Podcast Summary: Dirt Talk by BuildWitt

Episode: Alex Kraft w/ Heave – DT 384
Date: October 23, 2025
Host: Aaron Witt
Guest: Alex Kraft, Founder/CEO of Heave

Episode Overview

In this episode, Aaron Witt interviews Alex Kraft, founder and CEO of Heave, a platform that connects construction equipment owners with independent service technicians. The conversation dives deep into Alex's journey from working at an equipment dealership to starting Heave, exploring the challenges of the heavy equipment service industry, innovation's role in solving longstanding problems, and the unique business model that Heave brings to the table.

The discussion also highlights the realities of the technician workforce, issues with traditional equipment service models, lessons in entrepreneurship, and the future potential of data and technology in field services.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Heave’s Evolution: From Sales to Tech-Enabled Service Marketplace

• Automated Service Requests & Data Utilization

  • Heave’s engineering team developed a system where error codes from machines instantly generate service requests, sent directly to technicians.
  • This feature gives customers real-time support and builds valuable data sets for accurate job estimates and timelines.
  • [00:00] Alex Kraft: “One of the things that our engineering team built this year…is the second an error code goes off in the machine, it creates the service request…as a customer, I haven’t even done anything.”

• Learning from Failure and Pivoting

  • Alex details starting Heave as a transactional equipment sales marketplace (think Expedia for machines), but found dealers uninterested in third-party sales platforms.
  • The real need was in service—not just an inconvenience, but a genuine pain point for equipment owners.
  • [26:23] Alex Kraft: “Our original product…we were solving an inconvenience. We weren’t solving a problem…if you guys could help me on service, that would be interesting and that I would pay you for tomorrow.”

• The Power of Product-Market Fit

  • After shifting to focus on service, demand and enthusiasm skyrocketed.
  • [29:02] Alex Kraft: “Once we went to service, there was no doubt because customers were so enthusiastic…It was just apparent.”

2. Inside the Heavy Equipment Sales World

• Early Career Struggles and Lessons

  • Alex began his career in outside sales at a small-market dealership, working his way up and learning through adversity.
  • Sales were tough, largely cold outreach, and competing as a smaller brand (Volvo) meant extra hurdles.
  • [03:38] Alex Kraft: “You’re going door to door trying to sell 300, $400,000 machines. It’s very difficult.”

• Self-Awareness and ‘Figure-It-Outness’ as Values

  • Discusses the importance of self-awareness and a culture of “figure-it-outness” at Heave.
  • [08:03] Alex Kraft: “It’s one of ours…when you have a brand new company…you have to figure stuff out.”

3. The Realities of Equipment Service Today

• Fragmentation and Frustration

  • Equipment owners have multiple brands and must navigate distinct dealer networks for service, leading to inefficiency and long downtimes.
  • Independent technicians exist but are hard to find and coordinate at scale.
  • Breakdowns are guaranteed in construction—service is a constant need.

• Innovation vs. Status Quo

  • The traditional industry is slow to change, with entrenched interests and little incentive to adopt disruptive ideas.
  • [26:54] Alex Kraft: “If that customer wants to buy this brand, they have to find their way to me…And so that was like a hard reality.”

• Heave’s Marketplace Model

  • Heave connects independent technicians (many of whom are ex-dealer employees) with owners in need, offering transparency, speed, and choice.
  • Technicians set their rates; customers select from available options; work is tracked, reviewed, and paid swiftly.
  • [53:12] Alex Kraft: “We say Uber for heavy equipment mechanics…It is the most effective way…they can get themselves 80% of the way there.”

• Technician Burnout and Economics

  • Low wage growth, difficult conditions, lack of recognition, and dealership politics push skilled techs to become independents.
  • [44:26] Alex Kraft: “More respect for these guys…it’s unbelievable what they can do.”
  • [45:50] Alex Kraft: “…to do it for $28 an hour…maybe next year you’ll get a bump to like 29, 50. Like. So that’s the number one thing, I think.”

4. Win-Win: Technicians, Customers, Dealers, and the Industry

• A New Economic Model

  • Heave brings price transparency, choice, and gig-economy flexibility to technicians, with some earning upwards of $500,000/year on the platform.
  • [59:20] Alex Kraft: “This year in 2025…two technicians…will make over $500,000 this year. It’s just, it’s unbelievable.”

• Transparency and Optionality

  • Different price points for different job complexities; technicians can choose jobs that suit their expertise and schedule.
  • Customers are no longer hostage to flat dealer rates regardless of experience or job type.
  • [54:11] Alex Kraft: “We let technicians set their price and then we add a markup on top. So there’s different pricing…I love being able to show customers price optionality.”

• Symbiosis with Dealers

  • Despite initial resistance, some dealer sales reps recommend Heave when dealer capacity is maxed out, recognizing the mutual benefit for customer satisfaction.
  • [67:06] Alex Kraft: “We’re getting quite a few dealer sales reps, like, hey, why don’t you…try this app? Because, you know, at the end of the day, if their customer, if we can fix the customer’s machine for them, they’re off the hook.”

• Comparison to Richie Brothers

  • Witt and Kraft compare Heave’s disruptive model to Richie Brothers, which revolutionized used equipment sales through transparency and market reach.
  • [70:13] Alex Kraft: “I feel like we are building the Richie Brothers but in the service side of the business…”

5. Challenges & Opportunities with Scaling

• Trust is the Moat

  • Gaining technician and customer trust is slow and relationship-based, forming a durable moat against competitors.
  • [75:48] Alex Kraft: “You have to build trust with each one of these individuals on a consistent basis. And that it just takes time…then you’re entrenched.”

• Future of Data & Technology

  • Heave is beginning to use collected service data to estimate repairs, predict costs, and improve technician efficiency with AI-driven tools.
  • [77:13] Alex Kraft: “We’re accumulating all of this information on all the error codes and then we’ll be able to track through like, okay, this error code based on these thousands of jobs that we’ve completed…”

• Platform Expansion

  • Growing methodically into new regions only when technician density and service quality are high; reviewing technicians after jobs is unique to Heave versus dealers.
  • [84:48] Alex Kraft: “Consistency is huge. What we’re executing on our mission, our goal is to be a nationwide field service provider for all brands of equipment.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Technicians as the True Face of a Dealer:
  Industry Expert (Witt), [47:31]: “The technician is the face of the business of any equipment dealer…It’s not leadership. It’s not anybody in the office.”

• On Economic Incentives:
  Alex Kraft, [63:39]: “The economic model to me is broken…you can’t just pull someone off the street and make them a great technician…and so that’s where the economics have been broken is like the money flows through the wrong side.”

• On the Need for Change:
  Industry Expert (Witt), [90:33]: “I think those improvements have to be made. Like I, I think that’s…the point that’s being missed right now is like there’s urgency here because as every year goes by we’re just more and more is what’s happening right now. And we can’t not do this. We can’t not build stuff.”

• On Human Connection and Pride in Skilled Trades:
  Alex Kraft, [94:42]: “I have a ton of respect for people that I encounter in my day to day who just love what they do…it can be a server, it can be…good teacher…I admire it and I’m kind of motivated by it.”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00-02:00: Heave’s automated error code-triggered service requests
• 13:00-16:00: Recession impact and cultural differences in dealership sales
• 26:20-29:39: Market rejection, learning to pivot, and customer-driven product fit
• 34:40-36:30: Explaining the dealership, customer, independent technician ecosystem
• 41:08-44:26: Technician onboarding, marketplace challenges, and skill requirements
• 53:11-56:35: How the Heave app works, price optionality, and customer value
• 59:20-62:00: Technicians’ income transformation and industry wage shortcomings
• 66:56-68:18: Dealers referring customers to Heave, symbiosis with existing business models
• 70:13-73:35: Comparing Heave to Richie Brothers, transparency, and market expansion
• 77:13-78:20: Data utilization for predictive service and future features
• 84:48-86:13: Plans for scaled, regional expansion and technician reviews

The Episode’s Tone and Style

The conversation is frank, occasionally humorous, and deeply industry-insider. Both Aaron and Alex share a mutual respect for the craft of equipment service technicians and are candid about the realities—good, bad, and ugly—of the construction equipment business. They avoid sugarcoating, using sharp language and real anecdotes (“figure it outness,” “I just couldn’t fathom dealing with it again…”).

Alex is open about his failures, pivots, and the psychological journey of entrepreneurship. Aaron brings skepticism and empathy from his own experience talking to hundreds of industry practitioners. Together, they paint a picture of an industry ready for disruption—and do so with energy, humility, and a genuine care for the people who do the work.

Conclusion

This episode of Dirt Talk is a masterclass in both the challenges facing heavy equipment service and in what it takes to build a disruptive, technology-enabled business in a traditional industry. The story of Heave is not just about innovation, but about relationships, respecting skilled trades, solving real problems, and pushing the industry forward. Seasoned pros and newcomers alike will leave with a deeper appreciation for the people who keep the dirt world’s machines moving—and for the startups quietly rewriting the rules.