Dirt Talk by BuildWitt

On the outside looking in, people might think the dirt world and technology are completely unrelated. And while construction is often lagging behind, that doesn’t mean the industry is lacking in technological needs—or advancements. This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt sits down with Austin Conti, the co-founder and CEO of Tenna. Conti talks all about his international experience in construction operations and how his passion for entrepreneurship and technology led him to create his company—a construction technology platform that revolutionizes equipment fleet operations.  You can follow Austin Conti on LinkedIn or learn more about his company at Tenna.com or on Instagram at @tenna_co.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on the Dirt Talk podcast, host Aaron Witt and Alex Horton discuss how economic decline affects (or doesn’t affect) the work of the Dirt World. They also dig into how that approach affects how BuildWitt does business. Later, they dig into taking the appropriate amount of ownership in a situation without letting that “ownership” be a detriment and the adverse effects of specific demographics retiring from the workforce before new demographics join it.Don't forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! You can learn more about it at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app.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 Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The last time we chatted with Matt Moldenhauer, he told the story of how he went from “big-time business consultant” to southern logging business owner. Almost two years later, he’s back to talk about lessons learned and educate our listeners on the logging industry. He also gives a little background to his start in the industry and how he and Aaron got connected years ago.This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt and guest Matt Moldenhauer, President of Bellwether Forest Products and Managing Director of LOTS Group USA, talk about logging and the forest product market. They dig into the importance of and improvements that have come to trucking, mergers, and how they affect the small details and the potential of the blue-collar world.Learn more about Bellwether's operations on Instagram @bellwether_fp or by following Matt on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-moldenhauer-16b9241 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt, and Alex Horton give some background to the inner machinations of BuildWitt and how/why the company is structured the way it is. They then answer questions about whether job shopping to keep management honest is a good way to keep pay competitive and the differences between construction in Europe and America. Don't forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! You can learn more about it at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app.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 Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In some ways, the early days of RAWSO coincided with the early days of BuildWitt. We’ll always love telling their stories, so we know just how lucky we were to sit down with the RAWSO Constructors VP of Operations, Matthew McQueen. Matthew learned work ethic from his dad before joining Eutaw Construction out of college. He moved to Middle Tennessee in 2014 and would later go on to meet RAWSO Founder and President Dylan Stephens. After realizing they shared a defined vision for the Dirt World and its people, Dylan began asking Matthew to join RAWSO, and in 2021, he did.This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt and Matthew McQueen sat down to talk bout Matthew’s story in the Dirt World before diving into Matthew's (and RAWSO’s) passion for people and crafting a vision that is focused on them, not just the work they do. They later chat about truly leading people and the importance of keeping people “in the loop.”You can follow Matthew McQueen on LinkedIn and check out the RAWSO story at rawso.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron and Alex discuss public speaking before diving into how BuildWitt uses investment money and how that can sometimes differ from the contractors in the Dirt World. They then chat about the importance of communicating to all of the people on the team relevant context and allowing the entire crew to “see the scoreboard” as it relates to finance and how work gets done. Later, they answer questions about the stability of blue-collar work vs 9-5 jobs in an economic downturn and why some folks consider the D7E a “bad dozer”.Don't forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! You can learn more about it at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app.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 Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Flash back a few days:Eric Jumper: “Hey man, you should have John Scepaniak on Dirt Talk. He’s a cool dude.”Alex reaches out to John.John: “Yeah, want me to just come to Nashville tomorrow?”The magic of Dirt World folks, y’all. If you want to do things right, do them in person.John Scepaniak is part of the 3rd-generation of Scepaniaks at Wm. D Scepaniak, Inc., one of the nation's leading family-owned and operated aggregate services contractors out of Minnesota. John was born and bred in the Dirt World and was brought up in the company by his father, Joe. He’s had a few roles over the years, but he currently describes his role as “Director of Aggregate Operations”. This week on Dirt Talk, John joins host Aaron Witt in the Nashville BuildWitt HQ. They chat about the inevitability of turning into your parents, all things aggregate(!), and the intricate nature of the Dirt World workforce. John also shares about his appearance in Pit & Quarry before he and Aaron compare gym routines. They also mutually decide to wrap the podcast because John rented a Porsche Carrera 911 and Aaron wanted to see it.Don't forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! You can learn more about it at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app.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 Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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This week on Dirt Talk, Alex and Aaron talk about food and ask a fundamental question: "Can you cook veggies on a hotdog roller?" Aaron talks about his “privilege,” and why BuildWitt is “doomed” because he eats at too many fancy restaurants for breakfast. Later, Aaron talks about the standard of leadership and what it should look like: don’t be a complete jerk before weighing in on ways to acquire a small dirt company without the cash to buy it outright. They also reflect on the John Muir quote, “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”Don't forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! You can learn more about it at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app.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 Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was only a short time ago that BuildWitt and C.W. Matthews got connected, and yet there's been a certain buzz among the BuildWitt folks that had been to visit some C.W. Matthews job sites: "you gotta have Dan Garcia on Dirt Talk." With a ringing endorsement like that, it was only a matter of time. Dan Garcia has been President at C.W. Matthews Contracting Co., Inc. for over 9 years. He's clearly a compassionate leader, and throughout the conversation, his care for the people who work with him pours out. This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt sits down with Dan Garcia of C.W. Matthews. They dig into a number of topics like "why invest in a company pastor?" and "why invest in a program for high schoolers?" and "why apply for a government program to hire 24 immigrant workers for the summer?"And yet, there's a clear common thread throughout the conversation: Dan is a man who understands the cost of truly investing in your people is never a question of value. To get to know more about what's going on at C.W. Matthews, check them out at cwmatthews.com and on IG at @cw_matthews.Don't forget you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! You can learn more about it at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app.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 Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices