F&V Continues Leadership Transition as Fleis Steps Down
F&V Companies Inc. (FVCI) announced that co-founder Larry J. Fleis, PE has stepped down as board member as part of the company’s ongoing leadership transition. It became official at the annual shareholder’s meeting last month, according to John DeVol, FVCI President.
Fleis said he informed DeVol and other company leaders a few months back that he was planning to step down as Chairman of the Board after 30 years.
“I felt it was time to complete the leadership transition to make it perfectly clear who is running the company,” Fleis said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed working closely with the principals, our executive team, and our employees to achieve our strategic goals.
“Together, we have built an incredible company.”
“We have been most grateful for Larry’s ongoing support and have asked Larry to continue consulting with us,” said DeVol, the new Chairman of the Board. “We have tremendous respect for the legacy that Larry has built and value his ongoing perspective as we continue to grow and thrive in our industry.”
Fleis co-founded the engineering consulting firm with the late Steve Vanden Brink, a civil engineer and friend in 1993. Vanden Brink left the firm in 2015 due to health issues and passed away in 2021.
“This company has grown from two engineers to nearly 300 people in nine offices and more than 50 operations locations with revenues exceeding $50 million,” DeVol said. “Larry helped lay a solid foundation of positive culture, relationships, business principles, and technical excellence that has allowed our firm to reach new heights.”
The company has received dozens of engineering and surveying excellence awards and many consecutive West Michigan “Best & Brightest Companies to Work For” and the nation’s “Best & Brightest Companies to Work For.”
F&V was founded as an engineering firm and expanded to providing construction management services through F&V Construction (FVC) and operations services of water and wastewater systems through F&V Operations and Resources Management (FVOP).
“Larry and Steve firmly believed that growth was important,” DeVol noted. “Their strategy was that growth in the company allows for growth in opportunities and growth in the staff’s careers.”
F&V was recognized as a “Hot Growth Firm” for being one of the top 100 growing firms in the United States and Canada in nine of the last ten years.
Fleis, who resides in Ada Township, received various personal awards including the prestigious Felix A. Anderson Image Award in 2020 from American Consulting Engineers of Michigan for his contributions to enhancing the image of the profession. In 2019, Fleis was awarded the Civil and Environmental Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan State University.
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