Dirt Talk Podcast

Jaksot

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  A Skid Steer and a Craigslist Ad w/ Tyler Marks (DT 479) 17.09.2026 1t 46min

  September 17, 2026 A Skid Steer and a Craigslist Ad w/ Tyler Marks (DT 479) Tyler Marks is the founder of Marks Clearing and Grading, a North Carolina land clearing and grading contractor he started at 18 with just a skid steer and a Craigslist ad. He grew the company alongside the Raleigh construction boom, buying oversized equipment before he needed it and betting on the market long before he had the projects to justify it. What started with small grading and clearing jobs grew into an operation supporting roughly 250 families, but Tyler is quick to admit the growth came with plenty of mistakes, bad decisions, and lessons learned the hard way. He explains why owning more equipment doesn’t necessarily mean having a better business, how admitting what he didn’t know helped him earn the trust of experienced operators, and why bringing in leaders more capable than himself became necessary to take the company to the next level. Tyler also shares why he’s focused less on constantly putting out fires and more on “taking the lighters away,” how Marks is developing young employees instead of making them wait years for opportunities, and what it takes to keep growing when the company you started becomes much bigger than you. Follow Tyler on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-marks-aba499238/ Learn more about Marks Clearing and Grading at: https://marksclearingandgrading.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  What You Should Do Won’t Dent The Universe (Building BuildWitt 70) DT 478 14.09.2026 13min

  September 14, 2026 What You Should Do Won’t Dent The Universe (Building BuildWitt 70) DT 478 BuildWitt Update #70– DT 478 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 [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Newest Tools Won't Save Your Company w/ Christian Weibell  (DT 477) 10.09.2026 1t 40min

  September 10, 2026 The Newest Tools Won't Save Your Company w/ Christian Weibell  (DT 477) Christian Weibell is the VP of Engineering at BuildWitt, a software engineer with a PhD in instructional psychology and technology, and a former excavation contractor who spent eight years running a construction company while building a career in tech. He taught himself excavation by renting equipment, watching hours of YouTube, and figuring jobs out as he went, eventually growing from side projects into commercial work before finding his way back into software. That strange mix of dirt, software, and learning science now puts him in a unique position to think about where construction is headed. Christian explains why the biggest opportunity with AI isn’t replacing operators with autonomous machines, but helping the people already in the industry work faster, learn better, and make better decisions. He breaks down why AI today feels a lot like the internet did in the late ’90s, what construction leaders are getting wrong about adoption, and why the companies that win won’t be the ones chasing the newest tool—they’ll be the ones that figure out how to make their people better with it. Follow Christian on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcjw/ Learn more about BuildWitt at: https://buildwitt.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The World's Best Sales Strategy (Building BuildWitt 69) DT 476 07.09.2026 24min

  September 7, 2026 The World's Best Sales Strategy (Building BuildWitt 69) DT 476 BuildWitt Update #69– DT 476 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 [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Artificial Intelligence Isn't Taking These Jobs w/ Darren Paulson (DT 475) 03.09.2026 2t 4min

  September 3, 2026 Artificial Intelligence Isn't Taking These Jobs w/ Darren Paulson – DT 475 Darren Paulson is the VP of Product at BuildWitt and a construction technology veteran who spent more than two decades managing systems, data, and technology across some of the largest civil and concrete operations in the West. He’s touched nearly every corner of construction tech, from business systems and GPS to the tools contractors are now using to rethink how work gets done. He breaks down why construction has historically struggled to adopt new technology, where AI can actually make a difference, and why the goal shouldn’t be replacing the people doing the work. Instead, the best technology should eliminate the paperwork, repetitive processes, and other nonsense that gets in their way so they can spend more time doing what the industry exists to do: build. Follow Darren  on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darren-paulson-51aa43149/ Learn more about BuildWitt at: https://buildwitt.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Knock Before Kicking In Doors (Building BuildWitt 68) DT 474 31.08.2026 19min

  August 31, 2026 Knock Before Kicking In Doors  (Building BuildWitt #68) BuildWitt Update #68– DT 474 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 [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Invisible Billion-Dollar Industry w/ David Giannetto ( DT 473 ) 27.08.2026 2t 9min

  August 27, 2026 The Invisible Billion-Dollar Industry w/ David Giannetto ( DT 473 ) David Giannetto is the CEO of Felix Construction, a 500-person water and wastewater contractor based in Phoenix. He converted Felix to an ESOP in February 2025, cut turnover in half within the first year, and watched profitability follow. Follow David on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-giannetto-882aa511/ Learn more about Felix Construction at: https://felixconstruction.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  My All Time Best Move In Business  (Building BuildWitt 67) DT 472 24.08.2026 37min

  August 24, 2026 My All Time Best Move In Business  (Building BuildWitt #67) BuildWitt Update #67– DT 472 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 [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  He Says What Other Lawyers Won't w/ Matt Margolis (DT 471) 20.08.2026 1t 45min

  August 20, 2026 He Says What Other Lawyers Won't w/ Matt Margolis (DT 471) Matt Margolis  w/ Margolis Law – DT 471 Matt Margolis is the founder of Margolis Law, based out of West Palm Beach, Florida. He built his entire practice on being the only lawyer in the room willing to tell clients what their contracts are actually doing to them, and one of the few legal voices in the industry making the case that most construction companies are one bad clause away from a problem they never saw coming. He breaks down why the standard construction contract has become a weapon that protects nobody, and why the contractors who treat legal as an afterthought aren't just taking on risk, they're handing it to everyone around them. Follow Matt on LinkedIn at:  Learn more about Margolis Law at: https://www.margolispllc.com/lets-get-started Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Power of “I Am Sad” (Building BuildWitt 66) DT 470 17.08.2026 17min

  August 17, 2026 The Power of “I Am Sad” (Building BuildWitt #66) BuildWitt Update #66– DT 470 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 [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Building Something Worth Staying For w/ Jim Rhodes  (DT 469) 13.08.2026 1t 52min

  August 13, 2026 Building Something Worth Staying For w/ Jim Rhodes  (DT 469) Jim Rhodes is the Senior Vice President at Wayne Brothers Companies, a 750-person civil construction firm operating across the Southeast, the Chairman of ReGroup Carolinas, an Industry Advisory Board Member at UNC Charlotte. He reveals why the industry's workforce problem is a leadership problem disguised as a labor shortage, and why the companies willing to share ownership aren't just retaining people — they're building something worth staying for. Follow Jim on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-rhodes-8a032367/ Learn more about Wayne Brothers at: https://waynebrothers.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Shared Principles Make Big Decisions Easy (Building BuildWitt 65) DT 468 10.08.2026 17min

  August 10, 2026   Shared Principles Make Big Decisions Easy (Building BuildWitt #65) BuildWitt Update #65– DT 468 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 [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Your Labor Shortage Is a Leadership Shortage w/ Nic Parish (DT 467) 06.08.2026 2t

  August 6, 2026 Your Labor Shortage Is a Leadership Shortage w/ Nic Parish (DT 467) Nic Parish is the CEO of Burns Dirt, a civil construction company his grandfather and great-uncle started with two dump trucks in 1977, and a speaker who showed up to his first major keynote expecting 40 people and walked into a standing-room audience of 250. He spent a decade quietly stepping into a leadership role he never formally asked for, only to find himself mid-conversation trying to untangle a decade-long family buyout while figuring out who he was inside a company built by the people who raised him. He reveals why construction's people problem isn't a skills gap but a leadership gap, and why the contractors still blaming the next generation for being unprepared are ignoring the fact that they're the ones who raised them. Follow Nic on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicparish/ Learn more about Burns Dirt at: https://www.burnsdirt.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  The Secret Formula For Winning (Building BuildWitt 64) DT 466 03.08.2026 21min

  August 3, 2026   The Secret Formula For Winning (Building BuildWitt #64) BuildWitt Update #63– DT 466 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 [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Your Office is an Operating System w/ Sean Dineen (DT 465) 30.07.2026 1t 43min

  July 30, 2026 Your Office is an Operating System w/ Sean Dineen – DT 465 Sean Dineen is the founder of Iron Age Office, a furniture company he built from a single desk listed on Etsy while coaching soccer as a 23-year-old Brit who had just arrived in America with a graphic design degree and no plan. He faked a full product catalog using digitally rendered images until the real orders started coming in, grew the business to 60 employees and an 80,000-square-foot workshop making everything in the US, and quietly became the construction industry's most unexpected vendor. He reveals why your office isn't furniture but an operating system for culture, and why the contractors still treating their workspace like a bank lobby aren't just missing a design opportunity — they're leaving their people with nothing to believe in. Follow Sean on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seandineen90/ Learn more about Iron Age Office at: https://ironageoffice.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Why Airport Stress is a Fool’s Errand… (Building BuildWitt 63) DT 464 27.07.2026 28min

  July 27, 2026 Why Airport Stress is a Fool’s Errand… (Building BuildWitt #63) BuildWitt Update #63– DT 464 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 [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Betting on People, Not Balance Sheets w/ Bryan Peters (DT 463) 23.07.2026 1t 39min

  July 23, 2026 Betting on People, Not Balance Sheets W/ Bryan Peters (DT 463) Bryan Peters is the founder of AdvanceTrac Equipment, a construction equipment rental company he built from a single used skid steer in 2021 while working a full-time job, and a former operator in the family equipment business that first lit his entrepreneurial fire at age 14. He walked away from a comfortable salary, went all in on his own company, and spent a year navigating far more uncertainty than he expected before the business finally found its footing. He reveals why construction's fragmentation isn't the industry's liability but its greatest asset, and why the only way to fix a broken industry isn't through institutional capital or consolidation but through small businesses that choose to pour into their people instead of chasing a number on a balance sheet. Follow Bryan on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-peters-095a2745/ Learn more about AdvanceTrac Equipment at: https://www.advancetrac.net/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Arctic Circle to Dutch Steel Mill  (Building BuildWitt 62) DT 462 20.07.2026 25min

  July 20, 2026 Arctic Circle to Dutch Steel Mill  (Building BuildWitt 62) DT 462 BuildWitt Update #62– DT 462 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 [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  Why Your Construction Company Needs a Brand Not Just a Logo w/ Chase Harris (DT 461) 16.07.2026 1t 44min

  July 16, 2026 Why Your Construction Company Needs a Brand Not Just a Logo w/ Chase Harris (DT 461) Chase Harris is the founder of FieldWrk, a branding and marketing agency built exclusively for the construction industry, and a former creative lead at BuildWitt who helped shape the brands of some of the most recognized contractors in America. He bought the creative side of the business he helped build, becoming an overnight business owner, and spent a year figuring out who he was as a leader before figuring out where the company was going. He reveals why brand isn't a logo or a website but rather an operating system,  and why the contractors ignoring it aren't just losing talent, they're leaving their culture to chance. Follow Chase on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-harris-887076a8/ Learn more about FieldWrk at: https://www.fieldwrk.co/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  From Manhattan to Marble (Building BuildWitt 61) DT 460 13.07.2026 16min

  July 13, 2026 From Manhattan to Marble (Building BuildWitt 61) DT 460 BuildWitt Update #61 – DT 460 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 [email protected]! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices