Built on Service. Powered by Family.
A veteran-owned business with one simple mission: show up, do the work right, and treat people the way we want to be treated.
How It Started
Mark Manyen served in the US Navy as a master training specialist. After the Navy, he drove a truck for 23 years. Long hauls, long hours, long stretches away from his wife Lori and their two teenage children. The schedule wore him down.
In 2015, he and Lori decided to build something of their own. Neither of them had ever run a business or operated heavy equipment. They secured a loan, bought their first truck and equipment, and got to work.
The first months were spent driving neighborhoods around Mason, Holt, and the rest of mid-Michigan, writing down addresses of properties with worn-out gravel driveways. Mark and Lori sent handwritten cards and flyers to each one. Roughly two jobs out of every fifty mailers. Slow, deliberate, the hard way.
By 2018, Mark had grown the business enough that he could leave trucking behind and dedicate himself full-time to Family Grade & Gravel. The business kept growing through customer referrals, repeat work, and quietly strong online reviews.
In October 2024, 517 Magazinerecognized Family Grade & Gravel with the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, one of just eight winners selected from 100 small businesses across the Greater Lansing region. The award recognizes founders who built their company with the tenacity, risk-taking, and outside-the-box thinking that defines real entrepreneurship.
Mark still shows up to every estimate. Lori still runs the back office. The business has grown to install septic systems and operate a sister company for hydrovac excavation, but the way Mark and Lori treat customers has not changed since the first hand-mailed flyer.
517 Magazine · October 2024
Entrepreneurial Spirit Award
8 winners out of 100 small businesses
517 Magazine · 2024
Entrepreneurial Spirit Award
517 Magazine selected just eight winners out of 100 small businesses across the Greater Lansing region for its 2024 Entrepreneurial Awards. Family Grade & Gravel earned the Spirit Award for the persistence and dedication that built the business from a borrowed truck and hand-mailed flyers to a multi-service contractor serving mid-Michigan.
“This award means to me that taking the risk, the hard work and lack of sleep was well worth it. We hope our story inspires others who are considering opening their own business to have confidence in themselves and their abilities to be successful.”
— Mark and Lori Manyen
The People Behind the Work
Mark and Lori built this business together. Two people, one shared phone line, every estimate handled in person. There is no call center, no sales team, and nobody at FGG who has not actually run the equipment Mark sends out on a job.
When you call, Mark answers. When you email, Lori usually replies. When Mark tells you a job will take two days, it takes two days.
That is the story behind the award. Not a marketing campaign. A husband and wife who built a contracting business the slow, deliberate way and kept treating customers like neighbors.
What Sets Us Apart
We're not trying to be the cheapest or the biggest. We're trying to be the best at showing up, listening, and delivering what we promise.
Veteran Work Ethic
8 years of military training taught Mark accountability. You show up on time, you do the job right, you own the outcome. Every single time.
Family-Operated
Mark and Lori built this business together. No corporate layers, no "let me check with my manager." You talk to the owners.
Mark Shows Up Personally
Every estimate. Every job start. Every check-in. Mark is there. Not because he has to be, but because that's what the work deserves.
Honest Pricing
You get a clear quote before work starts. If something changes, you hear about it before it shows up on the bill. No surprises.
By The Numbers
What 11+ years of honest work looks like
Years in Business
Five-Star Reviews
Rating on Angi
Service Areas
Where We Serve
Based in Mason, we're across the greater Lansing area, serving homeowners and property owners in Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties.
Not in your area yet?
Expanding our service area is a priority. Give us a call to ask if we can help with your project.
517-202-4120Why Homeowners Keep Calling Back
You Talk to the Owner
When you call, you might talk to Lori or Mark himself. Not a call center. Not a scheduler. The actual people who do the work.
Clear Estimates, No Surprises
You get a detailed quote before work starts. If something unexpected comes up, you hear about it before the bill reflects it. Simple as that.
Mark Checks Back In
Gravel settles. Drainage changes. Mark comes back weeks or months later to see how the work is holding up. That follow-through is what builds trust.
Licensed, Insured, Professional
Every job meets current codes. Your property is protected. Your family is protected. This is how we operate.
Free On-Site Estimates
No cookie-cutter quotes over the phone. Mark comes out, looks at the work, understands the challenges, and gives you a realistic estimate.
"Mark was professional, honest, and delivered exactly what he promised. He showed up when he said he would, the work was done right, and he actually followed up afterward to make sure everything was holding up. In my experience, that's rare in this business."
— Sarah T., Mason, MI
Ready to Work With Us?
Get a free on-site estimate. Talk to Mark directly. Let's see if we're the right fit for your project.