John Kersaan Sr., founder of Grand River Construction grew up in the Netherlands during the 1940’s. He moved to Canada and then to Chicago where he started in the construction industry mixing concrete for a local contractor. John and his wife started a family and then moved to Michigan where he would find a job building bridges across the state.
John Sr. began working as a superintendent for a local contractor, running the field operations for many years. During this time his three sons as well as a son in law began working for him. Then in 1984, at the age of 62 John and his family established Grand River Construction, Inc. Within two short years (1986), the corporate office was established in Hudsonville, MI.
Over the years, John networked and built many relationships while working at General Motors which helped him to land the first major project for GRC, a $250,000 press pit. In early 2009, we acquired our current office in Hudsonville on 40th Avenue. Since 1984, GRC has immensely expanded the services we offer and the sizes of projects we complete. Amongst the improvements and continued growth the company would see over the proceeding years two things have always remained the same. Safety and an importance placed on employees. These values amongst others have paved the foundation for Grand River Construction’s success and expansion.