GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – On Friday afternoon, community and business leaders in Greenville came together for a celebration of a new headquarters opening in downtown Greenville.
Jordon Construction Company, JCC, is a minority-owned and operated business making its new home in the West End. The company is responsible for notable projects such as the west tower of the One Building, and they’ve partnered with GHS for renovation projects in the SunTrust building.
However, the all-minority employee team is joining just five other black-owned businesses in downtown.
City leaders say bringing and creating minority businesses in the Upstate are a challenge.
“There are many successful businesses, minority businesses that are in the community, but there should be more,” said James Jordon, the CEO of JCC.
Jordon says he wants to be able to give opportunities to talented people who may be overlooked and be a voice for the underrepresented.
“It doesn’t happen enough, so we have that opportunity to be that change agent in the community to make a difference to be more inclusive,” Jordon said.
Many felt the ribbon-cutting at JCC Friday made a broader statement.
“We want to be known as a community where everyone has a place, so when we have businesses like this that open, it continues to spread that message,” said Greenville Mayor Pro Tem, Jil Littlejohn.
They say hopefully paving the way for more diverse businesses.
“We haven’t arrived, but it’s a major step for us,” Jordon said.
JCC also does mentoring programs at some of the schools in Greenville as well as with the Department of Juvenile Justice. Staff say they’re able to be representations of what’s possible for the youth to achieve.
