Building Bright Futures for Ferris Students

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John and Mary GarvelinkMary and John Garvelink consider themselves to be some of the happiest people on Earth. Fifty years ago, in June (the 17th of June at 3 in the afternoon, Mary recalls), they met on the campus of Ferris State. Right after class, Mary returned to her dorm and told her roommate, "I'm either going to marry John or his twin brother." Fortunately for John, he does not have a twin brother.

Together, they started a business in Colorado Springs that grew to 352 employees. John brought creativity, adaptability and a drive to do the job right "for the people who work for us and the people we work for." Mary contributed her financial management talents, her unwavering positivity, and her leadership as a guide and teacher to those they served. In 2004, she became the first woman elected president of a major national trade organization in the mechanical industry.

Life was not always easy for them. John's childhood home was full of love, but short on money. His father was a mason, and the winter months were lean for him and his five younger siblings. He was the first in his family to go to college, working his way through an electronics program at Grand Rapids Junior College and taking out a loan to attend Ferris State College's HVACR program. He benefited from the wisdom of his grandfathers, both of whom worked in the skilled trades. They instilled a drive in him early to stay focused on the future. "You're going to confront disappointments," John recounts being told, "but don't let that stop you."

Mary's parents had an orchard and fruit stand in Greenville, Michigan. She graduated from Montcalm Community College and went on to Ferris State. Mary is a practical person and she chose Ferris for practical reasons—she needed to be close enough to go home on the weekends and work. She also had clear goals, none of which involved falling in love. Mary wanted to be a science teacher. "John wrecked the not falling in love plan," she says with laughter in her voice, "but as a business owner, I have never stopped being a teacher."

Soon after they married, the couple was living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where John was stationed at Fort Carson Army base as a military police surety dog handler. He worked on base in the evening and for a mechanical contractor during the day. When his boss ran short of funds, John loaned him the couple's entire life savings. Unable to repay the loan, his boss gave his hard assets, tools and equipment, as payment. The incident both birthed the business that would become an extended family for them and marked the last time John ever wrote a check. From that moment forward, Mary handled their financials.

As self-described workaholics, the early years of their marriage were nonetheless challenging. "Building trust in the contracting industry takes time, consistency and a dedication to doing the job right every time," John says. As he was laying the foundation for the business, Mary was working as a substitute teacher for $18 a day and eventually as a lab adjunct at the local university. Her income sustained them day to day, even as she was experiencing her first symptoms of multiple sclerosis, a condition that would go undiagnosed for four years.

Mary loves sayings, and one of her favorites is "survival of the flexible." John agrees, "God has a plan—just have to be open to that plan. When it appears as if you have a crisis, it could be an opportunity." Throughout this time, Mary and John built on a shared foundation of faith and the same focus on the future that John's grandfathers imparted so many years before. They worked for the fulfillment of doing the job right in the hopes of seeing the fruits of their labor. "Money was never a focus for me," John says. Mary laughs, "That's true. But one of us had to consider if we could put food on the table."

Commercial Design Engineering (CDE), their business, ultimately gained a reputation as a premier mechanical engineering contractor for the U.S. military. They speak of its pivots and transitions, how they positioned themselves over decades in response to changes in the market. Their own entrepreneurial skills, however, are not their primary focus.

Their greatest pride in CDE comes from the community and family of employees they built. Among CDE employees there are husband-and-wife teams like John and Mary, some who came with them in the early years and are still with them today—37 years and counting, and one who is the third generation in his family to make his living there. At some point, John notes, "We were no longer interested in being the biggest out there, but we want to support one another throughout the balance of our careers and to stand by those who have stood by us."

This same commitment to others underlines their philanthropy. "We've been blessed," Mary says, "so we can be a blessing to others." They credit one of John's professors at Ferris, Dick Shaw, who has become a lifelong friend, in guiding them along the way. As they consider the planned gift commitment they made in 2013 for Ferris State University's College of Engineering Technology and the HVACR program in coordination with Dick and The Ferris Foundation, the couple are confident and steadfast in their decision. "We wanted to give something back to the place that helped us have confidence despite bumps in the road, we had the knowledge and skills to persevere."

Explaining how they consider their investment in light of the current pandemic, John starts simply. "Ferris educates and trains essential workers," he says. "The exact training that Ferris specializes in has become even more important. Ferris students will be the workforce who can keep the foundations of our country running and make us stronger in the future." Mary agrees, "Even in today's environment, we are excited and hopeful that Ferris will experience a very bright future!"

Quarantined at home since March 13, John and Mary Garvelink's appreciation and gratitude still knows no bounds. Their faith in God and one another, and their commitment to others runs deep. "Giving makes you think about more than yourself," Mary explains. "If you can help someone, the joy that that brings…it is priceless."

John and Mary are staying hopeful and having fun. They laugh and tease one another. As with everything they've done, from building a successful business to using their talents and skills to offer opportunity to their workforce to cementing a legacy for generations of Ferris students to come, John says, "The best part of it is that we've done it together."

Like Mary and John, you, too, can help ensure a bright future for Ferris students. For more information about planned gifts, please contact The Ferris Foundation at FerrisFoundation@ferris.edu or (231) 591-2365.