History

Richard De Jager founded De Jager Construction in 1970 with partner Bob Menkveld. Richard followed in his father's footsteps who started in residential construction when he settled in Michigan after immigrating from the Netherlands in the 1940's. 

In the 70's, Grand Rapids was rapidly expanding to the suburbs from the downtown area. The company found itself handling many retail construction projects for local and national merchants and developers. 

De Jager's "Old World" work ethic and standards proved fruitful when many retailers asked him to travel. They began constructing stores nationwide. 

Soon, De Jager Construction's sole focus became retail construction. Early clients included Kinney Shoes (now Footlocker), and Lerner Stores whom remain our clients today. 

In 1979, De Jager Construction completed Kinney Shoes in Winter Park, Florida; marking our one-thousandth store. 

53 years and more than 10,000 stores later, 
De Jager Construction still delivers the "Old World" quality the company was founded on.