Living Legends 2023: JOHN R. LAWSON II
Raised in a construction family, Lawson fell in love with the business. His late father co-founded W.M. Jordan, which Lawson joined in 1975 after his graduation from Virginia Tech, where he earned a degree in geophysics. He’s paid back Virginia Tech by serving on its board of visitors and as rector, as well as funding […]
Real Estate 2023: RONALD J. LAUSTER JR.
Lauster joined W.M. Jordan in 1997 and became its president in 2018. He has managed notable projects such as the Ferguson Center for the Arts at Christopher Newport University and the restoration of the historic Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach. An Old Dominion University alumnus, Lauster also graduated Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. In […]
Virginia Tech breaks ground on $85M Hitt Hall
Virginia Tech leaders and donors broke ground Wednesday on the university’s $85 million, 100,000-square-foot Hitt Hall, which will house the Myers-Lawson School of Construction. The building, which has an expected completion of spring 2024, will feature general assignment classrooms and a 600-seat multivenue dining facility. The Myers-Lawson School is a collaboration between the College of [[...]
Pamunkey Tribe names W.M. Jordan, Suffolk as Norfolk casino builders
Newport News-based construction company W.M. Jordan Co. will team up with a national firm, Suffolk, to build Norfolk‘s $500 million HeadWaters Resort & Casino project on the Elizabeth River, according to a Friday announcement from the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, the casino’s operator. Suffolk, which earns $4 billion in annual revenue and employs 2,500 people in […]
Two Va. companies among group that won $950M Navy contract
Two Virginia federal contracting companies were part of a group of companies that won a maximum $950 million construction contract from Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk. Along with six other contractors, they can compete for task orders under the terms of the contract, the Department of Defense announced Friday. Virginia Beach-based S.B. […]
W.M. Jordan Co. hires business development manager
W.M. Jordan Co. has hired Erica Viola as the firm’s business development manager, the Newport News-based construction firm announced on Aug. 3. Viola will focus on seeking new business and building relationships across the Hampton Roads region, according to a news release from W.M. Jordan. The Maryland native previously worked for civil construction firms Iron […]
W.M. Jordan Co. promotes two Richmond execs
Newport News-based construction firm W.M. Jordan Co. recently promoted two executives in its Richmond division. K. Brooks Ballance has assumed the role of vice president of the Richmond division; William “Bill” L. Lucas Jr. has been promoted to director of estimating for Richmond. Ballance joined the company as a project manager in 1999; he is […]
W.M. Jordan exec joins National Academy of Construction
The Austin, Texas-based National Academy of Construction (NAC) on Thursday elected John R. Lawson II, executive chairman of Newport News-based W.M. Jordan Co., as a member of its 2020 class. Lawson in 2018 stepped down as president and CEO after 32 years leading W.M. Jordan, which his father founded in 1958. During his tenure, the […]