What a great evening of food and fellowship at the Johnston County Building Industry Association (JCBIA) last night for Legacy Night honoring all the past presidents.

Back in 1978 a group of custom builders came together and decided Johnston County needed an association that would support the growing area. That year, the HBA of Johnston County was formed with a handful of builders and has steadily grown to 400 strong, local builders, suppliers, and industry partners all coming together to support our industry growth.  It was good to see in attendance our most “seasoned” Past President Durwood Stephenson, who was an essential part of that initial founding group and served as President of the association in 1980 and who’s legacy remains strong in Johnston County still today.

Also included in last night’s attendance of Past Presidents was Ruth Anderson who served her term in 1991.  In her comments last night, Ruth looks back on her time serving as president as a good memory from her career and how proud she was to be a part of HBA of JC legacy.  Another familiar face we haven’t seen in awhile was Sherry Pinney-Phillips, who for two decades was the driving force behind the Association.  We enjoyed sharing hugs and funny stories from throughout the years.

Personally, it was so good to see so many faces from the past.  I was quickly brought back to memories of when Neil and I first started out 26 years ago, we were the young ones in the crowd.  In those early years, I remember Neil returning home “on fire” with knowledge and wisdom from the guest speakers, builder members, associate members, and all the professionals at the JCBIA Meetings.

Attending events like this always brings back some of our fondest memories throughout our years of membership with the JCBIA.  Such as, Neil being involved in the Golf Tournament committees, our participation in Parade of Homes for many years, and of course winning awards is always fun!  Neil was awarded Builder of the year twice, and our most coveted award of Best of the Best back in 2017.  One of our most treasured moments was in 2010 when Neil’s mentor and first boss out of college, Lyle Gardner (who happened to be the President of the NC HBA that year), was able to swear Neil in as President.  Neil served on the Board of Directors in some capacity from 2001-2012, until he had to take some time away to help raise our three sons and follow their busy sports schedules.  With more flexibility in the schedule now that our boys are older, Neil has been able to actively serve on the Board of Directors again this year.

Today, our current president, Heather Hall, is only the second female to hold the position as president.  Neil and I have personally watched Heather’s years of service in various committees and involvement within the association come full circle as she has taken on this new role as President.  Her mission this year “To Be Better Together” has already shined through several events, with many more planned for the year.  We look forward to partnering with Heather and all of our fellow JCBIA Industry members in our upcoming challenges as we continue to support the ongoing growth within our county.   

As Seasoned Veterans now ourselves, we have seen the industry change a lot throughout the years.  We’ve built through the good times, the bad times, the crazy covid years, and then the good times again.  We’ve built when we hardly had enough hours in the day and full schedules, but we won’t ever forget the years we had to take on Additions and Renovations, just to pay the bills.  We’ve more recently added our son Caleb and our future daughter in law, Peyton, to the mix and are proud to continue our Family Business for Future generations. 

We’ve seen our county change a lot over the last 26 years.  But one thing still remains, our love for this county and its people. Neil and I are humbled to be considered Veteran Builders now and hope to continue to pass along the traditions and values of Custom Home Building that Johnston County has stood on for many years. We are thankful for the privilege to build beautiful homes for families moving here and we pray God will continue to grant us many more JCBIA Legacy Dinners ahead.