O-A-K Superintendent, Michael Schneidt, walked the site at Canal Park with Kristin Pfauth, Project Manager for the City of Grand Rapids - Engineering, touring the different areas of one of downtown's most significant riverfront transformations.

Located at 905 Monroe Ave NW, the project broke ground in April 2025 and continues the Grand River Greenway, extending the city's riverside trail network. The half-mile renovation raises the site for improved river views and includes a River Story playground inspired by Anishinaabe design and culture, a multi-purpose plaza with an enclosed pavilion available for rent, scenic river overlooks, and a fully accessible kayak and canoe launch. The design, led by City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation and VIRIDIS Design Group, also strengthens flood protection along the Grand River.

The Grand River Greenway is a decades-in-the-making effort to connect West Michigan communities to the Grand River from Lowell to Lake Michigan. Once complete, the Greenway will offer more than 60 miles of trails, anchored by the Idema Explorers Trail linking Grand Rapids to Grand Haven. Canal Park falls within the stretch that Grand Rapids envisions as a regional recreation hub, connecting Millennium Park to Riverside Park just north of downtown.

"This has been a great partnership," Pfauth said of working with O-A-K. "They understand what it is like to work along the river and what the code requirements are, and working with all the officials to not only keep the river safe and clean, but construct these new beautiful parks that will allow the public to enjoy it."

O-A-K has been on site at Canal Park for nearly a year. As Pfauth noted, O-A-K is involved on several of the city's riverfront projects, including East Riverfront Park in front of Acrisure Amphitheater and the Grand Rapids Public Museum Riverfront. The public can expect to enjoy the new space starting late fall 2026.

Thank you to our video partners at Taproot Pictures for helping us share this update.

O-A-K is packing up the table and hitting the road this fall, with our team showing up at career fairs across Michigan, Florida, and Colorado.

Where to find us

• University of Florida | September 10
• Ferris State University | September 22
• Western Michigan University | September 23
• Michigan State University | September 24
• Michigan Tech University | September 29
• Colorado State University | September 29
• Florida International University | October 6
• Florida Gulf Coast University | October 6
• Louisiana State University | October 23

Why stop by our table

A conversation at our table is a chance for us to actually get to know you, not just your resume. Tell us what you're studying, what kind of work excites you, where you picture yourself in five years. We're listening, and we remember. That connection is what turns into a real interview and, for a lot of students, a real career.

Last summer, twenty-eight interns joined O-A-K across our Michigan and Florida offices, working out of Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Naples, and Fort Myers. They didn't sit on the sidelines. Each was welcomed onto an active project and put to work from day one, alongside on-the-job training, weekly lunch and learns with company leaders, and a built-in community of fellow interns from across the states we serve.

The pathway is real

An internship at O-A-K isn't a summer detour, it's often the start of a career. Over the past decade, at least fourteen former interns have grown into full-time roles with the company. Brian Filipek interned in 2015 and is now a Project Manager. "The company's reputation initially attracted me to the internship, but it was the people and culture that convinced me to stay," Filipek said.

"O-A-K's internship program is designed to give students meaningful, real-world experience that simply can't be replicated in a classroom," said Jim Hopper, Florida Division President. Our interns become real members of project teams, working through problems and building relationships with clients and trade partners along the way.

What sets O-A-K apart

People-First Culture: At O-A-K, people are the driving force behind everything we build. We choose to do what's right, bring a can-do attitude to every job, and show up for each other, not just the project. Here, you're valued as a person, not reduced to a title or a task list.

Full Responsibility: When you join O-A-K, you become part of a company that's 100% employee-owned, so your success is directly tied to ours. You'll have the mentorship, training, and resources to do your best work, plus a real stake in the results. It's been our formula for growing careers, and the company, for more than 130 years.

Safety is Personal: At O-A-K, safety isn't a policy, it's a promise we make to every person on the jobsite and every community we build for. Our procedures are grounded in real field experience, not just paperwork, because protecting people always comes before schedules or deadlines.

If you're ready to build something that lasts, come find us on the road. We'd love to meet you. Have questions before then? Reach Camila directly at camilag@oakmi.com.

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Sam Cochran, Assistant Superintendent at O-A-K and Hope College alum, walked the job site in downtown Holland with Nick Duthler, Director of Operations for Hope College, for a look at the college's new Business and Economics building.

The project broke ground on October 17, 2025, during Hope's Homecoming weekend, drawing hundreds of alumni, students, and community members to the site. The three-story building, roughly 70,000 square feet, sits on East 8th Street, between the historic Holland City Hall and Firehouse and the Holland Area Arts Council, on a 1.2-acre parcel Hope College has owned for about twenty years. The site was previously home to the Versendaal car dealership.

The building will bring Hope's Economics and Business Department, currently spread across campus, into one location for the first time. "They're spread out all over campus, and to have it all in one location will be incredibly impactful," Duthler said.

In addition to classrooms, offices, and conference rooms, the building will include a large atrium designed as a gathering space for students between classes and beyond. The project also includes ground-floor retail space, part of an effort to keep the building an active part of downtown Holland and strengthen the connection between campus and the community.

The Economics and Business Department is Hope College's largest, serving nearly one-third of its students, and has grown sixty percent over the past fifteen years. The new building, part of the college's "Hope College Means Business" campaign, is expected to open in fall 2028.

"O-A-K has always done fantastic work," Duthler said. "You work really well with our architects, and you work really well with us, and that's what we need in a good partner."

O-A-K is proud to continue its partnership with Hope College. Thank you also to our video partners at Taproot Pictures.

More Hope College x O-A-K Projects