Our Team
The Best and Brightest
Blake Owen, Partner
Blake is co-founder of Owen Builders. Hardworking and diligent, he is a natural team-builder with a passion for making something out of nothing. Before launching Owen Builders, Blake studied Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University and went on to play baseball for the Baltimore Orioles Organization. He returned to Nashville in 2008, joined the construction business, and soon felt the call to start his own firm.
As a business owner and general contractor, Blake wears many hats. He has spent the last five years building and renovating homes of the highest caliber, serving clients with budgets ranging from several thousand to several million dollars. A former professional baseball player, his favorite role is the one he plays at home, as a loving husband and father to his wife and three daughters.
Eric Owen, Partner
Eric is co-founder of Owen Builders. Growing up in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, he learned the ins and outs of the construction business from his father, a former residential builder, and put those skills to use on construction sites throughout high school and college. He graduated from the University of Tennessee Knoxville with a degree in Political Science, but couldn’t deny that building was in his blood.
Today, Eric leads our construction management and operations systems. His communication and attention to detail help ensure quality on all our projects. He has also worked diligently to help Owen Builders stand out in the industry, putting efficient systems in place at every phase of construction, and completing work worthy of a feature in one of the nation’s most beautiful print magazines, Real Simple. A husband and father, Eric hopes that construction will continue to run in the family.
Eric Meador, Project Manager
Eric is an adventurous and outgoing leader. Before joining Owen Builders, he lived in Hawaii, where he helped build one of the nation’s most successful zip-line courses. Emboldened by that construction experience, he returned to Tennessee and later joined our team as a project manager, where he oversees custom renovations, including one of his first projects—a full kitchen remodel that had to be completed in 60 days, just in time for Christmas.
Today, he leads Owen Builders’ construction teams with energy and passion, ensuring high standards of quality, integrity and craftsmanship are always met or exceeded. Thanks in large part to his hard work, Owen Builders has grown from a team of three into a staff of seven in less than two years. He is a former lumberjack, a fan of plaid and a graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Sergey Zheltkov, Project Manager
Sergey is a determined and helpful leader who has been in and around construction all of his life. Originally from Russia, he moved to Nashville and graduated from John Overton High School and served in various positions on construction sites throughout his summers during college. He served as a carpenter for a major hospital in the Nashville area, and once had to perform an emergency repair on a piece of equipment that a doctor needed to save a patient’s life. In other words, this guy is great under pressure.
Today he serves as a Project Manager for Owen Builders, where he takes pride in going out of his way to care for clients and achieve the highest quality of work possible. When not working, Sergey enjoys camping and fishing with his wife and three children—and pretty much anything else that keeps them outdoors.
Kyle McCullar, Superintendent
Kyle is a clear communicator and problem solver with a passion for quality construction. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he built his career managing logistics for small businesses and went on to serve as a buyer for one of the world’s largest car manufacturers, before leaving the business world to pursue his dream of becoming a general contractor. After spending a season learning the trade in Memphis, Kyle joined Owen Builders in 2015 as a superintendent.
Today, Kyle works side-by-side with subcontractors to ensure every project is completed on time, on budget and with excellence. His calm presence is vital on a construction site, no matter if things are complicated or running smoothly. He is a grade-school tether-ball champion, a loving husband and father, and a proud graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Deborah Hickerson, Office Clerk
Deborah is easily the most thoughtful person on our team. With more than 25 years of editorial experience at LifeWay Christian Resources, she excels in an environment where there are multiple ongoing projects and strict deadlines to keep. Her work at LifeWay touches the lives and hearts of people daily, and her work at Owen Builders does the same thing, in a very different field.
As our office and billing clerk, Deborah is in charge of making sure our clients are billed properly, which is a very important job. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and spoiling her orange tabby cat, Gibbs.