Fred J. Beal has been involved in the construction business for more than 35 years, first working as a tradesman with JC Beal Construction and other local firms, and later advancing through positions of increasing responsibility within JC Beal Construction until becoming President in 1987.

Mr. Beal expanded the firm from a strictly local company with $2 million in sales in 1986 into a full-service general contracting, construction management, and design-build firm. Today the company performs a wide range of commercial and institutional building construction and infrastructure projects for clients across the region, operating from offices in Detroit and Ypsilanti.

Under Mr. Beal’s leadership, the firm developed a regionally recognized expertise in downtown construction, including renovation and restoration projects, new infill construction, and tenant build-outs. The firm also provides extensive pre-development support for clients. Major projects include the $33 million renovation of the 34-story Broderick Tower in downtown Detroit, completed in early 2013, and the more recent Kingsley Condominiums Project in Ann Arbor.

Among the firm’s new construction projects—many located in downtown infill areas—are the five-story Collegian on Maynard and the four-story Fifth Avenue Building at Fifth and Washington in Ann Arbor, as well as the Kingsley Condominiums Project mentioned above.

Local examples of historic restoration projects include Broderick Tower and 1015 Spruce Lofts in Detroit, 100 West Washington Block and 301 North Main in Ann Arbor, and similar redevelopment projects along South Main in downtown Royal Oak.

Other notable renovations include the comprehensive redevelopment of the former 500-room Ramada Inn and Conference Center in Atlanta, which was transformed into the 333-room Atlanta Airport North Holiday Inn and Suites. Additional projects include major work at the Detroit Windsor Tunnel, the Detroit Athletic Club, and the renovation of 84,000 square feet of former bank office space into a high-tech office environment for Google Inc.

Mr. Beal has served in multiple leadership roles with the Washtenaw Contractors Association, including a five-year term as President, and was honored by the organization with the prestigious VanderHyden Award.

He is also active in historic preservation efforts and received recognition from the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, which named him Citizen of the Year in 2004.

Mr. Beal served on the City of Ann Arbor Downtown Residential Taskforce and co-authored, with Douglas Kelbaugh and Sandra Arlinghaus, an article in Solstice regarding the use of 3D imaging to support the task force’s work and the resulting zoning rewrite.

He has also served as Chair of the City of Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Board, chaired the DDA Capital Improvements Committee, and served on the board of the city’s Economic Development Authority.

In 2002, Mr. Beal, together with Stewart Beal and Nora Lee Wright, established Beal Properties LLC, a real estate company that has grown to own and manage approximately 3,000 apartments and several hundred thousand square feet of commercial space.

Mr. Beal has directed and participated in numerous additional real estate development projects, beginning with the purchase of 221 Felch Street in Ann Arbor in 1993, followed by multiple projects throughout southeastern Michigan, including the Broderick Tower and Kingsley Condominiums developments.

Mr. Beal holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Michigan State University and regularly participates in continuing education programs through the Construction Association of Michigan, Fails Management Institute, and the Urban Land Institute.