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Young Construction bringing years of experience to Albert Lea area

By Kim Gooden for the Tribune

After working in the Albert Lea area for the past four to five years, Dan Young, owner of Young Construction, found a location in Albert Lea that suits the business and plans to open an office there in the spring of 2024.

“We prefer to be on the main drag,” explained Young.

So when the building at 801 E. Main Street in Albert Lea became available, they bought it and began fixing it up.

Their goal is to have the outside and parking lot done before winter so they can finish the inside when they can’t be working on outside projects this winter.

The new office and showroom will be the third location for Young Construction, with two others in Mason City and Waverly, Iowa.

According to Young, the showroom will provide samples of the products they have for all exterior projects for homes and businesses.

It will be set up with TV monitors to show what a house could look like with different colors.

“We use a program called Hover that takes a picture of your roof and house so you can actually see what it will look like before it [the siding, roofing, doors, windows, gutters, etc.] goes on your house,” Young said. “This is actually one of the biggest selling points for siding. It also makes it more accurate for ordering materials.”

Videographer and drone specialist Nick Hoppel has a license to fly a drone for taking pictures, which enables them to do bigger projects.
While they are already licensed to do construction work in Minnesota, Young said there is ongoing testing and education that is required to keep their license.

“They’re strict here [in Minnesota] with building codes,” he said. “You cannot work here without having a license. But I like that. If there’s a license in place it helps with integrity.”

After the derecho went through Iowa in 2020, Young Construction spent two years in Cedar Rapids repairing homes and buildings. Now they are doing repairs on homes and buildings that were repaired poorly by other contractors.

As a result, he encourages people to hire companies with a license and credentials to ensure that they are getting quality workmanship and materials.

“If asked, a company should always be able to produce their license, especially here [in Minnesota,” he said.

Young Construction stays very busy from the time spring begins until November when it becomes too cold to continue installing shingles and siding. Then, during the winter months, they work on marketing, scheduling, training and attend conventions and roofing shows.

“That’s where we learn about upgrades on the latest and greatest products coming out,” Young noted.

But exterior construction is not the only thing Young Construction is about.

Marketing Director Sarah Martinson shared some of the accolades Young Construction has earned, as well as their involvement in the community.

“We are an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor and have received the Owens Corning Product Excellence Award and the North Iowa Reader’s Choice Award,” she said.

“We are also a member of the Albert Lea, Mason City, Clear Lake and Waverly Chamber of Commerce, the Mason City Board of Realtors, and are on the Homeless Shelter Board of Directors as well as the Charlie Brown Daycare Board of Directors.”

Young is especially proud of their charitable involvements that benefit people in the communities they serve.

“We sponsor a program called YC Cares which is a way to give back to the local community,” Young said.

Some of the things YC Cares does are a $500 Christmas shopping spree, a veteran’s roof deployment giveaway and a YC RoofRescue giveaway.

Anyone can be nominated and then Young Construction goes through the nominations and narrows it down to three. From there the community gets to vote on which one will be the lucky recipient.

“We try to pick people no one else helps — people who slip through the cracks. People who make enough so that they don’t qualify for other help but not enough to make ends meet,” Young said.

“That’s one of my favorite things – giving to where you actually see the impact it has on the community, rather than just giving money to a program where you never see the impact.”

They have also donated supplies like pencils, cups and bags to schools, and sponsor many sports.

Martinson also noted that Dan and his wife, Tammy, have a son with Spina Bifida and do a lot to raise awareness about this condition so young mothers know what it is.

Young Construction has also branched out to new home construction through YC Homes.

“We have done some higher-end custom built and twin homes,” Young said.

Young Construction is a family owned and operated company that has been in business since 2001. Their service area is approximately two hours in any direction from their office and showroom locations. They currently employ 17-20 full-time people and multiple crews of seasonal workers. The Albert Lea office will add additional full-time workers.