Podcast
Dirt Talk by BuildWitt
Hosted by BuildWitt · EN
Welcome to the Dirt World's top podcast (self-proclaimed). Every week, host Aaron Witt, founder of BuildWitt, interviews construction and mining industry leaders in long form and shares updates on what's happening inside of BuildWitt.
339episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
They Tried to Undo 100 Years of His Family’s Work - Herb Sargent (DT 444)
3d ago02:16:33Summary readyMay 20, 2026 They Tried to Undo 100 Years of His Family's Work Herb Sargent w/ Sargent Corporation – DT 444 Herb Sargent is the Board Chair of Sargent Corporation, a 100-year-old employee-owned civil construction company in Maine, and co-host of the Starbuck & Sargent podcast. He bought back his family's company — six times the size of his own — the same year a German-owned parent company tried to undo everything his grandfather built. He reveals why the construction industry's biggest problem isn't workforce shortage, it's leadership — and why employee ownership might be the only vehicle left to rebuild the American middle class. His new book, “The Hard Work Starts Today,” documents the 100-year Sargent journey, from simple REO Speedwagon to a 9-figure business. Follow Herb on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/herb-sargent--esop/ Learn more about Sargent Corporation at: https://sargent.us/ Want to better train and develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Speaking, Waiting Lists and Solving Problems (Building BuildWitt #53) - DT443
4d ago00:12:20Summary readyMay 20, 2026 Speaking, Waiting Lists and Solving Problems BuildWitt Update #53 – DT 443 Aaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Give Us the Dirt - Brandon Lindsey (DT 442)
1w ago01:46:45Summary readyBrandon Lindsey is VP at Hoopaugh Grading Company, host of the Give Us the Dirt Podcast, and Co-Founder of Dream on 3, a sports dream-granting organization for kids battling life-altering conditions. He quit his 20-year corporate career the day he was finally offered the job he'd been working toward his whole life and joined Hoopaugh Grading in 2018. He reveals why the construction industry doesn't have a workforce problem - it has a development problem - and why the companies ignoring that are headed toward extinction. Follow Brandon on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonlindsey272/ Learn more about Hoopaugh Grading Company and Dream on 3 at: https://hoopaughgrading.com/ and https://dreamon3.org/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Indian Adventure (Building BuildWitt #52) - DT441
2w ago00:27:42Summary readyAaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Who’s Actually Building America? w/ Jim Vinoski (DT 440)
2w ago02:21:44Summary readyJim Vinoski is the Co-Founder of Firesteel Industrial Solutions, a consulting business for modern American manufacturing companies. Jim’s a major advocate for reindustrializing America, with many contributions to Forbes, his Manufacturing Talks Podcast, and his new book “American Manufacturing: 22 Tales of Integrity, Ingenuity, and the Modest Heroes Who Built a Nation,” out this June. Follow Jim on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimvinoski/ Learn more about Jim & his podcast, Manufacturing Talks, at: https://www.manufacturingtalks.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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South Korea Adventure (Building BuildWitt #51) - DT439
3w ago00:16:28Summary readyAaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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From Family Business to Winning Major Contracts - Ricky Webb (DT 438)
3w ago02:12:50Summary readyRicky is the owner of East Coast Demolition, a third-generation abatement and demolition company serving North Carolina and Virginia. As he’s taken over the business, he’s focused on investing further in equipment, people, and safety to compete at a higher level with major GCs and the US Government. Follow Ricky on LinkedIn at: linkedin.com/in/ricky-webb-650a64158/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3BzjqQBTHYQ16HBkReJLpQfQ%3D%3D Learn more about East Coast Demolition at: https://www.eastcoastdemolition.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Throwing Bones & New Feature Testing (Building BuildWitt #50) - DT437
4w ago00:14:13Summary readyAaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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He Builds People, Not Just Projects - John Dudlicek - DT 436
Apr 2301:56:20Summary readyJohn is VP and COO at Grimmer Construction, an Indiana-based civil construction company. He’s been involved in building a long list of complex projects over the years, but he believes his finest work is instead the people he’s built along the way. Follow John on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-dudlicek-63351417/ Learn more about Grimmer Construction at: https://grimmerconstruction.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Texas Concrete, Tunneling & Dredging (Building BuildWitt #49) - DT435
Apr 2000:20:12Summary readyAaron recaps the wins and lessons learned at BuildWitt this week. Learn more about attending the 2026 Ariat Dirt World Summit by visiting https://events.dirtworld.com/event/summit-2026/summary Want to better train and develop your teams? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com/product Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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