Our History
BAILEY FAMILY CONSTRUCTION - The Bailey family’s name became linked to road
and earthmoving construction, in 1922-24 when Linnie Bailey (Great Grandfather to
Jack III), along with his two boys, A.D. and O.T. began using mules and hand operated
dirt pans to move dirt for roads and paths. They learned how to clear land. The Baileys
gained the reputation of having the “strongest mules in Alamance County, NC,” due to
Linnie’s forceful drive and personality. His oldest son, A.D. Bailey, Sr., (Grandfather to
Jack III) was hired out to the North Carolina Highway Department, driving what was
called a “Section Truck.” That truck was a four wheel drive truck that “dragged” county
roads to fill the potholes.
When World War II came, A.D., though 36 years old, volunteered to join the Army. He
served in Europe until the end of that war and was transferred to the Pacific, where he
was part of the occupying force in Japan. After being discharged, A.D. hired on with a
local contractor to be a “bulldozer operator,” and that is where he began to teach his
13 year old son A.D. Jr. (Father to Jack III) how to operate a crawler while pulling his
Dad on an old fashion “Road Machine.” (A hand operated motor grader). Soon, A.D.
Sr. used his Army experience to bid on used military heavy equipment. He finally won a bid on a TD-18 International crawler, and he and his son mounted a bulldozer on it and eventually a cable winch on its rear. From that small beginning, A.D. and A.D. Jr. formed “Bailey & Son.” and from 1950 until 1954, built over 100 earthen dams in Alamance and Caswell counties for furnishing irrigation to tobacco farms. A.D. Jr. was known as “Jack” by then and he was drafted during the Korean War and served two years. He sold his interest in Bailey & Son when he was drafted. He saved and purchased a used D-6 CAT bulldozer to get back into the business upon his return.
Jack began to bid on subdivisions, streets and a lot of clearing projects. Jack began a Civil Engineering course with ICS, and began to
learn how to take off quantities and bid projects. He and his Dad formed Bailey & Son Grading, Inc., and performed commercial projects as well as DOT projects. Soon,
they were joint venturing airport and
highway projects with a well-known
building firm. Today, JBR is large
enough to service major development
projects but small enough to be
flexible and personable, delivering the
quality service from downtown building
projects in a tight space or a large,
expansive residential or
commercial development.
Four Generations of Expert Construction
About Jack Bailey, III
Jack Bailey, III
Gray and Bailey was formed in 1974 and it was under the tutelage of Mr. William “Buck” Gray that he learned the mechanics of highway construction. Jack oversaw the construction of a 5 mile segment of Rt. 360 in Richmond County VA for VDOT and completed the project 8 months ahead of schedule.
Jack then relocated to Virginia Beach Virginia and secured a position as a project superintendent for a family owned real estate construction and development firm. His first project, a 70 unit town home project in downtown Norfolk, was so successful that he was given charge of the overall development process. His understanding of the engineering of sites and the construction costs soon propelled him to VP of Construction for the firm. As the company expanded its operational territory, the opportunity arose to oversee a division operation in the Fredericksburg, VA region. Jack relocated with his young family to Stafford, Virginia.
Jack Bailey, III started his career at an early age, working with his grandfather on various projects such as building ponds, clearing land and cutting roads and streets. More important, he learned the importance of integrity, honesty and a strong work ethic. As a teenager, he learned the basics of the development and building industry from his father who also taught him the importance of hard work, perseverance and confidence.
The Bailey family believes a contract is “no better than the two people who sign it”. He also learned how important it is to treat hard-working, blue collar workers who represent the core of the industry with dignity and respect. While graduating from high school with plans to attend a 4 year college and obtain a business degree, impatience overrode and he quit school to start his own business.
Jack Bailey, IV
Jack then reached a purchase agreement with the Virginia Beach firm to purchase the assets of the Fredericksburg division and Potomac Development was formed as a construction and development firm. In 1994, the name was changed to Bailey, Hassell and Associates and by mid-2000, the firm had grown to over 100 employees with projects in Central Virginia, Northern Virginia and Maryland. The project profile by then was a mix of private and public work with residential, commercial, institutional and waterworks.
From 2001-2002, Jack was retained by an international bank through its investment banking division as a consultant for problem clients. The work was refreshing and challenging; however, due to travel restrictions, he decided to return to the development industry. In February of 2003 JBR, Inc. was incorporated and all the lessons learned by a lifetime of construction, development, building and consulting have brought about the company that Jack now oversees. His understanding of the industry, its people, the process and the commitment to a set of values handed down over four generations is the foundation of the company’s core value system.