Orion Construction's growing project list creates need for accountant, three project superintendents

Grand Rapids' Orion Construction has been around for about 10 years, and as its list of major developments continues to grow, the company has four new job positions to fill.

The company seeks three project superintendents with at least 10 years' of construction industry experience focused on larger commercial projects. Orion also aims to hire an accountant with a minimum of five years' experience. The company is in the process of sorting through accountant résumés and preparing for interviews.

Beyond the field experience, the project superintendents should "be familiar with working in an urban setting, have strong leadership skills, communication skills and strong/positive subcontractor relations," writes Orion Construction President, Roger Rehkopf in an email. "They must be committed to, and have a proven history for, high standards in safety and quality."
 
Most of Orion's projects are in Michigan, and that's by plan, says John Wheeler, president of Orion Real Estate Solutions. "We don't want to send our guys on the road for three, four, eight months. It's hard on the guys and on their families. The stress comes through in their work as well. (With other companies) so many are building projects so far away and no one really knows the long-term effects of that. It's just not positive."

Orion says it has several major projects in the pipeline, including the $45 million Arena Place building just west of the Van Andel Arena, the 65-unit Seventh St. Lofts in the former Israels Building, and the 35-apartment Eastown Flats in Eastown.

"There's competition for the good employees," Wheeler says. "A lot of good employees who have left Michigan during the last recession are now coming back. It's a full all-on effort to find the right people in our business and, when we find them, we don't want to let them go."

To apply, send your résumé to [email protected].

Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Orion Construction