Building Trust, Not Just Structures: Eddie Blakely on Chelu Construction’s Blueprint

North Bay builder Eddie Blakely, owner of Chelu Construction, joins PrimePod to share how a hands-on upbringing in the trades, hard lessons in real estate, and a tech-forward toolkit shaped a client-first construction company delivering consistent results across residential and commercial projects.

We dig into:

• Early lessons (rentals, a nightmare tenant story) that sparked the business

• Values that scale: integrity, transparency, and telling clients the truth

• Team structure (PMs → foremen → crews) and clear up/down communication

• Smart equipment strategy: owning what speeds the critical path

• Lightweight tech stack that works (Connecteam, HubSpot, Jira, QuickBooks) and driving adoption

• Competing with lower bids without lowering standards—and when to walk away

• Advice for tradespeople going owner-operator: mentors, niche, and taking calculated risks

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