MDOT presents

The Extra Mile podcast.

Welcome into another edition of the Extra

Mile podcast presented by the Mississippi
Department of Transportation.

I'm Paul Katool
and as always, joined by the man

my co-host Will Craft,
and we are taking the podcast on the road.

We are down here in Gulfport,
Mississippi at the 2026 State Roadeo,

and we are talking to our guest today
that is state maintenance engineer

Matt Dugas.

And so correct me if I'm wrong,

but this is your second year
of being in charge of this event.

That's correct.

So it's not your first rodeo?

It is not.

Oh my goodness.

Just awful joke to start things off.

But yeah, let's let's get to it.

So tell us about today's event,
the 2026 State Roadeo.

Well, sure.

We're sitting right here by one of the fan
favorites, the backhoe behind us.

We've got the tractor.

Bush hog, motor grader, you see motor
grader in the background, skid steer.

We got three trucking events over here.

We got a tandem axle,
a single axle, and a low boy.

Yeah. Yeah, we're ready to go, man.

Everybody's.
Everybody is in for some good competition.

That's right.
I know we don't have a shot right now.

We may try and get one of this, but.

Which one is this?
What you say is going on?

This is the backhoe. All right.

And just just give us a little description
of what's going on here.

All right.

So we put we take a tooth off
of the backhoe bucket and put a

what we call it a spoon, but it's actually
a metal rod with a little washer on it.

And we use that to pick up golf balls
out of this

sand pit over here, sandbox
and put in these cylinders.

So there's five cylinders.

Three of them are three
six inch cylinders.

And then two of them are three
inch cylinders.

And these guys are trying

to put those balls in there
as fast as as fast as they can.

Okay. So they're scooping.

It's tiny moving these things around
and sitting it from this to this okay.

All right. And we're getting started here.

So we've got a great example
that unfortunately you guys can't see.

But we may try and work a shot in there.
Pretty cool.

So that is one of the fan favorites.

Yeah. Like I said this is a fan favorite.

Everybody
everybody's amazed when they see you know

it's picking up golf balls
and putting them in these little

little cylinders with with the backhoe.

You can tell they've definitely done it.

Not their first time, like you said,
not their first rodeo.

So that's one of how many events
we got going on.

Seven events going on. Okay.

And this is so this is state competition.

So this would be the winners
from all the regionals.

Is that right?

Well we have six district rodeos

and the top two in each event
from the district rodeos come to state.

So these are already folks that have
shown off a little bit in their areas.

This is the cream of the crop
okay. All right.

And then and from today
we'll have winners move on again.

So the top two from each event today
and state

go to regional
which is in Virginia this year.

Okay. In October.

That's amazing.

One more on that.

You know.

So you guys have been here all week right.

Working on this, getting ready, setting
up, making sure everything's going.

So give us the rundown on the week here.

That's right.
So we showed up Monday around.

Well we showed up Monday, had a lunch
and came out here Monday afternoon.

Luckily we didn't see the sun
Monday or Tuesday, which was great.

Yeah.

You know, set up is always tough in June
or July with that sun beating down.

And it was great weather.

So we got the course
done Monday and Tuesday.

We had practice yesterday
and game day today.

That's right.

That's amazing.

And honestly it feels really good out here
compared to last year.

I think last year
was the hottest day of the year for us.

But anyway, I agree.

I'm just glad y'all got us a little shade
this year because yeah, me too.

I was about to melt last year
during this interview.

Shout out

to Drew Hall, Billy Bob Sekul, David Kenne
who came down from Public Affairs.

But listen,

I was talking about dropping golf balls in
a little cylinder using heavy equipment.

You might think that's playing
playing around, but that's not the case

at all.

When you're talking about roadwork
and heavy equipment, you need precision.

So talk about how these competitions

kind of translate
into kind of the real world situations.

Well, I mean, that's right.

I mean, clearly to do this,
you got to be pretty good

and to get pretty good,
you got to practice.

And that does it translates
into the field.

When these guys are on the side
of the road, you know, moving trees or,

you know, digging ditches or whatever.

I mean, everything we do out here
is training

and and don't forget
the safety aspect of it, of it as well.

So we train on safety out here and that
also translates into the field I'm sure.

No doubt.

Oh, I would think, you know, even
to something that resonates to anybody.

Iron sharpens
iron. You know, you get good at it.

You practice,
you come to something like this

or even the regionals beforehand.

You compete against other folks
that are doing it, and you really do

look up and you see that I think reflected
as you talked about safety standards.

I think things are even safer
in every aspect of some of our work zones,

our work life.

I think you've seen the product
of these events.

Absolutely.

I mean, ever since we started a safety
program, this event has gotten safer.

Obviously, I don't know if you can take
and see these bars in the background.

We're delineating each event,
keeping spectators out.

Everybody's wearing their vest
and their seat belts.

I actually told them this morning

I was like, look, can't go to Virginia
if you don't wear your seatbelt today. So,

so yeah.

For sure buckle up, buckle up.

So it's another thing
that maybe our listeners or viewers may

or may not know, but MDOT crews,
are first responders,

they're out there whenever winter weather
happens or hurricanes.

You know,

I know we have various forms of severe
weather throughout the year,

unfortunately Mississippi.

But talk about their role
as first responders.

I mean, they put their lives on the line

away from their families
to to work for Mississippians, right?

I mean, reality is
we are the first responders.

You know, we clear the road so
the other first responders can get there.

So, I mean, that's that's
that's my take on it.

It's really law enforcement,
ambulances, everybody.

Without us, none of that happens.

Absolutely.

You know, Haley Barbour said it during
the maintenance

means like we were the first ones
down there.

We cleared the way for everybody to
get down to the coast during the Katrina.

You know, I mean, we
we were definitely first responders.

And it's my hope that in the future
that that,

you know, that that we are recognized
as that.

Absolutely, absolutely.

To get back to the event
here itself a bit, I know last year

we talked about this,
some frequent fliers,

as far as names of champs
usually seem to come up.

Sure. I mean, we're
sitting right here at the backhoe.

So I got to mention Thomas Goode.

I mean, he is the man. There he is.

He is regularly a regular winner
normally is at regionals.

So we got to get Thomas on for an episode
at some point.

Y'all.

Y'all should do that, I and I,
I should have asked him, you know,

what's his consecutive run at regionals
before this?

But I didn't.
But I mean it's it's pretty long.

Stay tuned.

So we're making snag Thomas for a moment
before we get out of here today.

I got to do that.

You know, we got Michael Pannell over here

Nick Brower on the on the motor grader.

We got some new up and comers
like Cory Beadles.

So. Yeah, yeah,
it's going to be good competition today.

We need to start a trading card system
like you have the rookie card for Thomas,

you know. And see.

Got a farm system coming up.

Yeah yeah yeah. Look.

And some other folks
I know you want to shout out

you talked about this before the show.
Some of your folks in the division.

Yeah, sure.

I got a I got to give Chandra Trammell
a shout out.

I couldn't do this without her.

We've had Will Andrews on board
for about a year.

He's doing great.

He actually took a news interview for me
this morning.

Thanks, Will.

Very good.

And then I got to thank my rodeo
committee.

They're great. We.

You know, we have a committee member
from each district.

They're the ones that get out here,

you know, two days
before the event and help us.

You know, actually,
I help them set up. So.

And thanks to everybody who helped
put this event on.

You know, we've got guys coming in
and and lending a hand

from from all the districts.
Yeah. Amazing.

So listen we talked about,
you know, the benefits of this event

the skills, the safety
all that sort of thing.

But also maybe some intangibles.

There's camaraderie probably kind of
a morale booster for some of these guys.

You kind of talk about that for us.
Absolutely.

You know I mean these guys work
for the state, right?

Sure.

You have done a lot recently
to to work on salaries.

So that's great.

But like this is something
that we can give them.

Come out,
have a great time, bring their families.

You know good food, good fellowship,
good competition.

That's what it's all about.

Perfect for the, you know, the competitive
spirit of the drive.

You know, I, I don't I'm not playing
any sports or any things anymore.

But you know, Friday night still doesn't
seem like it's that far away.

Seems like this, you know,

something like this great opportunity
to come out here and compete.

Really compete.

That's right.

And again,
you talk about some of these folks

that have been doing it
for so long and gotten so good.

Again,
what better way to really still compete

and be a part of something
competitive again?

You mean like think about coming out here
to operate the backhoe

and you're facing out against Thomas
Thomas. Good.

You know, forever.

You know it's like coming up against the,
you know, the the 5A school

that's won three in a row or something
I don't know.

So I really like it from that aspect.

Lots of great things we could say.

Obviously enhancing safety, people
working on best practices, honing skills.

But nothing wrong with having
a little fun to the spirit of competition.

I'm all for it.

Yeah, Matt,
I don't know if there's anything else

you want to mention, but if there's not,
we got some fun questions to close.

Close you out with.
All right, let's get to the fun.

Will kick us off, sir. Yeah, man.

Absolutely.

So we've always gotten great answers
from you guys,

especially when we get out of town.

But places to eat.

You have given us
several great recommendations.

Been anywhere new lately?

Are you got any new spots
you want to throw to us?

New?

I don't know about new,
but I got a shout out.

Bogue Chitto Boys in South Mississippi.

You know, last year I did
the interview, named a couple restaurants,

and I got out of here and they were like,
what about Bogue Chitto Boys?

Like, oh, man. So I got to give

Bogue Chitto Boys a shout out.

Fair enough. Yeah.

Okay. Now you've been there.

The where's the spot? Absolutely.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Between Brookhaven and McComb
right off the interstate.

Okay. So check it out.

What kind of cuisine is that?

Yeah, they've got everything.

Their main deal is barbecue.

Okay, but the ribeye sandwich is killer.

All right.

There you go. Ribeye sandwich from Bogue
Chitto Boys.

That sounds amazing right now actually.

Oh no doubt Drew knows what to do.

We're putting on the list.
We love it. Love it.

No. Listen, you know,
you know the other part of this too.

Big music people in public affairs.

So you have
have you seen a concert lately?

In the past, since we've talked to you
or any new music that stands out to.

I have not been to a concert, but I tried
to get tickets to the Ella Langley concert

Yeah, and they sold out so fast
I couldn't get it.

But I've been listening
to a lot of Ella Langley.

All right. You know,
I mean, Ella fellas everywhere.

Ella Fellas,
I like that we're everywhere.

Great.

Yeah.

If I had an extra $600,
I'd go see her in Oxford.

That's crazy.

Good for everyone.
You can get a ticket. Yeah.

Hey, shout out to to Hardy
and Michael Hardy from Philadelphia.

He's written a couple of those songs.
Absolutely.

That be her actually right now that's out.

Pretty sure that's a that's a

good deal.

Funny
enough, they got the good duet as well.

And he's great.

Love us some Hardy.

Maybe we'll get Hardy on an episode
sometime and rocking out.

That'd be cool.

Aspirations. Well, Matt,

thank you so much for joining.

We got three Ella Fellas here.

That's what I love it.
Cranking the Ella Langley.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Having us to the State Roadeo
and appreciate the info.

Thank you guys.

So we'll go ahead and wrap
things up there.

Thank you to our listeners, our viewers,
for tuning in to the Extra Mile podcast.

You can watch and listen to episodes
by visiting GoMDOT.com/TheExtraMile

Follow us on social media
@MississippiDOT.

It's the handle.

We want to thank our editor producer
Drew Hall.

We want to thank

Billy Bob Sekul, David Kenney for coming d
and helping out behind the scenes.

Remember, drive
smart out there on Mississippi highways.