By A.J. Kaufman, Managing Editor
J.A. Street & Associates marked 40 years serving Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia last September, and they’re far from slowing down. The locally owned general contractor and design-builder has embarked upon a bevy of projects in recent months and is in the midst of several more this summer.
County officials most recently cut the ribbon in May on the new Blountville Athletic Park, designed by Street. The new park is at the old Blountville Middle School and includes softball and baseball fields, pickleball courts and more. Sullivan County Mayor Richard Venable said the second phase of the project will include a farmers’ market, basketball courts and more pickleball courts.
J.A. Street & Associates recently completed not only the park, but also several Food City properties, Kingsport Hyundai and Utility Trailer in Chilhowie, Va.
They are currently working on Wallace Ford in Kingsport, West River Manufacturing in Buchanan County, the Buchanan County Amphitheatre, Home2Suites in Kingsport, the Seaman Manufacturing plant in Bristol, Tenn., a new hangar at Tri-Cities Regional Airport, Towne Acres School in Johnson City and a new manufacturing building for VFP, Inc. in Duffield, Va. Street is also tackling several additional projects for Food City, including stores in Marion, Va., Sullivan County, the Knoxville area, Cleveland, Tenn. and two in Alabama.
They also plan to start work soon on several automobile dealerships, another hangar, an assisted living facility, a data center, more Food City projects, and additional phases for projects that are currently underway, like Seaman Corporation and VFP, Inc.
While President and CEO Jim Street believes the local construction economy is “good and growing,” he says nationally it is projected to be flat in the coming year.
“We usually are months behind the national average,” Street told the Business Journal. “Sometimes we don’t even see or follow the national economy.
He notes that with interest rates not dropping as fast as many projected over the last two years, there can be hurdles in his industry.
“Permitting has always been a challenge, and it’s getting worse. Getting permits for site work can take six months or longer,” Street said. “We still have supply chain issues since COVID. It still takes too long to get certain materials. Some electrical components take over a year to get delivered. The price increase for many of those items is hard to believe.”
For example, a local utility provider recently said the price for transformers has gone up 80% since 2021, an increase that the company president says is “hard to absorb.”
He commends the regional education system for better job training the workforce for the construction trades, which helps with the labor shortage.
“But finding workers is still a concern,” Street added. “Also, the increase in gas and diesel prices as well as tariffs is a concern. These prices are rising faster than the average inflation rate.”
One of the opportunities the company has found in our region is brought about by the increase in housing units being added to the supply.
“Some may wonder why that’s an opportunity for us since we don’t do residential construction,” Street explained. “It’s an opportunity because those who buy homes and move to the area buy groceries and cars, need doctors, and work in the buildings that we build.”
In the end, J.A. Street & Associates is a homegrown company that originated from simple beginnings.
“Because of that, we understand that good things are achieved through hard work and intention,” he explained. “Our motto is ‘designing dreams and building relationships,’ and we work hard to never forget that those relationships are one of our most valuable assets. We have a workforce that is well trained, qualified and (as an ESOP company) have a stake in the success of J. A. Street & Associates.”
