Jimmy Talks Construction

In Episode 40 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Jesse Campbell, Construction Manager at City Circle — one of Australia’s largest demolition and recycling companies.

This episode dives deep into the reality of modern construction, from the shift away from traditional builders to project management-driven companies, through to the challenges of scaling large infrastructure projects across Victoria and Australia.

Jesse shares insights from over 20 years in the industry, including his transition from tier-one building into demolition, and how City Circle has scaled to process nearly 2 million tonnes of concrete annually through demolition, recycling, and mate...

In Episode 39 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Jake Gorry, founder and director of Proline Group — one of Australia’s fastest-growing cladding and façade contractors.

Jake shares his journey from starting as a young carpenter working with his dad, to building a multi-division business delivering large-scale commercial cladding projects across Melbourne.

The conversation dives deep into how Proline identified an opportunity in architectural metal cladding, mastered a niche skillset, and scaled from small residential jobs into working with Tier 1 builders on major projects.

Jake breaks down the realities of building a con...

In Episode 38 of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Shane Coleman, founder of Coleman Earth Industries and a former top-tier mining excavator operator.

Shane shares his journey growing up in North Queensland, learning to operate machinery from a young age, and eventually working his way through Australia’s mining industry operating some of the largest excavators in the world.

The conversation dives deep into the mindset required to become an elite digger operator, the importance of work ethic on mine sites, and how performance and reputation follow you throughout the industry.

Shane ex...

In the grand finale of Dirty Business, live and recorded during Conexpo week in Las Vegas, Jimmy Starbuck sits down with David Nicoll, CEO of SANY America, to discuss the future of construction equipment, global manufacturing, and the rapidly evolving heavy equipment market.

David shares his journey through nearly three decades at Caterpillar before joining SANY and leading the company’s expansion in North America. The conversation dives into the challenges of breaking into established equipment markets, building strong dealer networks, and delivering reliable machines and support to contractors.

Recorded during ConExpo in Las Vegas, th...

Episode 4 of the Dirty Business podcast series was recorded live during ConExpo in Las Vegas and features a panel of construction industry leaders sharing their real experiences running businesses in the heavy civil and excavation industries.

Jimmy sits down with:

Devin Dyer (@dirtgearco)

Matt Stanley (@mttstanley)

Eric Jumper (@eric_jumper)

Missy Scherber (@missyscherber)

Powered by SANY (https://www.instagram.com/sanyoceania/)

The group discusses the pressures of running a company, managing crews and equipment, balancing family life with business...

Dirty Business continues in Las Vegas with another construction industry roundtable hosted by Jimmy Starbuck.

In Episode 3, Jimmy sits down with:

Stephanie Dailey (@stephaniebuildsit)

Dane Cotten (@dcexcavation)

Caleb Auman (@aumanlandscapellc)

Sean Coghlan (@shamrockseanj)

Powered by SANY (https://www.instagram.com/sanyoceania/)

Powered by

Each guest brings a unique perspective from across residential construction, landscaping, and excavation. From building luxury homes and outdoor living spaces to running excavation companies, the panel discusses what it actually takes to operate...

Dirty Business continues in Las Vegas with another roundtable hosted by Jimmy Starbuck.

In Episode 2, Jimmy sits down with:

Taylor White – https://www.instagram.com/kwc2000/

EJ Herron – https://www.instagram.com/dig_it_digital_gps/

Zach Taylor – https://www.instagram.com/_taylorthings/

Tom Gardocki – https://www.instagram.com/the_dirt_ninja/

Powered by SANY (https://www.instagram.com/sanyoceania/)

Filmed during CONEXPO week in Las Vegas, the panel dives into the real challenges contractors face — from scaling companies and buildi...

Dirty Business, powered by SANY, launches in Las Vegas with a powerhouse construction roundtable with:

Aaron Witt – https://www.instagram.com/aaronwitt/ Amy Underwood – https://www.instagram.com/the_digger_girl/ Ryan Goodfellow – https://www.instagram.com/rockstructures/ Brian Dietz – https://www.instagram.com/bob_dietz_and_sons_inc/

Powered by SANY (https://www.instagram.com/sanyoceania/)

Releasing through CONEXPO week, this episode dives into the real impact of social media, leadership, growth, and building modern construction companies in today’s market.

In this episode, we discuss...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Martyn Matenga, mining project manager and third-generation earthmover, to unpack what it takes to operate at the highest level in the mining industry.

Martyn has driven everything from 1.5-ton excavators to 1,400-ton rope shovels, commissioned some of the first 60-15 and 60-20 machines in Australia, and held documented production records on Liebherr 996 shovels — moving over 66,000 BCM in 24 hours.

This episode covers:

– Breaking world production records in mining

– What separates elite shovel operators from average ones

– Fuel burn, bucket wear and...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Corey Tomkins from Ideal Group Australia (Brisbane) to break down what it really takes to scale a contracting business without losing your mind, your margins, or your family time.

Corey runs a carpentry contracting business working with Tier 1 and Tier 2 builders across Southeast Queensland, with around 26 staff. He shares the full story — starting his apprenticeship with his old man, learning painful business lessons early (ATO debt, unpaid super, and old-school realities), then building his own company through the chaos of COVID and the pressure of growth.

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Ben Graham, Director of Civil Contracting Solutions QLD, for a brutally honest conversation about building a civil construction business in Queensland.

Ben shares his journey from working on tier one basement projects in Brisbane to being told he couldn’t work in the city for 12 months — and what it actually took to start again from scratch with a 5.5-tonne excavator and tipper combo while raising young kids.

This episode gets into the realities most contractors only talk about off camera:

– Walking away from t...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Jeremy Trengove, founder of Dirt Cartel, to unpack what it actually looks like to go out on your own in earthmoving — when you buy a machine first and worry about work later.

Jeremy shares the real story behind buying a 36-ton excavator with no confirmed contracts, having a major job pulled at the last minute, and making thousands of phone calls just to keep the machine working. From mining to civil, wet hire vs dry hire, equipment finance panic, and the brutal learning curve of...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Daniel O’Callaghan, Director of Nature Build in Bendigo, to unpack a raw and honest story of growth, pressure, passion, and resilience in the construction industry.

Daniel shares how a regional Australian builder ended up building a world-class pond for Aquascape in Georgia, USA — for Shaquille O’Neal, the reality of scaling a business to seven staff, and the moment the pressure nearly led to a nervous breakdown.

This isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a real conversation about what happe...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Toby Glass, Director of Tascon Civil Construction, who’s flown over from Wellington, New Zealand, to talk business, growth, and the realities of surviving in the Tier 1 civil space.

Toby breaks down his journey from growing up around concrete and infrastructure work, studying construction management, walking away from uni frustration, and eventually buying into the family business at just 23 years old. Now six years in, Tascon operates in a tight niche delivering specialist structural concrete, retaining walls, and complex civil packages for Tier 1 and Tier 2 contractors.

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Brenton Davey, Managing Director of Control Tech Solutions, to unpack a no-BS story of how a business scales from shovels and a trailer to running vacuum excavation trucks on major projects.

Brenton explains how working in NBN fibre rollout led to his first opportunity, why new safety requirements pushed the industry toward NDD / vacuum excavation, and the moment unreliable subcontract trucks forced a make-or-break decision: buy the first vac truck or stop moving forward.

This episode dives into the real...

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with Phil Yates, founder of Versatile Plant Hire & Contracting, to talk about what it really takes to build and operate a successful plant hire and contracting business in regional Western Australia.

Operating out of Kalgoorlie, Phil shares insights from the frontline of civil construction, mining support, and heavy equipment hire, where reliability, reputation, and resilience matter more than hype.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Phil to keep up with...

George Passas (Founder of Pascon & Builder Elite) - Jimmy Talks Episode 29

In this episode of Jimmy Talks Construction, Jimmy sits down with George Passas, founder of Builder Elite and Pascon, for an honest, no-BS conversation about the realities of running a construction business when everything goes wrong.

George opens up about being locked into high-risk construction contracts during COVID, how poor contract structures nearly destroyed his business, and the brutal reality of losing over $1,000,000 in a single year. He breaks down what that period taught him about risk management, cash flow...

In this episode, Jimmy has a chat with Colm Phibbs, the MD at Cono Services. Colm talks about first moving from Ireland to Australia during the Global Financial Crisis, and building his business from then, to now being a large company which offers bulk excavations, civil, and plant hire services in some of Sydneys biggest projects.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Colm to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

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In this episode, Jimmy has a chat with Mark Kelly. They first met at CONEXPO a few years ago, where Mark was trying to kick start some small business education for himself. They also dive into culture behind business’, especially the importance of manners.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Mark to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Mark:

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-kelly-27427223a/ <...

In this episode, Jimmy has a chat with Jim Penman. An Aussie icon founder of Jim’s mowing, and the wider Jim’s group. Jim discusses why he chose the franchise model and how he built a business that has created more millionaires in Australia, than any other. He also touches on politics and his most recent research project he has been funding.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Jim to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.<...

In this episode, Jimmy sits down with Alastair, former partner of Doherty's Gym, now owner of Victims of Ink, and a welder, to unpack his journey through business and the construction world, navigating some troublesome situations and crowds, including running from the police, dealing with the underworld, and his two-cents on Derrimut gym's.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Alastair to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Alastair:

📸 Ins...

In this episode, Jimmy sits down with Cameron Bongers, co-director of Civelite and LandUrban, to unpack his journey through the civil construction world. Cameron dives into scaling Civelite, the lessons learned building high-performing teams, and the mindset behind growing sustainable businesses in the civil and track building spaces.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Cameron to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Cameron:

🌐 Website: https://www.civ...

In this episode, Jimmy talks to Nouri about his journey in concreting, building the successful concrete city construction. He also discusses his latest venture into developing an app CreteMate, where subbies can find work, and also get reviewed by their employers.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Nouri to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Nouri:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/concretecityconstruction/?hl=en

📸 Instag...

In this episode, Jimmy talks to Chris AI Safety and the innovative features HSE pacific is bringing to Australia. They also go deeper into the relationship of onsite safety, and how it can severely impact productivity, and thus, profit.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Chris to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Chris:

🌐 Website: https://hsepacific.com.au/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hse_pa...

In this episode, Jimmy talks to Ryan about his journey in civil construction, as well as some deep conversations about lessons learnt, and when ego’s got the best of them. They also skim the surface of Australian and New Zealand politics and their impacts on the current state of the construction industry as a whole.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Ryan to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Co...

In this episode, Jimmy talks to Joshua, who's just started his own engineering group. Despite being a young buck in business ownership, Josh has been everywhere and his experience is nothing to be sniffed at.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Joshua to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Joshua:

🌐 Website: https://beardengineeringgroup.com/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beardengineeringgroup/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beardengineeringgroup/

💼 Li...

In this episode, Jimmy talks to Brad about how he got started in the fine art of building skate parks. From illegally riding his BMX on unfinished parks, to building them Australia wide, Brad is one of the best at what he does.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Brad to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Brad:

🌐 Website: https://www.droverprojects.com.au/

📸 Instag...

In this episode, Jimmy talks to Joe about all things heavy haulage, transport, and his journey from truck driver, to general manager at Patlin, a family ran business. He also discusses the biggest challenges and mistakes made in his time...

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Joe to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Joe:

🌐 Website: https://www.patlintransport.com.au/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instag...

In this episode, Jimmy talks to Ivan about all things construction, trucking, agencies, and of course... social media in the construction space. Ivan has done it all from trucking, to running his own earthmoving business, and now most recently, growing Earthworks Hub as a podcast and community resource. If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast.

Follow James and Ivan to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Ivan:

🌐 Website: https://earthworkshub.com.au/

📺 YouTub...

In this episode, Jimmy talks to William Clennett, CEO of Clennett Hire. They discuss the beginnings of his career running Mitre 10 stores in Tasmania, and the journey of growing Clennett Hire in Melbourne over the years.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Will to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Will:

🌐 Website: https://clennetthire.com.au/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clennett_hire/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin...

In this episode, Jimmy talks to Ben Horstmann, the Director of Consolidated Plant Services. Jimmy and Ben talk about the interesting places work has taken them, maintenance in the construction industry, and future plans for CPS.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast.

Follow James and Ben to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Ben:

🌐 Website: https://www.cpsaust.com/

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyTalksConstruction

📸 Instagram: https://www.insta...

In this fiery episode, Jimmy talks to Luke McCrone, the secretary of Victorian Tippers United. Jimmy and Luke discuss the challenges and constant battle around tipper rates, and their knock on effects on both sides of the industry.

If you enjoyed this chat, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Luke to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Luke:

🌐Website: https://ownerdriver.org/

📘Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/955472911237335/

Connect with J...

Jimmy talks to Andrew Moussa, the founder of Groundlvl Media. Andrew discusses the importance of social media to the construction industry as part of its ever changing nature.

If you enjoyed this chat, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Andrew to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Andrew:

🌐 Website: https://groundlvl.com.au/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-moussa-groundlvl/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groundlvl.media/?hl=en

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Jimmy talks to Brandon McRedmond, the founder and managing director of BA Roads. Brandon talks about his journey not only in business, but life and the hardships he's faced.

If you enjoyed this chat, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Brandon to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Brandon:

🌐 Website: https://baroadservices.com.au/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-mcredmond-750113185/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/b.aroadserv...

Jimmy talks to George Dib, a senior business development manager at creditor watch. George dives into the strategies and how creditor watch protects sub-contractors from being done out of money, and making sure you get paid on time. If you enjoyed this chat, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Anthony to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up. Connect with George:

🌐 Website: https://creditorwatch.com.au/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeanthonydib/

📞 Phone Number: +61 479 040 181

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Jimmy talks to Anthony Ring (AGAIN). Ringa returns to deep diver into some topics that they only scratched the surface of last week. Strap in for a episode that goes deep into pressing topics, from business to construction.

If you enjoyed this chat, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share the podcast. Follow James and Anthony to keep up with more stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes of building successful businesses from the ground up.

Connect with Anthony Ring:

🌐 Website: https://www.ringexc.com

📸 Instagram: / anthony_ring_excavations

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Connec...

Anthony Ring (Founder of Ring Excavations) PART 1 - Jimmy Talks Episode 9

Episode 8 of Jimmy Talks - Gerry Noonan (Founder of GeoTech)

Episode 7 - Featuring Denise Zumpe | Founder and Managing Director of CoR Comply

In this episode, we speak with Denise Zumpe about responsibility, safety, and how CoR Comply is leading the way in safety education and training.

CoR Comply Website: https://corcomply.com.au/

Training Courses Mentioned in the Podcast below

1. Critical Concepts under the Heavy Vehicle National Law – Free Use discount code COR117 at checkout. This course was developed in collaboration with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. It’s designed for people who may not be directly involved in dail...

Episode 6 of Jimmy Talks - Jason Styles (Director of EcoTrans)