Jimmy Talks Construction

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction , James Starbuck sits down with David “Alfie” Alford, Managing Director of DBA Haulage and one of the most experienced operators in Australia’s heavy haulage industry. Alfie shares the raw reality of building a business from scratch, losing everything early on, and fighting back through some of the toughest lessons in construction and transport. From run...

Episode 41 of Jimmy Talks Construction features Illan Samuel, Managing Director of Samuel Property Group, breaking down the reality of property development in today’s market. From running multi-residential projects worth hundreds of millions to navigating rising costs, delays, and financing challenges, Illan shares what it actually takes to survive — and grow — in the development game. This episod...

In Episode 40 of Jimmy Talks Construction , Jimmy sits down with Jesse Campbell, Construction Manager at City Circle — one of Australia’s largest demolition and recycling companies. This episode dives deep into the reality of modern construction, from the shift away from traditional builders to project management-driven companies, through to the challenges of scaling large infrastructure projects...

In Episode 39 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Jake Gorry, founder and director of Proline Group — one of Australia’s fastest-growing cladding and façade contractors. Jake shares his journey from starting as a young carpenter working with his dad, to building a multi-division business delivering large-scale commercial cladding projects across Melbourne. The conversation dives deep...

In Episode 38 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Shane Coleman, founder of Coleman Earth Industries and a former top-tier mining excavator operator. Shane shares his journey growing up in North Queensland, learning to operate machinery from a young age, and eventually working his way through Australia’s mining industry operating some of the largest excavators in the world. The conve...

In the grand finale of Dirty Business, live and recorded during Conexpo week in Las Vegas, Jimmy Starbuck sits down with David Nicoll, CEO of SANY America, to discuss the future of construction equipment, global manufacturing, and the rapidly evolving heavy equipment market. David shares his journey through nearly three decades at Caterpillar before joining SANY and leading the company’s expansion...

Episode 4 of the Dirty Business podcast series was recorded live during ConExpo in Las Vegas and features a panel of construction industry leaders sharing their real experiences running businesses in the heavy civil and excavation industries. Jimmy sits down with: Devin Dyer (@dirtgearco) Matt Stanley (@mttstanley) Eric Jumper (@eric_jumper) Missy Scherber (@missyscherber) Powered by SANY ( https:...

Dirty Business continues in Las Vegas with another construction industry roundtable hosted by Jimmy Starbuck. In Episode 3, Jimmy sits down with: Stephanie Dailey (@stephaniebuildsit) Dane Cotten (@dcexcavation) Caleb Auman (@aumanlandscapellc) Sean Coghlan (@shamrockseanj) Powered by SANY ( https://www.instagram.com/sanyoceania/ ) Powered by Each guest brings a unique perspective from across resi...

Dirty Business continues in Las Vegas with another roundtable hosted by Jimmy Starbuck. In Episode 2, Jimmy sits down with: Taylor White – https://www.instagram.com/kwc2000/ EJ Herron – https://www.instagram.com/dig_it_digital_gps/ Zach Taylor – https://www.instagram.com/_taylorthings/ Tom Gardocki – https://www.instagram.com/the_dirt_ninja/ Powered by SANY ( https://www.instagram.com/sanyoceania/...

Dirty Business, powered by SANY, launches in Las Vegas with a powerhouse construction roundtable with: Aaron Witt – https://www.instagram.com/aaronwitt/ Amy Underwood – https://www.instagram.com/the_digger_girl/ Ryan Goodfellow – https://www.instagram.com/rockstructures/ Brian Dietz – https://www.instagram.com/bob_dietz_and_sons_inc/ Powered by SANY ( https://www.instagram.com/sanyoceania/ ) Relea...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Martyn Matenga, mining project manager and third-generation earthmover, to unpack what it takes to operate at the highest level in the mining industry. Martyn has driven everything from 1.5-ton excavators to 1,400-ton rope shovels, commissioned some of the first 60-15 and 60-20 machines in Australia, and held documented production r...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Corey Tomkins from Ideal Group Australia (Brisbane) to break down what it really takes to scale a contracting business without losing your mind, your margins, or your family time. Corey runs a carpentry contracting business working with Tier 1 and Tier 2 builders across Southeast Queensland, with around 26 staff. He shares the full...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Ben Graham, Director of Civil Contracting Solutions QLD, for a brutally honest conversation about building a civil construction business in Queensland. Ben shares his journey from working on tier one basement projects in Brisbane to being told he couldn’t work in the city for 12 months — and what it actually took to start again from...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Jeremy Trengove, founder of Dirt Cartel, to unpack what it actually looks like to go out on your own in earthmoving — when you buy a machine first and worry about work later. Jeremy shares the real story behind buying a 36-ton excavator with no confirmed contracts, having a major job pulled at the last minute, and making thousands o...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Daniel O’Callaghan, Director of Nature Build in Bendigo, to unpack a raw and honest story of growth, pressure, passion, and resilience in the construction industry. Daniel shares how a regional Australian builder ended up building a world-class pond for Aquascape in Georgia, USA — for Shaquille O’Neal, the reality of scaling a busin...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Toby Glass, Director of Tascon Civil Construction, who’s flown over from Wellington, New Zealand, to talk business, growth, and the realities of surviving in the Tier 1 civil space. Toby breaks down his journey from growing up around concrete and infrastructure work, studying construction management, walking away from uni frustratio...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Brenton Davey, Managing Director of Control Tech Solutions, to unpack a no-BS story of how a business scales from shovels and a trailer to running vacuum excavation trucks on major projects. Brenton explains how working in NBN fibre rollout led to his first opportunity, why new safety requirements pushed the industry toward NDD / va...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Phil Yates, founder of Versatile Plant Hire & Contracting, to talk about what it really takes to build and operate a successful plant hire and contracting business in regional Western Australia. Operating out of Kalgoorlie, Phil shares insights from the frontline of civil construction, mining support, and heavy equipment hire, w...

George Passas (Founder of Pascon & Builder Elite) - Jimmy Talks Episode 29 In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with George Passas, founder of Builder Elite and Pascon, for an honest, no-BS conversation about the realities of running a construction business when everything goes wrong. George opens up about being locked into high-risk construction contracts during COVID,...

In this episode, Jimmy has a chat with Colm Phibbs, the MD at Cono Services. Colm talks about first moving from Ireland to Australia during the Global Financial Crisis, and building his business from then, to now being a large company which offers bulk excavations, civil, and plant hire services in some of Sydneys biggest projects. If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and sha...

In this episode, Jimmy has a chat with Mark Kelly. They first met at CONEXPO a few years ago, where Mark was trying to kick start some small business education for himself. They also dive into culture behind business’, especially the importance of manners. If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Mark to keep up with more stories, insights,...

In this episode, Jimmy has a chat with Jim Penman. An Aussie icon founder of Jim’s mowing, and the wider Jim’s group. Jim discusses why he chose the franchise model and how he built a business that has created more millionaires in Australia, than any other. He also touches on politics and his most recent research project he has been funding. If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscrib...

In this episode, Jimmy sits down with Alastair, former partner of Doherty's Gym, now owner of Victims of Ink, and a welder, to unpack his journey through business and the construction world, navigating some troublesome situations and crowds, including running from the police, dealing with the underworld, and his two-cents on Derrimut gym's. If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe...

In this episode, Jimmy sits down with Cameron Bongers , co-director of Civelite and LandUrban , to unpack his journey through the civil construction world. Cameron dives into scaling Civelite, the lessons learned building high-performing teams, and the mindset behind growing sustainable businesses in the civil and track building spaces. If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, an...

In this episode, Jimmy talks to Nouri about his journey in concreting, building the successful concrete city construction. He also discusses his latest venture into developing an app CreteMate, where subbies can find work, and also get reviewed by their employers. If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Nouri to keep up with more stories,...