History

In March 1965, F.W. (Bill) McCarthy and Henry B. Smith founded McCarthy & Smith, Inc. After working together at Walter B. Couse Company in Detroit, the pair decided to start their own company providing general contracting and construction management services with excellent client relations and service. McCarthy & Smith opened its doors on Faust St. in Detroit, and the company took on its first construction project, a new shower house at Guardian Angel Camp in Holly, Michigan.

F.W. (Bill) McCarthy became the sole owner of McCarthy & Smith, Inc. in 1975. He instilled his strong values of integrity, honesty, and leadership within the company and its staff, and he prided himself on treating clients like family. The company worked in Detroit and the metro Detroit region, providing construction services on  religious, cemetery, commercial, industrial, and educational projects.

As McCarthy & Smith, Inc. continued to grow as a family business dedicated to serving its clients with exemplary service and commitment, the office headquarters moved to Redford in 1988. In 1989, F.W. (Bill) McCarthy’s son, Bill McCarthy, joined the company with determination to expand the firm’s portfolio in the educational market. Work with Farmington Public Schools was originally awarded in 1989.  McCarthy & Smith continues to provide construction management services to Farmington Public Schools today.

Bill McCarthy took over the company as president in 1996, and F.W. (Bill) McCarthy’s daughter, Eileen, joined the company in 2000 as vice president. McCarthy & Smith, Inc. experienced substantial growth during this time and relocated to Farmington Hills in 2002 to accommodate the growing company. In the educational market, project highlights included an expansive new front addition to West Bloomfield High School, major additions to district buildings at Farmington Public Schools and Wayne-Westland Public Schools, and a new middle school, new high school, and two new elementary schools at Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.

“Our company experienced dramatic growth in the late 1990s due to our efforts to pursue the K-12 educational market. Today, we are honored to compete with major contractors and construction managers in this and other market segments.” – Bill McCarthy

McCarthy & Smith, Inc. persisted in providing construction management and general contracting services to both local and broader areas. The company expanded its work into Ohio, North Carolina, New York, and higher educational facilities. McCarthy & Smith continued development in the commercial, industrial, municipal, and religious markets. A project highlight for this period included the reconstruction of the Yamasaki designed McGregor Reflecting Pool and Sculpture Garden at Wayne State University.  This project won three historic preservation awards – two from the State of Michigan and a National Preservation Award.  Several LEED projects were completed including the renovation of Detroit Firehouse #2 into the University of Detroit Mercy Law Clinic and several educational facilities in Ohio including two new schools.  The experienced team of professionals continued to grow professionally and established strong connections with the communities they served based on the company’s founding principles and values.

McCarthy & Smith, Inc. celebrated 50 years of building strong communities. McCarthy & Smith continues to operate as a family-owned business. The staff at McCarthy & Smith continued to work hard to ensure that each goal for every project is met while building and maintaining strong connections with their clients and communities. In 2016, the University of Detroit Jesuit High School project won the prestigious AGC Michigan Build America Award.

“May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow,
and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.”
– An Irish Blessing

We have been fortunate – our shamrocks have grown, and we are celebrating over 55 years!

We thank our clients, business associates, and subcontractors for their confidence in our work.

“McCarthy & Smith has operated with the same ideals that our father had – fairness, honesty, and integrity. We have also had the honor and privilege of working with excellent employees, clients, architects, contractors, and subcontractors that treat people with fairness and respect. These personal relationships have made McCarthy & Smith a strong, successful company. We will continue to build on these principles in the years ahead.”