It could be said that Minneapolis-based Hyde Development co-founder Paul Hyde’s career is a big detour from what he set out to be when he earned multiple law degrees in school. But it might be more accurate to say that his pursuit of learning the law set him on the path to his true calling.

Hyde, who is 54 this year, started his work as a redeveloper of brownfields and other disused sites back in 1995. The business, which he founded with his late father, Mac, only recently finished redeveloping one of the largest industrial sites in the Twin Cities, the eight-building Northern Stacks in Fridley

Paul Hyde has seen the Twin Cities commercial real estate market undergo a massive slowdown in recent weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But he is remaining optimistic about his company’s future.

Finance & Commerce reporter Matt Johnson sat down virtually with Hyde during the first few days in April to talk about commercial real estate, Hyde’s growth and how Minnesota’s stay-at-home orders are impacting his industry.