“When I got here in Lansing in 1985, there were three people in our company—me, Mom and Dad,” Wieland explained in his acceptance speech. “I went and bid on a project, and as I was talking to one of the guys I went to give my bid to, he said, ‘What are you going to do about Christman, Granger, and Clark?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know. Who are they?’ I found out who they were, and, as I started looking at those three companies, I went, ‘Wow, what an operation.’ They are class acts and were well respected in town, and I really tried to emulate those organizations.”

Wieland also noted that successful entrepreneurs need to have a dream rooted in the realities of running a business.

“Vision is what a lot of entrepreneurs have, but vision without execution is hallucination,” Wieland stated. “You’ve got to have people behind you. You’ve got to have payroll, an HR department, and you’ve got to have an operation. I said, ‘We have a great company here, so let’s start focusing on the substance of it.’”

In 1958, Wieland’s father, Don, founded the firm, which now does construction management, general contracting, designing and building. Originally based in Kawkawlin, Michigan, Dart Corp. was one of Wieland-Davco’s original customers, which is why the business moved to Lansing in 1985.

“After the [Entrepreneurial Awards], we went to the Knight Cap, and one of the top guys from Dart was there and came over and congratulated us,” said Wieland. “Dart has been with us since 1962. We’ve been able to grow bigger and still keep our good clients.”

Sixteen years ago, Wieland-Davco had six employees; it now has more than 60. The company has worked in 26 states and seven countries and just opened an office in central Florida. It hopes to add an office in Shreveport, Louisiana later this year. Locally, Wieland-Davco’s projects have included Shaheen Chevrolet and Two Men and a Truck International® in Lansing, the Keykert and former Behr America and factories in Webberville, and its own newly built headquarters in Delhi Township. The company also owns and operates Android Industries in Delta Township, which services the new GM plant, and Craig Wieland recently received a patent on a hydraulic deck developed and prototyped by Michigan State University’s engineering department.

As for continuing the company’s expansion, Wieland noted, “We have great people, and for their sake I want to challenge them, and for the company to continue to grow, not necessarily because growth is so great, but [because] we want to challenge the people here. As you get bigger, then your problems actually get bigger, too, but it’s one of the indicators of getting better. The people who work for entrepreneurs put up with a lot of disorganization and uncertainty. The Entrepreneurial Award is a great award, but it’s not as good as being a solid business.

“I love this business,” he continued. “It took me awhile, but my brother, Scott, [who is vice president] always wanted to be in the business. I like people, and some of my best friends are my clients. That’s a side of the business I really enjoy, getting to know our clients and to be their friends.”