Dirt Talk Podcast

Bryan Peters has spent his entire career around heavy equipment, so when he decided to start his company AdvanceTrac Equipment, he knew that even though he wanted to get into helping companies optimize their heavy iron fleets, he knew he'd want to do things differently. Though he admitted that he has "audacious goals" for where he wants to go, he's also fully present in the current grind of buildi...

On this week's episode of Dirt Talk: Monday Edition, hosts Aaron and Alex talk podcasts, Dozers with rippers vs. without rippers, and the most recent repair update on the BuildWitt Skid Steer. Then, the guys discuss a few listener-submitted questions about Aaron's favorite podcasts and how to best communicate with and lead older/more experienced employees. To connect with other people who listen t...

On this week's episode of Dirt Talk, the DT guys keep it in the BuildWitt family: our guest is none other than BuildWitt Creative President Laurie SantaLucia. This week, hosts Aaron Witt and Alex Horton chat with Laurie about the kinds of learning and understanding it takes to work in the Dirt World, why it's important to be transparent and open with the people that we work with in the Dirt World...

Aaron and Alex are back with another Monday edition of the Dirt Talk podcast. This week, Aaron addresses previous comments he has made about "cheating" in college (way more nuanced than you think). Later, he and Alex consider the approach of hiring retirees of the Dirt World to help train new people and then discuss the importance of continuing to develop yourself, especially in a leadership posit...

Jordan Hillstrom came onto the Dirt Talk radar through BuildWitt's own Benjamin Holmgren. Benjamin introduced Jordan like this: "He and Aaron would have a great conversation about their Dirt World philosophies." Can't beat that! Jordan is VP of Business Development at Xeratec, a software company based with offices in Michigan and South Carolina. He's also a co-owner of LoadTraxx, a company built o...

This week on the Dirt Talk podcast, Aaron and Alex talk about being on a rocket ship. They then discuss how to start getting into reading books and the challenges contractors face (and will face) if a large infrastructure bill gets approved by Congress. To connect with other people who listen to this show, use and search for the hashtag #betterdirtworld and join in on the conversation. If you have...

It's always fun to have the experts on Dirt Talk - not only do co-hosts Aaron Witt and Alex Horton learn about the guest, they learn an extraordinary amount in general. And on episode 90 of Dirt Talk, the guys definitely learn tons from Johnathan More. Johnathan is the Chairperson & CEO of Starr Peak Mining Ltd, a Canadian-based company focused on exploratory mining and land acquisition. Johnathan...

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron and Alex talk staying vs. leaving when it comes to a job, as well as what kind of trust leaders should give to those that they lead. (Hint: it's a lot.) To connect with other people who listen to this show, use and search for the hashtag #betterdirtworld and join in on the conversation. If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to DirtTalk@buildwitt.com. Stay...

The people have spoken: more guests who are learning how to get their dirt businesses up and running. That topic is by and large the most common request from our listeners, and so today, we're happy to introduce you to Kristine Muller, Co-Owner and Vice President of Muller Excavating in Fowler, IN. She was kind enough to come on Dirt Talk and have a candid conversation about her place in the Dirt...

Aaron and Alex are podding in Dirt Talk Studios at the BuildWitt HQ this week, and are bringing the heat. Talking about hot air balloons. After Aaron details his latest travel across the Midwest and Southwest, Aaron and Alex discuss a few listener questions: examples of the best and most engaging safety meetings and why there are some aspects to the Dirt World that may turn away some young folks l...

This week's guest is Luke Payne, whose day job is marina sales, though he's been building his dirt company Black Iron Dirt in Fargo, ND. Black Iron Dirt is starting to make a name for themselves in the region with their black skid steers, so OF COURSE, Aaron was gonna love this guy. Luke and host Aaron Witt discuss skid steers, doing old things in a new way, and the advantage of being your own inv...

On this week's Monday episode of Dirt Talk, Aaron has to sadly (but with a hopeful ending) recount how he accidentally rolled the BuildWitt Skid Steer aka "The Earth Moover" onto its roof last weekend. Aaron was totally safe thanks to the CAT safety features (#notsponsored), but the 259 is gonna need some time in the shop. Afterwards, Aaron and Alex spend some time talking about addressing an unsu...

Dirt Talk had our very first guest in the Dirt Talk Studios this week, which is very exciting. He's also arguably our youngest guest to date. Watch the episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naImfk4rPrY This week, our guest is Dylan Taylor, a 20-year-old laborer and construction management student from MN. Dylan is a pretty special guy for a lot of reasons: he's already worked 2 summers as...

Aaron and Alex are back in Dirt Talk Studios, coming to you "live" from the BuildWitt HQ. Not live, but... well, you get it. After opening the floor for Aaron to vent about the comments he gets when he posts photos of remote-controlled equipment, he and Alex discuss what to actually post photos of when you're trying to build your brand online (the answer is whatever you're working on) and what kin...

This is part 2 of a 2-parter! Aaron and Alex had the enormous pleasure to have Sal Frisella as a guest on Dirt Talk. Sal is the President of 1st Phorm, a health and fitness company based out of St. Louis, Missouri, but that's not why he's the guest this week (okay, maybe a little). He's on the podcast this week because he's got a well-documented love and appreciation for the trades and blue-collar...

Alex and Aaron are coming to you from the 1st Phorm HQ in St. Louis, MO. The guys are in town to record with Sal Frisella (President of 1st Phorm) and figured while they were there, they might as well take the mobile podcast rig out for a spin. This week, Aaron talks about his travel out West, and then the guys talk construction equipment in James Bond films, general contractors (and why Aaron isn...

This is part 1 of a 2-parter! Aaron and Alex had the enormous pleasure to have Sal Frisella as a guest on Dirt Talk. Sal is the President of 1st Phorm, a health and fitness company based out of St. Louis, Missouri, but that's not why he's the guest this week (okay, maybe a little). He's on the podcast this week because he's got a well-documented love and appreciation for the trades and blue-collar...

This week, Aaron is in the Dirt Talk Studios while Alex is traveling - a real switcheroo after all of the traveling Aaron has been doing. Aaron recounts his East Coast trip this past week, and then the guys discuss questions about companies that don't allow their employees to post photos of their job sites and how leaders can best help their team members get in roles their best suited for. For the...

Once again, this podcast manages to stumble into bringing on an expert in their field as a guest. Everyone welcome Britton Lawson, Director of Construction Technologies at Veit & Company. Britton, a self-described "technology nerd/equipment enthusiast," started his career as an operator and because of his interest in technology, he's often found himself as an early adopter and expert when it comes...

Happy Monday, ladies and germs. So. After emphatically stating that they were officially done recording podcasts at Aaron's house... this episode was recorded at Aaron's. Aaron and co-host Alex talk a little bit about the trials and tribulations of all of the inspections needed to open up a new office space for your company before Aaron goes into talking about the BuildWitt Skid Steer and why it w...

We've finally tracked down the person who was around for the very very beginnings of BuildWitt (other than Aaron Witt)... introducing Mr. Kevin McCawley, who used to ride around the American Southwest and take photos with Aaron as they would shoot photos of any job site they could find. Now, Kevin is a med school student at the University of Michigan, but he was kind enough to sit down and help te...

After months (and months and months and...), the guys are in the BuildWitt offices recording a podcast in Dirt Talk Studios. Big moment. Alex and Aaron talk about Aaron's "Rules for the Office"... before having to stop recording because the restaurant down below is too loud to record. So, they come back 16 hours later to pick it up, and Aaron talks about the Founding Members aspect of BuildWitt Le...

Sean Coghlan aka @shamrockseanj on IG is the Owner/Operator of Shamrock Earthworks Ltd. in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Over the years, his company has done a little bit of everything, but they've made quite a name for themselves by building beautiful custom rock retaining walls. Seriously, those guys are out there building awesome rock puzzles. Sean was kind enough to hop on a call from a job site a...

This is the last podcast that co-hosts Aaron and Alex will record at Aaron's dining room table! Moving forward, all of our in-person podcasts will be recorded in the new BuildWitt Studios! This week, the guys discuss the merits of hiring someone to clean one's house, and then they talk about how to get access to job sites to take photos (be honest and authentic with whoever is in charge!) and what...

Goodfellow Bros. has been around for a while. Started by 3 brothers after the end of World War I, the company has since worked to be one of the most trusted contractors in the industry. This week, we were lucky enough to be joined by Goodfellow Bros. CEO Chad Goodfellow, the fourth generation of family leadership at GBI. Chad grew up in the industry like many of the folks in our industry and thoug...