They've built successfully in Incline Village

They knew each other as children growing up in Incline Village, were friends and teammates in high school, even roommates in Reno as freshmen at the University of Nevada. Matt Moffitt, John Albrecht and Rob Laurie are still close today on a day-to-day basis, only now as business associates working as the foundation of Fortress Construction, Inc.

And having as much fun as ever.

As professionals, it's only natural that they take pride in their work, yet a project to these three men means a little bit extra. After all, this is their hometown.

"It is when you drive by and see it every day. The last project we did was right next door to a place we used to hang out when we were in high school," Moffitt said.

Albrecht moved up here in 1970, Moffitt and Laurie moved up in 1977.

"We all have deep roots here," Albrecht said. "We have almost 100 years living up here between the three of us."

Well, there have been some detours. After spending one year at the University of Nevada, they went their separate ways. Albrecht stayed close to home, aside from a couple of years he spent wind surfing in Oregon. Laurie moved to Southern California to pursue his interest in art and design at California State University, Long Beach. Moffitt moved to San Diego and later to Hawaii in pursuit of various things.

"I've been around a little bit," said Moffitt, who now resides in Reno. "I spent 10 years in hotel management and ran a water sports company on the Big Island (Hawaii). It was all fun. Hawaii is a nice place to vacation, a great place actually, but there's something special about being up here."

Laurie returned off and on during his college years and came back home for good in 1992 to work as a partner with his stepfather at Village Painting. So, when Moffitt returned in 2001, the groundwork was in place for the organization of Fortress.

"There's nothing else I'd rather be doing than building and designing homes," said Laurie, who is still involved with Village Painting. "I always had a passion for architectural design and building. I did a few owner-builder projects, but I kept looking around looking for more.

"The only person I would partner up with was John. When I finally convinced him we should get together, that was an exciting day. And then when I found out Matt was going to be involved, that made it even more exciting."

They collaborated to make Fortress Construction become reality in 2004.

"We had always kept in touch," said Albrecht, who obtained his contractor's license in 2001. "When I saw the opportunity to partner up with Rob, I jumped right on it. Growing up together, you have a bond and trust which I think you need in a partnership, which is why I feel Fortress will be successful."

The fact that the three friends were separated for more than 10 years made it all the more special when they came together as business associates.

"We're living a dream," Laurie said. "We're doing what we want to do, we're living where we want to be. It doesn't get any better than that.

"We want to create a fun environment at work," he added. "That's important. That's why we live up here, because of the mountains, the surroundings and the lifestyle, and we want to take advantage of what our surroundings have to offer."

Laurie and Albrecht are still active skiers (they were teammates on the Incline High alpine ski team). Earlier this year, Albrecht finished 69th out of more than 700 cross country skiers at the challenging Great Ski Race, a 30-kilometer trek from Tahoe City to Truckee. Laurie is also a competitive swimmer and triathlete (his goal is to participate in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii). Albrecht is an avid cyclist and Alta Alpina Cycling Club member.

Fun?

"I've been around construction 23 years - my dad was a painting contractor - so this is fun for me," Moffitt said. "There's still work involved. But I think that the three of us are friends helps make it easier to get through the stressful times."

Laurie and Albrecht are now raising their own families in Incline Village. Rob and Karen Laurie have three children - Hannah, 8; Ava, 5; and Jack, 2. John and Sabrina Albrecht have one son, Otto, 2.

"I'm real excited to see my son growing up and be able to take part in the same activities I took part in," Albrecht said, adding that his family now lives in the same home he grew up with in the 1970s and '80s.

Their roots are in Incline Village. Now, perhaps they have a legacy in place.

"Maybe Jack and Otto will grow up together and take over Fortress one day," Laurie said, flashing a smile.