Twenty-one years is a long time to be in business, so Jeb Boggus might know the secret to success. Building up the community is literally what he’s been doing since 1994 with his company, Jeb Boggus Construction (JBC). Locals know he is no “rookie” when it comes to residential and commercial construction, but Boggus hasn’t let it go to his head. When asked what it’s like being a CEO, he has a surprising answer. 

“In one word? Humbling,” he says. 

He started gaining an “intense” interest in construction at the ripe old age of nine. Since then, he has continued building industry knowledge brick by brick. He says that while he has learned a great deal about the industry in the 23 years he’s been in the business, but he has made a few missteps along the way.

“I have learned the way to do things right and have learned a lot not only from my accomplishments but also from mistakes,” he says. “How a person handles the mistakes that will be inevitably made at some point really defines what their future career path will be.  I have held to a very high standard of integrity throughout the history of building JBC and feel it has made me a very humble person, ready to serve.”

While he considers being a CEO very “rewarding”, he believes his business would have failed without one key material: humility. It’s one of the reasons JBC survived the recession of 2008/2009. It was a difficult time for the country as a whole, but it swiftly delivered a concentrated sting to small business owners like Boggus.

“This had a huge impact on us as a company.  This was a hard time if we have ever seen it! But, we had great, long-standing relationships with our banks, with our lenders, with our subcontractors, and due to this strong, and long-time relationship, we weathered the storm and came out on top,” he says.   

He considers that to be his greatest personal accomplishment – making it through the Great Recession and keeping his company intact. That isn’t to say he doesn’t face less-threatening every day challenges. While not as critical as the recession, the constant fluctuation of building codes and ordinances is still the most common hurdle to his projects.

“Many times just getting the project through the approval process can be challenging as the counties can have levels of code and ordinance changes that happen even during a building or development process.  Then many times, as a developer, you have to adapt and adjust plans and timeframes,” Boggus adds. 

Still, red tape never seems to hamper JBC long; along with professional versatility, JBC has shown creative interest in more “fun” projects, such as spearheading new “Tiny Home” communities in the Augusta area. Another community currently underway is called Magnolia Ridge, located in Columbia county. Developing isn’t just a job to Boggus; he sees what he does as something of a monument to the community written as much by the buildings as by the clients. 

“That is why we take our history of projects and valued clients so seriously.  They are the legacy that defines who we are,” he says.

Boggus says he loves Augusta and is proud to be a big part of developing the community. He has three children and is an avid hunter and fisher. He is passionate about Hunt For Life (HFL), a foundation dedicated to providing adventure and fun to children whose lives are touched with a life-threatening illness. 

For more information on JBC, please visit jebboggusconstruction.com

About Deena Spell

A native of Albany, Georgia, Deena is a seasoned freelance features writer. She has spent the past three years writing professionally for multiple online and print publications. She graduated from Valdosta State University with a degree in Journalism in 2009.