February 2017 | Business View Magazine

48 49 DeLeers Construction, Inc. AT A GLANCE DeLeers Construction, Inc. WHAT: A general contracting firm WHERE: De Pere, Wisconsin WEBSITE: www.deleers.com the first build and every build, after.We want to do their business, their home, their re-models. To do that, you have to build a relationship and earn trust.” DeLeers Construction was started in 1945 by Jim’s grandfather, Joseph A. DeLeers, commonly known as ‘Jake.’ “My grandfather served in World War II as a Navy SeaBee,” grandson Jim recounts, “and upon returning to Green Bay,Wisconsin, armed with the skills that he learned in the service, along with some that he had learned before going in the service, he found that there was a pent up demand from returning men and service women and others in the northeast Wisconsin area, for quality housing at a fair price with no corners cut. So, he started to build homes. He did some speculative building at the time, but mainly custom homes and he built his reputation. From there, DeLeers expanded from homes to commercial construction.” Jim’s dad, Jerry, continued the family tradition of quality work, sound ethics, and good service. “As a teenager, he started building cabinets in the basement of my grandparents’ home at night and later started another company called ‘Jerry’s Cabinets & Supplies,’” Jim continues.“He was defi- nitely a driving force and had a far larger vision than my grandfather did.He really hit a growth spurt in the 1980s.He got heavier into commer- cial construction and the luxury home market– high-end, custom homes, banks, schools, religious facilities, nursing homes, dental clinics.”