Today’s entry in the list of my favorite John’s Journal stories from
the past school year is unlike anything I have seen in many years of writing
about high school sports. Meeting a student who owns a self-made construction company
and employs lots of people is not something I ever expected.
Here’s
the story, which was originally posted on Feb. 9 …
Caden Fritz is
a busy young man. The senior at Edina High School is a center on the Hornets
hockey team, and combining a varsity sport with schoolwork seems like enough to
keep almost every day filled.
But not for Caden.
“I kind of have
too many interests,” said the 18-year-old. “I'm always going somewhere, I'm not
the kind of kid to sit at home.”
No kidding. He
goes to school, he plays hockey for one of the state’s storied programs, and …
there’s no way to explain it other than this: Caden owns a construction company
that he built from scratch.
When he’s on the
ice at Edina’s Braemar Arena and the student section chants “Fritz
Construction!” it’s an ode to Caden’s focus away from school and hockey. He
drives a truck to school with the Fritz Construction logo on the side, and he
can also be seen wearing apparel with the same logo. His company (fritz-construction.com) is licensed, bonded
and insured, and Caden is a licensed general contractor.
On the ice, he
has played in all 21 games for the Hornets this season, with one goal and six
assists. Off the ice, his work ethic is amazing. His first business venture was
lemonade stands as a youngster, and later he built and sold a vending-machine
business. He also made money as a hockey referee when he wasn’t playing, and
sold referee apparel and equipment on the side.
In the summer of
2020 he started a pressure-washing business that specialized in cleaning decks.
After customers asked if he could also sand and stain their decks, he created a
company called Fritz Deck Restoration.
“I did that for
that whole summer and made quite a bit of money, fixing decks, sanding and
staining them,” he said.
He moved into
construction in the fall of 2020, building new decks at first. Then came minor
remodels, including laundry rooms, bathrooms and finishing basements.
“It started off
small,” Caden said.
Things heated up
in 2021 when he and his employees built more than 60 decks, as well as some
large-scale home additions and renovations. As spring weather nears, Caden’s
company is preparing for work that includes decks, homes, roofing and siding,
and commercial and residential excavation.
Once again, he is
only 18 years old.
“It’s pretty
unbelievable,” said Ben Gross, 21, who is on track to graduate later this year
with a degree in applied economics from the University of Minnesota. Caden
calls Ben his right-hand man, because Gross handles much of the day-to-day
business operations, including meeting with clients and managing projects.
Ben’s first
contact with Caden came when his parents contacted Caden about building a deck
after they saw an ad on Facebook Marketplace.
“He gave them an
awesome quote and said he could have it done by the end of the month,” said
Ben, a graduate of Orono High School. “They met, went over the quote, and my
mom was a little skeptical. She said, ‘He’s in high school but it sounds like
he knows what he’s doing.’ ”
Ben ended up
helping out the crew that did the work, and he and Caden became friends. Before
long, Ben was working for Fritz Construction.
“I kind of
oversee all the projects,” Ben said. “He’ll get a quote and we’ll talk about
what it would entail, the costs, the timeline. I try to handle applying for
permits and help on the operations side of things.
“His buddies say
he’s had a knack for this since he was a kid, doing carnivals for kids in the
neighborhood. Then he sold his vending machine company for a fair chunk of
change. His work ethic is tenacious, he’s a dynamo. He never stops. I played
varsity lacrosse in high school and I can’t imagine doing what he’s doing.”
Caden is the
oldest of three children of Rob and Stephanie Fritz. His parents work in the
corporate world.
“We’re not in
construction,” Stephanie said with a chuckle.
In all of Caden’s
business ventures, he has done everything on his own financially.
“We never gave
him a dime,” said Stephanie. “I think back to his lemonade stands, when we made
him pay for everything himself. He’s just wired that way.
“He doesn’t
sleep. He loves life. Nobody has more fun than Caden. With a business comes
pressure and issues, and he knows how to enjoy himself but he really works for
it. He thinks big. He’s not afraid to try and fail.”
The Edina hockey team has a record of 13-8 with
four games remaining in the regular season. This is Caden’s first year on the
varsity and he’s having the time of his life.
“My line’s doing
really well and I've been really focusing on hockey,” he said. “I’ve got my
whole life to work and I enjoy it but you're never going to get to play hockey
in Edina with a good team like this ever again.”
During peak times
last summer, Fritz Construction employed more than 30 people on any given day.
In the summer of 2022, Caden is hoping that number might increase to 55 or 60.
But he also likes to have fun with his buddies, including those who work for
him.
“I'm still in
high school and I like hanging out with my friends every night,” he said. “So
we'll start working around five in the morning and most days get done around
two o'clock. And then we go to the lake (Minnetonka) pretty much every single
day. A lot of times we go to my family’s cabin on weekends and have a lot of
fun. We definitely work really hard but we have a lot of fun in the process.”
Deck construction
has continued throughout this winter, with the boss swinging a hammer when he
can.
“I'll get out
there every once in a while on a Sunday and or after school for a few hours and
help out, get my hands dirty,” he said.
Caden is hoping
to buy his own cabin up north, either purchasing an empty lot and building a
cabin or purchasing a fixer-upper. His story is even more remarkable when he
tells you that he didn’t even know how to operate a drill four years ago. But
he’s curious and never intimidated.
In 2018, using
tools that had belonged to his late grandfather and watching instructional
YouTube videos, he built a shed at the family cabin to store four-wheelers. It
took him all summer.
“It wasn't
stellar, but it still stands today,” he said. “Now I can do anything from
painting a house to building a house.”
As if he isn’t
busy enough, Caden is also training as an Emergency Medical Technician. He has
spent time working in a hospital setting and is interested in possibly working
with a fire department or law enforcement. He has interviewed with two
sheriff’s departments for part-time EMT work.
He plans to
attend the University of St. Thomas in the fall to study criminal justice,
possibly becoming an attorney and/or going into law enforcement.
Asked what he
will be doing in 10 years, he replied, “I guess if you asked me today and then
tomorrow, I might have 10 different choices.”
And yes, he’s
only 18 years old.
--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of
Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn
and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts.
Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org
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