Who We Are
Free State Builders is a construction and development company based in Downtown Hutchinson, Kansas. We build new homes and restore existing ones across Reno and Rice County, from workforce housing and spec builds to custom homes and historic downtown properties.
We're not a national firm with a local office. We're from here. We know these streets, these buildings, and the people who live in them. Every project we take on gets the same thing: a team that actually cares how it turns out!
That's not an accident. It comes from somewhere.
In 1884, a family stepped off a train in Nickerson, Kansas onto open prairie and decided to build something. George Washington Detter, a Union soldier turned schoolteacher, had brought his family west from Pennsylvania looking for land and a life worth making. They found it in Reno County. Within a generation the Detters were feeding a thousand head of cattle through a Kansas winter, topping the Kansas City markets, building homes, running a granary, and putting their name on a field where their boys won state championships. When Warren Clayton Detter's son went missing in France after the Argonne, Warren didn't wait for the Army. He got on a boat and went to find him himself. That's the kind of people they were.
Nate Hiatt grew up shaped by that legacy. The Detter name may not be on his door but the values are in everything he builds. Today he's still doing it in Reno County, the same community his family has called home for over a hundred years. Free State Builders isn't a new direction. It's the same work, finally wearing the right name!
Building what's next. Restoring what matters!
To deliver quality construction and purposeful development across Reno County, building homes people are proud to live in and restoring the historic structures that give this community its character. We do that by running a structured, accountable process from start to finish. Trades coordinated in-house. Timelines managed internally. Quality checked at every stage. We communicate clearly, finish what we start, and stand behind what we build.
Company Mission
Company Vision
A Reno County where people have access to well-built, attainable housing, and where Downtown Hutchinson's historic buildings are filled, active, and contributing to the community again. We believe the future of this county doesn't require outside investment or outside ideas. It requires builders who know the ground they're building on and care about what happens after the last nail is driven. That's the company we're building Free State Builders to be.
Company Culture
We're tradespeople first. We show up, do the work, and hold ourselves to a standard we'd want applied to our own homes!
Accountability over excuses. If something goes wrong on a job, we own it and we fix it. We don't pass the problem down the line.
Craft over speed, but both matter. We run efficient builds because our clients deserve reliable timelines. But we don't cut corners to get there. Quality and speed aren't opposites when your systems are built right.
Community isn't a talking point. We live here. Our kids will go to school here. When we restore a building on Main Street or frame a house on the edge of town, we're investing in the same place we come home to every night.
Straight talk. We tell clients what's actually happening, on timeline, on budget, on scope. No sugarcoating, no surprises at the end.
Meet Our Team
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Owner / General Manager
Nate is our Construction manager, leading our teams is where he fits in best. From framing to trim carpentry Nate is there to ensure top notch quality all the way through the project. His hard work and leadership skills come from his time working on the family farm growing up and the football field at Nickerson High School and Sterling College.
“It’s not luck, it’s not magic, it’s not circumstances. It’s developing a great plan and executing on it, day in and day out until the visions in your head become a reality.” -Andy Frisella
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Marketing and Office Manager
Some people find their way into the building industry through blueprints and job sites. KT found hers through story.
With over a decade of experience in marketing and development, KT has spent her career inside the world of construction and building. From her work with Allcat to telling the story of Meyer Landmark, she has built a deep fluency in what it actually takes to bring a project from vision to reality , and how to communicate that in a way people remember.
At Free State Builders, she is the connective tissue between the crew in the field and the community we serve. KT shapes how the company shows up in the world, making sure the work being done is felt as much as it is seen.
A local at heart, she is driven by a belief that great building starts with great relationships. Every campaign, every conversation, every piece of content she touches carries that conviction with it.
When you reach out to Free State Builders, chances are you'll hear from KT first. That's intentional. She sets the tone for everything that follows.
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Project Manager
Stefan grew up in Nickerson, and the roots run deep.
He came up through the trades the right way, spending a year with LUXE building the kind of hands-on experience that no classroom can replicate. Learning the craft from the ground up gave him something most project managers don't have: a genuine understanding of what it takes to get the work done well, not just on paper, but in the field.
New to his role as Project Manager at Free State Builders, Stefan brings that same ground-level clarity to every job he oversees. He communicates straight, moves fast, and takes pride in running projects that come in right, on time, on budget, and built to last.
For Stefan, this isn't just a career. It's home. And building for the community he grew up in makes every project personal.