Dirt Turns to Gold. So Can Steel.

Country music has a way of telling simple truths. Recently, I came across a song by rising artist Zach Top that stopped me in my tracks. This year, he was recognized as the New Male Artist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music Awards, and his 2024 album Cold Beer and Country Music was nominated for Album of the Year.

One track in particular—“Dirt Turns to Gold”—hit home. On the surface, it’s about farmland and family, but as I listened, I couldn’t help but think about the many family-owned businesses in ground transportation.

The sacrifices. The generational conversations. The long road to profitability. They all sounded strikingly familiar—not just to me, but to us as an industry.

The song begins with a tension many families will recognize:

Daddy said they ain’t making no more of it
I said that’s fine with me ’cause I’m tired of working on it
As soon as I can I’m outta here, I don’t love it like you do
Son, I know just how you feel, I used to feel the same way too

That’s a conversation that plays out in our world, too—parents who’ve poured decades into building companies, and children deciding whether to carry the torch. One generation sees years of sweat equity and relationships; the next sees the burden of responsibility. But when the perspective shifts, so does the story:

’Til I learned dirt turns to gold
You gotta be patient son, it happens slow
It’ll take some blood, sweat, and tears—
More than a few hard-working years…
Oh, but dirt turns to gold.

That’s what we know to be true. With patience, discipline, and resilience, what feels heavy today can become the foundation for tomorrow’s success—not just for a single leader, but for the people, families, and communities who depend on us.

The Steel of Our Industry

Ground transportation isn’t built on dirt. It’s built on steel, aluminum, and other metals—the tools, buses, and facilities that, on their own, don’t look like much. But when we bring the right people together, align on values, and maintain faith in the long term, that steel can turn to gold.

I’ve seen this truth play out firsthand. At Coach America’s Orlando location, profitability didn’t come until year three—and it came in a big way, with a $2 million positive swing from the previous year. Another followed that success in the black—back-to-back profitable years for the first time in the location’s history. It wasn’t the result of one person; it was the result of a team, working together, adjusting, persevering, and refusing to give up.

Family Transitions: Steel That Gets Tested

For many family-owned operators, the most significant challenge arises when the next generation takes over. Some children grow up swearing they’ll never join the “bus business”—only to later return with fresh eyes and new energy. Others wrestle with whether the sacrifices are worthwhile, while parents struggle with letting go of control.

However, here’s what we’ve seen: when families lean on each other and teams value both the wisdom of experience and the energy of new ideas, companies don’t just survive transitions—they grow through them. Steel is forged in fire, and so are organizations.

I also think back to the example of a family business close to my roots. My grandfather built and sustained a successful logging company in my home state of South Carolina. For 12 years, week after week, he spent his days in the woods and his weekends repairing trucks and heavy equipment. Like many operators in our industry, he poured himself into both the work and the tools that kept it going.

In 1985, with no heir apparent, Drawdy Logging Company ceased to exist after more than a decade of serving its community, employees, and family. His impact, however, was unmistakable. When he passed away just a few months later, the line of cars at his funeral stretched for miles — a visible reminder that his work had turned steel to gold in the form of a livelihood that sustained his family, employees, and community.

Stories like his remind us of two truths. First, these companies are more than financial enterprises; they are threads in the fabric of a community. Second, their survival depends on the willingness of the next generation — whether by birth or by choice — to carry the steel forward. Without that commitment, even the strongest companies can fade, be absorbed into a competitor, or be purchased by investors who may or may not operate the company in a manner consistent with its founding and the name on the side of the bus. With that commitment, they can endure and shine.

The Leadership Takeaway

Ground transportation is never easy. Finding drivers and mechanics, keeping costs in check, ensuring safety, and competing fiercely in the market can stretch even the strongest operators. However, when we approach these challenges as a tribe—with aligned values, a shared vision, and trust in one another—we discover that the grind isn’t just survivable; it’s transformative.

That’s the leadership lesson at the heart of both Zach Top’s song and our industry:

• Patience matters. Gold doesn’t appear overnight, but together we can endure the wait.
• Discipline matters. Daily consistency creates stability, and discipline also builds and sustains quality that lasts.
• Resilience matters. Our strength comes from how we adapt as a team, not just as individuals.

Zach Top sings about dirt turning to gold. In our world, it’s steel. And when we stay committed to each other, and to the values that define our businesses, we prove the same truth: steel can turn to gold, too.

The real question for all of us is this: where can we, as an industry, take the steel in our hands today and turn it into the gold that sustains our people, our families, and our communities tomorrow?

References

[1] Zach Top – Dirt Turns to Gold Lyrics. Genius. Retrieved from: https://genius.com/Zach-top-dirt-turns-to-gold-lyrics

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Brian Dickson is the owner of Bus Business Consultants and author of Ground Transportation Insights on Substack. Drawing on leadership roles in motorcoach operations and Disney’s Guest Transportation, he helps operators improve performance, culture, and growth—Bus Business Consultants: Driving Performance, Culture, & Growth in Ground Transportation.

This article was originally published on October 1, 2025 at Ground Transportation Insights.

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The views expressed are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the position of the American Bus Association.