Redefining Success: Adam Swain on Building Lives Not Just Jobs Ep. #24

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: In The Mix with Marvin Joles
Episode: Redefining Success: Adam Swain on Building Lives Not Just Jobs (Ep. 24)
Date: March 16, 2026
Host: Marvin Joles
Guest: Adam Swain, Owner of 633 Construction

This episode explores how Adam Swain is using his construction company as a vehicle to positively impact lives, not just build infrastructure. Marvin and Adam discuss the meaning of true success, the importance of workplace culture, second chances in hiring, mental health in construction, and how faith and community drive both personal and business growth. The conversation is candid, touching on personal stories, industry challenges, and the hopeful future they see for construction as more than just a job site.

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Key Discussion Points

Adam’s Background and Journey to Construction

• Early Career and Shift from Engineering to Construction
  • Adam started as a civil engineer after graduating in Florida but found the white collar world "very different" and “a little bit more pretentious” than life on the construction site.

    "The real people work in construction. These people... they have fun stories." – Adam Swain (03:06)

  • Moved to Colorado Springs seeking a life in the mountains and more meaningful work with “real people.”
  • Initially aspired to be a missionary engineer overseas.
  • Decision to be a "mission to our backyard" by bringing connection and support to the construction site culture.

Founding 633 Construction

• Building the Business from the Ground Up
  • Adam spent 1–2 years bidding projects on the side before leaving his engineering job.

    "It was a tough part of my life… I loved just running the excavator on the weekends." – Adam Swain (09:11)

  • Made the leap when faced with projects too big to handle solo; began hiring staff.
  • Adam’s wife, also a civil engineer, became his greatest support and sometimes worked alongside him in the field.
  • The name "633 Construction" comes from Matthew 6:33, emphasizing a higher mission.

    “I want to make God's name great… I've clung to that verse my whole life.” – Adam Swain (11:16)

Balancing Faith, Family & Business

• Integrating Faith Without Imposing
  • Adam clarifies he is not “shoving anything down anybody’s throats,” but focusing on "caring for the human in the construction job."
  • Faith provides the foundation for decision-making, forgiveness, and leadership style.

Culture, Second Chances & Employee Impact

• Culture of Care and Second Chances
  • Story: Two employees, both passionate about the mission, missed work and Adam discovered they were both in jail. Rather than firing them as many would, he offered forgiveness and a second chance.

    “I see potential in them. I see remorse. I want to be like Jesus to them and forgive.” – Adam Swain (19:40)

  • Resulted in greater trust, renewed excitement, and employees investing in each other's wellbeing.
  • Noted that one employee, who isn’t religious, was so impacted he suggested starting prayer circles.
  • Marvin emphasizes the importance of not pretending to be perfect in this industry.

    "That's the biggest lie ever, that everybody's perfect. That's... It's damaging." – Adam Swain (25:26)

  • Comments on the role of social media in fostering unrealistic expectations and the challenges facing the younger generation.

Mental Health and Open Conversation

• Changing the Conversation in Construction
  • Adam shares that 633 Construction intentionally creates space for one-on-ones about not just work, but life and mental health:

    "How are you really doing? What's going on at home? How was the AA meeting?" – Adam Swain (27:57)

  • Employees have begun to support each other, putting words to their mental state, breaking the stigma around "toughness."
  • Marvin shares his own coping strategies, including using Better Help and leaning on peer conversations for support.

    "We have to go to work today” becomes “we get to go to work today.” – Marvin Joles (31:55)

Growth, Team Building & the Future

• Recent Growth and Vision
  • 633 now operates two full-time crews year-round, hitting their stride and scaling the impact.
  • Adam’s mission: "Take care of people in construction in Colorado at scale and get good people on board with that mission.”
  • Positive feedback loop: employees at all stages support each other — those in good places help lift those who are struggling.

    “It’s just this great positive feedback loop that I’m excited to see unfold.” – Adam Swain (34:30)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

• On Construction People:

  "The real people work in construction. These people... they have fun stories."
  (Adam Swain, 03:06)

• On the Name of the Business:

  “Let's see if I can name it after God and see what we can do with that… Matthew 6:33… that's been a verse that I've clung to my whole life.”
  (Adam Swain, 11:16)

• On Second Chances:

  “I want to be like Jesus to them and forgive, you know, and what that did is that created this, this trust, this appreciation for what we're really doing here.”
  (Adam Swain, 19:40)

• On Accountability in a Faith-Based Business:

  "If you run a faith based business... your employees have an opportunity to keep you accountable."
  (Marvin Joles, 18:14)

• On the Perfection Myth:

  "That's the biggest lie ever, that everybody's perfect. That's... It's damaging."
  (Adam Swain, 25:26)

• On The 'Get To' Mindset:

  "'We have to go to work today' becomes 'we get to go to work today.'"
  (Marvin Joles, 31:55)

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Important Timestamps

• 03:06 – Adam describes his shift from engineering to construction and the culture difference
• 11:16 – Naming 633 Construction and its Biblical foundation
• 19:40 – Adam's story of forgiveness and second chances for employees who struggled
• 25:26 – Discussion of the "perfection myth" in social media and real life
• 27:57 – Adam explains how he builds real conversations about mental health into team culture
• 31:55 – Marvin talks about the importance of mindset and gratitude in construction work
• 34:30 – Adam shares the growth and positive culture reinforcing itself at 633 Construction

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Where to Follow & Final Thoughts

• Connect with Adam Swain:

  • LinkedIn: Adam Swain (LinkedIn page)
  • Website: 633construction.com

  "Just post and see what happens. So I'm trying to be authentic." – Adam Swain (34:38)

• Host’s Closing Thought:

  "If a lot of us do a little shift, that's a big thing… If we can all do a little bit and start having a bigger impact, I truly believe we can change the perception of what's normal for conversation and mental health in the construction space."
  (Marvin Joles, 35:17)

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Summary Table: Episode at a Glance

| Segment | Timestamp | Key Points | |------------------------------------------|------------|---------------------------------------------------| | Adam’s Background & Motivation | 03:06 | Shift from engineering to construction; values | | Naming & Faith Foundations | 11:16 | 633 Construction, mission-driven leadership | | Second Chances, Culture & Loyalty | 19:40 | Forgiveness, trust-building, accountability | | Addressing Perfection & Mental Health | 25:26 | Dismantling the perfection myth, mental wellbeing | | Growth & Vision | 33:07 | Scaling positive impact, team culture | | Contact & Authenticity | 34:38 | LinkedIn, honesty in business and social |

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This episode offers a hopeful and realistic look into how construction businesses can become communities that enrich and rebuild lives, not just infrastructure—guided by faith, forgiveness, and intentional culture. It's a must-listen for anyone in or around the asphalt and construction industry seeking to redefine what success looks like.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Welcome to in the Mix, paving the way to insight, education and entertainment in the asphalt industry. Your host, Marvin Joel's a Best of Web Pavement Award winner, knows the blacktop community and what it takes to win in this industry. Each episode you'll hear real stories, expert insights and road tested strategies from the people who make up the asphalt world and beyond. Whether you're paving parking lots, ceiling driveways, striping lines, or innovating asphalt tech, this is the podcast for pros who keep the industry rolling. Now here's Marvin.

[A]

Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode and thanks for joining us and being in the Mix. As you guys know, I'm always scouring social media. I don't really like dive in and like get obsessed with it, but I pop in here and there and the algorithms are doing a great job of showing me what I want to see in the brief moments that I'm there. I was on there a couple weeks ago and as you guys know, I've been talking with Dr. Vince Halfeli quite a bit and you know, now I think my phone is listening to me because we talk a lot about mental health and the asphalt construction industry and all those spaces and we also talk about uplifting stories and whatnot as well as well as everything else. But the algorithm showed me a post and I didn't know if was connected with our guest today or not at that time. I don't think so because I think I connected. Then I was like, hey, I want, I want to know more. But I seen a post from Adam Swain and it grabbed my attention and I was like, this is what I like to see. This is what I hope for, you know, having two young, young children, which they're not only that young very much anymore. My daughter got her permit and Eli's got armpit hair. So I don't know how young you can be, be in that realm, but it made me hopefully for what our industry brings. So I would love for you to introduce yourself, Adam, and let people know kind of your business and where you're at and we can kind of go from there.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Marvin. I'm in the same place as you. I am so excited about the potential that we have in our industry and I just want to be part of the movement, the revolution to help bring construction into the 21st century. But yeah, I, I grew up in Florida, went to school there, and then I moved shortly after to Colorado Springs. And, you know, I got an engineering job, got my license, but decided I wanted to be, to be in the field with people. Back in my, in my Florida days, I was a inspector on construction sites and I was, I worked other trade jobs and ultimately I decided like, man, the real people work in construction. These people. Yeah, these people talk about anything, man. They have, they have fun stories. And then I worked this white collar job and it just was, it was very, very different. I felt like people were a little bit more pretentious. It was, yeah, it was tough.

[A]

What job was that? What job was that?

[C]

Yeah, I worked as a civil engineer,

[A]

as the design engineer down in Florida,

[C]

actually here in Colorado.

[A]

Oh, they're in Colorado. Okay, so you're in, you're in Florida working for a construction company there. Did you go to, you went to college in Florida?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And then you got your engineering degree in Florida or did you go for engineering? Okay, cool, cool. And then what was the move for Colorado Springs, man?

[C]

My wife and I got married in Florida and decided we were made for the mountains. So that's what we did.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, dude, I've been there. Pulpit Rock, I climbed that sucker. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that's not a huge accomplishment, but for 300 pound Marvin, that was a huge accomplishment.

[C]

That's sweet.

[A]

When I climbed up there. Yeah, yeah. And then I was at the top of Pikes Peak, but I didn't climb it. So. Yeah, okay. My buddy, my buddy Jason did. But yeah, it's a beautiful place out there. That's a wonderful place to pick for sure.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Colorado Springs is the prettiest place in

[A]

the U.S. hey, hey, I gotta ask you a question. There's an ice, there was an ice cream shop there called Something Gold. I can't remember what it was, but it was an ice cream shop and it was like kind of like disco themed. I can't remember what it was like frozen gold, something like that. Dude, it was so good. I wish. I'm gonna look up, I'm gonna look it up. I'm gonna text you after the show and be like, hey, this is. And if they still got it, you gotta take your wife there. She'll be like, you're the best. I think this is the best find. But. So you get to Colorado Springs working a white collar job and then what?

[C]

Yeah, well, I got the itch. This. I, I knew I needed to do something. So actually in college I wanted to be a missionary. I, I decided I'm gonna, I'm gonna save a bunch of money, I'm gonna help support myself and I'm gonna do engineering overseas. I'm a Christian so I believe certain things. And I thought, man, I'm gonna take my faith overseas, help create better lives for other people just in underprivileged places of the world. But first I'm just going to work this job, make some money. But we always remembered what it was like to be on the construction site. I described that underprivileged part of society and people that just want connection and conversation. And my wife and I were thinking like, man, we had that back in construction. So the desire grew, the mission grew. Let's be a mission to our backyard, to the construction site and let's build something really great where we can connect with people and love people at scale.

[A]

When you're investing in asphalt equipment, trust matters came International designs and builds sealcoat units, infrared heaters, asphalt hot boxes and other asphalt maintenance equipment for contractors, municipalities and professionals across the industry. We run KM Sealcoat units because they're built tough, they perform in the field, and we trust the people behind the brand. Another big reason we stand behind km. Their equipment is made right here in the usa. Their mission says it best. Innovative asphalt maintenance solutions. To learn more, visit kminternational.com call 810-688-1234 or email salesminternational.com isn't that a common theme? Like when we go to like I go to church on Sundays and I've been fortunate enough to go on a number, a good number of mission trips to Guatemala and whatnot now and it seems like that's a theme when we come back, right? Everyone's like, they always look at us when we come back and like, oh, it was such a great thing you did over there. Whatever. And there's always somebody from your team who's like, our mission field is right here too, though. It's right in our backyard. Like, it's in our town. You know, I was telling you before, we got a small rural area, rural population, knows everybody for the most part anyways, but so we know, like, hey, people could use some help right here too. And I think that that's what attracted me to the, the post that you put up on LinkedIn where I, where we started talking was like, like, I think that we overlook sometimes the fact that we do have people who want to better their lives. They may not have the means, the know how, or the avenues to do it, but ironically, through business ownership, you create opportunities for people to get into avenues where if they're ambitious enough, if they have the right character or if they are willing to learn the right character or adapt some of these traits, they can create some of these things in their lives. And that's really where I started going. So you see that, like, you and your wife see that, and you're like, okay, we, we know that these people exist here. We know that we may be able to do that. But the craziest thing is that you have used construction to create this avenue. Elaborate a little bit more for us.

[C]

Yeah. You and maybe other listeners might know that it's really difficult to start a construction business.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Yeah. So I spent maybe one to two years bidding small projects, doing work on the side while working my white collar job and, you know, just still trying to do everything. It was, it was a tough part of my life.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But, you know, I loved just running the excavator on the weekends and how

[A]

old were you, Adam, when you were doing all that?

[C]

Yeah, if I can disclose, that was when I was 25.

[A]

Okay. Yeah. So you had, you still had the, the ambition. The 20s ambition is unmatched. And you're 30 start to realize, hey, this, I, I don't quite have as much pep as I did right. My 20s. And it really makes you wish, like, you know, you went hard in your 20s, but you're like, I wish I would have went harder because I didn't, I didn't know that it was going to wane. Like, I didn't know. Like, I'm 39 and I'm starting to feel it now within the last couple years, I'm like, dude, I, I don't want to go as hard as I've been going. Like, I just. And I just can't really. But then you're, you're, you're okay with working seven days a week, 12 hours a day.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. And you know, before kids, and we're

[A]

still working on it, but, you know, grinding. Yeah, yeah.

[C]

Just grind your face off.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But, yeah, I, I wanted to build something, but I know that takes time, it takes momentum. And born was 633 construction.

[A]

Yeah. Where's that name come from? Tell us where the name.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. So I. Trying to overcome the stigma where everybody names their construction company after themselves. Or just something real generic.

[A]

Yeah. Something really top, Apex, Zenith.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like eight. Yeah. Like something that, like the best. A plus one construction, whatever it is.

[C]

Yeah, I get you.

[A]

I get you.

[C]

Exactly. But I'm thinking, man, that. How, how do I turn that into making somebody else's name great? I want to make God's name great. So I'm going to name it after. After God. And there's a Bible verse, Matthew 6:33, says, Seek first His kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. I'm like, man, that, that's been a verse that I've clung to my whole life ever since I became a Christian in college, man. I decided, yeah, let me, let's see if I can name it after, After God and see what we can do with that. And I took a risk, but I think it's. It's great.

[A]

So. So you get a couple years of grinding. Tell us about the leap of being like, okay, I'm ditching this white collar job and I'm going to jump in and we're going to make construction work.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. It was tough to leave that job

[A]

and having some faith.

[C]

Yeah. Oh, man. Yeah. Lots of faith needed for that one.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I was making good money there. You know, I just bought a house, paid a mortgage. It was tough because by leaving that, I would now have not enough income.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I need guaranteed money. Right.

[A]

Which is just again, when you own a construction business, just follow.

[C]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Everywhere. What happened was I just. I got a contract that I couldn't do by. By myself, and I needed to hire people and I needed to do that full time.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

So I tried to do this thing where I was doing work meetings for my car engineering from my car while I watched the other guys work and then give them some direction. And that.

[A]

Yeah, that's a hard one to balance for a while.

[C]

Yeah. So it didn't last very long doing that. And eventually just let them know, hey, by the way, I'm starting a company and I'm leaving now, so.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, so you got going. 63 is born. You make that leap. How do you start? Like, it's just you and you get a couple guys, you, you and your wife. Are your wife doing the office stuff, you doing the office? She helping you? Is she taking, is she doing her own job? Like how do you guys jump into this thing as a couple and get things going?

[C]

Yeah, well, it went from 70 hour days to maybe 90 hour days or weeks. My wife, it might surprise you, she's also a civil engineer.

[A]

Oh, heck yeah. You guys are a couple. You guys are.

[C]

Oh, yeah, we, we have great conversations about dirt around the dining table.

[A]

Yeah, I bet that's super interesting for everybody involved. I'm sure when you guys have a lot of guests over, I'm so. They're super hyped about that.

[C]

Yeah, but she's, she's a unique one. She actually worked on a pipe crew as an internship in college back in Florida. She, she's amazing. She knows dirt. She knows construction too. And, and she caught the same exact mission during the same time I did in, in Florida while we're in college.

[A]

That's some, that's an even yolking going on right there.

[C]

Yeah, better than that. She's amazing. But yeah, we just, you know, push each other to be better and, and she, she supports me from the house, encourages me, and even on some days she has been the gal in the hole helping me check grade as I'm, as I'm digging or we switch.

[A]

So tell us a little bit. Now that you guys got going in 633, get started. What, what size, what type of projects are you guys doing even now? Like, tell us a little bit about what the projects are that you guys do and then we. I'd love to talk about the mission of the business. One of the biggest challenges in concrete work is control. Control over quality, control over timing, and control over cost. Cementech designs and delivers volumetric concrete mixers that are some of the most accurate and technologically advanced in the industry. Their equipment gives contractors real control over schedule, budget, and concrete quality, allowing crews to mix exactly what they need when they need it, without the waste and limitations of traditional barrel mixers. I've been in the same industry circles as cement tech for years, and I've interviewed contractors who run their equipment every day. It works, it delivers. If you want to learn more or to find a dealer near you, head to cementtech.com.

[C]

well, we, we fall in the civil category, so I like to think that we have. We have kind of two divisions, even though they're not quite there yet. But I have dirt kind of a little bit bigger dirt, foundation excavations, other earthwork projects. And then we have kind of civil, which I'll describe as like smaller concrete work, you know, minor excavation and features.

[A]

Y' all are building roundabouts. Yeah, all those roundabouts. I see. Yeah, I get it.

[C]

Yeah, I haven't got to build a roundabout yet. That would be a good one.

[A]

So you guys. So on the earthwork side, dirt work side, you guys are clearing for, like there's a lot of. When I was last in Colorado Springs, that place was booming with people coming in. Is it still in that shape?

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Keeps. Keeps getting voted the best place to live.

[A]

It was just so many. Besides, I split time between here in Nashville and Nashville reminds me a lot of Colorado Springs when I was there in the fact that like there's just tons of people moving there, they want to live there. And there's so many building developments going up. Like I'm seeing earthwork just cleared all the time. You know, I've been off and on there for, for a year. You guys are doing that, doing earthwork and work for big subdivisions or, or bigger buildings too.

[C]

Yeah, and commercial new development. Yeah.

[A]

Cool. Yeah. So we got some dirt world stuff and then we got some civil engineering. Civil work. So asphalt, concrete, we doing that type of stuff? A little bit. Are we doing water retention, water movement, sewer, that type of.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Where are we at? Civil stuff. What Give us a little taste of like what you guys dabble in on the, on that side.

[C]

Yeah, civil can be anything from, you know, curb and gutter to we just finished building a EV charging station, foundations and everything. And dirt. Dirt's really taken off for us more recently actually. But yeah, bigger, bigger excavations, a thousand yards and.

[A]

Yeah, so you need people, you need people to do that type of work.

[C]

Yeah, really good skilled people.

[A]

Yeah, you need good skilled people, which they're also falling out of the sky nowadays, you know.

[C]

Oh yeah. Everywhere.

[A]

Yeah. They're just pounding our doors down for. For jobs. So tell us a little bit. You know, one thing that I'm going to kind of reference a little bit that I got from your LinkedIn post and what you describe. Sometimes when we talk about faith based businesses, for some people it's a huge turn on. Some people it's a huge turn off. You're going to get one or the other. But the one thing is for sure that you know where your owner stands. You know what your owner is about. Right. When we do that, they're not fair weather. You're not usually going to catch them with an up and down demeanor. Right. Most of the time we're going to fall back to that also, just from different conversations, your employees have an opportunity to keep you accountable. If you run a faith based business, right. Because they're going to say, hey, what's it say about it? Because you're going to be preaching sometimes and they're going to preach back to you. But what the underlying tone, what I'm getting to is that's a culture, right. And some of the best businesses in the construction space have the best cultures. So the culture that I derived from the LinkedIn post where you and I connected on was really about what 633 does for the people who work for the business, in the business. So give us a little bit of a description of that, what that's about, how that is at the forefront of what you all do.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, it's a, it's not a small question. It's not an easy thing to, to talk about. But I think at the core, I'm not trying to be super religious and I'm not, not, I'm not making anybody pray. I'm not, you know, gonna shove anything down anybody's throats, you know. Right. Nobody wants that. But at the core, it's caring for the human. In, in the construction job. Here's a, here's a story of, of what happened. So I, I hired two great guys to help run the dirt projects. And you know, we're doing great. They're, they're loving it. They're super on board with the mission to care for people in construction. And then one Monday, they just don't show up. And I'm calling, they don't pick up the phone. And then on Tuesday I'm calling, they don't pick up the phone. And then I get a text, kind of a cryptic text from one of the guys Tuesday night, like, hey, I'm okay, just a little shaken up. And what I did is I actually went and ran just on a hunch. I, I checked the corp system and, and they're, they're both in there. They're both, they both got themselves in trouble. They were, they told me they felt like they were on a great trajectory for their life. And then they, you know, DUI and other issues with the other guy. They're yeah, it was really tough. It was horrible for the business and that was going to put us in a really bad spot. And you know, the one guy was super, super sorry, the other guy was too. And, and I had to make the difficult decision like most people would let them go for putting them in a really bad, putting me in a really bad spot. But I decided like, you know, let's, let's give these guys a second chance. I see potential in them. I see remorse. I want to be like Jesus to them and forgive, you know, and what that did is that created this, this trust, this appreciation for what we're really doing here and this renewed excitement for the mission to take care of people. And, and I'm, I'm so on fire for what these guys are doing now. And they, they are too. One of the guys, he's not a, he's not a Christian or religious or anything, but he's like, man, we should start little prayer circles because this is great.

[A]

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[C]

Yeah. Yeah, man. That's the biggest lie ever, that everybody's perfect. That's. It's damaging. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And I think that's why we're seeing such issues with this younger generation. And just think about the. The depression and the suicide is. What do they get on their phones and scroll and see? And it's. It's really challenging to try to overcome.

[A]

Yeah. I want to ask you a little bit about, like, imagine you have some conversations with the guys that work for you and gals that work for you. Do you think that there's more ambition for 633 success from the overall team when they know that the mission is for the success of the people that work there? Do you feel like, yeah, Absolutely.

[C]

And even more so, people see that the ambition, the mission is to impact the whole Colorado Springs construction industry. And they get behind that too. To love everybody and take care of everybody in construction. Not just about themselves and raising themselves up. But yeah, it's really sweet.

[A]

Do you find that employees and people that work for you, work with you, they're more open to conversation about personal things, being with that type of thing. Because, I mean, we talk, we talk with a lot of, you know, Dr. Hafeli has spoken a lot at different events in the asphalt industry and construction industry around the world. And one of the biggest things is, hey, we need to get a protocol in where, like, we can get people to talk about what's up and what's going on with their lives. Because, you know, construction man, we're calloused hands, torn jeans, you know. Yeah. Button button shirts. And we're, we're trying to, we pack our own lunch. We're trying to get through the day and we're tough as nails. We ain't gonna talk about any of that stuff, man. Yeah, we're tough, dude.

[C]

Oh, yeah. But with.

[A]

The longer we do that, the worse it gets. And like, for us, trying to crack that stigma is, hey, we got to talk with somebody. We're with our work family almost as much, if not more than with our real, real family. We can't just keep burying some of this stuff. Tell us a little bit about that. That you found people to be more open for conversation about that stuff and maybe the effect that you've noticed it's had on, on them and their mental health.

[C]

We create a platform personally for one on ones to get with people and really talk about what's going on, you know, inside. I've had plenty of conversations where, you know, how are you really doing? What's going on at home? How was the AA meeting? Do you feel like you're bringing. Getting community there? You know, questions like that to help really learn, like, where are people really coming from? What can we really do to take care of them? And what's, what's going on in the heart here? And it's really, it's really cool. That's my personal passion, is caring for people in the deepest nooks and crannies. Yeah. And we, we create that environment and man breeds more conversation with each other. I know, you know, the one guy I talked about that went to jail and I guess they both did the same weekend now, now they talk with each other about how they can help each other out personally and what is Going the mental state, like, oh, I'm feeling like putting words to it. I'm actually feeling this today. And we're not that tough as nails culture because we're, we know we're, we're broken too.

[A]

Yeah. But yeah, I think, I think different people need different levels of stuff, right? Like there's some guys who are like, all you need to do is just ask them if they're good. If they say, yeah, I'm good, maybe that's enough. You know, there's some guys where like, you ask them what's up? Listen, man, they want to sit down. We're about to carve out an hour. We're at the, stay after at the shop and hang out and do this twice a week or whatever. Me personally, as I've shared on different podcasts and whatnot, especially with blacktop banner near the end, I started using Better Help online, right, for some therapy just because it was like, I need to talk to somebody that's unbiased in the construction space, doesn't know me and is just like, give me an outside perspective. But at the same time, I'll call up some of my best friends who are construction business owners when I need, when I want to talk about that. You know, I split. I was telling you I spent a lot of time in between Nashville and Wisconsin now. And that's a nine and a half hour drive on clear weather days down my phone, I'm calling my buddies, like, I feel bad for Kyla. Integrity Asphalt. He's getting a call about every time. This last time down, you know, I called a couple buddies and they were both in Michigan, both line stripers. I masked the calls with, hey, I need, I need to know about how to grind up some crosswalks so I can paint new ones. We talked about that for maybe a minute and each of those conversations went an hour and a half. There was not very much about grinding up lines. It was more in a while, how you're doing. And two completely different types of people. One conversation was all about construction. We're talking about, you know, what's been going on in their life and whatnot. The other one, we're talking about higher level stuff, about feeling pressure from not having an exit strategy or what is our exit strategy or how do we downsize to get rid of some of the stress and anxiety in our life. When in our 20s, right, when we were ambitious doing those 90 hour weeks, our goal was to build this empire, right? And now like, man, that the older you get, you realize that's not really what it's all about. Like, I want some time to spend some time with the people I love. I want some free time. I want to enjoy what I do. And I feel like what you guys have figured out at 633 is like, yes, we, we have this thing that we have to do and it's the jobs and we get there, but everything else encompassing around that is towards the mission. So we are, we, we get to. I'm, I'm really fortunate that I've replaced. We have to go to work today to. We get to go to work today.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Right. And it just makes me extremely grateful. And I think like when I, when I've seen your LinkedIn post and to hear what you all were doing, I was like, I think this guy gets to go to work.

[C]

Yeah, it's, it's still a grind.

[A]

Yeah, it's a little sweeter. It's a little sweeter. It's a little easier. It's like, you know, a little bit of sugar on the cough syrup lets you put it down. Yeah, a little bit easier sometimes. This industry gives us more than a paycheck. It gives us the chance to give back. Dream On 3 creates custom sports dreams for children living with life altering medical conditions. Moments to give families hope, joy and memories that last a lifetime. This isn't about attention or headlines. It's about showing up for kids and families during some of the hardest moments of their lives. We believe in the mission of Dream On Three and we're proud to support and help raise awareness for the work they're doing. To learn more, visit dreamon3.org and follow them on Instagram @dream on underscore3. Tell us a little bit about 633 now and like what you guys are up to and, and what you envision for the future.

[C]

Yeah, we, we really started to take off this year. We've got two crews working full time. We worked through the winter which was, which was fantastic. Unless it was snowing outside.

[A]

Yeah. Colorado.

[C]

No, never. Yeah, but I'm excited to see us really take off this year and, and you know, crews going and really impact people at scale. Yeah, we're, we're getting into a groove now where I'm, I'm seeing the teams form good dynamics of, of leadership with each other and that doesn't happen by accident. You know, we, we have to be intentional about building structure for, for everybody. But now we're obviously more revenue than we've ever done and are excited to keep doing more. But the mission is really take care of people in construction in Colorado at scale and get good people on board with that mission. We have a really great mix of people right now. Some are in a tough place, some are in a great spot and are willing to pour out to. To other people. And it, it's just this great positive feedback loop that I'm excited to see unfold.

[A]

Cool. Yeah, we're really excited about what you all are doing. Hopefully we get to connect here. Coming up, where can people follow along with your story, Adam?

[C]

Yeah, I'm on LinkedIn. I've heard a lot of people say just, just post and see what happens. So I'm trying to be authentic.

[A]

Best way to be. That's. That's probably how you're going to have the most success.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah, I think so, man. Thanks.

[A]

Yeah. And then if we want to, if we want to follow along with 633 Construction, we got a website.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, 633 construction.com. i don't do much to the website,

[A]

but yeah, we're not, we're not supposed to. We're supposed to be in the field or somebody else is supposed to the website. Yeah, yeah, right. Best, best ways. LinkedIn though.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Just find me on LinkedIn. Adam Smith.

[A]

Yeah, cool, man. Well, we really appreciate it, man. I appreciate the time. Stay on after I get done here because I got a few connections in Colorado Springs I'd love to connect you with. And, man, just keep posting. Keep posting what you all are. Keep doing what you're doing. You know, it seems like a big task to have a positive impact, to shift something in the construction space and their world in asphalt industry. But if a lot of us do a little shift, that's. That's a big thing. Yeah, right. It's like, it's like, it's like moving that earthwork. If you're gonna put one skid steer out there, they're a long time, bro. Right. Yeah, we can plop like, you know, a couple excavators out there, get a couple loaders, you know, all of a sudden we're moving some earth. Get a scraper out there, we're really gonna start moving some earth. So, yeah, dude, if we can all do a little bit and start having a bigger impact, I, I honestly truthfully believe we can change the perception of what's normal for conversation and mental health in the construction space. And I really appreciate you all having an effect on it there in Colorado Springs.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. And you, you too, Marvin. You. You have no idea the impact that your podcast is making, the amount of people you're reaching, you know yours. There's others in our industry, Dirt Talk. All people like me are sitting at home or working and we're listening to to you guys talk about what this industry needs and is making the industry better.

[A]

Hey, man, we really appreciate it and hopefully we get to catch up soon. For myself here in frosty Wisconsin in April, which is awesome. And for Adam Swain, who's in Beautiful. What's that cave going up towards Pike's Peak? There's a cave to the right.

[C]

Cave of the winds.

[A]

Yeah, dude. Cave of the winds. Been in that bad boy. So for Adam and beautiful. What is that? What's the red rocks there? What's that called?

[C]

Garden of the Gods.

[A]

Yeah, Garden of the Gods, man. You're in a beautiful spot right there. You have to come.

[C]

Yeah, it's ridiculous.

[A]

All right. I'm reminiscing too much. All right. For myself, for Adam, as always, thanks so much for joining us and being in the mix. Till next time. Peace.

[B]

Thanks for hanging out with us on in the Mix. For more on the world of blacktop, head over to marvinjols.com and don't forget to follow Marvin on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube for extra content, behind the scenes looks and industry insights. Be sure to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. And if you got value from today's show, leave us a well worded five star review. It really helps more asphalt pros find us. Catch you next time on in the Mix.