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Learn. ADAPT. Advance. The construction industry has faced its fair share of challenges, but local companies are skilled at bracing for whatever comes next. By Randy Krebs
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ike so many industries, Central Minnesota’s construction companies have been on a wild ride the past handful of years. While it hasn’t always been a bad ride, the ups and downs that some longtime commercial and residential builders experienced leave them asking one overarching question: will 2024 be the new normal? That’s a fair question, considering March marks four
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years since COVID-19 sparked then-President Trump to declare a national emergency and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to implement unprecedented peacetime restrictions. Now, even with the COVID-19 pandemic officially declared endemic almost a year ago, it’s still impossible to answer if 2024 will be the new normal for Central Minnesota’s construction
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industry. It is clear, though, that the past few years taught many companies the importance of adapting to change and meeting new and ongoing challenges head on. “In the last handful of years, it’s harder and harder to create some sort of benchmark as far as what’s normal with COVID-19 and then coming out of the pandemic,” Rachel Gruber said. Gruber owns Dale Gruber Construction, which
focuses largely on commercial and residential remodeling. “For the remodeling industry, it’s pretty strong right now. We had a good summer and fall, which are our busier seasons. Time will tell, but for 2024 we hope it will be strong across Central Minnesota.” According to Jack Brandes, vice president of Lumber One Avon and president of the Central Minnesota Builders Association (CMBA), the past