Offsite Construction Summit Spotlights Fast-Growing Industry in Minnesota

Like most states, Minnesota—and Minneapolis, in particular—is struggling with the demand for affordable housing. Up until recently, options were few. But now, with the opening of the third modular manufacturing facility in the greater Minneapolis area, the city is poised to not only offer solutions to its housing crisis but become a hub for the entire modular construction industry.

In fact, the Minneapolis Summit started with a panel discussion of one of the city’s most talked-about new manufacturing companies: George Modular Solutions. Devean George, a former professional basketball player with an 11-year career in the NBA and Minneapolis native, alongside members of his new modular project team, spoke about the opportunities—for both housing and employment—that his new factory will bring to the area.

“I kept hearing from the community about jobs and housing,” said George. “Folks take pride in something that they have been a part of. I am paying it forward — where people in the community are building a place they can live in.”

The topic of affordable housing was a theme during the morning sessions. Following the opening panel discussion, architects Dean Dovolis and Amanda Pederson of local firm DJR—themselves part of George’s broad team of industry experts—spoke about their own work to bring deeply affordable public housing options to Minneapolis using modular construction.

“As designers and architects, we are passionate about the advancement of innovative construction methodologies like modular construction,” said Pederson. “We’re excited for the opportunity to share some of the work we have been doing locally, as well as to make connections with industry leaders and experts.”

Dovolis and Pederson were following Christian Lawrence and Troy Tiddens of RISE Modular, the first modular manufacturer to establish itself in Minneapolis several years ago. Their presentation, “Embracing Market Demands in Offsite Construction,” included examples of RISE’s own affordable housing projects and underscored their belief that manufacturers must balance standardization with adaptability to provide maximum value.

The morning sessions ended with a informative presentation from Justin Stewart, CEO of Synergy Modular. Titled “Unlocking Affordable Housing: A Modular Construction Success Story,” Stewart dove into the key strategies that have allowed his company to succeed in the industry over the past decade.

Following a long networking lunch, two more sessions were presented. During the first, “The Next Generation of Multi-Story Building: Prefabricated Building Envelopes,” Jace Rossow, regional facades manager at Wells, spoke about the many advantages that prefabricated panels and facades can bring to multilevel projects. The day’s sessions then ended with Brian Nicholson, CEO of Minnesota’s new Advanced Volumetric Alliance (AVA). His session, “Making Modular Work,” described how his modular project team works to deliver on the promises of the modular construction process.