Americans are pioneering people who are internationally respected for their strong work ethic. As such, the country was built by scores of truly great contractors. While there are countless big players out in the field who excel at what they do, this one recently caught our attention. Grand River Construction, Inc. in Hudsonville, Michigan, appears to do things differently. Looking at its service statement, it quickly becomes apparent that this commercial and industrial general contractor’s foundations run deep.
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The concrete specialist puts forward a winning bid for a quality and service offering backed up by a strong portfolio of historic projects. While many in the industry claim these two big selling points as their own, there aren’t that many contractors who take their quality communication this one step further. Grand River Construction has honed its quality and communications protocols to a fine art and while it claims that every team member is to uphold the values and systems that combine in its company culture, it puts evidence-based quality measures in place to make sure that clients’ expectations and its own high standards combine in a tangible way.
It is relatively rare to find a company who is so committed to its promises that it is prepared to publish its quality assurance plan publicly, adding much legitimacy to its offer. The plan includes a number of important elements that add to each project’s favorable outcome, such as quality controllers charged with the responsibility of managing standards, assurance surveillance, various types of quality inspections that happen throughout each project – including that of correction and deviation rectification. Subcontractors and suppliers are also stringently qualified by the company before being accepted as contributors.
A number of Gran River Construction’s other quality assurance measures include project completion inspections. Before work commences, each project is considered by President William Kersaan, who appoints and assigns each individual management team. Each team has a quality manager, who has a sizeable responsibility. They are responsible for coordinating regulations, industry standards and the customer’s needs with the project specifications outlined by the company, to ensure that the work meets the highest of standards. These managers also identify qualifying staff, collaborators, and materials suited to each individual contract.
Taking its quality assurance plan to the next level, Grand River Construction’s quality adherence training ensures that all staff fully comprehend their role and responsibility within the company’s quality framework on each specific job. After thorough examination, quality managers also provide detailed reports on the project’s quality status. Along with stringent standards adherence testing, each superintendent on every project meets with all stakeholders and representatives to share important information about the nature of the job – prior to commencing construction. This includes details on site conditions and resources at hand. Inspection checklists are adapted to suit each project and relevant points of concern are pointed out and clarified for all present. From here, task performance and the construction operation are closely followed, while laboratory performance-testing and quality audits ensure peace of mind throughout the project’s lifespan – and are all meticulously documented.
The company’s quality and communication commitments are partnered with its rigorous safety practices. While all contributors are expected to make reasonable provision for their own safety, Grand River Construction is heavily equipped to uphold its side of the safety responsibility on all of its construction sites, within all relevant laws. Through its close adherence to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, as well as that of the Michigan department’s (OSHA/MIOSHA), the company protects its staff, partners and everyone else on its job sites. This commitment to safety has landed it the National Safety Council’s Safety Leadership Award several times, and the firm will no doubt continue to follow this trend into the future. The company also has a Safety/Health program in place which focuses on educating staff on the dangers that can exist beyond all possible precaution in this evolving industry, equipping them to take the best action possible when unexpected circumstances arise.
While its quality commitment has been rewarded on many levels by organizations such as the Associated General Contractors of America, the company’s portfolio of impressive projects really stands testimony to its ethos. One of these projects is the City of South Bend’s wastewater treatment plant in Indiana, where Grand River Construction completed extensive renovations on a number of façades, as well as on infrastructure. The company also has experience in civil work such as roads and bridges, as demonstrated in the MDOT Kilgore Road project in the city of Portage, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
This massive project comprised a host of precision work. The original bridge was removed and a brand new three-sided concrete arch took its place. One of the big challenges the team overcame successfully was to keep traffic flowing over Portage Creek’s East Kilgore Road throughout the course of the project. Needless to say, the creek’s water had to be displaced in order to complete the project and cofferdams were chosen as a means of temporarily laying the immediate vicinity dry. Grand River Construction’s concrete expertise came in handy here; the substructure concrete had to support the road’s superstructure with the added element of running water which had to be considered during the design and construction phases. Indeed, the company understands concrete exceptionally well and is skilled in all its applications right up to multilevel residential structures and parking decks constructed from cast-in-place, reinforced and prestressed concrete.
Grand River Construction offers a number of comprehensive services with regard to constructing and maintaining new structures. It also designs and builds earth retention systems, performs demolition, and offers the traditional general trades, including carpentry and hydro-excavation. The latter is an especially popular choice when excavating in the vicinity of sensitive services or structures, making it a particularly suitable treatment when working on existing telecommunications infrastructure.
Apart from its sterling track record and impressive service delivery, the final proof of Grand River Construction’s own quality is in its nondiscrimination disclosure. Not only is it non-discriminatory, it is also dedicated to engaging in business with groups and individuals who are historically disadvantaged based on nationality, heritage, age, lack of physical ability, economic disposition or gender. With strong foundations such as these, this team cannot help but prosper.
