It was very cool to return the favor for Aaron Witt, founder of training platform BuildWitt and host of Dirt Talk, where your host Jim Vinoski appeared a couple months ago. Aaron Witt discussed his mission to promote the construction and mining industries through micro learning and continuous improvement. He highlighted the critical infrastructure workforce shortage, noting 80-85% of contractors struggle with workforce retention. He emphasized the need for innovative training methods and modern tools to attract and retain young workers. Aaron criticized the slow U.S. mine permitting process, which delays projects and increases costs. He also stressed the importance of government support and private sector collaboration to drive infrastructure development and improve productivity. Of course, in keeping with our July focus on red tape, Aaron shared his thoughts on what our hyper-regulatory environment is costing us. Aaron's points about our need for meaning and purpose were particularly compelling. In this short clip, Aaron spells out just how easy it should be to sell hand-on work to our young people. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/LKUr-Jib_ZY

It was very cool to return the favor for Aaron Witt, founder of training platform BuildWitt and host of Dirt Talk, where your host Jim Vinoski appeared a couple months ago. Aaron Witt discussed his mission to promote the construction and mining industries through micro learning and continuous improvement. He highlighted the critical infrastructure workforce shortage, noting 80-85% of contractors struggle with workforce retention. He emphasized the need for innovative training methods and modern tools to attract and retain young workers. Aaron criticized the slow U.S. mine permitting process, which delays projects and increases costs. He also stressed the importance of government support and private sector collaboration to drive infrastructure development and improve productivity. Of course, in keeping with our July focus on red tape, Aaron shared his thoughts on what our hyper-regulatory environment is costing us. Aaron's points about our need for meaning and purpose were particularly compelling. In this short clip, Aaron gets down to basics on just WHY jobs making stuff are so incredibly cool. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/LKUr-Jib_ZY

It was very cool to return the favor for Aaron Witt, founder of training platform BuildWitt and host of Dirt Talk, where your host Jim Vinoski appeared a couple months ago. Aaron Witt discussed his mission to promote the construction and mining industries through micro learning and continuous improvement. He highlighted the critical infrastructure workforce shortage, noting 80-85% of contractors struggle with workforce retention. He emphasized the need for innovative training methods and modern tools to attract and retain young workers. Aaron criticized the slow U.S. mine permitting process, which delays projects and increases costs. He also stressed the importance of government support and private sector collaboration to drive infrastructure development and improve productivity. Of course, in keeping with our July focus on red tape, Aaron shared his thoughts on what our hyper-regulatory environment is costing us. Aaron's points about our need for meaning and purpose were particularly compelling. This is such a great, wide-ranging, deeply informative conversation! Highlights: 00:00 - Introduction of Aaron Witt and BuildWitt 02:24 - Aaron's Career path and his Founding of BuildWitt 04:39 - Micro-learning and Continuous Improvement 07:58 - Workforce Challenges in Construction and Mining 11:46 - The Role of Technology and Modern Tools 23:10 - The Impact of Regulations on Infrastructure Development 36:32 - The Importance of Purpose and Meaningful Work 47:18 - The Role of Government and Private Sector Collaboration 51:56 - The Future of Infrastructure and Workforce Development 53:56 - Conclusions and Final Thoughts Be sure to tune in for the whole show! You'll be glad you did. BuildWitt: https://buildwitt.com/ Dirt Talk: https://aaron.buildwitt.com/the-dirt-talk-podcast

As promised, July's focus here is on red tape and its costs and effects. This week is the kick-off! Your host Jim Vinoski discusses the extensive impact of red tape regulations on American manufacturing and energy sectors. He highlights the staggering growth of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which expanded from 130,800 pages in 2000 to over 190,000 pages by 2023. Studies by Mark and Nicole Crain reveal that federal regulations cost the U.S. economy over $3 trillion, with an average annual compliance cost of $277,000 per firm. Manufacturing firms, particularly small ones, bear a significant burden, with costs per employee ranging from $14,700 to $50,100. Jim emphasizes the need for regulatory reform to support reindustrialization and energy production. In this short clip, Jim spells out the many legal battles and efforts to avoid them that also make our manufacturers and energy companies uncompetitive. See the whole episode here: https://youtu.be/x3DMPWJSOto

As promised, July's focus here is on red tape and its costs and effects. This week is the kick-off! Your host Jim Vinoski discusses the extensive impact of red tape regulations on American manufacturing and energy sectors. He highlights the staggering growth of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which expanded from 130,800 pages in 2000 to over 190,000 pages by 2023. Studies by Mark and Nicole Crain reveal that federal regulations cost the U.S. economy over $3 trillion, with an average annual compliance cost of $277,000 per firm. Manufacturing firms, particularly small ones, bear a significant burden, with costs per employee ranging from $14,700 to $50,100. Jim emphasizes the need for regulatory reform to support reindustrialization and energy production. In this short clip, Jim explains how uncertainly about where regulations are headed (for example, with the change of presidential administrations) and the requirement to invest in what red tape requires both impose their own cost burdens on industry. See the whole episode here: https://youtu.be/x3DMPWJSOto

As promised, July's focus here is on red tape and its costs and effects. This week is the kick-off! Your host Jim Vinoski discusses the extensive impact of red tape regulations on American manufacturing and energy sectors. He highlights the staggering growth of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which expanded from 130,800 pages in 2000 to over 190,000 pages by 2023. Studies by Mark and Nicole Crain reveal that federal regulations cost the U.S. economy over $3 trillion, with an average annual compliance cost of $277,000 per firm. Manufacturing firms, particularly small ones, bear a significant burden, with costs per employee ranging from $14,700 to $50,100. Jim emphasizes the need for regulatory reform to support reindustrialization and energy production. In this short clip, Jim points out the very real and enormous costs of our permitting crisis, where activists can tie up mines and factories for a decade or more. See the whole episode here: https://youtu.be/x3DMPWJSOto

As promised, July's focus here is on red tape and its costs and effects. This week is the kick-off! Your host Jim Vinoski discusses the extensive impact of red tape regulations on American manufacturing and energy sectors. He highlights the staggering growth of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which expanded from 130,800 pages in 2000 to over 190,000 pages by 2023. Studies by Mark and Nicole Crain reveal that federal regulations cost the U.S. economy over $3 trillion, with an average annual compliance cost of $277,000 per firm. Manufacturing firms, particularly small ones, bear a significant burden, with costs per employee ranging from $14,700 to $50,100. Jim emphasizes the need for regulatory reform to support reindustrialization and energy production. In this short clip, Jim talks about the need for nuclear power and its emissions-free energy - but how we're stymying it by piling on the red tape. See the whole episode here: https://youtu.be/x3DMPWJSOto

As promised, July's focus here is on red tape and its costs and effects. This week is the kick-off! Your host Jim Vinoski discusses the extensive impact of red tape regulations on American manufacturing and energy sectors. He highlights the staggering growth of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which expanded from 130,800 pages in 2000 to over 190,000 pages by 2023. Studies by Mark and Nicole Crain reveal that federal regulations cost the U.S. economy over $3 trillion, with an average annual compliance cost of $277,000 per firm. Manufacturing firms, particularly small ones, bear a significant burden, with costs per employee ranging from $14,700 to $50,100. Jim emphasizes the need for regulatory reform to support reindustrialization and energy production. In this short clip, Jim discusses the effects of hyper-regulation on our energy production, and what that means for manufacturing and our reindustrialization efforts. See the whole episode here: https://youtu.be/x3DMPWJSOto

As promised, July's focus here is on red tape and its costs and effects. This week is the kick-off! Your host Jim Vinoski discusses the extensive impact of red tape regulations on American manufacturing and energy sectors. He highlights the staggering growth of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which expanded from 130,800 pages in 2000 to over 190,000 pages by 2023. Studies by Mark and Nicole Crain reveal that federal regulations cost the U.S. economy over $3 trillion, with an average annual compliance cost of $277,000 per firm. Manufacturing firms, particularly small ones, bear a significant burden, with costs per employee ranging from $14,700 to $50,100. Jim emphasizes the need for regulatory reform to support reindustrialization and energy production. In this short clip, he explains how EVERY regulation MUST be viewed as a burden on our producers, because that's exactly what it is - and thoroughly analyzed for cost vs. benefit. See the whole episode here: https://youtu.be/x3DMPWJSOto

As promised, July's focus here is on red tape and its costs and effects. This week is the kick-off! Your host Jim Vinoski discusses the extensive impact of red tape regulations on American manufacturing and energy sectors. He highlights the staggering growth of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which expanded from 130,800 pages in 2000 to over 190,000 pages by 2023. Studies by Mark and Nicole Crain reveal that federal regulations cost the U.S. economy over $3 trillion, with an average annual compliance cost of $277,000 per firm. Manufacturing firms, particularly small ones, bear a significant burden, with costs per employee ranging from $14,700 to $50,100. Jim emphasizes the need for regulatory reform to support reindustrialization and energy production. In this short clip, he discusses how regulations were a huge part of why we lost whole swaths of our industries in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. See the whole episode here: https://youtu.be/x3DMPWJSOto

Regulations have gotten so bad we mostly don't even talk about them anymore. That's a huge problem, because red tape is the number 1 thing that can derail our reindustrialization efforts, our nuclear resurgence, and our energy independence. Your host Jim Vinoski tackles the problem head-on, discussing the extensive impact of red tape regulations on American manufacturing and energy sectors. He highlights the staggering growth of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which expanded from 130,800 pages in 2000 to over 190,000 pages by 2023. Studies by Mark and Nicole Crain for the National Association of Manufacturers reveal that federal regulations cost the U.S. economy over $3 trillion, with an average annual compliance cost of $277,000 per firm. Manufacturing firms, particularly small ones, bear a significant burden, with costs per employee ranging from $24,800 to $50,100. Jim concludes by emphasizing the need for radical regulatory reform to support reindustrialization and energy production. Links: The Pacific Legal Foundation's page on the Code of Federal Regulations: https://pacificlegal.org/the-cfr-a-190000-page-monument-to-executive-overreach/ NAM's summary on the cost of regulations: https://nam.org/issues/regulatory-and-legal-reform/ The full NAM report by Nicole and Mark Crain: https://nam.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NAM-3731-Crains-Study-R3-V2-FIN.pdf The American Action Forum's report on nuclear regulatory costs: https://www.americanactionforum.org/research/putting-nuclear-regulatory-costs-context/ Jim Vinoski's recent Substack on the total cost of regulations in industry: https://manufacturingtalks.substack.com/p/the-unseen-costs-of-regulations

Here's a superb example of a public-private partnership to help with our desperate need for more skilled trades gurus. Jim Vinoski interviews Jason Wells from the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program, which trains the U.S. defense industrial base workforce. The program, based in Danville, Virginia, focuses on skilled trades like machining, welding, and quality assurance, integrating technology to stay relevant. It has graduated nearly 2,000 students in five years, with a current annual graduation target of 1,000. The program's success is attributed to local, state, and federal funding and collaboration with industry. The initiative highlights the importance of a proactive approach to workforce development and the need for a national perspective on the skills gap. In this short clip, Jason discusses how manufacturing has a long history of being an American superpower, and how we can't afford to let the hands-on knowledge that drives it slip away. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/S0c6CYkIgSM

Here's a superb example of a public-private partnership to help with our desperate need for more skilled trades gurus. Jim Vinoski interviews Jason Wells from the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program, which trains the U.S. defense industrial base workforce. The program, based in Danville, Virginia, focuses on skilled trades like machining, welding, and quality assurance, integrating technology to stay relevant. It has graduated nearly 2,000 students in five years, with a current annual graduation target of 1,000. The program's success is attributed to local, state, and federal funding and collaboration with industry. The initiative highlights the importance of a proactive approach to workforce development and the need for a national perspective on the skills gap. In this short clip, Jason explains how the ATDM is focused on a national footprint to allow the workers it trains to readily flow to the areas of the country where they're most needed. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/S0c6CYkIgSM

Here's a superb example of a public-private partnership to help with our desperate need for more skilled trades gurus. Jim Vinoski interviews Jason Wells from the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program, which trains the U.S. defense industrial base workforce. The program, based in Danville, Virginia, focuses on skilled trades like machining, welding, and quality assurance, integrating technology to stay relevant. It has graduated nearly 2,000 students in five years, with a current annual graduation target of 1,000. The program's success is attributed to local, state, and federal funding and collaboration with industry. The initiative highlights the importance of a proactive approach to workforce development and the need for a national perspective on the skills gap. In this short clip, Jason dives into how their programs help build the workforce for a vital industry in their area of Virginia, and one crucial to rebuilding our Navy: shipbuilding. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/S0c6CYkIgSM

Here's a superb example of a public-private partnership to help with our desperate need for more skilled trades gurus. Jim Vinoski interviews Jason Wells from the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program, which trains the U.S. defense industrial base workforce. The program, based in Danville, Virginia, focuses on skilled trades like machining, welding, and quality assurance, integrating technology to stay relevant. It has graduated nearly 2,000 students in five years, with a current annual graduation target of 1,000. The program's success is attributed to local, state, and federal funding and collaboration with industry. The initiative highlights the importance of a proactive approach to workforce development and the need for a national perspective on the skills gap. In this short clip, Jason discusses the desperate need for us to "move fast and break things" as we work to rebuild the skilled trades talent pipeline. See the whole show here: https://youtu.be/S0c6CYkIgSM