Podcast Summary
Dirt Talk by BuildWitt
Episode: United States Army Corps, Target Market & Freelancers (Building BuildWitt #44) – DT 425
Host: Aaron Witt
Date: March 16, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Aaron Witt shares behind-the-scenes updates from BuildWitt and reflects on a recent visit to the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ EAA Reservoir project in South Florida. He discusses BuildWitt’s evolving target market for their training platform, BuildWitt Improve, and explains changes to their media production strategy with a pivot toward freelancers. As always, the episode blends industry insight with BuildWitt's mission to elevate and educate the next generation in the Dirt World.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The EAA Reservoir Project with the US Army Corps of Engineers

• Host’s Visit: Aaron recounts his tour of the EAA Reservoir, the largest environmental restoration project in the US, hosted by the US Army Corps of Engineers and contractor Odin.

  “It was a really cool visit because I was hosted not by a contractor, but by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. And that is just incredible to me.” (01:24)

• Project Overview:
  • Spans 10,000 acres—a “crazy, crazy area” (02:12).
  • Aims to store water during Florida's wet season to protect the aquifer and Everglades and prevent saltwater intrusion.
  • Involves constructing a giant levee (“bathtub”) and an enormous pump station.
  • The project timeline was dramatically accelerated after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis requested faster progress—and President Trump agreed, reportedly cutting the schedule in half (05:38).
• Environmental Importance:
  • Original water management practices led to excessive drainage, threatening the wetlands and the aquifer which provides water to over 10 million people.
  • The reservoir allows for controlled water distribution and helped nutrients settle out, supporting the wetlands’ longevity.

  “If saltwater comes into the aquifer now, you've spoiled your aquifer, or you have to remove the salt to make it drinking water compatible, which the infrastructure of southern Florida is not currently equipped to do.” (03:25)

• Upcoming Content: Aaron promises a series of videos detailing the project’s phases, from foundational work to active levee construction.

2. Defining BuildWitt Improve’s Target Market

• Learning from Experience: After years of working with hundreds of companies, the BuildWitt team has refined its ideal customer profile for their training and development software.
• Who It’s For:
  • Civil construction companies with over 100 people benefit most from BuildWitt Improve.
  • Aaron explains that at this size, leaders can no longer train and develop team members directly; a structured framework is necessary.

  “Once companies grow past about 100 people, they need a framework to effectively train and develop their people. Because... they can no longer reach everyone regularly.” (09:14)

• Smaller Companies:
  • Still served and important, but the product’s greatest impact is in organizations where the hands-on, direct training of a small business is no longer feasible.
• Broader Mission:
  • BuildWitt’s training platform also supports personal wellbeing—physical, mental, emotional, financial—reflecting the company’s commitment to “treating people like people.”

  “That's a big piece of ensuring that we have the future generation we need to build... is not just treating people like tools, but treating people like people.” (11:22)

3. Adapting the Media Team: The Freelance Shift

• Staff Changes:
  • Early in the year, three team members resigned, prompting a reevaluation of the media department’s structure.
• Two-Focus Approach:
  • Media team will focus on two main content types: training content and influence content.
• Moving to Freelancers:
  • Core team remains for management and quality control.
  • Shift to freelance videographers and editors for scalability, flexibility, and tapping into broader talent pools across the US.

  “The agency model works by having a core team… managing the work, but then allowing the work to be executed primarily by freelance videographers and editors. This allows us to not only scale up and scale down as needed, but it gives us a bigger bench, a broader level of experience and flexibility...” (15:37)

• Benefits:
  • BuildWitt can better match fluctuating production needs.
  • More localized talent, less need to transport crew nationally.
  • Acknowledgment that now, thanks in part to BuildWitt’s efforts, the pool of talent in heavy civil/construction media has grown.

  “Now, partially because of what we've done over the years, there are a lot more people shooting and editing and I think we can leverage them because they're very talented and a little bit more flexible than we could be if we tried to do it all in house.” (18:32)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I started shooting people, you know, building schools and doing driveways. And now here we are able to work alongside the United States Army Corps of Engineers and show people what they're working on.” (01:44)
• “The problem with that is that over time it has begun to be a little too effective... And dry the place out.” (02:38)
• “Bingo bango BuildWitt Improve is there to serve.” (13:46)
• “I'm really excited to build a bench of freelance editors, freelance shooters, to execute the training content that we need... under the direction of our full-time team that's been doing it for many years and is by far the most experienced team when it comes to training content in the civil construction industry.” (17:18)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• EAA Reservoir Project & US Army Corps – Background and scope: 01:24 – 07:52
• Importance of Water Management and Environmental Context: 02:38 – 05:24
• Defining BuildWitt Improve’s Target Market: 08:52 – 13:46
• Media Department Strategic Shift (Freelance Focus): 14:12 – 19:07

Final Thoughts

Aaron concludes with an outlook on upcoming travel, ongoing content production, and an open invitation for listener feedback and questions. Throughout the episode, his tone is enthusiastic, practical, and mission-driven, reflecting BuildWitt’s commitment to both industry progress and company evolution.

For more, contact Aaron at aaron@buildwith.com and “stay dirty everybody.”