White Construction

White Construction was not the first to make renovation an innovation.  But the company has undoubtedly capitalized on that niche, making it a multi-million construction services firm, headquartered in Detroit.

White Construction was founded on July 31, 1989 in Detroit, Michigan, when founder and president, W. Bernard White, P.E. departed from the security of steady employment and forayed into entrepreneurship. 

Encouraged daily about the importance of getting an education by his grandmother (Rosa Smith), Bernard White grew up on the west side of Detroit with his mom, two sisters and brother (while staying in the upper flat with his Grandmother). After graduating from Chadsey High School, he began pursuing his degree in Construction Engineering while working full time during the day as a Draftsman at the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department.

Initially failing his trigonometry class, he refused to quit, continued to pay his own tuition and persisted. By the third year, he began earning A's. He graduated in 1980, Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Engineering from Lawrence Technological University.  He passed the State of Michigan Professional Engineer's licensing examination in 1981and was registered as a Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Michigan.

Bernard joined Turner Construction where over eight years, he learned the nuts and bolts of providing construction management services. White then moved to Walbridge Aldinger assigned as a project manager on a $110 million pumping station at the Detroit Wastewater Treatment Plant. Even with his success and great experiences at Turner and Walbridge, Bernard eschewed the idea of being the perpetual employee and set his sights on becoming an employer. In 1989, 34 year old Bernard White took his life savings and transformed his reverie into a reality...White Construction.

The recession of the time was a blessing in disguise for White Construction because many cash-strapped businesses would not invest in new construction and were opting to renovate and redevelop existing structures. As a small company, renovation was something that could be done quite easily and quite readily, giving White Construction an opportunity to carve their own position into the industry.

White's adventure began with an initial sales goal of $10 million in 5 years - a number he admits to pulling out of the air as it sounded like a good projection. He amazed himself when it actually happened five years later.

Since then, the start up company has grown to a full service Construction Management Firm. White Construction has had its hand on numerous and major Detroit landmarks.

Now that White Construction has passed through the "adolescent" to the "adult" stage, White Construction's forward vision, is to go from a "Good" to a "Great" Company."