Dirt Talk Podcast
They Tried to Undo 100 Years of His Family’s Work - Herb Sargent (DT 444)
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May 20, 2026
They Tried to Undo 100 Years of His Family's Work
Herb Sargent w/ Sargent Corporation – DT 444
Herb Sargent is the Board Chair of Sargent Corporation, a 100-year-old employee-owned civil construction company in Maine, and co-host of the Starbuck & Sargent podcast. He bought back his family's company — six times the size of his own — the same year a German-owned parent company tried to undo everything his grandfather built. He reveals why the construction industry's biggest problem isn't workforce shortage, it's leadership — and why employee ownership might be the only vehicle left to rebuild the American middle class. His new book, “The Hard Work Starts Today,” documents the 100-year Sargent journey, from simple REO Speedwagon to a 9-figure business.
Follow Herb on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/herb-sargent--esop/
Learn more about Sargent Corporation at: https://sargent.us/
Want to better train and develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com
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