Dirt Talk by BuildWitt

Odds are you've heard of Keaton Turner if you're on social media in the dirt world. He's made a whole lot of noise online when it comes to recruiting the next generation and has used it to his advantage to build a nationwide mining company.While most everyone's heard Keaton's philosophy on hiring and seen Turner Mining's culture online, most don't understand what it takes to build such a large business in only a few short years.Keaton and I dive into the struggles of starting a business, how he's financing his growth, why he rents most his iron, some of the mistakes he's made, and the growing pains involved. We cover a lot of ground, and Keaton responds to every question in a sincere manner.Follow Keaton on Instagram @keatonsturner or LinkedIn! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to much good fortune, I had the chance to speak with Dave at this year's Conexpo on the differences between our generations. Since not everyone who'd like to hear our talk could be there, we made it a podcast!Dave and I talk about our frustrations with our generations and each other's, how Dave is training and hiring, and we get into Dave's new show, Dave Turin's Lost Mine.Despite Dave being over twice my age and me lacking a majority of his real-world experience, we're both on the same page when it comes to inspiring and recruiting the next generation of miners and blue-collar workers. It's time to put our egos and insecurities aside and begin to invest in the future before it's too late.Since I spend high school and college watching Dave on TV, I'm pretty damn excited about this one. Hopefully, you enjoy it too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Herb R. Sargent, President and CEO of Maine-based Sargent Corp, has an incredibly unique story because he's third-generation construction while also being a first-generation business owner.In 1926, Herb Sargent's grandfather started a heavy construction business called H. E Sargent with a dump truck and steam shovel. The company expanded and changed over the decades as Herb's dad and Herb himself joined the family business to build airports, interstates, and dams.In 1988, a large French company purchased H. E Sargent. After a few years of working for the changing business, Herb R. Sargent thought he could start his own business. So he did.He not only started a new business, called Sargent and Sargent, but grew it so fast that in 2005, they purchased H. E Sargent back from the French when the company was over four times the size of his own. The best part about this was that his grandfather was alive to see the company back in the Sargent family.The two companies merged to become what's now Sargent Corporation -- a heavy civil construction company with over 400 people and work in seven states across the Northeast.Sargent represents the other group of companies BuildWitt's proud to serve, beyond younger companies with younger owners. Those who have decades of experience and decorated history but also understand that they need to do business differently if they are to succeed in the future.Herb's experience, combined with his young mindset, makes him an extraordinary leader who's built an exceptional business. Sargent Corp is not only now employee-owned, but they have their academy in which they recruit, train, and pay kids fresh out of high school to give a career in construction a shot.Find out more about Herb and Sargent Corp at https://sargent-corp.com/, or you can follow him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/herb-r-sargent-29a791152/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most everyone in the heavy equipment world has dealt with a Caterpillar dealer at one point or another, but most don't understand how much goes on behind the scenes to support every machine. There's an enormous effort that goes into selling, maintaining, renting, financing, and everything else machines require.Craig Kahoun is the Executive Vice President of Carter Machinery, a world-class equipment dealer based out of Virginia with over 90 years of history. You'd think that many years of hitting home runs would create an air of arrogance, but it's the complete opposite with Carter.Despite their dominance (they have over 750 technicians and recently acquired Alban Caterpillar), they're always on the lookout for better ways to serve their customers and their people. Instead of complaining about technology and the lack of trained people in the workforce, they're transforming and investing in their business to do things differently and create the future workforce they know they need.Craig and I dive into technician training, how much they do for their customers, and how they're digitally transforming their entire business. It's awesome to hear about and is so much more than selling tractors!You can connect with Craig at https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-kahoun-b600aa5a/ and learn more about Carter at https://cartermachinery.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode follows my first interview with Missy Scherber, where we discussed what she does daily and what it's like to be a woman in construction. While I thought the conversation went great at first, she was frustrated about having to defend herself for being a business owner. Initially, we thought it was best to delete it and start over.I set aside my excitement for releasing the episode, and we dove into why she was bothered by the original interview. After talking through the unintentional biases and other frustrations, we decided to leave the episode as is and record a follow-up episode talking it all through in an incredibly authentic manner.I'm even more excited about this interview than I was the first, and I think it's a conversation that everyone in construction needs to hear. We talk about what being a woman in construction is like, the judgment and biases that exist, and what men and women can do to create a better environment for everyone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five years ago, Missy Scherber dropped what she thought was her dream job in the nonprofit world to become co-owner of her husband's dumpster company so they could also focus on starting an excavation company. How bananas is that?Missy is a passionate person who, when she sees a gap, she immediately fills it. When I say she dove into the dirt life, I mean it. She's spent the last few years building a massive community on Instagram where not only does she show the daily work of the T. Scherber equipment operators, but also the behind the scenes of running the business. She's even added a newborn to the mix and was back to work only four days later.My goal with this episode was to shed light on Missy's daily work and get the scoop on what it's like being a woman in construction.Missy is arguably one of the best sources of inspiration for workforce development and women in construction with her social posts and overall philosophies. We discuss the struggles of running a business, how construction needs to change to inspire more women to join the industry, and why this industry is such a great place to work in the first place.To find much more about Missy, follow her @missyscherber on Instagram or her website thescherberreport.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I texted Kimo asking when he was available for a podcast, and there we were talking 30 minutes later after he finished his run.Kimo is the owner of Maui based Truth Excavation, a company performing excavation and utilities work around the Hawaiian island. He's as honest as it gets regarding his business, life, and lessons learned in this impromptu podcast interview.Unlike a lot of other business owners in the dirt world, Kimo didn't grow up in love with heavy equipment. By chance, he got his start as a laborer at the age of 18, and he did whatever he had to do on the ground to make ends meet. Seeing the guys in the machines in air conditioning gave him the idea of becoming an operator.Thanks to busting his ass and asking as many questions as he could, he learned how to operate, read plans, and manage projects. All of a sudden, when the company he worked for went under and the market crashed, he figured he could start his own company. So he did. How hard could it be?After nine years of business, he's selling the company to move onto other projects and to enjoy life in general. It's been a wild ride, and we get into a lot of the lessons he's learned along the way.If you're looking to learn more about Kimo, the best place to find him is on Instagram at @tru.xlife Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Don needed to support his family at age 17, he went looking a well-paying job. Not exactly flush with options, he found a gig at a local demolition company thanks to an intro from his friend's dad.Starting as a laborer, he worked his ass off and grabbed ahold of more responsibility and leadership opportunities when they presented themselves. By his 20's, he was managing demolition crews across town and learning a whole lot of lessons while he did it.Fast forward a few years and he's now part owner and Director of Field Operations of MILBURN Demolition out of Chicago. Started only a few years ago, they've already completed hundreds of wild demolition projects all over Chicagoland.Don and I talk about how he rose through the ranks thanks to sheer work, why the demolition industry needs to change, and how he's raised his kids while working long hours.Learn more about Don and MILBURN at https://milburn.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I dig into (no pun intended) how Heath Hanna went from Caterpillar dealer instructor to mining company owner in only a few years.Since he bought a heavy equipment magazine as a kid, Heath fell in love with big iron moving big dirt. Starting in the industry at age 14, he knew that the Dirt World was for him.After college, he found an opening at the Yancy Bros Caterpillar dealer and eventually became a certified dealer instructor (CDI). He taught Cat machine operators all over Georgia how to get the most out of iron in only his 20's.You'd think that running all the latest and greatest Caterpillar equipment would've satisfied his heavy equipment itch, but he still wanted more. Fearing the regret of not making the leap, Heath quit to start his own company.Starting with pouring a sidewalk at someone's house, he worked his way up to moving millions of yards of dirt for the largest mining companies in the US while his wife supported the family for years. It was an uphill battle the whole way, which even included sleeping in bulldozers at times.It's a remarkable story, and this guy is full of advice and lessons learned about running a business, operating equipment, and life in general.Check out Contour at contourmc.com or @contourminingconstruction on Instagram to learn more about Heath and his business.As for the Liebherr 9800 video he mentioned, see the link below to check it out.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrtK626tad0&feature=youtu.be Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dylan is president and owner of RAWSO Constructors, a heavy construction company based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.With no formal construction background, he started in the construction industry at random while in school and quickly fell in love with it. After working for other contractors for a few years out of college, he decided to start his own construction company. Starting only with a skid steer grading driveways, he now has over 70 employees on many large project sites with a fleet of world-class Caterpillar iron.We talk about how he started in construction, how he started his business, the reality of what starting a construction company takes, how he's balanced family with the business, and what advice he has for people beginning their careers.You can learn more about RAWSO at rawso.com or by searching @rawsoconstructors on Instagram. Yes, they're hiring!Let me know what you think! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices