Resident First: Meet Frerich’s Construction
Alliance and Frerich’s Construction have a long history.
Frerich’s was the contractor on our Hiawatha Commons, Gateway Lofts, and 3301 Nicollet buildings and are on tap to handle future renovations at Hiawatha, Gateway, and our newest project St. Paul’s Home (in Minneapolis). So, it made perfect sense for Frerich’s to be the Title Sponsor at MPLS Homes 2026.
We sat down with Frerich’s Vice President Barry Vulcan to learn more about this longtime Alliance partner.
Founded in 1983, Frerich’s currently has 114 employees and has worked across 11 states, with about 70% of their work in Minnesota. Frerich’s specializes in large affordable housing developments, but even more specifically is recognized as a leader in occupied or in-place rehab of affordable housing. This means rehabbing homes while residents continue to live in them.
It is this very type of rehab Frerich’s will undertake in the coming years at Hiawatha, Gateway, and St. Paul’s Home. When discussing working in occupied homes, Vulcan is clear that Frerich’s sees residents as just as much their customer as Alliance. They take the time to talk to residents, explain how the process will work, and then help residents get through what can’t help but be a burdensome process.
So, what can residents expect to happen during that process? Vulcan shares that Frerich’s will start in the kitchens by removing and replacing cabinets on the first day of work, so residents continue to have a functional kitchen during the rest of the rehab. Day 2 will see them replacing kitchen flooring before moving to the living room on days 3 and 4. Day 5 sees work in bedrooms and finally bathrooms get a face lift on day 6. Throughout this process Frerich’s employees give residents a break by moving residents’ belongings from one room to the next. At some buildings there will be a dayroom in the building where residents can spend their time, but Frerich’s knows this is a stressful period, and many residents prefer to stay in their homes even while work is occurring. Absolutely everything they do is designed to put residents first.
It’s this resident first mentality that Vulcan says initially drew Frerich’s to Alliance. Regardless of who has been in charge at Alliance, Frerich’s recognized a shared desire to go above and beyond for our residents. It’s what leads us to undertake the process of rehabbing aging buildings in the first place and we’re proud to have Frerich’s as a partner in this vital work.
Thank you Frerich’s for being our Title Sponsor at MPLS Homes 2026 and thank you for all you do on behalf of Minneapolis neighbors!
Let’s Build Long-Term Stability, One Home at a Time
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