The Making of a Contractor: Roger Pedersen’s Path to Success

In this episode, Levi Te Slaa welcomes Roger Pedersen, co-founder of East River Contracting, for an inspiring deep-dive into what it really takes to build a successful construction business from the ground up. Roger shares his early roots growing up in a family-run resort, the humble beginnings of East River with roofing jobs, and how a leap of faith—and a bit of grit—led to unexpected growth.

Roger talks about his journey from broadcast journalism into construction, the learning curves of starting a concrete division without a clear roadmap, and how partnerships and personalities have shaped the success of their business. He also opens up about the value of risk-taking, the importance of family, and what he's learned about structure—both in work and at home.

Key Takeaways:

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  The value of growing up around hard work and small business

  
  


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  How East River Contracting evolved from roofing to commercial framing and concrete

  
  


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  The upside of taking action before overanalyzing

  
  


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  Why balancing family and business matters more than ever

  
  


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  Lessons in risk, growth, and finding your own entrepreneurial path

  
  

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