What keeps great people from leaving? For Roggen Frick, it’s all about replacing chaos with predictability. In this episode of People-First Builders, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Roggen to explore how structure, consistency, and clear systems create trust, reduce turnover, and build loyalty in the construction industry.

Roggen shares practical strategies leaders can use to strengthen retention by setting expectations, creating accountability, and giving teams the stability they need to thrive—even in high-pressure environments.

Roggen’s journey highlights the shift many leaders must make—from reacting to daily fires to proactively building systems that empower their teams. By focusing on predictability, he demonstrates how leaders can reduce stress, create a healthier work environment, and inspire long-term commitment from employees who feel supported and valued.

If you’re leading in construction or any people-focused business, this conversation will show you why predictable systems aren’t boring—they’re the foundation for growth, culture, and keeping your best people.

In this People First Builders episode, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Matt Aston, founder and CEO of GPRS, a national leader in private utility locating, concrete scanning, and subsurface mapping. Matt shares how a single magazine ad in 2001 sparked an idea that grew from a one person startup into a coast to coast company with more than 900 team members and a reputation for accuracy, safety, and innovation.

Matt explains the difference between public 811 locating and GPRS private utility work, why depth data changes decisions on site, and how early failures shaped a culture that aims to be right the first time, every time. He breaks down GPRS hiring and training systems, including SIM, the company’s subsurface investigation methodology, a purpose built training center, ride alongs before offers, and a multi month ramp with ongoing assessments. The conversation also covers leadership development, a referral engine that drives nearly half of annual hires, incentive based compensation that can make up 30 to 50 percent of pay, and broad based employee ownership that tracks the same class of stock as leadership.

• Accuracy that scales: about 120,000 jobs in the last year with a reported error rate near 0.1 percent.

• Private vs public locating: 811 marks public rights of way, while GPRS supports contractors on private property and provides depth data that changes plans and prevents damage.

• Hire for character, teach the skill: referrals supply close to half of new hires, followed by structured interviews, ride alongs, and three to four months of training.

• Process over heroics: SIM gives field teams a consistent approach, supported by a full training lab and university partnerships for real world practice.

• Retention flywheel: once team members pass roughly 12 to 18 months, annual retention jumps into the mid 90s.

• Ownership and incentives: field compensation includes meaningful performance bonuses, and an opt in equity program opened in 2020 where everyone holds the same class of stock, aligned with private equity growth goals.

In this episode of People-First Builders, host Fletcher Wimbush sits down with Bo Jones, President of True Built Construction and CEO of CareerPathway.com, to explore a groundbreaking approach to workforce development in the skilled trades. With over 25 years of experience, Bo shares how his deep frustration with traditional hiring methods—and the dwindling talent pipeline in Nebraska—led him to launch an innovative platform that connects students to careers before graduation.

Bo explains how CareerPathway.com is helping students discover meaningful work in industries like construction, healthcare, and technology through real-time multimedia content created by employers themselves. He walks us through the platform’s features, the impact it's already making in 34 states, and how it's revolutionizing how employers reach and inspire the next generation of workers.

Whether you're a business leader, educator, or parent, this conversation will leave you thinking differently about how we prepare young people for life after high school—and how industry must step up to solve the skilled labor shortage.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why traditional outreach efforts to young workers often fall short

• How True Built Construction mentored students by building homes—and what challenges remained

• The origin story and mission of CareerPathway.com

• How the platform bridges the gap between students, educators, and employers

• The game-changing potential of reaching students before they graduate

Bo breaks down how the platform works, including:

• How students explore careers through bite-sized videos, photo posts, and real-world content from employers.

• How teachers and counselors use the platform to guide career conversations with personalized insights.

• How businesses can build employer brand visibility while connecting directly with interested, pre-qualified young talent.

• Why the education system alone cannot (and shouldn’t be expected to) deliver individualized career exploration at scale—and how CareerPathway.com fills the gap.

Whether you’re an employer frustrated with the broken hiring pipeline, an educator looking for real-world career exploration tools, or a parent trying to help your child find their path, this episode delivers inspiration, clarity, and a vision for what’s possible when industry steps up.