"It's Not the Pay, It Never Was" - Ken Rusk (DT446)

"It's Not the Pay, It Never Was" - Ken Rusk (DT446)

From Dirt Talk by BuildWitt by BuildWitt

May 28, 2026 · 1h 58m

About this episode

Ken Rusk discusses the real reasons behind employee success beyond pay and benefits.

May 28, 2026 It's Not the Pay, It Never Was Ken Rusk w/ Rusk Industries – DT 446 Ken Rusk is the author of Blue Collar Cash, founder of Rusk Industries, a drainage and excavation company in Toledo, Ohio, and a Fox News contributor who has appeared on over 327 podcasts in the past two years. He spent 40 years figuring out why some employees thrive and others just survive — and the answer had nothing to do with pay or benefits. He reveals why employers who can't find good workers are the actual problem — and the surprisingly simple system he's used for decades to turn blue collar workers into goal-crushing machines. Follow Ken on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-rusk-2656a7175/ Learn more about Rusk Industries at: https://www.kenrusk.com/ Want to better develop your civil construction workforce and leaders? Check out BuildWitt Improve! https://buildwitt.com Questions or feedback? Email us at dirttalk@buildwitt.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guest: Ken Rusk

Topics covered

  • employee motivation
  • blue collar work
  • workforce development
  • leadership
  • business challenges

Keywords

  • employee engagement
  • workforce
  • blue collar
  • leadership
  • business strategy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Rusk Industries, Fox News

Books & works: Blue Collar Cash

Places: Toledo, Ohio

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