Long before Larry Brinker Jr. stood in downtown Pontiac wearing a hard hat and holding construction plans, he was riding his bike through these same streets, attending concerts at the Phoenix Center and watching Fourth of July fireworks. Today, he’s back in nearly the same spot, helping build two parking garages, 15 levels housing almost 1,300 spaces, he believes will support the revitalization of the city he loves.
As president and CEO of Brinker Group, a family of commercial construction companies involved in many of Michigan’s largest development projects, Brinker has spent his career helping transform communities across the state. But this project is personal.
“This is us coming home,” he said. “It feels so good to be standing literally in the middle of the street where I used to bike up and down as a kid, and to come back and help with the revitalization of such a great city.”
His measure of success isn’t whether people admire the parking structure.
“I hope they never think about it,” Brinker said with a smile. “If they never think about it, that means we did our job right. They park, they enjoy downtown Pontiac, and everything just works.”
For Brinker, Pontiac isn’t simply another construction site. It’s where his family’s story began. His father, Larry Brinker Sr., founded the company after getting his start just a few blocks away, building a business that has grown into one of the nation’s largest Black-owned commercial construction firms while remaining rooted in Southeast Michigan.
“Pontiac gave us the opportunity to even have Brinker Construction,” Brinker said. “It invested so much in us. It’s super special for us to be able to come back and reinvest in the city as well.”
Brinker said he believes being invested in Pontiac is bigger than concrete and steel. It’s about creating opportunity for future generations, just as Pontiac created opportunity for his own family decades ago.
Learn more about the Pontiac Redevelopment Project and subscribe to updates by visiting OakGov.com/DowntownPontiac.
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