Dirt Talk by BuildWitt
Episode 366: Nate Simpson w/ Landmark Excavating
Released: August 21, 2025
Host: Aaron Witt
Guests: Nate Simpson (Landmark Excavating), Randy (BuildWitt Team)
Episode Overview
This episode features Aaron Witt in conversation with Nate Simpson, founder and owner of Landmark Excavating, and joined by BuildWitt teammate Randy. The discussion navigates Nate’s entrepreneurial journey in heavy civil construction, how Landmark survived the 2008 crash and experienced post-pandemic growth, and a deep dive into people-first leadership—focusing on employee well-being, retention, mental health, and the evolving culture of the construction industry. Both hosts and guest reflect on generational mindsets, challenges of hiring in today’s market, leveraging social media, and the need for more holistic health and wellness initiatives in construction.
Key Discussion Points
1. Health and Wellness in Construction
- Aaron opens by critiquing "stretch and flex" programs as superficial, arguing for a holistic approach to worker health.
"The whole stretch and flex thing I think is a joke... We're not going to talk about alcoholism, poor nutrition, the reality of the hours. We just stretch and flex." [00:00]
- He draws parallels to professional sports teams, suggesting construction should invest in the physical performance of its people.
2. The Reality of Self-Performance and Control
- Conversation on contractors moving from subcontracting to self-performing more work for better control over schedules and outcomes.
"Self-performing is very advantageous when it comes to just control. Control owning your destiny." —Aaron [01:42]
3. Nate’s Origin Story: From Farm Kid to Excavation Boss
- Nate recounts growing up on a Utah farm, learning from family, and starting Landmark Excavating post-mission (age 21) with a skid steer and a dump truck.
"I loved building things. I loved running the equipment... bought a skid steer and a dump truck, started moving dirt for buddies who were landscape contractors." —Nate [04:18]
- Early days involved hustling for work, directly approaching developers, and leveraging classified ads.
Memorable Moment
"My first government contract was the BLM... loading material from this wash and then hauling it up to this dirt air strip. Went out into the middle of nowhere and just figured it out." —Nate [06:18]
4. Learning the Business by Doing
- Nate and Aaron both emphasize that there is no playbook for starting a construction company; most people "just figure it out."
"I feel like people overcomplicate things a little bit... Just take your best guess, do the job, then compare at the end. That's how everybody's done it." —Aaron [10:19]
5. Landmark’s Growth, the 2008 Crash, and Rebuilding
- Nate grows from a solo founder to 40–50 employees—then slashes down to one crew during the 2008 financial crisis.
- Sells off most equipment, preserves equity, and survives thanks to Caterpillar Finance flexibility.
"One of the most important organizations within this industry is Caterpillar Finance. I could not give them more credit for starting just straight-up American businesses." —Aaron [17:57]
- Reflects on the pain of layoffs, the learning process, and being glad to have faced hardship early in his career.
"Because I'll say, I'm so glad that I went through it. Yeah, I think now you are... But just to go through that and learn those lessons at such a young age." —Nate [20:39]
6. Restarting Landmark: The Role of Family & Loyalty
- After working for a mentor (Ken Condi) for two years post-recession, Nate’s wife pushes him to reclaim his entrepreneurial path.
"We were coming back from Lake Powell, and she turns to me and she goes, I want you to go in, and I want you to quit your job tomorrow... you need to be you." —Nate [29:10]
- Upon word getting out, former loyal employees contact him, and Landmark is rebooted.
7. Sustaining Growth: Public vs Private Work, Utah Market Insights
- Nate explains Landmark’s balanced approach: "We really want to be 50% private work, 50% public work." [31:51]
- Discusses Utah’s rapid public and private construction growth, forward-thinking DOT spending, and regional differences.
8. Pandemic Hiring Crisis & Turnover Solutions
- During the pandemic/post-pandemic boom, hiring is frantic: "If you have a pulse and pass a drug screen, you'll give us 50% of what we need." —Nate [35:52]
- High turnover ensues: up to 35% monthly for new hires; company struggles to retain and culture suffers.
9. Building a People-First Organization
The Role of Director of Safety & Employee Experience (Jake)
- Nate brings in Jake as Director of Safety/Employee Experience.
"He's taken our programs and created three acronyms: CARE (counseling), AID (loan), and RISE (education/training)—all formalized support systems for employees." [43:12]
- Jake also implements a weekly "log" system: short forms for all employees to express how they feel about safety, management, and mental health. Immediate follow-up is possible when low scores appear.
- Outcomes: Turnover in the first 6 months drops from 35% to 8% monthly; for longer-term employees, from 8% to 2%.
Quote
"We had grown beyond what I was able to do, like, what I was able to handle by focusing on both things." —Nate [40:06]
10. Addressing Industry-Wide Retention and Turnover
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Aaron underscores the high cost of turnover and rejects the notion that "people just don’t want to work anymore" as entitled thinking.
"If you can't get the people you need to do the work, you are failing when it comes to being competitive." —Aaron [49:24]
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Simple systems (like the logs and formalized personal support) are highlighted as difference-makers—implementation does not need to be expensive but must be intentional.
11. Apprenticeship, Training, and Social Media
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Landmark launches Utah’s first state-approved private apprenticeship; utilizes BuildWitt learning platform.
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Social media, once ignored by Nate, becomes key in recruiting high-quality candidates and spreading Landmark’s culture.
"Social media is a way, a platform to get more information out there about your culture and who you really are as a company." —Nate [73:11]
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Utah DOT cited as a social media exemplary—informative, fun, engaging the public and workforce.
12. Leadership, Vulnerability & Generational Shifts
- Leadership buy-in is shown to be the key to sustaining new programs and culture; also crucial in convincing others to open up and seek help.
"I can't talk about mental health if I'm not doing the work on my mental health... it just gives me so much more credibility." —Aaron [114:47]
- Generational stereotypes are discussed; Aaron and Nate reject the idea that young people "don’t want to work," instead blaming lack of company adaptation.
13. Mental Health, Addiction, and Holistic Health
- Construction’s high rates of suicide and substance abuse are candidly addressed.
- Both hosts advocate moving beyond talk to actionable programs, creating supportive environments, offering grace to new hires, and leading by example on health and wellness.
"The whole mental health thing needs to be just like any other process we have for bettering our people... are they better today at home now than a year ago? 100% of the time, yes." —Nate [86:17]
14. The Big Picture: Infrastructure, Competition & Industry Mindset
- US infrastructure is compared unfavorably to other nations; investment in people and technology cited as the only way forward.
- Competition is reframed: contractors should see each other as facing common challenges, not just as adversaries.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
On the superficiality of many industry safety programs:
"We're not going to talk about alcoholism, poor nutrition, the reality of the hours. We just stretch and flex." —Aaron [00:00]
On starting a construction company:
"Just take your best guess, do the job, then compare at the end... That's how everybody's done it." —Aaron [10:19]
On the 2008 crash:
"I just downsized this thing to virtually nothing and waited it out... a guy looked at my [Cat] equipment and wrote me a check for everything but one crew." —Nate [17:00]
On loyalty and family:
"My wife turns to me... I want you to go quit your job tomorrow. This isn't you, you need to be you." —Nate [29:09]
On hiring 'anyone':
"If you have a pulse and pass a drug screen, you'll give us 50% of what we need. Come fill the spot." —Nate [35:52]
On building support systems for employees:
"CARE is professional counseling, AID is employee loans, RISE for education. What I did informally, we're doing at scale now." —Nate [43:12–44:25]
On turnover:
"From the pandemic until a year ago... we were losing 35% of our employees a month. Now it's 8% for new hires, 2% for long-term." —Nate [46:31–47:25]
On the industry’s need to evolve:
"If you can't get the people you need to do the work, you are failing when it comes to being competitive." —Aaron [49:24]
On the role of leadership:
"It always comes back to leadership. I've seen a lot of companies try social media, but you can tell when leadership is bought in." —Aaron [119:14]
On substance abuse in construction:
"Suicide: 3.5x any other industry; opioid overdose: 7x. Because we have a low barrier of entry. Let's use our companies as funnels to make people better." —Nate [90:39]
On US infrastructure:
"We can talk all day about AI... but as long as humans need to live, our economy depends on infrastructure. And our infrastructure depends on people and companies that build and maintain it." —Aaron [66:36]
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Opening Critique of Construction Wellness: [00:00 – 01:42]
- Self-Performance vs Subcontracting: [01:42 – 03:40]
- Nate’s Start in the Industry: [04:07 – 06:41]
- First Big Government Job: [06:41 – 08:57]
- Coping with 2008 Crash: [16:24 – 20:36]
- Rebuilding & Wife’s Influence: [25:58 – 29:09]
- Public vs Private Work / Utah Market: [31:51 – 33:25]
- Pandemic Hiring/Turnover Crisis: [35:41 – 36:26]
- Director of Safety/Employee Experience & Impact: [37:00 – 47:25]
- The 'Log' Feedback System: [44:27 – 47:41]
- Discussion on Company Entitlement & Retention: [47:41 – 50:28]
- Apprenticeship/Training Programs: [52:40 – 56:44]
- Generational Shifts, Attitudes, and Leadership: [59:34 – 66:36]
- Mental Health and Holistic Health Approach: [97:19 – 102:53]
- Taking Action vs Just Talking: [83:21 – 85:00]
- US Infrastructure, Contractor Mindset: [62:47 – 67:30]
- Vulnerability and the Role of Leaders: [114:35 – 121:46]
- Growth and Future Initiatives: [122:28 – 124:26]
- Landmark on Social Media: [125:05]
Conclusion & Takeaways
- Landmark Excavating’s story is about resilience in the face of adversity, deeply grounded leadership, and executing a people-first strategy—especially amid historic hiring and cultural challenges.
- Proactive investment in employees’ mental health, financial stability, and professional growth pays off in retention, culture, and business outcomes.
- The construction industry is at a critical juncture: only by adapting, embracing new thinking, and valuing people holistically—from wellness to opportunity—will it sustain and elevate America’s infrastructure.
- Social media and authentic leadership are non-negotiables for company visibility and modern recruitment.
Connect with Landmark Excavating:
Instagram: @Landmark.exe
For anyone in construction—whether business owner, aspiring operator, or simply interested in industry transformation—this episode offers candid, real-world wisdom you won’t find in standard textbooks.