Talking CONEXPO and construction: Taylor White aims to share useful insights from across the industry
New CONEXPO-CON/AGG podcast host targets technology, labour shortages, and more with guests leading up to the show in March
Taylor White is fast becoming recognized among construction circles as the face of Ken White Construction, the Ontario-based civil contractor that has built its brand by leveraging social media. Now, he's adding a new line to his resume: host of the CONEXPO-CON/AGG podcast.
The popular podcast billed as being "for the construction industry, by the construction industry" has started its new season in the lead up to CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 next March, and White will be on the mic for one to two episodes each month as the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) builds toward the big show.
White, a third-generation construction contractor and the director of business development with Ken White Construction, said he was surprised when AEM reached out to discuss the possibility of him hosting this new version of the podcast.
"We started having conversations and figuring out if it was a good fit, and right off the bat, I mean the first phone call with them, I was like ‘okay, this is going to be awesome,'" White recalled. "They were totally aligned with what I wanted to do, and what I hoped to talk about."
Social media experience comes in handy
White has developed a major following on social media sites that might not be as readily connected to construction as others - Ken White Construction has nearly 85,000 followers on TikTok and 75,000 on YouTube and Instagram, among others. That experience is coming in handy for hosting the podcast, he said.
"Being able to talk on camera, and already having done a podcast of my own in the past, it was really a solid fit. I'm comfortable with being on camera, I'm talking on a podcast, and I think another key point is that I'm kind of unconventional - I'm not some buttoned up guy who's wearing a suit and tie every day, I'm just a normal blue collar guy. That's what people can relate to."
Insightful conversations the podcast goal
The goal of the CONEXPO-CON/AGG podcast is to share stories from those in the construction industry and provide insight to their peers - just like the trade show does for attendees.
"We talk to leaders in the construction industry that are doing things maybe a little different, or that stand out. They may be a person who is able to provide value to others doing the same thing within the industry, whether they own a business, or work in construction, or are just interested," White said.
The first three episodes have featured an interesting mix of guests, starting with Scott Colclough, better known on social media as "Pushysix," a construction professional with a broad fan following and unique view of the industry. White's second episode featured Nick Drew, British creator of the "Digger Man" blog, while episode three brought on Ryan Priestly, owner of Priestly Demolition.
The diversity of guests is key for White, who wants to share as many perspectives as possible and have conversations with a range of guests from different parts of the construction spectrum.
"I'm doing some influencers, I'm also talking to owners of big businesses, but I also want to highlight medium to small business owners," he described. "We have one interesting girl lined up for December who is a pipelayer at a company in the States, she's going to have some really good insight to bring to the podcast as well."
Topics touch on important areas for the industry
Viewers can expect a lot of different topics to be touched on by White and his various guests, but three that he suggests are key leading into CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2023 are technology, labour shortage challenges, and handling the current inflation issues on both sides of the border.
In addition, the podcast is offering a preview of many topics that will be brought up at the show - including some guests who will be presenting at the event.
"A lot of the people coming up ... are people that are actually going to be speaking at CONEXPO," White said. "A lot of these leading professionals are all going to the show as well. The hope is that someone will think ‘hey, this person is interesting, I like listening to this guy or girl, I'm going to the show because I want to talk more to this person.' That's what CONEXPO allows you to do - it puts you in front of these people you might be listening to on the podcast, and lets you dive deeper."
CONEXPO-CON/AGG will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, March 14-18, 2023.
