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Metro Detroit family-owned company marks 100-year anniversary

Posted at 11:43 AM, Oct 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-12 11:43:07-04

Few family-owned businesses can say they've been around for 100 years, but a Rochester company is celebrating that milestone.

Frank Rewold & Son Inc. is marking a century in business with the opening of a new headquarters in the city it helped build.

"To have our 100-year coordinate with a brand new building move-in is really, really exciting and cool," said Frank Rewold, the president and CEO of the firm.

The company's new 45,000 square foot, four-story headquarters is located on Water Street, a short distance from their current offices on East Second Street. Rewold will occupy the third and fourth floors of the building. 

Rewold's son, Jason, represents the fourth generation with the company. He is a vice president and was intimately involved in the headquarters project.

Sean, who graduated from Michigan State University last spring, has also joined the company on the construction side of the business. Rewold's daughter, Ashley, works at the nearby Royal Park Hotel, which Rewold built and owns.  

"We're not one of the big boys but we can certainly compete with them on the appropriate jobs," Rewold said, of the company's work in the competitive construction field. "We like that we can still service our customers and do the small things. It's about the customer service and relationships."

The headquarters is built on an environmentally contaminated site that was vacant for over 20 years. The city of Rochester received a $1 million grant to help with the remediation of the land. 

The company got its start in 1918. Rewold's grandfather, a carpenter, was eventually joined in the business by his son, Roy. He bought the company from his father in 1960. Roy's son, Frank, began working with his father in 1973 was named vice president of the company in 1980. He became CEO in 2009.