Meet

Our Team

Who Is Roy Ness Contracting

Roy Ness Contracting & Sales Inc. was established in 1947 and began as a residential plastering business that involved Roy and his brothers. As the business grew in the 1950’s, the brothers followed other interests, and the company started to build homes and continued plastering as well. In the 1960’s the company was building custom designed homes and began some commercial and industrial work along with the housing. By the 1970’s the company was concentrating on commercial and industrial work, and in the early 70’s, they built their last house. From this simple beginning, Roy Ness Contracting & Sales Inc. has been able to grow and complete a wide variety of construction projects. With over 60 years of successful operation and a strong second generation of family leadership, customers know that our commitment to business is strong and that we will be here in the future when their building needs change or there is a need for service of any kind.

Meet Our Team

View Our Work

Construction Experience

Conventional and pre-engineered steel erection
Masonry projects with conventional bar joist roofs
Pre-cast concrete structures
Glue-lam wood structures
Wood-frame structures
Most of the common building materials and methods available in the market today

Our Capabilities

In-House Abilities

Roy Ness Contracting & Sales Inc. has the ability to self-perform most of the general building trades work including

Carpenters
Masons
Cement finishers
Laborers
Ironworkers
Equipment operators

Skilled Workers

Our field personnel are proud members of their respective trade unions and represent the best trained and highest skilled workforce available in Upper Michigan. Quality of workmanship is a hallmark of our company. Our union affiliation also provides access to a well-trained workforce that we can tap to build up our manpower during peak periods as the project schedules demand.

Nimble Team

Also, to help us maintain our project schedules, one of our long-held beliefs has been to maintain a small but adequate fleet of equipment and to staff it with quality operators. This philosophy allows us to react quickly when specific needs arise rather than waiting for subcontract providers to fit us into their schedule.

We Go To Great Heights

With a strong background in steel erection and the lifting equipment required for that type of work, Roy Ness Contracting & Sales Inc. has built a solid reputation for quality crane service. We routinely dispatch our CCO Certified operators with our 30-ton, 55-ton, or 120-ton cranes to job sites all around Upper Michigan. Our operators are very experienced, safety conscious, and know how to succeed when a complicated lift is presented.

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We Build Connections

With over 60 years of general contracting experience, Roy Ness Contracting & Sales Inc. has had the opportunity to work with many subcontractors from all around Upper Michigan as well as Lower Michigan and Wisconsin. There is no doubt that a solid team of subcontractors can be assembled to produce high quality and timely result for this project.

Ness History

1947

Roy Ness joined his brothers Lester and Earl Ness in their plastering and masonry contracting business and formed Ness Brothers Contractors, and continued their work throughout the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Northern Wisconsin. As the market for plastering changed, they recognized other opportunities and moved into building custom homes and commercial buildings using the DESIGN & BUILD method.

1960

Roy founded Roy Ness Contracting & Sales and the business expanded into industrial construction with Varco Pruden Metal Building franchise. The association with Varco Pruden has continued for over 60 years.

1976

The firm incorporated and become Roy Ness Contracting & Sales, Inc. They have continued to expand as a General Building Contractor competing both in the conventional bid market as well as the Design & Build field. Projects to date range in price up to 5 million dollars.

Our Team

Richard Ness

Vice President

Jon Gartland

Project Manager/Estimator

Alex Winter

CAD Operator

Connie Baragar

Office Assistant

Samantha Cassell

Accountant

Contact Us

Project Estimate

Richard Ness

Vice President

rick@royness.com

Rick started with Ness Contracting in 1979 while he was still in high school. He worked for two years in the Escanaba Area High School co-op program before joining the company full time in 1981.

He has gained a vast knowledge of construction techniques over his 38 years of experience in the construction industry with Ness Contracting. Rick’s skills and leadership responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
– equipment operation of all types of excavating, cranes, and material handling equipment, holds certificates in crane operation from the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO) with endorsements for operating large and small hydraulic cranes, trucks, and crawler mounted lattice boom cranes:
– holds a Class A Commercial Drivers License (CDL) is proficient in blue print reading and layout of projects, and has extensive experience in operation of complex total station survey equipment.

He has also spent an extended amount of time in our shop repairing equipment, welding, cutting, and fabricating steel structures of many types. Rick also holds various certificates in safety, including Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA), First Aid, and CPR. His current role within the company include implementation of the Company Safety policy, Human Resource Manager, tools and equipment procurement, equipment and crane scheduling as well as coordinating and attending key project meetings.

Rick is also the acting Vice President on the Board of Directors for Roy Ness Contracting.

Jon Gartland

Project Manager

jon@royness.com

Jon joined Roy Ness Contracting in 2018 with over ten years of construction management experience where he worked on an assortment of different projects in Michigan and Wisconsin. The vast array of projects that he has been involved with come from a variety of industries including hospitals, retail, industrial, entertainment, education, and correctional facilities.

One of Jon’s most recent projects with Roy Ness was the Delta County Chamber of Commerce in Escanaba, MI. Over the course of his career, Jon’s projects have ranged in size from $50,000 to over $10 million. Jon has studied Construction Management, including AutoCAD, at Bay de Noc Community College. He has also maintained his Michigan Builders License since 2006.

Trevor Vetort

Purchasing Agent/ Project Manger/ Estimator

trevor@royness.com

Trevor has been with Roy Ness since 2014. He attended school at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College for architecture. Trevor’s background in construction includes design work for a design/build company out of Wisconsin.

Trevor handles a majority of our purchasing and sales and also performs estimating and project managing duties. Trevor coordinates the purchasing of materials on our projects and works with our vendors to ensure timely delivery of materials to avoid delays in project completion.

Alex Winter

CAD Operator

awinter@royness.com

Alex has been with Roy Ness Contracting since 2005. His education includes both an Associate of Applied Science in Architectural Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology from Northern Michigan University. Before joining Ness Contracting Alex worked for three other Architectural firms and also has considerable field experience working as a carpenter.

His computer skills include extensive experience with AutoCAD and VP Command. With his well-rounded background Alex can provide valuable input during the design phase of any project. Alex also plays a crucial role in undertaking any IT related issues we face at Roy Ness Contracting.

Connie Baragar

Office Assistant

connie@royness.com

Connie joined Roy Ness Contracting in 2017 as our Office Assistant. In addition to greeting our customers and answering the phones, she assists our Commercial, Crane, and Cabinet departments with writing documents, ordering product, billing customers, coordinating deliveries, and whatever other assistance is needed. Connie has a graphic design education from Kendall College of Art and Design and a degree in Business Administration from State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. She has experience working for interior design firms in the Detroit area and extensive customer service and computer work experience for businesses in South Carolina and Florida.

Samantha Cassell

Accountant

samantha@royness.com

Samantha replaced an 8+ year veteran in our accounting department in 2015. Her education includes a Certificate in Accounting and Associate of Business Administration through Bay College and Bachelors Degrees in Accounting and Business Administration through Lake Superior State University.

Samantha’s extensive background in accounting was earned at a local retail business and CPA firm and she continues to use this experience daily to improve the fluidity and efficiency of our internal accounting systems. She is familiar with billing procedures, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, collections, tax prep, and general accounting for all of our operations.