Meet Phil Blackwell
The guy behind Phil The Builder And Friends
Phil's Story
I grew up in a little town called Birchdale, about 45 miles west of International Falls. If you know anything about northern Minnesota, you know it's the kind of place where you learn to fix things — because nobody else is coming to do it for you.
My grandfather was my hero. He's the one who put a hammer in my hand and let me build something, then showed me how to do it better, then made me do it again. He had a few rules that stuck with me:
Show up 15 minutes early — because if you show up on time, you're late.
Whatever you do, go hard. Don't waste somebody's time and money.
Learn a little bit about everything, not everything about a little bit. You're more valuable as a human.
That's how I was raised, and that's how I run my business today. After growing up on the farm, I spent years working across different trades — flooring, landscaping, carpentry — intentionally moving between companies so I could keep learning. I worked with some of the best landscapers on Lake Minnetonka. I learned tile and flooring inside and out. Every stop taught me something new, and I carried all of it forward.
I also served in the Marine Corps, which taught me discipline, accountability, and how to get things done no matter the conditions. Life threw me some curveballs along the way. But I was given chances — more than one — and I made the decision to build something I could be proud of. Phil The Builder And Friends is what came out of that. I've been doing this full-time since 2014, and I've never looked back.
What Drives Phil
The thing I love most about this work is sitting down with a customer, hearing what they have in their mind, and then making it happen.
I got into this business because I was tired of seeing people get taken advantage of. Too many handymen out there overcharge, cut corners, or just don't show up. I wanted to do it differently — fair prices, honest work, and treat every customer's home like it's my own.
The "And Friends"
Most of the time, it's just Phil. You call, Phil shows up, Phil does the work. There's no middleman, no rotating crew of strangers — just the same guy who knows your home and does the job right.
But when a bigger project calls for extra hands or specialized skills like licensed electrical or plumbing work, Phil has a trusted network of people he's built relationships with over the years. He brings them in personally so you're never left scrambling to find someone else.
That's what "And Friends" means. You call Phil, and Phil makes sure the right people show up to get the job done right.
Ready to Meet Phil?
Get a free estimate and see why over 150 homeowners in South Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington, and Edina keep calling him back.