Interviews and Podcasts

With it being Women in Construction Week (March 3-9, 2024), there's no better time to talk to Ry Bostrom & Kayti Bjorklund-Strandlund of DW Companies. These two Repurposed Educators are attempting to reshape the landscape, and they sit down to expand on their article "Transforming Culture: Doing Dirt Work Better to Build a Positive Culture in Construction" from the January/February 2024 issue of CFMA Building Profits magazine.

Kayti and Ry, two former school teachers who transitioned into the construction industry and now run Repurposed Educator, share their story and discuss their background in construction.

DW Companies, an excavating contractor in Minnesota, is only three years old, but it’s grown from five to 25 employees in that short time. What’s more, in these days of severe worker shortages, they have a waiting list of applicants who want to work for them, and they have zero turnover.  On this episode of The Dirt, we find out the secret to their success.  It all boils down to their culture of making employees feel valued, appreciated and part of a team, something that took time to implement but has paid off not only for workers but financially, safety-wise and in work quality and production. 

Digital media editor Warren Frey speaks interviews Kayti and Ry, who both work on their initiative based on their former careers as teachers who switched to construction and are applying what they know to changing industry culture.   Bjorklund-Strandlund and Bostrom explain that they focus on team building and professional development for all employees and endeavor to end a toxic work culture the industry still struggles with.   They also use their knowledge of what Gen Z and millennials look for as they enter or navigate the workforce to help companies recruit younger employees into the industry.