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: The value of growing up around hard work and small business How East River Contracting evolved from roofing to commercial framing and concrete The upside of taking action before overanalyzing Why balancing family and business matters more than ever Lessons in risk, growth, and finding your own entrepreneurial path   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be A Guest Are you a successful business owner or professional with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://grittogrowthpodcast.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you.