A Career Spent Building More than Projects
The Caledonia contractor's recognition as a notable industry leader caps decades of building a team designed to outlast him.
In 1998, Don Fredericks pulled Byrne Harmon into his office, closed the door, and slid a 20 percent stake in FCC Construction across the desk in place of a Christmas bonus.
The company needed a leader who could push the crews, Fredericks told him.
Harmon took the deal. And today, he still talks about that moment with gratitude.
Photo credit: FCC Construction
Today, Harmon is the sole owner of FCC Construction. Alongside the team he has built, he has transformed the company from a $6 million general contractor into a thriving $65 million operation employing roughly 80 people. His recognition as one of West Michigan's notable leaders in architecture, construction, and engineering caps three decades of building the company alongside the man who gave him his start. Harmon graduated from Caledonia High School in 1989 and studied business management at Grand Rapids Community College and civil engineering at Ferris State. He joined Fredericks Construction Company in the summer of 1992, and Don mentored him through the trade and into leadership.
Photo credit: FCC Construction
By 2002, Byrne Harmon and Don’s son, Tim Fredericks, had bought Don out and renamed the firm FCC Construction. The two ran it as equal partners until 2015, when Tim retired, and Harmon took sole ownership. He kept the FCC name out of loyalty to Don. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be in this position,” Harmon said.
Since 2015, the company’s growth has been intentional and deeply personal. Harmon rehired employees he had originally trained as teenagers, thoughtfully helped longtime team members transition into retirement, and built a strong leadership bench. Today, the General Contracting division is led by eight superintendents and seven project managers overseeing projects ranging from $1 million to $30 million.
The fab shop reflects the company’s growth and capabilities. What began with a single fabricator in 1992 expanded into structural steel fabrication in 2008. Today, the shop produces millions of dollars in structural steel annually for schools, mezzanines, and two-story office buildings. In 2018, FCC invested $1 million in a fabrication robot, which paid for itself within three years.
FCC’s 39 burgundy trucks roll through West Michigan as what Harmon calls moving billboards. The trucks come with the supervisor role, a fuel card, and the freedom to take them home. Harmon treats the fleet the way he treats the team driving it, with care and an eye toward keeping good people for the long haul.
His commitment to the trades extends well beyond his own payroll. Harmon served six years on the ABC West Michigan board and pushed hard for the training school in Grand Rapids. The school is filling up faster than expected. He sponsors students who cannot afford tuition, paying forward what Don once did for him.
Photo credit: FCC Construction
What concerns him most is the pipeline of incoming talent. For years, fewer young people pursued careers in construction, but he has seen a noticeable shift as more students return to the trades. At the same time, fluctuating fuel and steel prices require him to monitor global markets just as closely as domestic conditions.
What he no longer worries about is FCC operating without him. Three mentors who sold their own businesses in their late 50s told him that a company must be able to function independently of its owner. Harmon spent the last decade building exactly that: a management team made up of long-term employees who understand the business, know its history, and think like owners.
“You have to have a business that runs without you,” Harmon said. “It’s been a great accomplishment to know that I’ve got that team together.”
This article was also published on Crains Grand Rapids and can be viewed here.
