Marv Kotek
Co-Founder of Premer Management / Development
On Saturday morning, October 14, 2023, my friend, Marv Kotek, passed away at the age of 77. Marv was the President and co-owner of Frerich’s Construction, and was the co-founder of Premier Management and Development, Everwood Development, and MDR Development companies.
Marv was raised on a dairy farm in Montgomery, MN. He did not want to follow his Dad into the dairy business, so after high school he enlisted into the Army and went to Vietnam. After his discharge, he went to work as a carpenter on many large projects in Minneapolis. Marv said to me one day, “I was hanging off a high-rise office building doing exterior work in the freezing cold and looked down and saw all these guys going into the construction trailer in light jackets, and I said to myself, why the heck am I up here, I want to be down there in a warm trailer.” He was smart and hardworking, and he worked his way up to become President of Frerich’s Construction. Marv was also instrumental in their growth and success over the years.
I first met Marv in 1999, in a construction meeting, while I was working for CommonBond Communities. Marv was running the show on a project that Joe Holmberg put together for CommonBond. It was an occupied rehab of the 24 story, 524-unit Skyline Tower in St. Paul. Joe and I went to the first construction meeting along with a long table of 20-30 sub-contractors and watched the master at work. Marv held court in that room and everyone knew the quality of work expected, that it would be done on time and on budget, and that safety was the number one priority. Joe and I watched Marv at work for over a year. We would talk on the way back to the office about how confident we were that with Marv in charge, there was not much to worry about.
In 2009, Marv knew that I was not happy after leaving CommonBond Communities. So, one day he said to me, “it’s time for you to step off the curb and build your own company. You have enough connections.” Marv was not only an inspiration and mentor to me, but he helped me with the creation of Premier, in 2010. He helped secure our first large acquisition of the Legacy Management company and its portfolio of nine properties, with nearly nine hundred apartment units. We quickly started Everwood Development, and along with David Dye, then also formed MDR Development. This led to many real estate and construction deals over the years. Every challenge was met, and any problems encountered were fixed with practical solutions. Over the years, there were so many business tales and successes that I could go on.
Going into business with Marv, not only provided me with the professional fulfillment that I was searching for, but most importantly, it provided me with a trusted partner and friend. Marv was smart, hardworking, kind, and did so many good deeds for others, often behind the scenes. The world misses Marv, and this company and I are lonelier without him.