Granger Construction Company

Granger Construction Company delivers results with a strong emphasis on integrity, quality people and client service.

Based on a diverse career in construction and development, in 1992 Les Granger and his wife Nancy created a construction company dedicated to building with the highest standards of quality, integrity, people and safety. Since then Granger Construction Company, Inc. has worked hard to live up to that mission by completing projects on time, and within budget while doing things differently. Les feels construction is an art and he has a real passion for the business. Too often the construction industry breeds adversarial relationships. We don’t operate that way. “Our company is built on a team of people that share that passion of building relationships through trust, meeting expectations and simply doing the right thing,” says Bob Poresky, manager of business affairs. “That is what Granger Construction is all about.”

The Team
Granger has built a company with employees with varied backgrounds, often who Les knew and trusted from past relationships. Poresky, for instance, spent much of his life working in manufacturing and later consulting on manufacturing. “I was putting together a plan for a new factory when I met Les,” Poresky recalls. “We had a cup of coffee and he offered me a position.”

Don Kowell, who previously worked for Les, reconnected 13 years ago and rejoined in a business development position. “With Les, it’s not just your background and experience, it’s your character,” Kowell says. Many of the team members have over 25 plus years’ experience in their respective field of expertise. This presents a multitude of talents from sales and estimating on through to project management and field supervision.

“Character,” “trust” and “integrity” are words that describe the philosophy of Granger Construction. The company takes responsibility for what it does. “Mistakes happen, construction is not a perfect process,” Poresky says. “We don’t walk away from mistakes or problems that occur. If we build something for you, at the end of the day our name is on that building.”

Nor does the company mind losing the occasional bid to a qualified and reputable competitor. “Competition is a good thing,” Kowell says. “It keeps us sharp and creative. When an owner calls us up for a price, we encourage the owner to interview other contractors.”

A developer in Pennsylvania did just that, narrowing it down to Granger and another construction company. “We were more expensive but the developer liked us better,” Poresky says. “The developer is now promoting us to other developers because of our performance.”

Subcontractor Relationships
Currently business is good, and that has sometimes led to challenges in finding quality subcontractors. “It’s a good news/bad news situation,” Kowell says. “There’s a lot of work out there but subcontractors are often running at capacity. In some cases, we’re having trouble getting bids from subcontractors just because they are booked up already.”

Thanks to our reputation in business, Granger has solid relationships with a lot of subs. “Because we carefully manage our project schedules and provide good coordination and safety, people like working on our projects,” Kowell says.

The company also makes a point of searching out local tradespeople for projects that are in the region of a project. “It’s more economical to hire people who live in that area,” Kowell says. “As subcontractors check up on us, they find we pay our bills on time and treat them fairly. If you run a better ship than the other guys, you attract better subcontractors and suppliers.”

Client Service
Granger primarily works in the private commercial construction market with projects ranging from 1 million to 12 million dollars.

To satisfy the varying needs of clients, Granger provides traditional competitive bid lump-sum contracts, construction management services, design-build and pre-construction services.

Much of the company’s success has been based on putting the right team together. Focusing on the client’s goals, assembling the right design professionals, seeking out the right subcontractors and assigning the right management team results in a successful project. Common goals and attitudes build trusted relationships from beginning to end. “No matter what project delivery method is desired by a client, if we can provide the best results and value for their investment, we have done our job.” Kowell says.

Dig Safely
Among the most recent projects that Granger has built is the new corporate headquarters for Dig Safely New York, an entity that prevents damage to underground utilities when people are going to excavate. “It’s the biggest feather in our cap this year,” Kowell says.

The project started in spring 2018 and is scheduled to be complete sometime in March 2019. The 22,471-square foot facility features an indoor mock streetscape to train people how to dig around utilities, a call center module, conference rooms and general office space. The building incorporates considerable technology and some sustainable materials.

The Future
Granger is positioning itself for growth and success in the future by seeking the next generation of young construction professionals who bring new talent and technology to the business. Continually expanding into new markets and assembling the right team will only reinforce Granger’s core values and passion of building with integrity through quality people and delivering the best client service.