The Millennials: Building Mason County.

Adam and BethAnn with their son, Max.

Editor’s Note: Sustaining a community and keeping it vibrant requires diversity on many levels, especially among age groups. An unintended movement the last few years has been the increased number of millennials who have taken a role in community and business leadership in Mason County. A millennial, also known as Generation Y, is defined as a person who was born in the early ‘80s and sooner. This generation grew up in the digital age and often offers a unique and fresh perspective to leadership.

This is the seventh story in our weekly series on the area’s millennials who are making an impact in our community.

Sponsored by All Access Care of Ludington. Located at 329 N. Jebavy Dr. in Ludington; 231-425-4544; www.all-access-care.com.

By Kate Krieger. Senior Correspondent.

FREE SOIL TWP. – Adam Kozicki grew up knowing a lot about the restaurant business. His parents, Dave and Michelle Kozicki, owned The Grand Hotel in downtown Ludington. One would think that after learning so much about the business, Adam would have a passion for it, but that wasn’t the case. His passion was about working with his hands and building things.

Adam, a 2001 graduate of Ludington High School, became a licensed electrician under the electrical union based out of Coopersville.

“I didn’t want to work in the restaurant,” Adam, 32, says.. I did the electrician thing for about eight years and I traveled all over Michigan for work.”

Basically living out of hotels during his time as an electrician, Adam was happy with the great money he was making, but really wanted to return back to Mason County.

“For my age, I was making good money,” he says. “I got sick of the traveling, so I ended my time with the union and started working with a company out of Traverse City because they were starting up a branch here in Mason County. I was pretty much handling everything here for the company.”

Managing projects that were taking place in the Mason County area, Adam was in charge and doing well for himself. He really had a change of heart when one day, he had been in charge of a project and the owner of the company came to visit and had no clue on what was going on. Adam had been so involved with the project, yet the owner took over the project like it was his own. This made Adam realize that he was sick of working for other people who were so disconnected from the actual work that was going on and he made a decision to change what he was doing.

“It was really the turning point for me,” Adam says. “One of my friends there, we talked and I knew I wanted to be my own boss. I did a lot of work with little appreciation, so I left.”

Adam set out on his new journey of being his own boss and started up a lawn care and snow removal business. About two years later, he had been doing small construction jobs for people in the area and wanted to make it an official career, so he opened Adam’s Construction and General Contracting.

While Adam’s brother Josh was helping out with the lawn care end of things, Adam put his whole heart into his construction business and it started paying off for him and his wife, BethAnn, 29.

“The construction really took off,” Adam says. “We started generating a good cash flow and exposure. Josh was handling the lawn care so I could be more focused on construction.”

The business started out with only one other employee, but now, depending on the job at hand, it can have anywhere from 12-17 people working at a time.

Adam says the business has been very well received by the community, especially since he is fully licensed to do the work he does.

In 2014, Adam’s Construction and General Contracting was nominated for the Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award.

“I wish there were more skilled people available in the area,” he says. “There’s work for people who want to work. It’s not a fast buck or a get rich quick career. There’s so much competition, but being licensed and able to do jobs that those who are not, that’s where you make to money.”

Adam says he really enjoys his career because no job is the same,, plus, he’s happy that he can work in the county he grew up in.

“I grew up here,” he says. “I like being here and I know a lot of people. This is where I want to stay.”

BethAnn is a partner in the business. She recently earned a management skills certificate from West Shore Community College and plans on graduating from there this spring with an associate’s degree in marketing/management. She is also a real estate agent.

Both Adam and BethAnn say they are extremely proud of many of the projects they have been able to complete in Mason County.

“We just finished up the new King Funeral Home,” Adam says. “We also have done the shell of the new COVE building, All Access Care, Blu Moon’s upstairs deck, St. John’s Health Care and NorthStar Chiropractic.”

The couple say that two of their favorite projects were NorthStar and Blu Moon’s upstairs deck.

“At NorthStar, we did everything from the ground up,” BethAnn says. “Jacob and Sara Seng are just awesome.”

Completing the upstairs deck at Blu Moon was a feat in itself, Adam said. He stated that owner, Marilyn Cunic had a vision in mind and his business was able to make her vision become a reality.

“There’s nothing like it in the area,” Adam says. “We like thinking outside the box. The posts are 35 feet tall and run from the basement to the roof. We cut holes in three different ceilings. It’s all completely engineered and it’s not supported by the roof at all.”

Happy to give back to the community and looking towards the future, Adam and BethAnn continue to have a lot of projects in the works, including flipping homes, serving on the board of directors for the Home Builders Association, the upcoming Home and Garden Show and the everyday project of raising their 4 son, Max.

Adam’s Construction and General Contracting is the co-sponsor of the upcoming Home and Garden Show March 13-15 at the Little River Casino Resort. BethAnn says they are excited for the show and the move from the West Michigan Fairgrounds to the casino.

“We are the co-sponsor of the event,” BethAnn says. “We will also have a booth there. We are happy for all the community has done for us and we are happy to be able to give back.”