Grinaker lays the foundations

Ole Grinaker, a Norwegian engineer, arrives in South Africa in 1911 and would eventually establish one of the most successful construction companies in the country. Grinaker was to become an influential figure in local construction.

The construction sector is particularly bound to the ebb and flow of the global economy and tends to capitalise on financial booms and contract in the wake of recession. By facing adversity head on, both Thompson and Grinaker would lay the foundations for what would become the Aveng Group.