About McCarthy

In 1864, an Irish immigrant named Timothy McCarthy started a lumber business and began to build farmhouses and barns in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The general contracting firm he founded still carries his name and is now one of the largest and most diversified construction companies in America. Click here for a pdf of our company profile.

While much has obviously changed in more than 140 years, many significant things haven't — including a defined set of values that foster a true sense of family, and a commitment to only the finest craftsmanship. Then couple that with a desire to build relationships that are based on old-fashioned principles like trust and integrity; a true respect for the individual; and a deeply-felt obligation to give back to the larger community, and you begin to understand why we think McCarthy is such a special place.

For 138 years, we were primarily a family owned business. That changed in 2002 when the company became 100% employee owned. Each of us now has a personal — and financial — stake in the company's future, and each of us now has a greater responsibility to each other to innovate and provide real value. The net result? An empowering environment that is entrepreneurial in nature, and is directed towards providing our clients with creative and value-oriented building solutions.

According to Mike Bolen our chairman and CEO, “McCarthy functions with the most sophisticated building systems but operates in the style of a family business. There will never be a substitute for close personal relationships in the performance of our craft.”

We'd like to think that McCarthy and our business philosophy can be summarized in one word: Genuine. Be it with relationships, people, challenges or solutions, Genuine embodies what we stand for as a company, as partners and as individuals. And while we certainly have no intentions of being the nation's largest builder, we have every intention of continually striving to become America's Best Builder.