Episode Overview
In episode 113 of Blue Collar StartUp, host Mike and Derek chat with Shenar Wood, who shares his remarkable journey from Apache helicopter pilot to founding Dynetek Solutions, a niche underground utility conversion company that he successfully sold to private equity. In this raw conversation he reveals the financial discipline, leadership mindset shifts, and strategic decisions that allowed him to scale fast, break through bonding & debt ceilings, and exit profitably.
You can find Shenar Wood on LinkedIn or his company Dynetek Solutions at dyneteksolutions.com.
Time Stamps
0:00 Intro & welcome back after the break
0:34 New 2026 episode formats & Women in Trades segment
3:00 Guest introduction: Shenar Wood, Dynetek Solutions
3:57 From broke college kid → military → buying first directional drill
6:07 Burned bridges & bought the drill: quickest path to cash
7:51 The mindset shift: build to sell, not to own forever
8:39 Why utility/power work is somewhat recession-proof
9:46 Leveraging old trade & military contacts for early subcontracts
11:21 First years reality: drilling all day, books all night
12:30 When & why he finally brought his wife in for HR
13:56 The $200k mistake: waiting too long for proper books & fractional CFO
15:22 Bonding & surety as the biggest glass ceiling in trades
19:52 The Friday leak check system that stopped revenue bleed
25:18 How the weekly revenue delta meeting works & why it matters
29:53 Discovering $75k in unbilled work the hard way
31:28 Beginning with the end in mind: planning the exit from day one
32:59 Why EBITDA growth flattens after ~year 5–6 in many trade businesses
34:49 Main episode wrap & sponsor thanks
Details
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Hosts
Michael Nelson & Derek Foster
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Guests
Shenar Wood
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Runtime
35 mins, 45 secs
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Airing Date
January 28, 2026