Shows / The Line
The Line
Step up to The Line. A new podcast focused on highlighting the skilled trades. Showcasing men and women by sharing their stories and experiences. Our guests range from CEOs of 100 million-dollar businesses to a 21-year-old fabricator/welder. By sharing their experiences we aim to inspire the next generation of boys and girls hoping to break the generational miseducation surrounding the trades as an option. The Line is produced by Blackline whose mission is to continue to lift the view of the…
Episodes
- The Line
(Ownership Vs Accountability Field Notes Issue 16) The Line Ep.168
What’s the difference between ownership and accountability, and why does understanding that difference matter in leadership?In this episode of Blackline Field…
- The Line
Don't Quit Ft Gary C. Evans Ep.167
What does it really mean to never give up?In this episode of The Line Podcast by Blackline, Joshua D. Mellott sits down with Gary Evans, CEO and Chairman of…
- The Line
(Excuses Vs Explanations Field Notes Issue 15) The Line Ep.166
There’s a big difference between making excuses and giving explanations, and as leaders, understanding that difference matters.In this episode of Blackline…
- The Line
(Being Right Vs Doing Right Field Notes Issue 14) The Line Ep.165
Being right and doing right aren’t always the same thing.Sometimes we’re so focused on proving a point that we lose sight of what really matters. Whether on…
- The Line
Silver & Gold Ft Rick van Nieuwenhuyse Ep.164
In this episode of The Line, I sit down with Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, CEO of Contango Silver & Gold, for a conversation about what it really means to mine in…
- The Line
(Fault Vs ResponsibilIty Field Notes Issue 13) The Line Ep.163
In this episode of Blackline Field Notes, we’re kicking off a five-part series called Leadership Understands the Difference.Over the years, I’ve learned that…
- The Line
The Legacy Ft Nick Laviolette Ep.162
Long before LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, or podcasts existed, there were men who understood the importance of passing along their knowledge, teaching their…
- The Line
(The Breakup Field Notes Issue 12) The Line Ep.161
This week’s Blackline Field Notes, Issue 012: The Breakup is about looking at yourself first, owning what’s yours, recognizing when alignment has changed, and…
- The Line
Red Wing shoes Ft Dan Woodard & Miranda Johnson Ep.160
This week on The Line, I sit down with the owner and team at Red Wing Store 705 in Bloomington, Minnesota, to talk about more than just boots. We get into the…
- The Line
(The Reflection Field Notes Issue 11) The Line Ep.159
Growth changes things. Pressure changes things. Leadership changes things. But somewhere along the way, we have to stop looking at what’s next long enough to…
- The Line
Roles of Leadership Ft Ryan Groff Ep.158
Today I sit down with Ryan Groff, Chief Strategy Officer here at Blackline.Ryan has spent his career leading people—from managing teams on the job site to…
- The Line
(The Personality Field Notes Issue 10) The Line Ep.157
FIELD NOTES 010: THE PERSONALITYSometimes the thing that destroys a project has nothing to do with the work. You can have the right people, the right…
- The Line
(The Mirror Field Notes Issue 9) The Line Ep.156
FIELD NOTES 009: THE MIRROR It’s easy to recognize arrogance, selfishness, and a lack of accountability in everyone else. It’s a lot harder to see it in…
- The Line
Locked In Ft Josh Moser Ep.155
In this episode of The Line, Joshua Mellott of Blackline sits down with Josh Moser of Moser Roofing Solutions to talk about what it means to be LOCKED IN. It’s…
- The Line
GROUND ZERO Ft Andrew brown Ep.154
THE LINE | GROUND ZEROThis is a first for us here at Blackline. Today, we’re re-sharing a previous episode of The Line because we believe this story and these…
- The Line
(The Impact Field Notes Issue 8) The Line Ep.153
--------------------------WHERE TO WATCH:Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/07rT0hF...Apple…
- The Line
The Call Field Notes Issue 7) The Line Ep.152
What is the purpose behind what you do?This week’s Field Notes, The Call, is about finding fulfillment in the work we do by understanding the purpose behind…
- The Line
The People Ft Dan Hammarberg Ep.151
This week on The Line, I step up to the line with Dan Hammarberg of Westfield Egg Farm and the Westfield Group.Dan shares his perspective on culture…
- The Line
(The Grind Field Notes Issue 6) The Line Ep.150
In this week’s Blackline Field Notes: The Grind, we talk about the reality of hard work, fatigue, and what happens when the grind goes on too long. There are…
- The Line
Beyond Technology Ft KP Reddy Ep.149
What does the future look like when construction, technology, and the people who do the work come together?From the top of the NASDAQ Tower in Times Square…
- The Line
(The Experience Field Notes Issue 5) The Line Ep.148
In this Field Notes episode, Joshua Mellott explores The Experience and why great customer service in the skilled trades is about more than simply doing good…
- The Line
(Why Great Contractors Document Everything Field Notes Issue.4) The Line Ep.148
Great contractors don’t document just to check a box. They document with intention.In this issue of Blackline Field Notes, we break down why accurate…
- The Line
Building the Future of Finance in Construction Ft Lou Perez Ep.148
They’re contractors building systems for contractors.Lou shares how their experience in the industry is shaping the technology they’re developing and why…
- The Line
No Ft David Hawthorne Ep.147
What if one of the most important words in business is also one of the hardest to say?This week, David Hawthorne of Hawthorne Electric steps up to the line…
- The Line
(The Cost of Silence On Job Site Field Notes Issue.3) The Ep.146
Blackline Field Notes – Issue 003: The Cost of Silence What does silence really cost on the job site? In this week’s episode of Blackline Field Notes, Joshua…
- The Line
The Cost Ft Chris Maharg & Austin Kessler Ep.146
What does it take to build the next generation of skilled tradesmen?In this episode of The Line, Joshua D. Mellott sits down with the leadership team from the…
- The Line
(Reputation is Built Before The Bid Field Notes Issue.2) The Line Ep.146
Welcome to Blackline Field Notes, our weekly LinkedIn newsletter and companion conversation here on The Line.In this episode, Joshua D. Mellott explores…
- The Line
(Every Contract is a Proposal Field Notes Ep. 1) The Line Ep.145
Blackline Field Notes | Issue 001: Every Contract Is a Proposal. Welcome to Blackline Field Notes, our weekly series where we share notes from the field—real…
- The Line
The Heart Ft Rob Stoppard Ep.145
In this conversation, Rob Stoppard of Heart Centered Entrepreneurship gets to the heart of what it means to lead well. We talk about the importance of not…
- The Line
The Experience Ft Caleb Fetter Ep.144
Trust is built through the experience.In this episode of The Line, Joshua sits down with Caleb Fetter, President and Managing Partner of RMS, for a…
- The Line
The Fingerprints of Leadership Ft DJ Risk Ep.143
This week on The Line, DJ Risk steps up to the line.In this conversation, DJ shares what leadership really looks like—not from behind a logo, a LinkedIn post…
- The Line
Build Your Career Ft Nathan Maughan Ep.142
Every career has a starting point.For Nathan Maughan, it began washing dishes, working at a gas station, and helping on a farm. It wasn’t a glamorous…
- The Line
Flow Ft Ilya Tlumach Ep.141
Leadership isn’t built in a boardroom. It’s built through people, experience, and the stories that shape us.In this episode of The Line Podcast, I sit down…
- The Line
The Gift Ft Arlan King Ep.140
In this episode of The Line, Joshua sits down with Arlan King of Bevanda Products to explore how something as simple as a coffee mug, cooler, or water bottle…
- The Line
Know Your Craft Ep.139
--------------------------WHERE TO WATCH:Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/07rT0hF...Apple…
- The Line
The Road Ft John Faress Ep.138
This past weekend marked the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, a time to remember the men and women who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today.What many people may…
- The Line
The Heat Ft Mark Andrew Ep.137
In this episode of The Line, we sit down with Marc Andrew, a firefighter from Detroit, for a real and honest conversation about leadership under pressure…
- The Line
The Finish Line Ft Eric Cowdin Ep.136
The finish line has been crossed. One team is celebrating, and the rest are already preparing for next year. Those were the words Erik Cowden shared with us as…
- The Line
The Race Ft Tyrone Garrison Ep.135
In episode three of the Brickyard Series, Blackline goes behind the scenes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Tyrone Garrison ahead of the 110th Indy…
- The Line
The Track Ft Bill Pine Ep.134
Episode 2 of The Brickyard Series: “The Track — What Lies Beneath the Surface” At Blackline, we believe the stories worth telling are often found beneath the…
- The Line
From Bedrock To The Brick Yard Ft Keaton Turner Ep. 133
In this conversation kicking off our Brickyard Series, we sit down with Keaton Turner for a real one.We start a little differently. The first 20–30 minutes are…
- The Line
The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday | Part 2 Ft Herb Sargent Ep. 132
The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday | Part 2 with Herb SargentIn part two of our conversation with Herb Sargent, we go beyond business and get into perspective.We…
- The Line
The Hard Work Starts Today Ft Chandler Plante Ep. 131
The Hard Work Starts Today | Sargent 100-Year Story (Part 1 of 2)Most companies won’t make it 100 years.Even fewer do it on purpose.This episode of The Line by…
- The Line
A Blue Collar Conversation The Sequel Ft. Blue Collar Bobby Ep. 130
I went to Massachusetts to sit down with Blue Collar Bobby. This is a real conversation about the sprinkler fitter trade, fire protection, and what it actually…
- The Line
Measuring up Ft Macros Soto Ep. 129
If you’re not measuring your work, you don’t actually know what you’re doing.This Monday, I sit down with Marcos from Ruby-Collins as he leads a pipe crew and…
- The Line
Collaboration Through Generations Ft Jason Hyde Ep.128
This week, Blackline spent time in Georgia with Ruby-Collins, a general contractor that does things a little differently.From civil work to plant work…
- The Line
Moms in Manufacturing Ft. Liddy Fair Ep. 127
Building What Can’t Fail. Moms are an interesting thing for me. My mother is one of the most influential people in my life, and I don’t think that’s uncommon…
- The Line
The Next American Gold Mine Ft. George Bee Ep. 125
In this episode of The Line, Joshua D. Mellott sits down with George Bee of U.S. Gold Corp to talk about what it actually takes to develop the next American…
- The Line
The Plan Ft. Garret Barbush Ep. 125
What happens when a company actually has a plan—not just to win work, but to change an industry? In this episode of The Line, I sit down with Garret Barbush of…
- The Line
Energizing America Ft. Shane Stolp Ep. 124
In this episode of The Line, I sit down with Shane Stolp, CEO of Wescom, Inc., and host of the Energizing America Podcast.We talk about how we attract new…
- The Line
Trademark Ft. Joshua Mellott Ep. 123
The definition of the word trademark is simple. It’s a symbol that identifies a company, a product, or a body of work. But at its origin in America, a…
- The Line
The Nursery Ft. Chris Maharg Ep. 122
This one was cold. As I write this post, I can still feel it. I sat down in the snow on a project with Christopher Maharg , Vice President of Legacy Electrical…
- The Line
Holding The Line Ft. Dan Garcia Ep. 121
The Line… it’s quite an interesting term. Sometimes it means a podcast where two men sit and have an honest conversation. Sometimes it’s a line in the…
- The Line
Strong Like Iron Ft. Larry Sisco Ep. 120
If you don’t want to micromanage, the simple answer is this: don’t. Because if you’re going to do it anyway, you might as well have done it yourself. In this…
- The Line
The Backyard Ft. Keaton Turner, Thomas Haun, Ryan Sistad, & Lisa Bodine Ep. 119
The Backyard is the final episode in our four-part series with Better In Our Back Yard—and it brings the conversation home. In this episode, we hear from…
- The Line
The Bedrock Ft. Jon Cherry Stephen Donohue & J.T. Starzecki Ep. 118
The Bedrock is where the resources sit—and what everything above it is built on. It’s what we build with, and ultimately, what determines the strength and…
- The Line
The Ground Ft. Jessica Johnson Ep. 117
The Ground is the second episode in our four-part series with Better In Our Back Yard , as we continue reflecting on 250 years of building in the United States…
- The Line
The Dirt Ft. Mike Heatwole Ep. 116
For 250 years, this country has been built by men and women willing to step up to the line—willing to walk on the dirt, stand on the ground, and do the work…
- The Line
Trade Therapy Ft. Dave "Dozer Dave" Turin Ep. 115
Dave is familiar to audiences through shows like Gold Rush, but what stood out most in this conversation had nothing to do with television. It was his…
- The Line
2025 Highlights Ep. 114
As we look back on 2025, we’re reminded just how meaningful this year has been. Through our podcasts, we’ve had the privilege of sitting down for some truly…