C Michael Kojaian

Mike Kojaian was born November 25, 1930 in Highland Park, Michigan. His father Charles Kojaian, came to the United States from Armenia through Ellis Island in 1912, and his grandfather joined him in 1914. Together they both worked to earn the passage for other members of their family, however by 1915 it was too late, the Turks had already started the massacre of the Armenian people. His father and grandfather ingrained in him a sense of responsibility towards the people of Armenia. Due to his devotion to the welfare of the people of Armenia, when he learned of the earthquake there, he rushed to his church, St. John's Armenian Church, with a check for $40,000 to help the people during this traumatic experience. At a young age Mr. Kojaian became very aggressive in the business world - first in the produce business, and then in real estate, buying and selling vacant land, and then building strip centers, office buildings, industrial parks, hotels and build-to-suits - leading to the present day where he controls twenty five million square feet of buildings in ten states. Mr. Kojaian is the President of the Kojaian Companies. He has a controlling interest in Synergy Group, Inc., an all-inclusive design and build construction company, and Dott Industries, Inc., a leading supplier of decorative components to General Motors and the Chrysler Corporation. He is in partnership with The Cunningham-Limp Company, a design/build construction company, and is a major stock holder in Grubb & Ellis Company, one of the largest publicly traded commercial real estate service firms in the U.S. Mr. Kojaian is President of the Armenian Apostolic Society, and an active member of the Armenian General Benevolent Union.