Hy-Tec Construction of Brainerd, Inc. supported the national Small Business Revolution competition, with the team from Brainerd, Minnesota, making it to the Top 10. Pictured (from left) are Mitch Feierabend, Paul Skogen, Paul Erickson, Jeff Hanson, Toni Bieser, Andy Waletzko and Jack Steinke.

The exterior of the Manhattan Beach condominiums in Crosslake, Minnesota, a 17-unit complex rebuilt by Hy-Tec Construction of Brainerd, Inc. in 2017 and 2018, after it was ravaged by fire.

Any good construction project demands a solid foundation. The same holds true for a construction business, which is why Hy-Tec Construction of Brainerd, Inc. (Hy-Tec)has flourished and grown for the last 30 years.

Hy-Tec has put down deep roots in the Brainerd and Central Minnesota community, establishing itself with local customers and local suppliers, and maintaining a reputation for excellence.

“There were several owners who got it started–Craig Feierabend, Brad Arnold and Brenda Bray,” says Toni Bieser, accountant at Hy-Tec and daughter of Brenda Bray. “They had all worked together for another company that closed down. They pooled their resources and started Hy-Tec on a hope and a prayer. Ever since then, it’s grown.”

Staying Local

The founders’ vision was simple. All natives of the Brainerd Lakes region, they wanted to create a local business that would serve its community and customers, earning repeat business and longstanding relationships through outstanding work. Their hope was to become the premier general contractor in Central Minnesota.

“We always say we are builders trying to be businessmen and women,” Toni says. “Almost everyone here has spent their time out in the field and knows how things work, how things go together. We’re lean and mean. We have the practical knowledge to do the job, and we always try to do what’s right for the customer. Our first rule is to make the client happy. We get a lot of repeat business because our clients turn into our friends.”

With a portfolio of work across a variety of projects, Hy-Tec has grown from a six-person staff to a team of some 80 employees since opening its doors in 1989.

“Our first employee still works here,” Toni says. “And now so does his son. In addition, we have father/son-in-law, mother/daughter and several three-generation employees. The employees are our backbone.”

A member of the Mid-Minnesota Builders Association and Associated Builders and Contractors, Hy-Tec works in both residential and commercial construction. However, the commercial side makes up about 75 percent of the business, says Jeff Hanson, one of the company’s owners and a project manager.

Small Community, Big Projects

“We’re in a smaller community, so we do a lot of different projects,” Jeff says. Hy-Tec has helmed construction projects across a variety of sectors, including medical, retail, worship, educational, financial and manufacturing.

“We’ve done a lot of work in the medical sector,” Jeff says. “Brainerd, Crosby, Crosslake, Staples, Little Falls and St. Cloud are just a few of the locations where we have worked. Our largest project in the last year was a medical center in Onamia, Minnesota, a $20 million pre-design hard bid project for an 80,000-square-foot medical center.”

Other recent projects include the Crosslake Community School, a multimillion-dollar facility in the heart of Crosslake, Minnesota, and the St. Francis Church in Brainerd, an ongoing project involving renovation and addition to a 100-year-old limestone building. In 2017 and 2018, Hy-Tec rebuilt the Manhattan Beach condominiums in Crosslake, a 17-unit complex that had been ravaged by fire.

“We had over 200 projects last year of varying sizes,” Toni says. “The last couple of years have seen quite a bit of growth.”

Capacity for Growth

As Hy-Tec has grown, so has its capacity to serve its clients. The company has the ability to self-perform concrete, steel and carpentry work in-house by Hy-Tec employees, while working closely with numerous subcontractors in specialized trades.

“We work with a lot of subcontractors,” Toni says. “Most of them have been with us for a long time. We’re proud of those relationships and we work hard to make sure they’re taken care of.”

Another aspect of business Hy-Tec has brought in-house is architecture. For the last eight years, the firm has boasted an in-house Architecture Division, including drafting and design. The division is headed by Paul Erickson, a registered architect and a certified interior designer with more than 35 years of experience.

“Bringing architecture in-house provides us with more control over the construction and pre-construction process,” Jeff says. “It helps streamline everything and is a huge benefit to our design-build offerings. It means the owner has only one point of contact during the entire construction process. Design-build creates a streamlined, seamless and efficient means of building a structure, and shifts all accountability and quality control to us.”

“Every project has its own difficulties,” Jeff continues. “The more we can streamline it, the better, whether it’s figuring out how to pour concrete 60 feet in the air or figuring out which trucks and equipment we need to get the material we need to where we’re working.”

Hy-Tec takes its role as part of its community seriously, and its owners take pride in the company’s family-oriented tradition, with several father-son teams on its staff.

“We’ve always been a family business,” Toni says. “We’re proud of that, and we’re proud of our legacy in the community as the hometown contractor. We’re active in the local charities. We sponsor several local teams and various events throughout the area. Some of our people sit on the boards of the Brainerd Jaycees and the Mid-Minnesota Builders Association. Lots of employees volunteer their personal time to local causes. We definitely try to give back as much as we can.”