Alex Gese came to Minnesota to attend law school in 2003 and practiced for three years. But he really wanted to be a developer and endured a trial by fire, rehabbing some single-family homes in South Minneapolis. He co-developed Kolo at 36th and Bryant with Hall Sweeney, built the Linden Flats in Linden Hills, developed Rosa on the old Curran’s site at 42nd and Nicollet, and just opened his latest at 51 France. It’s targeted to the empty-nester market, an overlooked niche he hopes to build on when market conditions improve. (Right now, projects don’t pencil out without tax breaks or grant money.) In 2025 he hopes to focus on a South St. Paul multiuse project. Fun fact: Gese runs Big Watt Beverage, a coffee and water company, in his spare time.