Dirt Talk by BuildWitt

"If it's worth having, then you're gonna pay for it upfront, but the return on investment is going to be realized pretty quick."Ryan Goodfellow (of Rock Structures Utility and Excavating) is clearly passionate about heavy equipment. His company IG acct @rockstructures has almost 100k followers and consistently features his crew on jobs around Utah, ranging from digging basements to building intricate rock walls. But in addition to equipment, Ryan is a good time. He's got plenty of jokes and is a hoot to laugh with. While the Dirt Talk guys were in Utah, they asked Ryan to come out to Wheeler Machinery to come talk shop, and he didn't disappoint. From the get-go, this episode features a lot of technical talk about equipment, with points made about operating technique, 3D GPS, finding hidden grease points, and much more. This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt sits down with Ryan Goodfellow to chat about Ryan's Dirt World story and his love and appreciation for heavy equipment. Aaron and Ryan discuss why Ryan would prefer to dig a basement vs build a rock wall, why he owns both John Deere AND Caterpillar equipment, and why investing in quality tools (among other things) is worth it.To learn more about Ryan and Rock Structures, visit the website at rockstructures.com or follow along on IG at @rockstructures.Don't forget that you can watch or listen to Dirt Talk on the BuildWitt app! Learn more at buildwitt.com/buildwitt-app.If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we have a special guest on the podcast: Dirt Talk alum Kimo Clark IN THE OFFICE from Hawaii. Kimo and Aaron headed out to the North Carolina mountains to do a challenging backpacking trip. Aaron, Alex, and Kimo dig into how folks in the Dirt World get paid, why most field workers are hourly, and how to beat the "Monday blues". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Our biggest competitors are stagnation and complacency."Jonathan Campbell is the Executive Vice President of Wheeler Machinery Co. out of Salt Lake City, UT. He's part of a multi-generation line of Campbells at Wheeler. With so much historical success running a 70-year-old CAT dealership, it's easy to envision leadership sitting on their laurels. And yet, Jonathan (and Campbell Companies) has made it his mission to fight "stagnation and complacency" by owning almost a dozen companies and investing in even more. He's got a vision for serving the Dirt World, and that's one reason he was a perfect fit to be an investor at BuildWitt.Aaron Witt and Jonathan Campbell discuss Jonathan's history at Wheeler Machinery, how he fights complacency, and why he decided to invest in BuildWitt's future.Thanks to Jonathan and Wheeler CAT for hosting the Dirt Talk crew in their offices AND for an amazing tour of their facility!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

You have to intentionally create space to think without the pressure to "deliver" something.This Monday on Dirt Talk, Aaron and Alex catch up about Aaron's solo trip to Savannah, GA to unplug and create space mentally. Aaron digs into why it's important for leaders to create that space and why it's vital to level up when you're a leader. Aaron also gives an update on the Earthmoover (aka the BuildWitt skid steer).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.If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eric Jumper is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're gonna get.One thing that's true, however, is that it will be entertaining and educational. Though he's only 26, he's been working in the Dirt World for almost 10 years, and literally grew up in the dirt. As a 3rd generation dirt mover, having a deep love and insatiable curiosity for the Dirt World is in Eric's blood. And as a team member at BuildWitt for the last year, he's been all over the country meeting up with and learning from the folks that are literally building our country.In this week's episode, host Aaron Witt and producer Alex Horton are joined by Eric Jumper, a "Connoisseur of heavy equipment-related matters" here at BuildWitt. On Eric's second Dirt Talk episode, the guys talk equipment (of course), but they sprinkle in plenty of other topics. They dig into why Eric covered the floor of a machine with astroturf, why it was so cool to shoot photos of a machine that he used to operate at an old job, and how he recognizes more and more these days that his upbringing in the Dirt World is pretty unique.To check out Eric's equipment journey, follow him on IG at @eric_jumper.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.If you have questions/comments/concerns, reach out to DirtTalk@buildwitt.com.Stay Dirty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Aaron and Alex dig into how we're all wired to create as children, but often lose that drive and desire as we grow. and the importance of telling your own story (before someone else tells it for you). Later, Aaron talks about some kinds of projects that he'd like to go see this year and why it's important to be the driver of your own career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Our team loves change. They see it as an opportunity to do better."A few years ago, Brian McManus was facing a dilemma: work wasn't fun anymore. He realized that he and his company Hoopaugh Grading Company needed to change, and that change needed to start with him taking a long look in the mirror. One of the first changes Brian made was to bring in an old friend Brandon Lindsey because even though Brandon didn't know dirt all that well, he knew people. And so from there, the process began of changing Hoopaugh for the better. It started with getting all of the leaders in the company on board, and then bringing in around 60 team members to answer the question, "what makes us who we are."Since those initial conversations a few years ago, Hoopaugh has built a robust training academy and facility to build up their team into better leaders and, in turn, better people.This week on Dirt Talk, host Aaron Witt sat down with Brian McManus and Brandon Lindsey of Hoopaugh Grading Company to discuss the bold changes they've made in their company over the last few years, why the cost of those changes was never worried about, and why their 10-year vision statement was simply, "be the best."You can learn more about Hoopaugh Grading at hoopaughgrading.com.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

Is there a time when it actually makes sense to chew someone out?This week on the Monday Edition of Dirt Talk, Aaron and Alex discuss the required shorthand and nicknames for types of heavy equipment. Then, they discuss if and when it makes sense to give out an old-fashioned "ass-chewing" and suggest some possible other tactics before it might come to just berating someone. 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

We're over the moon the welcome back Mining Professional & star of Discovery's Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine DAVE TURIN aka "Dozer Dave". The last time that Dave was on Dirt Talk, Dave and host Aaron Witt chatted at CONEXPO 2020 about the frustrations each has regarding the other's generation and Dave's exciting new TV show...Fast forward 2 years and Gold Rush: Dave Turin's Lost Mine is about to begin airing it's 4th season and BuildWitt has gone from 10 team members to almost 80! This week on Dirt Talk, Aaron and Dave sat down for a chat in the BuildWitt studio in Nashville, TN. Dave tells some great stories about how even though he's the star of a reality TV show, he puts the "'real' in reality". Then, the guys discuss the importance of setting a culture of training, why it's important to reclaim mined land, and why Dave encourages his team to call him out when it's deserved.Listen to the first episode with Dave Turin here: buildwitt.com/dirt-talk/podcast/dozer-dave-turin-on-old-vs-young-in-the-blue-collar-worldTo 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

You can't make everyone happy.This week, Aaron and co-host Alex discuss the new free BuildWitt app (learn more here) and why you should listen and watch podcasts on it! Later, they dig into the challenges of being a young leader in an older industry, why you can't make content that applies to everyone all the time, and the value of changing your approach to work and life as you gain more knowledge and experience.You can learn more about the BuildWitt app 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