As the gateway to West Michigan, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport serves as the first impression and last glimpse as residents and visitors travel to and from our community. Here are just a few ways Elevate is already making news in West Michigan. For additional news on the airport, visit the Press Release page.
“Our favorite part is knowing that tens of thousands of people are going to be walking on our terrazzo floors every year—for a good portion of the next century.” – A special thank you to Central Tile and Terrazzo Co., Inc.
Taking West Michigan to new heights involves many hands at work, including 34 local contractors. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport prides itself on its collaborative nature and deep-rooted connection with the community. We’ve interviewed several of these local businesses to hear their fun facts, statistics, and favorite parts of working at the Airport. A special thank you to Bazen Electric.
“The Airport is a critical part of the development of the greater Grand Rapids area. We take pride in being able to help bring the area forward.” – A special thank you to Dobie Construction
Taking West Michigan to new heights involves many hands at work, including 34 local contractors. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport prides itself on its collaborative nature and deep-rooted connection with the community. We’ve interviewed several of these local businesses to hear their fun facts, statistics, and favorite parts of working at the Airport. A special thanks to the Franklin Holwerda Company.
“We enjoy working on a project that we can have a sense of pride in that will benefit the entire community for years to come.” A special thanks to Fischer Idema Excavating.
A special thank you to Jelsema Concrete Construction for their help in the capital expansion program. The Gerald R. Ford International Airport prides itself on its collaborative nature and deep-rooted connection with the community.
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Turner is a North American-based, international construction services company and a leading builder in diverse market segments. The company has earned recognition for undertaking large and complex projects, fostering innovation, embracing emerging technologies, and making a difference for its clients, employees, and community. With over 11,000 employees, the company completes $17 billion of construction on 1,500 projects each year. Turner offers clients the accessibility and support of a local firm with the stability and resources of a multi-national organization.
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We are a project management consulting firm specializing in Owner’s Representation and construction advisory services. Our team excels in overseeing construction projects and crafting customized internal processes. We prioritize our clients’ interests from project strategy creation to the meticulous execution of contracts. Our live, data-driven methodology in budget management ensures transparency and encourages team collaboration, specifically tailored for the construction industry.
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Baker Concrete Construction is the nation’s leading commercial concrete construction contractor. Our drive is to perform safer, smarter, better, and faster.
How many people work at your company?
More than 7,000 across the U.S..
Where is your company headquartered?
Monroe, Ohio.
One fun fact about your company?
Baker Ranks #1 on ENR’s List of Top 20 Firms in Concrete.
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Since 1919, Egan has been the mechanical contractor that West Michigan construction managers and building owners depend on for the highest quality work.
How many people work at your company?
More than 250
Where is your company headquartered?
Walker, Michigan.
One fun fact about your company?
Egan is leading the nation in the application of construction technology. Our use of 3D coordination, Building Information Modeling, high resolution reality capture and other VDC best practices ensures that projects are highly accurate and delivered on time.
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Fence Consultants has been serving West Michigan with quality fencing and railing products with impeccable service for 35 years.
Where is your company headquartered?
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
One fun fact about your company?
We are active members of the American Fence Association, Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, and the Associated Builders and Contractors. We are an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau and have an A+ rating, which shows our commitment to excellence.
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Sixty seven years after its founding, more than 600 staff members throughout three states have made Fishbeck one of the premier professional consulting firms in the nation.
Engineering, environmental sciences, architecture, and construction management are the cornerstones of Fishbeck’s services and integrated project approach.
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Our goal is to guide the transportation industry towards a more sustainable future in the service of fostering connections. Empowering our partners with insights, strategies, and tools, we aim to pioneer industry best practices and to be the go-to partner for holistic, strategic mobility consulting.
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Hardman Construction is known for consistently combining state-of-the-industry equipment and services with friendly expertise about the latest technologies to deliver cost-effective, innovative building solutions. Our long list of satisfied repeat customers is evidence of the reliable and solid performance we’ve provided since 1979.
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Architects. Engineers. Planners. Builders. Project Managers. Visionaries. Co-founded by Architect Darryl Daniels and Engineer Brad Jacobsen, Jacobsen |Daniels is a professional consulting services firm specializing in services for the aviation industry. Formed in 2001, our team is great at listening to the client and providing solutions that are technically sound and thoughtfully designed. From roadways to airways, we pursue concepts, and answers to improve the journey for the traveling public.
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We deliver comprehensive, turnkey concrete construction services for customers across the country. Our project management is fueled by technology and real-time insights. We invest in state-of-the-art tools to deliver the highest level of productivity. From the most complex cast-in-place structures to mission-critical facilities, our customers turn to us because they know we’ll deliver the horsepower and expertise to get the job done.
How many people work at your company?
We are a team of 2,000+ concrete professionals building nationwide.
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Lite Load Services LLC is a Grand Rapids Asphalt company that is locally owned and operated. We install, repair, and remove asphalt in and around the Grand Rapids area. We are dedicated to providing our clients with some of the best services in the industry.
Where is your company headquartered?
Hamilton, Michigan.
One fun fact about your company?
Our crew members have been with us for 15 years, which means they have the experience and dedication to complete all paving projects with skill and excellence. There is no job too big or small for the Lite Load Team./p>
Lite Load holds every Grand Rapids asphalt job to the highest possible standards, involving every team member from start to finish. We provide paving and repair services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers.
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Stenstrom provides Construction, Excavation and Blacktop, and Petroleum Services across the Midwest. We bring our core values, expertise and client focused team approach to deliver value and positive outcomes across communities.
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Windemuller provides unparalleled design-build and maintenance services in electrical contracting, automation solutions, communications systems, information technology, outdoor utility construction, and renewable energy installations.
We serve commercial, industrial, and residential clients throughout the state of Michigan and beyond. Our service department is available around the clock, every day – our experts will be there, whenever and wherever you need us.
How many people work at your company?
We are more than 200 individuals strong and serve thousands of customers of all sizes within industrial, government, municipal, and commercial entities.
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Since 2005, Buist has been an employee-owned company. Each employee shares in the rewards of being part of a successful organization.
How many people work at your company?
More than 490 employees.
Where is your company headquartered?
Byron Center, Michigan.
What are some of the specialized skills that you and your team are most looking forward to bringing aboard this project?
At Buist, our policy is to ensure a safe and healthy workplace for all employees. Part of our company mission is to “consider our employees well-being as essential.” Safety is an integral part of our overall culture at Buist. We believe in hiring people who genuinely care about themselves, their co-workers, and the company.
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We are local and started out with just a couple of us and an idea – to treat people (both our team members, and our customers) differently. While we are far from perfect we try to do what we say we will do (again for our team members as well as our customers). We have been blessed beyond our what we could have ever dreamed with the team members we have on board that allow our company to thrive and flourish in this business.
How many people work at your company?
25 employees.
Where is your company headquartered?
Alto, Michigan.
How is your company supporting the Concourse A expansion project?
We are doing the earthwork for the CUP expansion and digging/backfilling the utility trench that runs from the Grand Hall along Concourse A out to the new expansion.
What are some of the specialized skills that you and your team are most looking forward to bringing aboard this project?
We bring a diverse level of experience and therefore are able to think outside the box for solving things that arise and offer our view on how to creatively solve challenges in front of us.
What’s your favorite part of working on a project at the Airport?
While it is definitely a higher stress environment, its also fast paced which makes it interesting. We also enjoy working on a project that we can have a sense of pride in that will benefit the entire community for years to come.
What is one thing you want people to know about this newly expanded concourse once it opens to the public?
There is so much planning and coordinating that goes on daily during construction to work together as a group to achieve the end goal of what is seen.
One fun fact about your company?
We worked on the first phase of the CUP building and at that time it was our largest project, since that time our work on the FIS building at the airport became our largest project (by contract amount.)
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Founded in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1957 by John Bazen, Sr., Bazen Electric is a family-owned company serving all of western Michigan. We have a strong commitment to the local community. With a positive work ethic and a solid reputation in the community, the company has steadily grown and now employs over 70 team members. Our knowledge and expertise on a wide variety of projects allows us to provide significant value to our customers. Our dedicated team provides exceptional service with a continued emphasis on quality. While the company continues to grow, one thing remains the same – we treat our employees and customers with the respect they deserve and have come to expect.
How many people work at your company?
Over 70 team members.
Where is your company headquartered?
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
How is your company supporting the Concourse A expansion project?
We are the electrical contractor for the project, supplying all lighting, gear, and all electrical systems for the Concourse Expansion project.
What are some of the specialized skills that you and your team are most looking forward to bringing aboard this project?
We look forward to installing a lighting system that gives the concourse an inviting and welcoming feel for travelers both visiting the area, and those returning home.
What’s your favorite part of working on a project at the Airport?
We enjoy working with the other trades to complete a project that helps make our community a great place to live and visit, while also demonstrating the talent we have in this community. Our airport is the “first impression” for business and vacationing travelers who come to our city. We are thankful and proud to be part of that “first impression” feel.
What is one thing you want people to know about this newly expanded concourse once it opens to the public?
This new concourse expansion has enough wire built into the project to go across Lake Michigan from Grand Haven to Milwaukee, and back to Grand Haven.
One fun fact about your company?
When Bazen Electric started back in 1957, our material/storage warehouse was a chicken coop.
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We are a 3rd generation family-owned flooring business. We have 86 years of experience since our founding in 1936.
How many people work at your company?
40 employees.
Where is your company headquartered?
Kalamazoo, Michigan.
How is your company supporting the Concourse A expansion project?
We are performing the epoxy terrazzo work (type of flooring) throughout the concourse.
What are some of the specialized skills that you and your team are most looking forward to bringing aboard this project?
Epoxy terrazzo is an art form that takes years to master, so our workers have to be highly skilled. Our company has been doing this type of work since 1936 and are one of just a few terrazzo companies in Michigan.
What’s your favorite part of working on a project at the Airport?
Our favorite part is knowing that tens of thousands of people are going to be walking on our terrazzo floors every year—for a good portion of the next century.
What is one thing you want people to know about this newly expanded concourse once it opens to the public?
That 2,600 gallons of epoxy liquid and 80,000 pounds of marble/glass aggregate were combined to make the nine color, beautifully designed epoxy terrazzo floor that travelers will be walking on every day.
One fun fact about your company?
Central Tile & Terrazzo is one of only four terrazzo contractors in the state of Michigan and one of only around 100 contractors throughout the entire USA.
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We are a woman-owned, family run business on the west side of Lansing specializing in general trades packages and carpentry installation.
How many people work at your company?
We employ only three office staff and have a field crew of 15 people.
Where is your company headquartered?
Our office is based out of Eagle, Michigan.
How is your company supporting the Concourse A expansion project?
Dobie Construction will be installing the stainless-steel column enclosures as well as the gate podiums.
What are some of the specialized skills that you and your team are most looking forward to bringing aboard this project?
We look forward to putting some of the final touches together that will help make this addition pop with our stainless installations, as well as installing the fine wood craftwork of our suppliers.
What’s your favorite part of working on a project at the Airport?
The Airport is a critical part of the development of the greater Grand Rapids area. We take pride in being able to help bring the area forward.
What is one thing you want people to know about this newly expanded concourse once it opens to the public?
This space is and items within it are more than meets the eye. The installations are more than just decorative, they are also functional.
One fun fact about your company?
Dobie also worked on the ticket booth upgrades previously completed at the airport.
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We are a small second generation, family-owned company here in West Michigan that prides ourself on quality work completed within the project’s schedule.
How many people work at your company?
15 employees.
Where is your company headquartered?
About one mile from the airport in Kentwood, Michigan.
How is your company supporting the Concourse A expansion project?
We are furnishing and installing all the concrete foundations, floors, and paving for the project. Over 6,000 cubic yards.
What are some of the specialized skills that you and your team are most looking forward to bringing aboard this project?
We bring the expertise developed throughout our experience with similar concrete construction projects.
What’s your favorite part of working on a project at the Airport?
We are helping West Michigan grow, and grow substantially with this addition. To be a part of that team is one of our favorite parts.
What is one thing you want people to know about this newly expanded concourse once it opens to the public?
That this project was originally scheduled to start a year and a half earlier. We originally were the low bid on this project in February of 2020. The day before the board was to meet and approve the project and award contracts, COVID lockdowns forced everyone to stay home. The board postponed their meeting for four months before finally cancelling the project. Then in August of 2021 the project came back out for bid, and we were the low bid again. This time around the board was able to meet and approve the contract.
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We are a Grand Rapids based glazing contractor servicing Michigan since 1982, providing a full range of products and services to the commercial, residential, and service markets.
How many people work at your company?
90.
Where is your company headquartered?
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
How is your company supporting the Concourse A expansion project?
We are providing the exterior envelope of the terminal expansion. This includes all glass, sunshades, doors, and back up system of the exterior metal panels.
What are some of the specialized skills that you and your team are most looking forward to bringing aboard this project?
We are excited to bring our prefabrication experience to this project by use of “unitized” curtainwall. This specialized process has the exterior curtainwall (glass sections of terminal) completely fabricated offsite in a factory setting, and then these units (glass and framing fully assembled) are bought onsite for a rapid building enclosure. This method allows for better quality and faster installation than traditional install methods of assembling all components onsite.
What’s your favorite part of working on a project at the Airport?
As a Grand Rapids company, seeing the growth of the Gerald R Ford International Airport has been enjoyable to watch and we strive to be a part of these community impact projects. Also, the view while working at the new terminal is amazing.
What is one thing you want people to know about this newly expanded concourse once it opens to the public?
Over 1,000 pieces of glass and over 80,000 pounds of aluminum framing were used in this project.
One fun fact about your company?
Vos Glass provided the glazing on the last Airport project in 2018, the Gateway Transformation Project, which consolidated the Checkpoint and Marketplace.
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Founded in 1894, The Christman Company is one of the country’s leading professional construction services firms. Christman has been serving and building West Michigan for more than 30 years and is invested locally with deep roots in the region. Our staff live and work in the communities of West Michigan and take great pride in contributing their skills to the growth and improvement of our area. Christman’s award-winning services include construction management, general contracting, design/build, program management, real estate development, self-perform and millwork services. Our project teams specialize in a variety of construction markets, including higher and K-12 education, healthcare, corporate office, industrial and power, and government. We value our long-time trusted partnerships and are thrilled to be part of the West Michigan community landscape.
How many people work at your company?
More than 75 employees based locally in West Michigan, and over 485 nationally.
Where is your company headquartered?
Lansing, MI. Regional Office in Grand Rapids, MI.
How is your company supporting the Concourse A expansion project?
Christman is serving as construction manager for the Concourse A expansion project. Our role is not just simply to construct the facility and lead the trade contractors on site, but to work collaboratively with the Gerald R. Ford International Airport and design team to develop creative solutions and proactively identify challenges so we can tackle them together.
What are some of the specialized skills that you and your team are most looking forward to bringing aboard this project?
We often refer to our people as experts, leaders and partners. From effective project planning, communication and use of the latest technologies to proactive management of cost, schedule and a system of rigid safety and quality assurance, we are focused on ensuring a well-managed construction project. We draw on a foundation of expertise, leadership and partnership to organize and lead the entire team to a successful outcome.
What’s your favorite part of working on a project at the Airport?
Given the nature of the Airport’s fast-paced, high-security environment, our team thrives in managing all the moving parts. As local community members ourselves, we know how exciting this project is for travelers coming and going from the region, and we’re thrilled to be a part of bringing the expansion to life. Knowing how critical it is for the Airport to run smoothly even in the midst of a large scale construction project, we account for every detail and are constantly making sure the progress on our jobsite doesn’t hinder any of the Airport’s regular operations.
What is one thing you want people to know about this newly expanded concourse once it opens to the public?
Our experience constructing a variety of projects at the Airport over the past decade truly hits home for our team members as we work alongside industry partners to transform the air travel gateway to and from West Michigan. The Concourse A expansion is particularly special because it involves over 34 local business partners coming together to construct a critical project that supports our Airport’s continued growth. This project has created 125 construction jobs and more than 300 new permanent jobs. You might be surprised to learn these additional project facts:
Over 5,000 yards of concrete used
128 tons of concrete reinforcing steel
Over 4,300 structural steel pieces
Over 1,200 light fixtures
100% of removed concrete, asphalt and aggregate are being reused or recycled
All new steel is made in the USA and contains 94-98% recycled steel content
Air-to-air energy recovery units will reuse heating and cooling energy rather than exhausting
One fun fact about your company?
The Christman Company is a fully management-owned company, with every project overseen by a corporate officer who is also a shareholder with a vested interest in each client’s complete satisfaction. Likewise, our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) provides every employee with ownership and a vested interested in the success of each and every project.
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FHC specializes in heating, cooling, process piping, and sheet metal fabrication with our own state of the art coil line, plumbing, private and municipal water/wastewater treatment plants.
Where is your company headquartered?
Wyoming, Michigan.
How is your company supporting the Concourse A expansion project?
We are a subcontractor to Rite-Way doing sheet metal ductwork.
What are some of the specialized skills that you and your team are most looking forward to bringing aboard this project?
Self-performed BIM layout, experienced sheet metal foreman, and crew to deliver top quality air movement for heating and cooling systems.
What’s your favorite part of working on a project at the Airport?
Knowing that we are working on one of the best regional airports, and that we are a part of its continuing growth.
What is one thing you want people to know about this newly expanded concourse once it opens to the public?
That many dedicated contractors worked together to add gates for additional destinations and shorter wait times.
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We are conventional and pre-engineered steel erectors in the Grand Rapids region.
How many people work at your company?
65 employees.
Where is your company headquartered?
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
How is your company supporting the Concourse A expansion project?
We did the steel erection for Steel Supply and engineering of the Concourse A expansion project.
What are some of the specialized skills that you and your team are most looking forward to bringing aboard this project?
Speed, accuracy, and quality with the complex design of the roof systems on the 3 clerestories.
What’s your favorite part of working on a project at the Airport?
Feeling like we are a trusted company, working behind the scenes in secure areas to make people’s travels in and out of Grand Rapids much more pleasant.