Fillmore Compost Operation

Top Grade Site Management, LLC (TGSM) started out as strictly an excavation and grading company serving West Michigan, and was founded by Thomas (Tom) Brink and his nephew, Ross Veltema. Being the son of a successful farmer, Nate Brink, and a lifelong farmer himself, Tom saw an ever growing need in the agricultural industry for excavation and grading work that was geared toward providing assistance to the local farming community. Tom brought Ross onboard, and with the purchase of a single bulldozer, Top Grade Site Management, LLC was founded in 2004. What essentially began as simply two men with a vision to help their farming friends & neighbors with small scale excavation/grading projects (such as land clearing and pond excavation), quickly turned into much, much more.

Sand & gravel, a mixture of minerals commonly referred to in the construction industry as “aggregates”, is needed for almost any building project, and places to obtain those valuable resources are increasingly becoming few and far between. Within the first year, Ross and Tom realized this would unfortunately be a major hurdle for them if they wanted to see their business grow, so as with anything else they encounter, they hit this obstacle head on. From what started out as a need to operate a sand & gravel pit or two, quickly evolved into a network of sites and Top Grade Aggregates, LLC (TGA) was born into existence. TGA is strictly an aggregates company, aimed at providing both contractors and residents alike with high quality sand & gravel products.

With precious minerals becoming scarce within the ever-growing West Michigan area, other ways to produce construction aggregates are constantly sought after. Tom and Ross eventually discovered asphalt and concrete recycling (the process of mechanically crushing rubble into smaller particles that can then be used as gravel in lieu of natural gravel or stone), as an attractive alternative. TGA purchased a piece of crushing equipment, and later began using this type of technology to produce a very popular crushed asphalt and concrete material for its customers.

With aggregates being necessary materials for the construction industry, there must also be a way to transfer that commodity out into the marketplace, and over-the-road trucking is the means most often used to accomplish this task. Through the years, Tom and Ross found that using single-trailer (lead) and double-trailer (train) loads were the most efficient method for transporting goods from the source, to the end-user. As a result, TGSM has a fleet of trucks that are used to deliver goods to customers from out by the lakeshore in-and-around the Holland / Saugatuck area, east toward Ionia / Portland, and from the Fruitport / Grand Haven area, south to Battle Creek / Kalamazoo.

As word about TGSM and TGA has spread throughout the west Michigan area, the customer base has also expanded from primarily agricultural users, to include: commercial, industrial, and real estate clientele. Continued work in the Agricultural Sector along, with these new arenas, has brought forth many additions and upgrades to equipment, manpower, and technology through the years.

To further enhance the company’s menu of products and materials available, other major milestones include purchase of West Michigan Recycle in Grandville (the premier asphalt and concrete recycler in the region) in 2011, and I.B. Compost just north of Zeeland (being one of the largest compost facilities in the state) in 2012.

Mission Statement :