“It’s what I know,” says Fritz Budig when asked why he chose to work in the construction industry. Fritz does know what he’s doing: the quality of Grindstone Construction Services, Inc. is evident as soon as you walk in the door. Their new space is full of extremely precise and remarkable design elements. Fritz operates Grindstone, a veteran- and woman-owned business, with his business partner, Stacy Bursch.
Fritz opened his construction company in 2012. In 2014 there was a name change to go along with an ownership change, and Grindstone was off the ground. “It wasn’t easy,” says Fritz. “It takes a long time to get a business rolling. It took us two years of planning before we could get started.”
Fritz’s father was a general contractor for residential properties, so Fritz grew up in the business. Starting in 1996, Fritz started his work on the commercial construction side of things. After 12 years with the same company, he transitioned to a different company for five years. Before owning his business, Fritz had 17 years of commercial experience in total, both in the field and in the office.
“When I worked for my dad, I pushed the broom,” Fritz quips. “Now that I own my own business, I still push the broom.” Working with his dad, Fritz says, was invaluable in the construction market due to his background and amount of knowledge in the business. Fritz always knew he wanted to do commercial construction, something a little bit different from his dad’s residential work.
Today, Grindstone employs eight individuals. Fritz says working with really good people, including his business partner, Stacy, and quality sub-contractors, is his favorite part of the job. “I like being in this business because our work is tangible,” he says. “I can see the fruits of our labor. I like to drive around town and point out to whomever is in my vehicle which buildings my company and I had a hand in building.” Seeing the finished product is a very satisfying part of working at Grindstone.
The most challenging part of the job for Fritz is learning what he doesn’t know, but he has great resources. “I have to find the information and figure out the answers to what I don’t know, but my team helps me through that,” explains Fritz. He also says that Stacy is a major component of the company, doing bookkeeping and various other tasks. “I’m proud of the fact that I have a female partner. She has worked so hard,” Fritz says. Stacy has been in the business since 2002 and brings a variety of values and experiences to the table.
Fritz says he is also proud of how much work they have put in at Grindstone to get to where they are today. His team has a strong work ethic, and he explains that nothing was handed to them. “I started in construction right out of the military and worked my way through the challenges,” he says.
After years of dedication, Grindstone outgrew its space in Delano. They moved the company to Buffalo where both Fritz and Stacy reside with their families. The new building was perfect for their needs but required a lot of labor.
“Our work space hasn’t always looked like this. The interior of this building includes local materials, some from a barn in Wright County,” says Stacy. The construction on the building included work from Fritz’s and Stacy’s families, along with employees and friends, seven days a week for two months. They worked on the project at night and on the weekends until it was finished.
A typical day for Fritz starts in the morning bringing his kids to school. He is at the office by 7:30 where meetings, project work, and scheduling fill up his day. Like most business owners, Fritz’s days are long. “My wife always says a 12-hour day for me is a half-day,” Fritz laughs.
Grindstone is unique in that they get involved with a project when it’s simply an idea. “We provide developmental assistance, meaning we are involved with anything and everything in the building aspect,” explains Fritz.
The first step of the building process is for Fritz and his team to attend city council meetings since every city has its own rules and ordinances. This helps them understand which permits they will need to move the project forward. The Grindstone team will then construct the building. “That’s the easy part,” Fritz says. The next step, servicing the company, is an integral part of the business. Grindstone doesn’t simply finish the project and leave; Fritz says he continues to talk to clients up to twice a month after building. “We are here for our clients in the long haul,” Fritz says. “Clients have told me they appreciate our dedication and are sometimes surprised that I keep in touch with them once the project is finished.”
Grindstone clients vary greatly from indoor gun ranges to restaurants and offices. Fritz and Stacy are members of the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce and Wright County Economic Development Partnership. Their clients include: Total Defense Gun Range in Ramsey, Stock and Barrel Gun Range in Chanhassen, the future Up_Down Bar in Minneapolis, and DecoPac, a cake decoration supplier. Grindstone prides itself in building strong relationships with repeat clientele.
Fritz’s future goals for Grindstone are to continue to build relationships and to grow the business with new clients. He says it’s important to stay up-to-date with the market since it’s always changing. Stacy and he aim to keep the company relevant and diverse.
As for the bank they chose to help them achieve their goals, Fritz explains, “We truly view our relationship with Minnesota Lakes Banks as a partnership.” Both Stacy and Fritz express their appreciation for the MNLB team, noting Tom Screeden’s and Julie Merringer’s continuous support.
Click here to visit Grindstone Construction Services website.