Greiner Construction
We Build Your Dreams
Allow us to Introduce Ourselves.
My name is Allen Greiner, everybody calls me Al. My wife's name is Marlene and our son is Remington, everybody calls him Rem.Together we make up Greiner Construction. We work closely with a host of subcontractors so that we can take on practically any size job and get it done right and in good time. Rem worked with me extensively from the time he graduated in '05 till he started in the real estate in '10. He still helps now and then. Marlene holds down the fort when we are in the field and sometimes she helps out on the site.About Our Company
I started my own construction business in 1987 when Rem was just an infant. At the time we were living in a home that Marlene, my Father and I built in 1982, then added to in '84 & '86. It was through that building process that I became interested in becoming a builder.My older brother was already a builder in the Lansing area and he was very supportive to me in the start up process and he convinced me to join the Home Builders Association. When I first began my business I named it Darnstrong Construction mostly because it was different from everyone else, but also because I always became so frustrated whenever I had to fix someone's shoddy craftsmanship. In the summer of '94 I became frustrated from all of the responsibilities of being the boss and all the demands that it put on my time. I found myself on the jobsite only long enough to check on progress and to issue new orders. I was no longer doing the type of work that got me interested in the business. I decided to make a change. I let my employees go and decided to take some time to think and plan.I bought a lot in Tall Oaks subdivision and decided to build a house all by myself. I wanted to build something that would fit into the neighborhood and looking around I found them all to be fine homes. Somehow the name Darnstrong Construction didn't seem to fit in with the other builders in the area. So I changed the name to Elite Homes. For years the name fit the type of work I was doing. But nothing stays the same forever and the elite homes that I was building started to give way to all of the new condo's in the area.Son Remington started working for me in a real way when he was ten years old. He worked during the summer and on breaks from school. He wanted to earn enough money to buy a go cart. I gave him small jobs to do around the job site and paid him what I would pay an adult to do the same work regardless of how long it actually took him. So he was working by the task rather than by the hour. He did well that first year and was able to buy a rather nice go cart. As time went on we found ourselves working on more modest homes and doing a lot more remodeling and additions. At some point the name Elite Homes stopped reflecting who we were and the type of work we were doing. As we were building our first, of what we hope will be many, hybrid homes we began to realize that we needed to update our business name, look and feel. We discussed many names but finally decided on the simplest and most down to earth, Greiner Construction.My Community Involvement
Over the years I've been involved in the Home Builders Association, serving as president several terms, many terms on the board of directors and chaired several committees including the formative years of the Parade of Homes. I've also served on my Parish Council and Parish Men's Club including a few terms as president in each.I've written a few public service columns for The Daily News pertaining to to the building industry. The columns gave tips to home owners and potential home buyers on what to look for and what to watch out for when dealing with builders.