WOLVERINE BUILDING GROUP
80 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE
Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Wolverine Building Group is one of West Michigan’s most trusted and experienced construction companies. With over 150 employees, Wolverine Building Group has grown to become a national leader in the construction industry.
Wolverine is committed to seeking the balance of simultaneously “doing good” in our community and contributing in meaningful ways, while also “doing well” in our business and delivering a high-quality product to our clients.
We strive for our team to be proud of our company and the work that we do. We want this pride to come from our commitment to our community, the integrity by which we conduct our business, and the quality of our work. We believe this pride will directly contribute to the growth and prosperity of Wolverine, which will allow us to share our success generously with the people and places that we touch.
SAFETY
The safety of our team members is our highest priority. We believe there is excellence in not only producing quality work, but taking responsibility for the safety of all involved.
Our Purpose
Positively impacting people and communities
Our Niche
Construction Leadership
Do the right thing
Be passionate and relentless, strive for greatness
Seek possibilities, find solutions
Step up and step in, fill the void
Leadership Team
Aaron Jonker
President & Co-Owner
Aaron has a passion for our community and the role Wolverine plays as a corporate citizen. When Aaron is not busy leading our team and driving our company strategy forward, he can be found skiing with his family and friends in the winter or camping with his family in the summer.
Curt Mulder
President & Co-Owner
As one of our leaders at Wolverine, Curt is known for his creative problem solving and motivating our team to be our best selves. On the weekends Curt can be found at home in Lowell, where he and his family live on a farm that raises Texas Longhorn cattle.
Tim Gabrielse
Chief Financial Officer
Under Tim’s leadership, our accounting and finance department operates like a well-oiled machine. Tim has been with Wolverine since 1990 and has worked with 3 generations of owners. Tim loves to spend time with his family, woodworking, and reading.
Deborah Guyton
Vice President of Human Resources
Deborah is a strategic business partner responsible for aligning our human capital with our corporate strategy. She serves as a thought partner, agent of change, and leadership development coach. When Deborah isn’t at the office, you can find her active in the community or off traveling to an international destination.
Paul McGuire
Vice President of Field Operations
Paul has been working in the construction industry for 35 years and is responsible for our entire field team including our Superintendents, General Trades, and Steel Crews. Prior to working in Beer City USA, he was building a “Mega” Brewery in Mexico that produced 2.4 million cases of beer a day.
Kim McLaughlin
Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement
Kim is responsible for our overall marketing strategy and finding meaningful and impactful ways that Wolverine can engage and make a difference in our community. Kim and her husband enjoy outdoor activities and traveling that involves hiking, but not camping.
Jamerson M. Ries, PE
Vice President of Operations
An engineer by education, Jamerson currently oversees our Directors of Construction Team. Jamerson enjoys challenging conventional thinking and coming up with creative solutions. On the weekends, he can be found riding bikes with his wife and 3 kids or relaxing somewhere close to water in the summer.
OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IS OUR PEOPLE
Our team sets us apart. Our people have a genuine curiosity to understand how your project is going to create more jobs, increase productivity, help a patient heal quicker, or be a safe and stable place to live. To us, it's more than just a building.
OUR HISTORY
Since its founding in 1939, Wolverine has evolved into one of the region’s most trusted, stable, and respected building and construction management firms. Success and expansion has led Wolverine to develop four distinct specialty divisions—Wolverine Building, Wolverine Construction Management, Wolverine Multi-Family, and Wolverine North America.
Responding to our clients’ demand for a collaborative approach to construction services, Wolverine illustrated its unity by marketing under the Wolverine Building Group name and logo.
Wolverine Building Group will continue to offer the service, quality workmanship, and specialized expertise that has made all of its divisions trusted and successful in regional, state-wide, and national markets.
1945 – Fryling Construction was founded in 1945 specializing in the construction of enclosed shopping malls.
1953 – Jim Bouwman followed in his father’s footsteps by taking ownership and leadership of the company.
1957 – Wolverine Tile Company became known as Wolverine Building Products, Inc.
1970’s – Wolverine Building Group became the nation’s largest builder of Butler buildings, the leading brand for pre-engineered metal buildings.
1980’s – Stan Cheff and Jeff Ridings took ownership and leadership of the company.
1993 – Wolverine Construction Management was formed in 1993 as a separate division of Wolverine Building Group. The division provides construction management services in West and Central Michigan and specializes in the quality construction of healthcare and educational facilities.
1994 – Wolverine Building Group constructed Old Kent Park, now known as Fifth Third Ballpark, which is the home of the West Michigan Whitecaps.
1995 – Wolverine Building Group acquired Fryling construction. Mike Kelly and Dick VanderZyden took ownership and leadership of the company.
2004 – Wolverine Building Group constructed the Spectrum Health Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center.
2006 – Wolverine North America was founded in 2006 as a separate division of Wolverine Building Group offering full-service program management and construction services for projects throughout the nation.
2007 – Wolverine Building Group constructed Icon on Bond, a 10-story, 120 unit condominium building located just north of downtown Grand Rapids.
2008 – Wolverine Building Group constructed River House Condominiums, the tallest building in downtown Grand Rapids standing at 412 feet high.
2009 – Wolverine Building Group constructed the Hauenstein Neuroscience Center and Houseman Construction joined Wolverine Building Group.
2010 – Wolverine Building Group constructed the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a state-of-the-art 14-story healthcare facility dedicated to pediatric care.
2014 – Wolverine Building Group completed the rebuild of the Fifth Third Ballpark after a fire destroyed a large portion of the stadium.
2018 – Aaron Jonker and Curt Mulder took ownership and leadership of the company.
2019 – Wolverine Building Group celebrates 80 years of business.
Recent News
View AllThe high life: Inside Ann Arbor’s newest luxury apartment high-rise
January 11, 2020
ANN ARBOR, MI — Location, location, location. Advertised as just 28 steps from the University of Michigan Diag, Ann Arbor’s newest apartment high-rise is Vic Village North, the latest in downtown luxury living geared toward UM students. Read More
Construction firm matches employees’ generosity
December 25, 2019
A construction firm in the area has completed a successful year of giving. At a companywide meeting in January 2019, Kentwood-based Wolverine Building Group presidents and co-owners Aaron Jonker and Curt Mulder announced over the course of the next 12 months, in honor of the firm’s 80th year in business,… Read More
Construction firm adds to team
December 16, 2019
A construction firm in the area has seven new team members. Kentwood-based Wolverine Building Group added Cliff Kilboy as senior project manager, David de Velder and John Lafrinere as project managers, Timothy Thome as pre-construction manager and Mitchell Japowicz, Lee Purches and Timothy Clogg as superintendents. “We’re so excited to… Read More