Dirt Talk by BuildWitt

When Aaron Witt found out that Priestly Demolition’s VP of Operations Brian Priestly & President Ryan Priestly would travel south to Nashville from Ontario, Canada, Aaron immediately reached out to the rest of the Dirt Talk crew with a simple message: “get these guys on the podcast.” Fortunately for us, they came down to the BuildWitt HQ, and we had a ball talking demolition… because who doesn’t enjoy a little demo, now and then?!After a quick tour of the office, the guys settled into the studio, and the conversation was off to the races. We’ll say this: this episode features a LOT of conversation about demolition. Ryan and Brian have over 50 years of combined experience in the industry, and not only do they know their stuff, they clearly have a heart for the work and the folks that do the work. This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron Witt chats with Ryan Priestly and Brian Priestly of Priestly Demolition about how the demo business got started, the humbling nature of doing demolition work, and their plans to grow internationally. They also touch on their experience with having their company be featured on the History Channel’s “Salvage Kings” for 2 years.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron and Alex are back in the studio, but this Monday the audience members are the ones truly in the driver's seat. That’s right we are doing another question-and-answer episode and touching on some great submissions from our amazing Dirt Talk fans. The questions touch on recognizable iron, how rewarding a career in the Dirt World can be, running one-hundred miles, our core values, and lessons from starting a company. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions. Keep on sending them to dirtalk@buildwitt.com and you just might hear them on the next Q&A episode. Stay dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we bring you the very first edition of Dirt Talk: LIVE where Aaron, Alex, and Eric take the Dirt Talk show on the road. Aaron lays out the story below:“Months ago, organizers from the ECC (The Association for the Capital Projects Engineering and Construction Community) asked us to speak to 200 of their future leaders at their annual conference in San Antonio. Think key future leaders from companies like Chevron, Shell, Fluor, and Kiewit.While I figured I’d prepare another speech about workforce development and what everyone can do to help solve the problem, the event organizers had a different idea… They wanted us to take the Dirt Talk Podcast on the road.After hundreds of podcast episodes, Alex, Eric, and I are pretty damn comfortable talking dirt, but we always do it within our small Nashville studio. To do it on stage in front of 200 important people? That’s a different ballgame.And one more detail… The speaker before us was a retired U.S. Army general. What the heck were they thinking of inviting us?We gave it the ol’ college try, and I’m happy with how we did. We talked about our travels, explained the importance of storytelling, and answered audience questions. We debriefed at the airport after and have a long list of lessons learned, but we may be onto something. Stay tuned… the Dirt Talk Podcast might be coming soon to a conference near you!”Thanks for listening and following along on the BuildWitt journey.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of Dirt Talk, Aaron and Alex are joined by Eric Jumper. The guys are coming right off of a full company BuildWitt meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, and they examine why it makes sense to spend money on a company meeting when you’re in growth mode. They discuss the value of educating each person in the company understanding how each team works and why each piece is important to the larger mission to make the Dirt World a better place. Enjoy this Behind the Scenes peek into #buildingbuildwitt.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s episode is a special treat for Dirt Talk listeners (and maybe especially the Dirt Talk host): Aaron’s mother Carolyn MacDonald is the guest! She gives the dirt (pun intended?) on Aaron’s obsession with construction and its equipment from a very young age as well as gives context (and corroboration) for many of the memories that Aaron has shared over the years about his earliest memories of the Dirt World.This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt and guest (and mother of the host) Carolyn MacDonald reminisce on Aaron’s earliest Dirt World experiences, contextualize some of Aaron’s more common stories he tells from when he was young, and explain the incredible opportunities Aaron had to learn from smart people as a child.Thanks to Carolyn for coming on the podcast (and to Aaron for allowing it!).Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Dirt Talk podcast, Aaron, Alex, and guest-host Eric Jumper revisit their recent experience doing the Dirt Talk podcast LIVE in front of a large audience at the ECC Conference in San Antonio, TX. They discuss the challenges of changing up the approach and why it was both fun (and intimidating) to talk about the Dirt World to a room of folks from the energy sector. Later, they chat about the interesting dynamic of some folks in the industry not believing in the BuildWitt mission.Listen to Dirt Talk:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2GK5UWkulNJ6tNFXvWngMt?si=2332acb8e2954301 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirt-talk-by-buildwitt/id1494235724 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnV6enNwcm91dC5jb20vNzc5NjAzStay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brent Rasmussen might have the title of Project Manager on LinkedIn, but he’s got his hands all over the family company, Rasmussen Excavation LLC. Rasmussen was started almost 50 years ago with a focus on excavation, but in the years since, they’ve branched out into utilities, sand/gravel, rentals, and their most niche offering: solar projects. This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt is joined by Brent Rasmussen. The guys chat about building solar farms (12:54), keeping younger guys motivated (37:32), and the importance of giving people the choice to work for you (48:16). Later, they discuss why it’s vital to get “out of the weeds” when leading a business (58:23) and the problems that come when trying to hire from an older generation’s perspective.You can learn more about Rasmussen Excavation by following @rasmussen_excavation or visit their website at rasmussenexcavation.com.Listen to Dirt Talk:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2GK5UWkulNJ6tNFXvWngMt?si=2332acb8e2954301 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirt-talk-by-buildwitt/id1494235724 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnV6enNwcm91dC5jb20vNzc5NjAzStay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week begins a new phase on Dirt Talk:Each Monday, we’ll be releasing episodes with new formats, new guests, and new stories! This week on Dirt Talk, the OG Dirt Talk crew (Aaron Witt and Alex Horton) is here with a Q+A. The guys chat about “hidden gem” locations in the Dirt World, book recommendations for young people in the industry, and “chasing the dozer dream”. They also discuss the right time to specialize equipment, keeping morale up on a long slog of a job, and Aaron’s “insistence” (read: demand) to always drive on road trips.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Because September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, we’re featuring a few experts on the topic to share information and tools to help make the Dirt World a better place for all of us. Today, Michelle Walker, founding chairperson of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, is back on the Dirt Talk podcast for her second episode. She was first featured on episode 41 way back in November 2020. You can find that episode here: buildwitt.com/dirt-talk/podcast/suicide-prevention-in-construction-with-michelle-walker-of-ssc-undergroundThis week on Dirt Talk, Aaron Witt is joined by Michelle Walker to discuss the work that goes into suicide prevention in construction, an essential model for solving the workforce problem, and why caring for people is the most important thing you can do for them. They also touch on navigating tricky work relationships and why it’s so vital to understand and value different experiences that people bring to their work.If you want to learn more or get involved in the essential work, go to preventconstructionsuicide.com for more information.Thanks SO much to Michelle Walker for coming back on the pod.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’ve got Aaron, Alex, and frequent guest Eric Jumper talking about jobsite mistakes and the lessons learned (or not learned). Aaron shares a story from his time working on the railroad, and Eric realizes once he starts telling one mistake story how many others begin flooding his memory. We all make mistakes on the job, and it’s time we admit that mistakes are part of the pathway to growth and getting better. A (semi-) famous quote: “Dude, sucking at something is the first step towards being sorta good at something.” - Jake the Dog from Adventure TimeIf you’ve got a lesson you’d like to share with the Dirt Talk guys, email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices