Built to Last
You won’t catch any team member of Wolverine Builders “dotting the i” on a Saturday afternoon at an Ohio State football game. “Michigan is the Wolverine State,” says James “Jimmy” Kimmel, founder and president of Wolverine Builders. “I lived in Michigan prior to moving to the Valley in 2006. It is always good, friendly banter with Buckeye fans.” Started in 2010, Kimmel (who also stands in on Live! on occasion) and Thomas Couch, vice president, are approaching the company’s 10th anniversary. “From the depths of the Great Recession, we fought our way through and continue to make great progress,” says Couch. With over 50 years combined experience in the construction trades, Kimmel and Couch built Wolverine with a team focus and emphasizing a family atmosphere with solid relationships as the foundation. “Jimmy is the best friend and the best guy you could know,” says Couch. “He and I are both dedicated to our families and the business.” Wolverine’s portfolio of projects and offerings has scaled dramatically over the last decade and now includes ground-up construction, industrial/warehouse, tenant improvement, automotive, medical office buildings and wireless tower buildouts. “We have come a long way,” says Kimmel. “I remember our first project was cleaning up a site for Rusty Kennedy. It was a roll-your-sleeves-up project, and Tom, his son, Michael, and my wife, Carrie, and I spent a weekend with wheelbarrows getting the job done.” Kimmel and Couch realize that the next evolution of the company will not rest solely on their efforts. “I was excited to join the team and become a part of this great company,” says Luke Plzak, project manager at Wolverine. “Luke handles not only operations, but also developing relationships with younger business executives that Tom and I might not be able to tap into,” says Kimmel. “Wolverine is a growing and thriving company,” says Plzak, “and working with these two I feel like family.” Plzak could be more correct than he knows. “He is seeing my daughter, Alexxa, who lives in Dallas,” says Couch. “They are both terrific young people.” The year 2019 holds great potential for Wolverine as the company pursues new opportunities across a diversified portfolio. “We are expanding as a family, a team and a brand,” says Couch. “As the firm enters its second decade, our mix of experience, energy and commitment to each other will push the business to new heights,” says Kimmel.
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