We had the good fortune of connecting with Dustin Tuttle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dustin, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I just like the idea of working for and answering to myself. Creating my own schedule is important too.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I fought the idea of working in construction for a while. I’ve been doing it in some form or another for most my adult life, but instead of resisting the whole thing, I’ve been slowly fine tuning the projects I do to fit my what interests me. I still take on jobs that are less desirable on occasion, but even those have gotten better as Ive grown. There’s always an opportunity to learn something new and shake things up to keep it interesting.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Living a couple hours east of the city, I wouldn’t be the best tour guide. If you come to the high desert (yucca valley, Joshua tree area) There’s a handful of good restaurants here: Giant rock meeting room, tiny pony, copper room, red dog, kitchen in the desert. Try to find a market or shop and buy something from a local vendor. There’s lots of good hikes and drives to appreciate the landscape. Live music isn’t hard to find either. Depending on the time of year, but there’s usually something going on.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s so many people that have supported me, my fiancée, Brandi plays a huge part in why I’m able to do what I’m doing. I learned a lot from my good friend and old boss in Seattle, Jeff Skierka. And of course, the friends and clients that hire me to build things for them.

Instagram: @sawed_and_dusted

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