The community of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin has long been known for the development of its business park along Interstate 90 on the community’s north side. A strong mix of business types within the park led the community to hold one lot along the front of the park for retail development. Over the last few years, the community had entertained multiple proposals for potential retail development on this lot, but unfortunately none of these proposals had led to actual construction because of financing, and most recently because of the COVID Pandemic. But the opportunity to put together a deal led one former Friede & Associates staffer to push forward and to bring a real project to life. With the help of his family and the Friede team, the developer was able to weather first the pandemic, and later the effects it had on price increases, material shortages, and product delivery delays, to construct one of the few new retail buildings in Dane County to come online during the winter of 2022.