Friday, April 29, 2022 | Lansing’s up-and-coming Advancement Corporation Community Center saw a flurry of activity this week as team members from across Granger Construction Company gathered for an afternoon of fellowship and community service.
“Respect for people is a core part of the Lean philosophies we follow at Granger and has always been the heart of our company culture,” notes Granger President and CEO Glenn Granger. “When we learned about the incredible work Advancement Corporation has undertaken for the Lansing community, it seemed only fitting to try organizing our next all-company meeting around supporting their efforts.”
The Advancement Corporation Community Center (A3)
Led by Derrick “DJ” Knox, Junior Chairman of the Michigan Poor People’s Campaign (MPPC), the new Advancement Corporation Community Center (A3) is taking shape on the grounds of Lansing’s former Otto Middle School. In a recent feature by the Lansing State Journal, Knox noted that this “project has been in the works for about two years,” with the Lansing School District handing off the 220,000-square-foot (SF) structure in October 2021. Since that time, various community groups and volunteers have contributed towards renovating the building into a community center, which will include spaces for food distribution, free medical and dental care, technical classes and various recreational activities.
Community Support
To support Knox and A3’s efforts, Granger hosted its most recent biannual all-company meeting at A3. The afternoon began with delicious lunches, provided by Mid-Michigan food trucks Captain’s Wööd Fired Pies and The Smoke’n Pig, and culminated in three hours of volunteer service activities.
In total, over 100 volunteers helped with projects ranging from painting and gardening to computer lab setup and assistance organizing the many surplus items and furniture left from the vacating school district. Granger’s Yard Team coordinated equipment, including a forklift, a flatbed truck, chainsaws, weedwhackers, leaf blowers, ladders, and cleaning and painting supplies, to aid in these efforts. In total, volunteers cleared about 10,000 SF of garden area, hauling 25 yards of waste to Granger Waste Services (who allowed the team to dump at no charge).
Granger volunteers were joined by guests from the Associate General Contractors of Michigan (AGC), Anne Brown, Adriane Brandon and Paul Wrzesinski. AGC board member and Michigan State University Infrastructure Planning and Facilities Senior Contract Administrator Jack Mumma, was also in attendance to support the event. Special thanks also go to Integrity Interiors, Inc. of Lansing, who volunteered labor and materials to help with last-minute painting prep and finish work in the medical clinic spaces.
“The whole event was great and very nostalgic!” shared Granger Project Manager and former Otto Middle School Alum Kory Elkins. “I’m glad to see that they’re repurposing the space for the community instead of just raising it like so many other old buildings.”
“It was an honor to work alongside A3 leaders and help support their tremendous efforts for the Lansing community,” noted Granger Director of Marketing Beth Pellerito. “DJ and his team were extremely gracious welcoming us into their space for both the meeting and event prep, and I can’t thank them enough.”
“We at Advancement Corporation consider it a great honor to work with and alongside Granger,” noted Knox. “From the onset, Glenn and the whole Granger company/family have been nothing short of amazing in lending advice and resources to the causes that we help to champion throughout Ingham County and surrounding areas. Causes like job readiness programming, trades training, literacy courses, housing advocacy, and more for the underserved. We are even more excited and confident about the continued work ahead knowing that we have the support of a great organization filled with great people like Granger.”
To encourage continued support of A3 and other non-profit organizations, Granger Construction also announced a new, paid volunteer leave program, or VTO, during Wednesday’s events.
“Granger team members have always looked for opportunities to give back to their local areas,” noted Granger Director of Human Resources Matt Bozung. “It’s exciting that we now have a formal program in place to further these efforts.”
