Story by Daniel Ricci
Grant Frevert has taken a longer journey to get to graduation, finding his passion for construction management along the way. Like a lot of people, Frevert went to college after high school. But after spending a year at Western State University in Gunnison, Colorado, he decided that college was not a good fit. While he loved being there, he didn’t have the drive and motivation to do well. He returned home to Littleton, and began working for a home builder.
Passion for CM
What started as a way to pay the bills quickly grew in to a passion. “I loved the consistent problem solving and personal relationship aspects of construction,” he said. Frevert spent three and a half years primarily working framing and concrete. But as Frevert thought about his career options he decided that, as much as he enjoyed what he was doing, returning to school was a better long-term plan. Familiar with the reputation of the Department of Construction Management at CSU, he applied to the program.
Unfortunately his grades were too low and CSU rejected his application. But, unlike his first attempt at college, Frevert knew he wanted to study construction management at CSU. He continued to work in the trades and began taking classes at Metro State University to raise his GPA. The following year he reapplied to CSU and was accepted into the CM program.
Deeply engaged in CM program
As a student Frevert engaged deeply with the program. He was active in the Mechanical Student Club for several years. He was also on the Preconstruction Competition Team for two years and the Roofing Competition Team for one. This semester, Frevert is serving as the student leader for the Salem Family Project, one of the CM Cares service-learning projects currently underway. Of all of the activities he has been involved in, CM Cares is the one he is most proud of, “We are working on a residence for a family that includes six adopted kids with disabilities…I love that by building things you can better the lives of others.”
Asked about his most memorable moment at CSU, Frevert described the experience of walking into his first CM Career Fair as a young student. While the initial experience was overwhelming, he has learned that people in the construction industry are approachable and easy to talk to and he enjoys the networking opportunity the fair offers. Frevert’s focus was the primary driver of his success. But he also credits his CM peers and the CM faculty and staff with creating an environment that pushed him to excel. While there were many people who contributed to his success, he singled out Professor Loren Funk for the guidance and advice, both personal and professional, that he offered.
Involved in the community
As evidenced by his CM Cares participation, Frevert is an active contributor to building strong communities. Outside of school, Frevert is involved with CISV, an organization dedicated to creating a more peaceful world by building connections through child and youth cultural exchange. Frevert grew up down the street from one of the founders of the Denver CSIV chapter and went to Japan with the organization when he was 11. He continued to stay involved and several years ago began serving as a group leader. In this role, he takes small groups of youth on international trips of up to four weeks during the summer. He has led trips to Sweden, Guatemala, Argentina, and India. “I am very proud to be part of the organization…I’m always blown away with how intelligent and receptive the kids are.”
Frevert recently accepted a job with FCI Constructors following graduation. He interned for the company two summers ago and is excited to join a team that shares his interest in community building. Reflecting on his college experience, Frevert talked about how much it had changed him. He admitted that he was not a good student in high school. He didn’t know what he wanted to do and as a result didn’t take learning seriously. Finding a passion for construction gave him purpose and the Department of Construction Management provided him the tools to achieve his goals.
The Department of Construction Management is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.
