< PreviousMost of its work takes place in Minnesota, but it will and does perform out of state work upon the request of existing clients. 80 percent of its projects are repeat clients.Subcontractors enjoy working with Dering Pierson Group and bid on jobs time after time. Relationships with these subcon-tractors are a crucial element of doing business. “We nurture those relationships. Most of our projects are done with the same subcontractors, which means that we get priority on the quality of tradesmen. Most subcontractors that we work with really do want to be with us. We organize our projects right and work proficiently as a team,” says Adam.The company wants to make sure the job site is well run and that there are clear expectations between the subcontractors, O’Shaughnessy Holding Co.O’Shaughnessy Holding Co. JUNE 201840 general contractors and the ownership group. The coordina-tion is well scheduled and maintained so everyone can work effectively and safely. If there are issues on any job, they are handled properly. Nobody is left hanging.“There are a lot of general contractors that shop the market on every single job, and it’s not a partnership between the subcontractor and the general contractor. It’s more of a one-sided relationship. We do really try and develop those rela-tionships that make our jobs successful, and the clients see that,” says Michael.Dering Pierson Group was recently certified as a Woman-owned Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBNEC). With that designation, the company is vying for some federal and state projects. This would include tenant improvements, office build-outs.“Most of our projects are done with the same subcontractors, which means that we get priority on the quality of tradesmen.”“The government has a lot of buildings and spaces that need to be remodeled. With that certification comes a certain amount of work that would otherwise be unavailable,” says Joyce. Dering Pierson Group is looking to harness this opportunity. Dering Pierson Group has also started a growth business man-agement program called EOS®, Entrepreneurial Operating System. “EOS is a phenomenal system that’s worked for many companies. We are working with a coach and following the process. It is early in the game, but we’re confident that EOS will help position the company for coming growth that we want in a managed fashion,” says Michael.Xperience FitnessXperience FitnessXperience Fitness41CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Counting many Fortune 500 Companies along with local, regional and international businesses among its clients, Houston-based Welcome Group, LLC has worked with the likes of GE Oil & Gas, Siemens, DHL Express, Goya Foods, Kinder Morgan, and other world-renowned companies. With years of industry experience, the Welcome Group remains a well-known and respected Single-Tenant Real Estate Developer.WELCOME GROUPJUNE 201842Written by Robert HoshowskyDeveloping over 150 single-tenant properties, the company focuses on industrial real estate devel-opment such as manufacturing, warehouse and distribution facilities, laboratories, medical, offices, and refrigerated storage structures. Owning over 85 industrial properties in the state, the Welcome Group’s holdings encompass approximately four million square feet and counting.A one-stop shopWith in-depth knowledge in the areas of land acquisition, design build, acquiring existing single-tenant facilities, build to suit construc-tion, sale-leasebacks, construction financing and permanent financing, the Welcome Group proudly provides one-stop shop services for its many cus-tomers. “Welcome Group designs and delivers projects that provide tenants with functional, high-quality space at competitive rate structures,” according to the company, which has earned an enviable reputation for understanding – and appreciating – the nuances of real estate development in the state.Build to Suit, Turnkey Design Build, Single-Tenant Building Acquisition, and Sales-Leaseback are just a few of the many services clients can expect from the Welcome Group, along with Land Acquisition, Value Engineering, Property Management of Owned Facilities, Project Budgeting, and many others. The company takes care of all design build construction and build to suit projects through its affiliate, Kingham Dalton Wilson (KDW), and customers benefit from dozens of valuable services, ranging from site selection and due diligence to environmental studies, site master planning, 3D modeling/design visualization, project layout and integration, construction management, and many others.“Welcome Group is proud to offer services which run from project startup all the way to property management.”43CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Significant projectsWith many decades of combined experience, the team at Welcome Group has a sizable portfolio of diverse projects in locations including Deer Park, Pasadena, Houston, Sugar Land, Austin, Dallas, and others. Recently, Welcome Group complet-ed a massive new build to suit industrial development for USA DeBusk LLC, a respected mechanical and industrial cleaning services company active in refining, petrochemical, chemical processing, and other areas. With two buildings totalling 49,187 square feet on a 13.52 acre site in Deer Park’s Seaco 8 Business Park, the build will serve as the new headquarters and regional service operations site for the company. Pleased with the result, Andrew DeBusk, Chief Executive Officer and President of USA DeBusk, stated, “Our clients have indicated that they are extremely impressed with our operations and the new build-ings. Our goal is to build a best in class business. We now have a facility that projects that image.”Recently, Germany-based MAN Diesel & Turbo SE – the world’s leading provider of large-bore diesel engine and turbomachin-ery used in stationary and marine applications – announced itself as the first tenant in the 650-acre Twinwood business park, which will be under the ownership of Welcome Group, with construction to be carried out on the facility by KDW. Consolidating its Houston locations into a new 137,242 square foot North American headquarters at Twinwood under one roof will enable MAN Diesel & Turbo to streamline operations and grow its equipment servicing capabilities. Located south of Interstate 10 between Woods Road and FM 1489, the project at Twinwood will start in the second quarter, and is expected to take approximately one year to complete. “Our goal has been to bring our two Houston area opera-tions under one roof,” stated Man Diesel & Turbo’s Managing Director Tony Ruegger in a media release of the new facility, which will house an estimated 140 employees. “We’re certainly looking forward to expanding our equipment servicing capa-bilities in Twinwood.”Along with the project for USA DeBusk and the work in progress for MAN Diesel & Turbo at Twinwood, Welcome Group’s many build to suit projects include industrial offices and warehouses varying widely in size. And with a range of acquisitions including industrial flex buildings, multi-tenant office/industrial properties, industrial manufacturing facili-ties, testing labs and warehouses, manufacturing warehouses, Class A office space, food distribution warehouses and more, Welcome Group is able to meet the space needs and require-ments of all its clients.JUNE 201844 With its highly trained staff, Welcome Group is proud to offer services which run from project startup all the way to property management. Realizing the importance of thorough planning, the team at Welcome Group assesses facility requirements through a client needs assessment to ensure the highest possible functionality and value is achieved. The next stage, conceptual design and estimating, sees the creation of a building site layout – or conceptual site plan, if a location has not yet been chosen – to help determine the amount of acreage needed not only immediately, but to accommodate growth in the future.Once these stages are underway, experts at the company take on value engineering and work with design specialists to make sure clients receive the best possible information and sugges-tions on how to lower costs. Once potential sites are identified, due diligence determines if the site is economically viable. And when the right location is chosen, the team at Welcome Group uses standardized procedures to oversee the final design and construction of the project. For customers who choose to lease, the company’s dedicated property management team is on hand to provide expert support services if required.Holding membership with a number of professional asso-ciations, including the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP), the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), Opportunity Houston and others, Welcome Group continues in the tradi-tion of E.E. Jack Wilson – the father of Welcome Wilson Sr., and Jack E. Wilson – who began investing in farm, ranch, and rental properties in the early 1950s. Growing ever since, the Welcome Group has been behind the development of over 200 single-tenant properties, and is “aggressively seeking to purchase existing occupied, single-tenant properties in Texas.”Services from inception to completion… and beyond“For customers who choose to lease, the company’s dedicated property management team is on hand to provide expert support services if required.”45CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Wolverine Building Group stands for integrity, reliability, and versatility. This 79-year old construction company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has worked in 49 states doing everything from renovation and remodeling to new builds and building additions.JUNE 20184647CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Written by Pauline MüllerThe two partners are unmistakable change-makers and both prefer to work in the field together with their teams rather than driving their performance from up high. “Twenty years ago, when I started, there was a lot of individual management of projects, and as Aaron and I became involved and helped grow the company, we brought along a more collaborative approach. We brought this big collaboration change about in Wolverine, and that’s really important to us,” says Curt. For Aaron, many heads are definitely better than one, as is “having a relationship with a team that you can trust to work toward the same goals. And so, when you’re challenged on things it makes it possible to come up with better answers than you could find on your own,” he says. Aaron and Curt both value diverse input and take listening to others very seri-ously. The result is nimble, small teams equipped and empow-ered to execute high-pressure jobs effectively – people who can be trusted to do the right thing on massive projects when it matters most. Having close ties with project owners as well as the architects and designers also guarantees the company customer loyalty, trust, and respect along with project success.One such successful project is the prominent seven-story SkyVue student housing apartment building that the team completed last fall for Rise Real Estate near Michigan State University, East Lansing. “We were the general contractor on that and assisted in designing it to meet Michigan climate standards and keep costs in line with the developer’s budget. It was a really fun one,” says Aaron. The result is spectacular. Its clean, modern design and quality finishes really showcase Wolverine’s capacity for precision at its very best. The year and a half spent on the planning process and collaborating closely with the client paid off, leaving the company particularly proud of this building. “One of our greatest strengths as a company is that we work very closely with our customers to understand their goals and to see the project from their perspective. This allows us to help guide the construction and the design processes to where their budget ultimately meets their other goals from a business perspective,” says Curt.Wolverine Building Group is especially well-respect-ed for its contracting and project management services as well as taking concepts from the design phase through to completion – precision-tailored throughout to suit clients’ requirements exactly.The company’s four divisions all function under the same name. The Multi-Unit Residential, Industrial, Construction Management and National Retail departments all work together in making the firm proud. Founded in 1939, Wolverine Building Group welcomed its fifth owners in January of this year. Aaron Jonker has been with the company since 2007 and Curt Mulder arrived in 1998. Together with their team, the two co-presidents will continue to uphold Wolverine Building Group’s unique structure, as well as its reputation for being stable and exceptionally dynamic. There are a number of exciting new developments ahead for the company, and Aaron and Curt kindly joined me for a great discussion on Wolverine’s specialties and what the future has in store.“When you’re challenged on things it makes it possible to come up with better answers than you could find on your own.”Aaron Jonker and Curt MulderPresidents of Wolverine Building GroupThe SkyVue BuildingRise Real EstateJUNE 201848 Written by Pauline MüllerAnother great project Wolverine Building Group completed recently is the state-of-the-art upgrade of a manufacturing facility for Hastings Fiberglass in Hastings, Michigan. The beauty of this project was that the manufacturer researched its own processes extensively and, as a result, Wolverine was able to assist in designing and planning a smaller building with greatly improved efficiency overall. “That was another great project for us, where we designed the building with the owner, spending about six months on the design and planning process. It took about a year to build,” says Curt. The company’s quality has also secured Wolverine Building Group a number of awards over the years, including the Governor’s Award, won this year for the Grandview project in Marquette, MI and last year for the historic preservation project completed on the Elaine Apartments in Jackson, Michigan.The company completes approximately 80 construction projects annually. It also has a small team that performs chain restaurant and retail upgrade and construction work. In fact, the firm is currently doing remodeling work for Taco Bell throughout the country, contributing to Wolverine’s long list Hasting Fiberglass49CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Next >