First Friday in March
Military Friendly®: Good for Veterans and Your Organization
Recruiting, retaining and advancing veterans is a smart investment. High demand for veteran talent means organizations that can effectively transition military knowledge, attributes and skills to civilian opportunities are rising to the top.
Russ Becker, president and CEO of APi Group, joined our March First Friday luncheon to discuss how APi Group’s Veterans Rotational Program is honoring military service and creating positive outcomes across its family of companies.
Greg Fredlund '06 is president of Northland, a wholly owned subsidiary of APi. After a distinguished military career, was selected into APi's Leadership Development Program.
Karen Lange, VP of Student Affairs at St. Thomas, moderated the discussion.
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
James B. Woulfe Alumni Hall
Anderson Student Center, St. Paul Campus
Russ Becker
Russell (Russ) Becker is the chief executive officer and president of APi Group, one of the largest providers of specialty services in North America and the largest provider of life safety services in the world. Becker’s continued commitment to overall excellence has inspired APi Group to create a culture of leadership by building an exceptional learning and development program, a highly selective Leader Development Program, and an
award-winning veteran’s hiring program.
After graduatng from Michigan Technological University with his bachelor and Master of Science degrees in civil engineering, Becker began his career as a field engineer with Cherne Contracting. He moved on to become a project manager for Ryan Companies during the construction of the Greenfield Recycled Paper Mill project for Liberty Paper. Upon completion of this project, he joined APi Group’s subsidiary, The Jamar Company, in Duluth, Minn. He started as manager of construction and was named president in 1998, where he served until joining APi Group as president in 2002.
Becker was a member of Dunwoody Institute’s board of trustees. He is the former chair of the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota and the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Foundation boards of directors. He currently serves on the Children's Foundation, the Liberty Diversified Industries, and the Marvin Companies boards of directors. He also serves on the advisory board for the School of Engineering at Michigan Technological University and the board for the Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT). Becker is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and the Minnesota Business Partnership. He resides with his wife, Trish, and three sons in Dellwood, Minn.
Greg Fredlund '06
Greg Fredlund is the President of Northland, an infrastructure services provider operating in Minnesota and across the Midwest. Northland is a wholly owned subsidiary of APi Group.
Fredlund was born and raised in Minnesota and graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2006. While receiving his education at St. Thomas, Fredlund completed the University of Minnesota Army ROTC program and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army upon graduation.
Fredlund served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2011 as a member of the Armor Branch. His leadership positions included Tank Platoon Leader, Tank Company Executive Officer, and Tank Battalion Assistant Operations Officer. He deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2007 to 2008 and again from 2009 to 2010. Fredlund completed his service in the rank of Captain. Service distinctions include two Bronze Star Medals, the Combat Action Badge, the Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.
Upon leaving the military, Fredlund was selected into APi Group’s Leadership Development Program. This program is a critical component of APi Group’s veteran hiring initiative. The APi Group LDP is a highly demanding program which provides leaders with a year-long business training experience at eight different APi Group companies across the country.
When Fredlund completed the Leadership Development Program, he was promoted to Operations Manager at NYCO, a Twin Cities based APi Group Company. Fredlund successfully improved operations and was promoted to President of NYCO in 2015.
In 2019, Fredlund had the honor of becoming President at Northland, taking the next step in his leadership journey. Fredlund and his family are grateful to be part of the APi Group family and to be part of our continued tradition of excellence.