Armed with a Blackberry and mad operating skills, Scott Colclough started PushySix® in 2012 as a YouTube channel affectionately named after his Caterpillar D6. Scott has grown PushySix® into a globally recognized brand with a mission of inspiring the next generation of heavy equipment operators. Scott joins host Missy Scherber to talk about his passion for equipment and technology, as well as his vision for workforce development.
They also dig into:
- The most critical factor for successful technology implementation
- The technologies that will bring the most dramatic change to the industry in the next five years
- The untapped talent pool you’re overlooking
- How your managers and corporate culture are driving away good employees
- Tips for your trip to CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020
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Show Transcript:
Intro:
Welcome to CONEXPO-CON/AGG radio, highlighting the latest construction, technology, and trends to drive your business forward. Coming up in March of 2020, CONEXPO-CON/AGG is North America's largest construction trade show. We bring you expert advice from your favorite brands, start-ups, and industry peers. And for even more news, sign up for our weekly 365 e-newsletter at CONEXPO-CON/AGG.com/subscribe. We've got another great guest on the show today, so let's dig in.
Missy Scherber:
Hi, everyone. Welcome to CONEXPO-CON/AGG Radio. I'm your host, Missy Scherber, and I'm thrilled to introduce a new segment on the podcast called Contractor Conversations. Every month, I'll be talking to your favorite contractors around the country about their projects, work-force development, technology, and of course, equipment. I hope these conversations give you the expertise and support that you need to thrive in a daily work that you do. For those of you that don't know me, I'm a contractor based in Minnesota and I own a demolition and excavating company alongside my husband Trevor.
I'm passionate about our industry, and I want to recognize all the hard work that you do every day to build our world. I truly believe that CONEXPO-CON/AGG is the event where the construction community can come together and belong. And I sure hope you'll join me and my guests at the show in Las Vegas in March of 2020. Now, please, stay connected with me on Instagram where you can join the conversation and stay up-to-date on all the exciting things that are happening at the show that you won't want to miss. Now, let's get started with today's episode.
Missy Scherber:
Armed with a Blackberry and mad equipment operating skills, Scott Colclough started PushySix in 2012 as a YouTube channel affectionately named after his Caterpillar D6. Scott has grown PushySix in to a globally recognized brand with a mission of inspiring the next generation of heavy equipment operators. Today we're going to dig deeper into Scott's passion for equipment and technology as well as his vision for workforce development.well, Scott, welcome to the show.
Scott Colclough:
Thanks for having me, I'm excited.
Missy Scherber:
We're very excited to have you. Now, for those of you that don't know you from YouTube or Instagram, tell us a little bit more about yourself, and more importantly, how you got started in the construction business.
Scott Colclough:
A bit about myself, well, I worked in construction for the past 20 years, holding all different types of positions from a labor operator, supervisor, surveyor, business development manager, purchaser, safety officer, a little bit of bidding and estimating, and equipment trainer.
Missy Scherber:
I love it. I love it.
Scott Colclough:
A lot, yeah.
Missy Scherber:
You've pretty much fulfilled every role, which is really exciting for us to talk to you about that today because I love that you're going to have perspective from every angle. But how did you get started in the construction business? Give us a little sneak peek of what that look like for Scott.
Scott Colclough:
Yeah, sure. So kind of how I got into it, I quit high school at a young age to start working and make money. I don't recommend doing that, but at the time that's kind of what I did. And with that, I worked in a bunch of different roles, but I began on a tree farm. I was I think 16 or 17, and we used equipment, Bobcat, skid steer to dig and transplant trees and stuff like that, and I remember the first time I ever sat in one. I fell in love, I knew this was my passion, this was my calling, I fell in love, like I'm using this machine as an extension of my body, doing what I couldn't physically do. Just the concept of that and the feeling of the machine and you can feel the machine through the controls, I just, I fell in love and it's been game over since then.
Missy Scherber:
That's awesome. So you really felt connected to the equipment even as you were learning, just right away it was instant for you.
Scott Colclough:
Absolutely.
Missy Scherber:
That's so cool. And now tell me the progression because you did Bob Cat for a few years at the tree farm, and then I love the part of your story about becoming a dozer operator, which is kind of the next step. Is that correct?
Scott Colclough:
Yes. That's kind of the next step. So I worked on the tree farm for a little bit and we've done a little bit of landscaping and what not, and I would go to construction sites and development. And the one day, I seen a bulldozer, and I was like, oh my God. I need to run that thing. I need to run that. So, what happened was, I worked on the tree farm at the time I had three kids, one was a new born, and I decided that I was going to make the jump from a tree farmer, landscape into heavy construction so I could operate those bulldozers.
Missy Scherber:
Wow. The bulldozer was calling you huh? Love it.
Scott Colclough:
It was calling me. So, what I had to do is I had to work for another guy for free, I had the bulldozer, excavator so I would work all day then I would go work for free just to get experience on it.
Missy Scherber:
Oh wow.
Scott Colclough:
I did that for a little while and then I was like okay, this is what I'm going to do. I applied for a full time dozer operator position, lied, said I ran a bulldozer for three years, meanwhile I had 10, to 20 hours on it. I kind of faked my way in to it. It was a sink or swim kind of deal. For me with my family, I could not fail, that was not an option. It helped that I had extreme passion for it because, yeah I have a short amount of experience in it, but when I wasn't in it my mind was going over it and thinking about it and just kind of breakdown the whole thing. So that lead me to learning faster than the average person because of my passion for it and stuff like that and I was able to swim not sink, and I didn't look like a newbie on site, so yeah.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah. That's an interesting way to connect how quickly you were able to learn is that you had a passion for it. And is that kind of the advice you'd give to operators that maybe are looking to grow in their career, maybe in the same spot that you were, they're at their first place but they see the big equipment and they aspire to be there. Is passion you say the best fuel to kind of mastering operating quickly?
Scott Colclough:
I think for me it was. I think no matter what you do or who it is, you have to harness some type of drive to push you to be the best you can be, or to get over fears and doubts at your comfort zones to do things, to become great eventually right? So for me, passion is the thing that i harness to help me learn and become successful with what I was doing.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah. That's so great. And then as a dozer operator, how many years were you operating the dozer before you started sharing those stories on social media, because I fell like you were kind of like one of the pioneers on social media to start sharing behind the scenes of being an operator.
Scott Colclough:
Yeah. So I was a dozer operator for maybe, I don't know, five, to seven year prior, now I first went on Instagram actually to use that platform to direct or funnel people from that platform to my YouTube channel.
Missy Scherber:
Okay.
Scott Colclough:
But over time, things have evolve just as I have and it turned in to something much bigger and greater, so.
Missy Scherber:
Right. And now where there many operators on social media at the time? what year was that that you got started?
Scott Colclough:
Instagram was December of 2012.
Missy Scherber:
Wow, okay, awesome. Now, so talk about the transition then, you were operating, you were sharing those stories on YouTube and Instagram. Operators were really loving the behind the scenes, the tips, the tricks that you were sharing. What inspired the PushySix brand that you started and what does that brand mean to you?
Scott Colclough:
Well I think my passion directly inspired me to form PushySix. I wanted to show the world what I was passionate about. I also wanted to bring some type of change to an old industry, help people somehow, some way, that could make a true difference. I figured I could use myself as an example to bring this vision to life in many different ways.
Missy Scherber:
Great.
Scott Colclough:
I believed in myself and I thought, if I could put myself out of my comfort zone, over come my fears, and succeed at something that I built from scratch, even though I was told I was wasting my time by people, other people would see my achievements. That brings positivity and inspires other people to do the same, to do it even though you're scared, do it even though you're told no. The impossible is actually possible if you have the will and drive to do it.
Missy Scherber:
Wow. So it really had a deep meaning to you. It was not just you and your own brand. It was really about the community of potential operators out there.
Scott Colclough:
Yes. And to me, it means the world to me. But its not even about me. It's for a much larger purpose other than myself.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah.
Scott Colclough:
It's for the industry, it's for everyone. In a world driven by hate and greed, I basically decided to sacrifice or use myself and my time, and my life to try and become a role model, and lead people in a positive direction.
Missy Scherber:
Right. And you've done certainly that. I've really, really enjoyed the posts you've shared on Instagram and how you've just kind of neutrally inspired operators at every level. I love watching them the way they connect with you. I mean, they really do trust you, and which is incredible.
Scott Colclough:
Yeah. So I like to think I'm relatable. I have a lot of experience wide range, so I can talk about a bunch of different things.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah.
Scott Colclough:
The thing about me is, I talk the talk but I also walk the walk right? So, people can relate to that, and I stand for something, I have a purpose, I have morals that I stand by. And the one thing is to be honest with people and direct people in a right direction. If I don't believe in something, I won't talk about it. I don't do paid posts, I don't do paid anything. It has to come from my heart, all the posts that I write, I write based on how and what I'm feeling at that current time.
Missy Scherber:
That's so great because I mean, the construction industry can be an overwhelming landscape I feel. And you've done such a good job at just pin pointing specific subjects, equipment and all of that. Now, lets transition a little bit to talking about equipment and technology because that is really what it seems like the operating community has loved talking to you about on social media. But first let's start with the PushySix brand, your logo, what inspired that to give us that quick story?
Scott Colclough:
Yeah, sure. So I built it around the Caterpillars D6T. At the, I was up in the Oil Sands working, building a oil and gas plant, I was operating a D6T. During that time I was trying to form my YouTube channel, and I was trying to come up with a name that was catchy and meant something, and I kind of combined the machine that I was running with what it does, and that's what I came up with, D6 Pushy start, PushySix, and the rest is kind of history right? So, I had a vision and it began right then and there and ever since I've done a bunch of other things to kind of kind of bring that vision to life.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah. That's awesome. So now with that being said, you started in the D6, what where the next few machines that you ran, and of all of them, once you kind of tell us the progression of the equipment you've run. Because I know you've operated bigger machines than the D6. Tell us your favorite after you give us that insight.
Scott Colclough:
Yeah. So I ran D6. What I specialize in is a GPS dozer, specifically my favorite, the D6 equipped with Topcon, Leica, Trimble, whatever. But from there, I ran excavators, from little minis to one that weighed 120 tons to even bigger. Not a lot of time on [inaudible 00:13:54] shovels and stuff like that, I could hop in and do it no problem. But I've ran scrapers, I've ran loaders, I've ran backhoes, I've ran graters. Where I have worked for the last 10 years at Kidco, they have everything.
Missy Scherber:
Awesome.
Scott Colclough:
And they not have everything, they have the really big stuff for doing stuff within the city, which is very uncommon. We`re using full rigid rock trucks, and 657 scrapers and stuff like that within the city. Back here, we build the entire city and the subdivisions that are doing it are massive so yeah, we need mining machines to basically achieve what we`re doing.
Missy Scherber:
Oh that's great. And then the dozer was your favorite, kind of after operating everything, you loved the dozer.
Scott Colclough:
Dozer is my favorite and I`ll tell you why.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah.
Scott Colclough:
I'm big on technology, I'm big on surveys, but I'm also big on kind of helping the work flow of the job site. That's exactly what the dozer does. It'll take a support equipment, doesn't really make money but it helps other equipments. So, in most cases, what the bulldozer does it goes around the job site nonstop, helping other people complete their jobs, or come after to complete the task, get it finished or whatever. The bulldozer is always on the move, unlike an excavator, it gets kind of boring, you're stumping one spot. Where the bulldozer, you're doing different tasks. You may push a pile, and then you may go trim a pond to grade, that excavator is cutting, or you might have to go do some ripping through some scrappers. The tasks are so much more than the average machine.
Missy Scherber:
Wow. I've never even thought about that with the dozer that it's really kind of the one of the support systems of a continuously flowing job site.
Scott Colclough:
Yes.
Missy Scherber:
That's so great. So that's really what you liked about the dozer was that it was nimble, you were kind of hopping everywhere, and supporting everyone, which is kind of really who you are as a person, is just supportive, so that's interesting. Now talk more about the 2D, 3D grade control, and how that increased your productivity and profitability, and you're speaking to the audience here, which also speaking to Trevor and I as we look to invest for our own business and the 3D grade control. Talk to us about the productivity and profitability of that.
Scott Colclough:
Well, I've been pushing machine control since 2007, I've had a lot of push back and I've ignored it because I simply knew what it was all about. It improved efficiency crazy. I can't even find the words to explain how efficient it is. You're only moving dirt once, you're able to see the site built before you build it. You can turn on site and see what you have to do next, you use it to manage the dirt and the job site while you're working. So you kind of not replacing the surveyor, but you have a surveyor on site that is checking nonstop for errors or what needs to be done.
Missy Scherber:
Okay.
Scott Colclough:
Now, where I live, especially in heavy civil construction, you can't even bid on jobs now if you don't have equipmenting your fleet equipped with GPS. That's how efficient it is. All of the governments doing all these roads and interchanges, they all know how efficient GPS is. So if you have machines equipped with that, it's going to cost them less to get that same job done using a contractor with GPS verses one that doesn't have that in their fleet.
Missy Scherber:
Wow. So there's actually a demand in the market place of customers that are aware of what that can do for their job site, how much more efficient it can be.
Scott Colclough:
Yes, absolutely. Now, 2D is great, there's lasers and all this use for different things, which is a good cheaper option than the 3D machine control. But now our machines are beginning to eliminate the need for the 2D. For example, there's grade assist and stuff like that come on in a CAT machine, does the same thing as a 2D, but you don't need a laser. You don't need nothing. It uses sensors within the machine to know where grade is. You set the benchmark just as you would with a laser kind of, and then you do it with the machine. So now you don't need a laser, you don't need a guy on the ground, you don't need the 3D model, nothing. So the 2D is kind of changing. I don't think it's going to be around too too much long, for somethings it will always be there. But that's something I see with the 2D but, all of these things are excellent to invest in.
Missy Scherber:
Right. Awesome, and that kind of leads great in to my next question. And I want to ask this question first from the contractor's perspective and then the operator's perspective but, what advise would you have for contractors when it comes to investing in new technology?
Scott Colclough:
I love this question. I'm going to bring up some points that no one things about. Contractors think it's a great idea. It is a great idea, it's the best one ever. But it's more than just spending the money investing in equipment. You have to train your guys how to use it properly. One of the big thing is you have to manage all of that data. So you need software to go along with it, you need to train people that know how to do it properly, you need operators that know how to use the machine control properly, and know when it's not working. It can be failing or not working, pick up another base from another surveyor, and throw your whole site off an inch to ten feet. If it's an inch, the operator may not realize that if they're not experienced, and you build the whole thing an inch low. So, there's big things like that but you have to train your people, and you have to manage the data. The data is the big one.
Missy Scherber:
Okay. And so you're saying from a contractor's perspective, when it comes to investing in it, they're not just investing in the technology, they're also investing in the operator in training them, but then also trying to do their best to manage the data. Tell me a little bit more about managing the data, kind of describe that a little bit.
Scott Colclough:
You can build the 3D model of your job site a bunch of different ways. A surveyor can go out on foot, take all the points, or you can use LiDAR. So LiDAR is a drone mapping system. It flies over, gets all the contours and points and all that, it gets uploaded in to a program. In that program is where you manage all the points and all the data, and then you can build a GPS model TIN out of that. So, if you don't have someone that doesn't know how to manage that data, you can't build a design that will function in the bulldozer that your operator can use to actually build the site.
Missy Scherber:
That makes sense. So now, the contractor invests in some great technology for their business, you're saying the next piece is really training the operator, which kind of leads to my next question. What advise do you have for operators when they're stepping in to new equipment with new technology?
Scott Colclough:
I guess have an open mind. A lot of people that are kind of new to technology, they don't really see the benefit in it. They just think it's going to take their job away or whatever. It's not until they actually get to use it that they find out really quickly that this is making me a better operator, it's more productive, it is so efficient it's not even funny.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah.
Scott Colclough:
Going in to a new system or whatever, I recommend driving around the site, going through the control box, playing with different things, kind of learning on your own trial and error, what works, what doesn't work, and you go on to online forums and read about different systems and how they work, and there's earth moving forms and stuff about it. But it's a huge learning curve, so I think a person going in to it kind of have to be committed to learning how to use it most efficiently as possible.
Missy Scherber:
Right, right. Now that's one part I'm really excited about, CONEXPO-CON/AGG and why I'm pretty motivated to bring our team of operators. It sounds like the tech experience there is pretty extensive and there's representatives from all the different companies to kind of walk you through the technology and explain it. Is that the experience that you had with the large tech area of CONEXPO?
Scott Colclough:
Yeah. So there's a lot of tech there. The last time I was there in 2017, I was there with Topcon and doing a bunch of interviews, Topcon at their booth and I was directing a bunch of traffic to their technology and stuff like that but, there's lots of techs there beside them, and there's lots of new stuff I think that are going to be released at this show, I don't know, I'm assuming. But the world in every kind of industry is moving towards implementing technology in to everything that they do.
Missy Scherber:
Right. What do you see as the biggest game changer? As you bring that up in the next five years specifically for construction and tech.
Scott Colclough:
This is my favorite question. It's a bunch of different things. Augmented reality is the next big thing. We're going to see a cab of a machine have a seat, and nothing but a seat. You won't need a dashboard, you won't need stage clusters, you won't need a key or push button start, nothing. You'll put on a set of glasses, which is assigned to you so if you're not wearing glasses or the right glasses you can't even start the machine. But you'll put your hand through air to start the machine or to do different functions or whatever. I think it'll still have joy sticks for now, but it's going to remove a lot of electronics in the cabs now, the screens that are tablets now and all this right?
Scott Colclough:
So I see the machines having less electronics to breakdown and malfunction, although it will have augmented reality but I think those electronics can be put somewhere within the machine that is safe. I think it's going to change some stuff like that and going a little bit further in to the future, I foresee augmented reality being paired with a type of AI assistant that can talk to the operator, the operator can talk to the assistant, and tell the assistant what he wants to achieve and how he wants to do it and the assistant can help manage the machine and grade and everything with the operator and kind of working as one right? That's what I see coming.
Missy Scherber:
Wow. That's so exciting, not just from a safety perspective but from quality control. That'd be amazing, and you know what? It gives me hope that maybe one day I could run a dozer.
Scott Colclough:
Wouldn't that be so cool?
Missy Scherber:
We'll have to do that at the show. So we've talked about equipment and technology and I've loved your perspective on that. But without workforce, what good is all the metal and the tech. So, lets talk about that. Many businesses, and this is something we've struggled with, with our business, having severe lack of operators. What can we be doing as an industry to attract more people to this field? So excited to ask you this.
Scott Colclough:
Well, I think we can start out by changing the root problems that are causing these issues, like labor shortage of operators and other positions. I would like to kind touch on one of my favorite topics, women and construction. I'm going to mention something that's never talked about. I think we need to make it more acceptable to get women in to construction, that's talked about. But what isn't talked about is the gender pay gap. We need to close that completely. Women should be paid as much as men in construction. Now, when it comes to the pay gap, construction as an industry is one of the better ones.
Missy Scherber:
Great.
Scott Colclough:
But we're not there all the way. We're at 86 cents on the dollar. So I think we all need to do our part to pay women the same amount and that will maybe attract more women to get in to construction, it won't be so hard if all the men aren't down grading the women and actually work with them, stuff like that. There's a lot of women that we could use as a workforce in construction that could fill all types of different positions from operators to engineers, it's a endless list but.
Missy Scherber:
So you think, lets kind of work on the pay gap to attract more women in to the workforce. Now tell me, really quick, you had an experience where you were training, this was about a year ago, I remember seeing. You trained a woman operator and it was just a great experience. She just spoke the world of you. Tell about that experience quick or what that look like.
Scott Colclough:
I've trained many women, I believe in them, always have. That's why I go out of my way to do it. Yeah, it was a great experience. Now, guys aren't going to like this but in general I find women to be better operators, they're calmer, they don't have egos, they have more finesse, they take care of their stuff there, they clean their machine, it's a huge long list. And when you put all that together, they make the better operator.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah. Wow Scott, I like it. So I think that's a great way to talk about attracting women in to the work force. But what about too, I mean there are a lot of male potential operators I think who maybe love to work with their hands, or love to be outside, and might be in a different career path. What do we do to attract that community of professionals out there in to our industry? What is your thought? What are your thoughts on that?
Scott Colclough:
Well I think our industry in general has many unpleasant sigmas that push people away. So there's some things, like that we need to change together, we need to make it attractive, we need to actually put leaders as leaders. There's a bunch of people that are supervisors and stuff like that, that they're not people persons, they're not leaders, they know how to move dirt. So what happens is yeah, there's production but then you have a bunch of upset people, and high turn over and it's kind of endless right? So, stuff like that.
Missy Scherber:
So kind of push more leaders in to those top positions, those management positions so that people are more inspired to be in the industry, stay in the industry. I think that's great advice. Now here's one I'm curious, what are some things construction companies can do to attract top talent but also retain and keep that top talent? And you're very talented operator so this is I think an important question to ask you. What can we do?
Scott Colclough:
Well to attract them we can change stigmas, we can change the image of construction using social media. I think that's the biggest way to recruit people these days and get out certain messages and what not. We need to connect and encage with these people, and that I think is the biggest way. Now, it's one thing to attract a person, it's another thing to keep or retain them. Now, on social media you're able to control your own image and stuff like this as a company, we're the best company ever, we do this, this, this, we care about our people. And then when they attract the people, hire the people, the people started working, it's a whole different story.
Scott Colclough:
So I see some issues like that happening, not going to mention any names. But that's hurting many different things. But I think we need incentive programs and we need to encage with the employees and make them feel like human beings. We need to involve them, we need to ask for their opinions. People love being involved. They love to be a part of something. We need to involve the people in to the company more than it's ever really been done.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah. Okay.
Scott Colclough:
It's been thought of as a numbers game but it's not. It's a balance between production and empathy of your people.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah. That's so great. That's the best advice and you're resounding kind of a message that I really heard consistently in my interview with Keaton Turner and also Ryan of Rock Structures, where you're really involving your team and you're rewarding them and you're empathizing with them. So I think you just really nailed it when it comes to advising construction companies and what they can do to retain, which what can managers do? Because I know you've been in those management positions to build positive work place culture or moral.
Scott Colclough:
Well, it all starts at the top so it's got to start there. But there's a bunch of different things you can do, and that is start by treating people how you like to be treated. We all need days off, we all have families, we all have problems, and you have to have a balance between production and your people. So retain them, you have to accommodate and you have to be aware and work with your people. There's a lot of people going through a lot of stuff at home. There's depression and there's all these things in our world today that affects people and at work, you're just suppose to suck it up, drop everything and be this person that is invisible, and you get some boss that doesn't even care about anyone and he's dictating, he cares about his production timeline, not about his employees and when we change that type of thinking, I think then we're going to see a huge difference. And we'll be retaining people, and there's a bunch of different changes that will kind of stems from that.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah. That's fantastic advise to really think about finding balance between production and people. I just love the way you put that. So I think one place for people to really find value is that the family reunion we've all been talking about which is CONEXPO-CON/AGG. So let's talk about that. Tell me your first memory of attending CONEXPO-CON/AGG.
Scott Colclough:
Yes. My first memory, I was walking through CONEXPO and I realized I became some type of rockstar online. There was people trying to take selfies with me in the background, people approaching me, oh my God look who it is. During that show I talked several hundred people that recognized me, I stopped to talk to every single one of them.
Missy Scherber:
That's great.
Scott Colclough:
And yeah, so that's one thing. CONEXPO is amazing. It's unlike any other equipment show, its help in Vegas, there's a lot of stuff to see there. It's very big, it's not too big like bauma, bauma is way too big. CONEXPO is perfect.
Missy Scherber:
It's the perfect size.
Scott Colclough:
But going to CONEXPO you need to, you need to do some planning. I've been planned, so I walked everywhere, and I was on the fourth day with two days left or yeah. Two days left, I couldn't walk anymore. I had to rent like a little scooter to boot around on through the rest of the show.
Missy Scherber:
That's awesome.
Scott Colclough:
So, it's a lot of planning but there's a lot of new things at CONEXPO. This is where companies and manufactures, they use this event to premier a new product, and innovations and it's a huge bliss. Everything construction is there. If it's important, it is at CONEXPO.
Missy Scherber:
That's awesome. So if it's important it's there, and there's a lot of passion walking around, but you're saying have a plan of where you want to go. What booths were your kind of favorite to hit in 2017 when you were there?
Scott Colclough:
My favorite booth was CAT booth as usual, Topcon, and engcon actually.
Missy Scherber:
You like [crosstalk 00:37:58]
Scott Colclough:
Yes. I like the engcon booth because you could get in and try the tilt rotator. Now, prior to that CONEXPO, I never seen one in real life. I knew the value in it but I never tried one and stuff like that right? So at their booth I was able to hop inside and actually try it right? So, but there's a lot of demonstrations going on[inaudible 00:38:24] there's some that you can hop in and try yourself, a lot of great things. There's big cranes and there's all sorts of different forms of construction. I like to stay kind of based around earth moving type stuff.
Missy Scherber:
Right. Oh that's so great. Right.
Scott Colclough:
That's kind of where my passion lies.
Missy Scherber:
For sure. So I feel like this is a silly question but what keeps you coming back to CONEXPO? Besides the metal.
Scott Colclough:
It's the people. When I was first there I went to an Instagram meet up, I'm pretty sure it was the very first one ever in the world. I met a lot of people that I knew on Instagram that I talk to about relationships with, and we all met for the first time at CONEXPO and still friends with a bunch of those people today that I'm quiet close with, and I've never experienced nothing like that before. That meet up was crazy, and I thought to myself, man, I can't believe the potential of the stuff that's happening that I never even foreseen. I would've never guessed that there would be an app, or a platform that could actually bring people together like this. All the things, construction, all have the same likes and interest and knowledge and can talk about in real life. That's an amazing thing.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah. So it's pretty powerful then, that people are brought together from the Instagram meet up, and we are working on doing something similar at this next CONEXPO, which I'm excited to come out with the details with but I love that you're connecting, it wasn't just the products and the tech, it was the people and you're saying you still have those relationships till this day.
Scott Colclough:
Absolutely, I do. Yup.
Missy Scherber:
Oh that's great. So I think you've touched on this a little bit, what specific products, technologies, or services have you found there that actually advanced your business in what you were doing? I know you've mentioned Topcon, what other products or tech have you found there that you brought back home and said let's do this.
Scott Colclough:
Well I don't think I really found any that where I work they didn't have that already.
Missy Scherber:
Okay.
Scott Colclough:
Kidco has kind of everything they need. And if they need something they get it. They have a whole division that, that's what they do. So I don't think I really found nothing like that. I found a bunch of different things that were good for other companies that I could make people aware of on Instagram, and YouTube and stuff like that. I think that's kind of the power of me going was not finding something for myself or who I work for but for everybody. So, I went and, I learned about different things and then I passed on this knowledge and made people aware of these other products that no one knew about.
Scott Colclough:
They didn't have any reach. There was no TV commercials, there weren't any news papers, there was no advertisement of these attachments or whatever it may be right? So, that's kind of where I came in. I've done my own research of like hey, these guys are on to something. So then I went out of my way to share with the rest of the world kind of my opinions and what I thought about.
Missy Scherber:
That's great. So really CONEXPO-CON/AGG is the place where you're just going to find it all. You're not going to find it all in a magazine, but you will find it all there in Vegas.
Scott Colclough:
Yes you will, and the thing I do know about events like this is your able to buy machines at the show depending on who it is they may have like see all their specials or show discounts, stuff like that right? So, you're able to kind of buy machines at the show or attachment to software, whatever, cheaper than you would going to a store or online and whatever right? So it's great.
Missy Scherber:
Oh that's great for owners to know. That's good.
Scott Colclough:
Yeah, it's great to go in person so.
Missy Scherber:
And what about too, real quick for operators, why is it important to bring operators to CONEXPO-CON/AGG? Because I know there's a large community of owner operators that go. But tell us really quick, why is it important to bring our operators to the show?
Scott Colclough:
Well, where I used to work at Kidco, they would bring all their foremen. Now there's a bunch of reasons why they bring a foremen. But to bring the operator, that goes in to retaining your operators, you're involving them, you care about their opinions, you're going out of your way to involve them. You can't just give someone a coffee mug and think they're going to be happy so.
Missy Scherber:
Instead of a coffee mug, bring them to CONEXPO, that's great.
Scott Colclough:
Yeah, I know right? But a lot of people who go from companies that are corporate, high level people in most cases, and they're not in the field using these machines, using these products, whatever it may be right? So yeah, it looks good, but what's the operator's opinion?
Missy Scherber:
That's great. And I think that goes back to your whole retention. Can you imagine for companies to just start maybe that's part of the reward program that you were talking about is, if you do good here and there we'll bring you to CONEXPO. I love that you're saying that. Let's transition from the coffee mug to CONEXPO.
Scott Colclough:
Yes.
Missy Scherber:
Well thank you so much Scott. You really hit some awesome things about equipment, technology, workforce development, and attending the show which I'm really excited to see you there. I hope that you will go and a dozer with me and take a selfie.
Scott Colclough:
Absolutely. That's good.
Missy Scherber:
Awesome. So we like to end with a rapid fire round. So I'm just going to have a couple quick questions and I'll let you get back on to the field but, what was your very, very first job?
Scott Colclough:
My very first job was age 13. I was a computer technician. I was building computers and selling hard drives CD-ROMS and floppy drives, that's going back in time a little bit but, that was my first job.
Missy Scherber:
What was your very first car?
Scott Colclough:
My very first car was a 1981 Lincoln Continental Lowrider, equipped with air ride suspension, I could bounce the front of the care off the ground and it had jingle balls and the whole works.
Missy Scherber:
That's awesome. Now if only we could do that in the equipment huh?
Scott Colclough:
Yeah I know.
Missy Scherber:
Now if you weren't doing this, what would you be doing? Which I don't think, I don't think that's a question for you.
Scott Colclough:
That's a tough one because this is, it's made me in to who I am, and it's everything that I am but, if I had to pick something I would say probably racing cars of some sort. I'm a huge car fan so.
Missy Scherber:
Great, great. I heard CAT team is looking.
Scott Colclough:
No I'm not that good but.
Missy Scherber:
No, come on. Now what song gets you pumped up in the morning?
Scott Colclough:
That's a tough one. I've been trying to think about that and it's a bunch but I would have to say Til I Collapse from Eminem.
Missy Scherber:
Oh that's a good one. Who is one person you wish you could have dinner with?
Scott Colclough:
Mike Rowe.
Missy Scherber:
Oh good. Yeah, he's great isn't he? He'll be at the show.
Scott Colclough:
There are a lot of similar things between me and him I think and we could relate to each other and stuff so.
Missy Scherber:
And then what is your favorite piece of equipment and why?
Scott Colclough:
The Caterpillar D6XE. It has evolved from the D6T to XE
Missy Scherber:
And that's your favorite?
Scott Colclough:
That's my favorite for a bunch of reasons but.
Missy Scherber:
Yeah. And last but not least, your favorite gas station food because we all know that is a part of our life as construction workers.
Scott Colclough:
Good old cheese filled jalapeno smoky.
Missy Scherber:
Oh. Cheese filled Jalapeno smoky. Is that in the hot, kind of the hot, where is that? That sounds amazing.
Scott Colclough:
Yeah, it's in the hot thing at 7-11 or whatever.
Missy Scherber:
I love it. Awesome. Well thank you so much Scott. I know you're a very busy guy and we just so appreciate your incite and knowledge and wisdom that you've given us today, and we are really excited to see you at the show so thank you again for your time.
Scott Colclough:
Awesome. Thank you very much for having me.
Missy Scherber:
Of course, have a great day.
Scott Colclough:
You too.
Outro:
And that's going to rap up this edition of CONEXPO-CON/AGG radio. If you like the show and think other people should listen too, make sure to subscribe and maybe leave a review on iTunes. We'll be back next time with another great guest. Until that time be sure to visit CONEXPO-CON/AGG.com/subscribe to sign up for our weekly e-newsletter. More than 30000 other construction industry pros are already receiving news and insights to move their business forward.
