanding demand for power generation and transmission inf...

New Enterprise Stone & Lime (NESL) has transformed its Chambersburg Quarry with a major plant investment designed to position the operation for the future. P&Q’s Kevin Yanik sits down with NESL’s Dave Cooper to explore the thinking behind the project, the equipment and technology involved, and how the upgraded operation is changing production. Cooper also shares lessons from bringing the n...

Matt Lepp, heavy industry technical account sales manager at VDG, joined "Drilling Deeper" to discuss the factors affecting conveyor uptime and maintenance in today's aggregate operations. Lepp explains why producers are paying closer attention to the true cost of downtime, and he shares how condition monitoring and proactive maintenance can help operations avoid more serious equipm...

On this episode of “Drilling Deeper,” Pit & Quarry managing editor Jack Kopanski shares interviews from a recent trip to Minnesota, where he visited a pair of manufacturers and a contract crushing company. You’ll hear from Jeff DesJardin, general manager at Tecweigh; Joe Scepaniak, president of WDS; and Ben Lentsch, national director of distribution and marketing at Unified Screening & Cru...

Mergers and acquisitions continue to reshape the construction materials industry, with some of the sector’s biggest players making major moves this summer. On this episode of Drilling Deeper, Pit & Quarry ’s Kevin Yanik sits down with George Reddin, Rob Mineo and Evan Coughlin of FMI Capital Advisors to examine the state of the M&A market and the forces fueling activity. The conversation e...

As aggregate producers look for more efficient ways to move material to growing demand centers, rail transportation is emerging as an increasingly important part of the conversation. In Episode 73 of Drilling Deeper, hosts Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski explore developments in rail transportation, equipment demand and construction activity shaping the aggregates industry. Matthew Tonn, chief commer...

Texas continues to lead the nation in construction growth, and the ripple effects are being felt across the aggregates industry. On Episode 72, Pit & Quarry’s Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski examine what’s fueling the Lone Star State’s momentum and why producers, manufacturers and suppliers nationwide are paying close attention. Following a recent visit to Texas, Jack sits down with John Crisp,...

Our brand-new episode features a conversation with one of the aggregates industry’s most respected voices: Mark Krause, vice president of sales and business development for the Americas at McLanahan Corp., who is retiring this week. During our interview, Krause reflects on a career spanning 47 years. He discusses the evolution of ConExpo-Con/Agg and his popular Crushing 101 seminar, as well as why...

On this episode of "Drilling Deeper," Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski share updates from the 72nd Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association (TACA) Annual Meeting.  Jack was down in San Antonio for the event and spoke with Dr. Anirban Basu, CEO of Sage Policy Group; Andrew Pinkerton, president of TACA; and Matt Arnold, TACA chairman and vice president of operations at Knife River. Basu ex...

Dave McCracken, technical sales director at Astec Industries, joined "Drilling Deeper" to offer insights into common – yet often hidden – issues that are costing aggregate operations time and money. The issues addressed in this episode are bottlenecks and equipment mismatches in production, how maintenance and downtime affect efficiency, how the operator experience impacts safety and per...

Scott Alexander, now with Quikrete, has a long history in the aggregates industry. His son, Jason, followed in his footsteps in 2024, joining the industry on the manufacturing side with Kleemann.  P&Q caught up with the two at the 2026 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference, where Scott and Jason discussed the intersection of family and work in the aggregates industry. Our conversation t...

In this episode of “Drilling Deeper,” P&Q managing editor Jack Kopanski sits down with Superior Industries’ Riley Arndt and Joe Gibson to explore why the same conveyor problems keep coming back, and how a systems-based approach can finally break the cycle. Arndt and Gibson walk through six recurring pain points – material spillage, dust containment, material carryback, conveyor belt tracking,...

FMI Capital Advisors’ George Reddin and Ogletree Deakins’ Bill Doran caught up with P&Q’s Kevin Yanik at the 2026 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference to provide updates on the construction materials market and MSHA environment, respectively. Watch or listen to our one-on-one interviews with these P&Q contributors, as Reddin offers an assessment of construction markets, the M&A...

In this episode of “Drilling Deeper,” P&Q managing editor Jack Kopanski sits down with Karen Thompson, president of Haver & Boecker Niagara, to explore how smarter screening can transform an aggregate operation’s bottom line.  Thompson breaks down key trends in screening efficiency and uptime, from predictive and preventative maintenance to the growing role of AI, automation and condition...

This episode takes listeners inside the 2026 Pit & Quarry Roundtable & Conference, recorded on-site at LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida. Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski recorded this episode at the conclusion of the Roundtable to share key insights from aggregates industry leaders, as well as reflect on the conversations shaping the industry right now. The two co-hosts refl...

On this episode of “Drilling Deeper,” P&Q managing editor Jack Kopanski sits down with PPI’s Tim Wolf to discuss the launch of Precision Composite Roller (PCR), a new composite idler roll option designed to tackle weight, corrosion and carryback challenges.  Wolf explains how PCR delivers a 30 percent weight reduction while remaining fully load capable, with temperature stability that rivals s...

A high-energy ConExpo-Con/Agg is in the books. P&Q’s Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski sat down toward the very end of the five-day show to share their experiences and detail some of the trends that permeated throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center.   In addition, P&Q welcomed seven guests into its booth to capture their ConExpo-Con/Agg perspective and what stood out. This episode’s guests...

On this episode of “Drilling Deeper,” P&Q managing editor Jack Kopanski sits down with Dominic Nasso and TJ Greene of Buffalo to talk about the company’s biggest ConExpo presence yet – and what that milestone says about where the brand is headed in 2026 and beyond.  Nasso explains how Buffalo’s record-setting booth in Central Hall (#C31458) captures the brand’s evolution from a wire specialist...

As the industry’s biggest trade show inches closer, Pit & Quarry’s Kevin Yanik and Jack Kopanski preview what’s coming to ConExpo-Con/Agg while offering an inside look at P&Q’s show lead-up – from virtual press conferences to the steady flow of equipment launches being shared with the magazine. This episode’s centerpiece is an in-depth interview with ConExpo-Con/Agg show director Dana Wues...

On this episode of “Drilling Deeper,” P&Q managing editor Jack Kopanski sits down with Christian Kurasek, CFO of Pronto.ai, to discuss the company’s partnership with Heidelberg Materials and the producer’s recent milestone of 2 million tons hauled autonomously at a Texas quarry.   Pronto and Heidelberg began their partnership in 2023 when Heidelberg began using Pronto’s autonomous haulage syst...

In the very first Drilling Deeper episode of 2026, Pit & Quarry editorial director Kevin Yanik and managing editor Jack Kopanski lay out 10 trends they’ll be watching closely in aggregates throughout 2026. Among the topics explored this episode are: • Autonomy. How it moves from pilot programs to commercial-ready systems • AI and connectivity. How AI, automation and telematics further take hol...

As 2025 comes to a close, Drilling Deeper wraps up the year with one final episode that reflects on what shaped the aggregate industry over the past 12 months – and what’s already building momentum for 2026.  Editorial director Kevin Yanik and managing editor Jack Kopanski open the show with year-end banter before diving into Pit & Quarry’s 16 most-read stories of 2025. From major equipment la...

On this episode of Drilling Deeper , P&Q managing editor Jack Kopanski sits down with Daniel Friedman, vice president of marketing at Eagle Crusher, to look at how “small” innovations are quietly reshaping the crushing and screening industry. Friedman explains why core crushing principles haven’t radically changed, yet refinements in metallurgy, manufacturing and wear parts are delivering mean...

Episode 55 of Drilling Deeper celebrates the arrival of the reimagined Pit & Quarry University – an expansive learning resource designed to guide newcomers and seasoned professionals alike through the fundamentals of stone, sand and gravel production.  The new Pit & Quarry University is now available at pitandquarry.com/pqu, marking the first full update to the classic Pit & Quarry Han...