Greg Pinneo Podcast - Episode 66 - Chris Sandberg

In this episode of The Greg Pinneo Podcast, Greg sits down with entrepreneur, builder, and real estate developer Chris Sandberg for a conversation about creativity, resourcefulness, relationships, and having the courage to build something that doesn’t exist yet. Chris grew up in Marysville, Washington, in a blue-collar family where working with your hands, fixing things yourself, and figuring out solutions were simply part of life. Those early lessons eventually followed him into construction and then into a career with the railroad, where he worked as both a conductor and locomotive engineer. While the railroad provided a solid career, Chris began realizing that financial security wasn’t enough. The demanding schedule came at the expense of time with his family, while the highly structured nature of the job left little room for the creativity and independence he craved. That realization ultimately pushed him back toward construction, entrepreneurship, and real estate development. Chris shares how that journey led to increasingly ambitious projects throughout Eastern Washington—from purchasing and dividing large tracts of land to developing waterfront property, building homes, navigating complicated utility and infrastructure challenges, and finding creative solutions when regulations or unexpected problems threatened a project. Greg and Chris dive into one of his largest projects yet: Chelan Luxury Garages, a multi-phase development that began with raw land and required extensive excavation, environmental remediation, infrastructure improvements, permitting, construction, financing, and plenty of problem-solving along the way. Phase One alone includes 58 units across more than 37,000 square feet, with the potential for a much larger development as future phases are completed. They also discuss the importance of relationships—with planners, municipalities, contractors, investors, mentors, and fellow entrepreneurs—and why Chris believes resourcefulness often matters more than already knowing every answer. From running trains on a fixed set of tracks to creating projects from nothing more than an idea, Chris’s story is a reminder that entrepreneurship often begins with a simple decision: challenge yourself, find the right people, and start doing the work.