Wolverine Building Group Acquires Southeast Michigan Construction Firm

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Wolverine Building Group has acquired Contracting Resources Inc., a construction firm based in Brighton, Michigan.

Contracting Resources Inc. was founded in 2001 by Jim Barnas. Barnas, a 40-year veteran in the construction industry, started the firm after he spent time working for large construction corporations and recognized that he was ready to control and manage his own commercial contracting company. Barnas also wanted to operate in his hometown of Brighton so he could be more involved in the community. Over the years, Barnas built a strong book of business based on relationships, treating clients with dignity and respect, and always doing the right thing. Contracting Resources has 21 team members and offers construction management services to clients in health care, retail, religious, commercial, and medical office markets. Barnas will continue to work at Contracting Resources until the end of 2021 to ensure a smooth transition before retiring from the company.

“Contracting Resources is a very impressive operation. They have a solid team and a great reputation. As we continue to learn more about the organization, I am continually impressed with Jim’s leadership and the direction he took the business. We are very grateful that as a part of the sale, Jim has agreed to stay on the team to help with our transition,” said Aaron Jonker, President and Co-owner of Wolverine Building Group.

Wolverine is no stranger to acquisitions. In 1995 Wolverine Building Group acquired Fryling Construction, which at the time specialized in multi-unit residential and shopping malls. Today, Wolverine Building Group is recognized as a leader across the state in student housing, senior living, affordable housing, and market rate apartments. In 2009, Wolverine acquired Houseman Construction which led to work in the national restaurant and retail industry and has since managed projects in 38 states across the country.

“Over the past few years, we’ve had some significant projects in southeast Michigan and continue to see opportunities. We currently have a few team members that live on the east side of the state and we have been contemplating what an expansion in southeast Michigan would look like. We got to the point where we had to decide if we wanted to build a team or buy a team. When we were introduced to Contracting Resources, it made our decision easy as we quickly identified a strong culture fit,” said Jonker.

In 2018, Jonker and his business partner Curt Mulder became the fifth owners of Wolverine Building Group. Wolverine is well recognized and admired in West Michigan for their commitment to their team and community. “We see a lot of opportunities for growth for not only for our team based in West Michigan, but also for our new Contracting Resources team members. Our current portfolios are very complimentary to each other. We look forward to learning more about the communities in which the Contracting Resources team lives and works,” said Jonker.