Jack Avis
Familiar Name, Familiar Projects By Gene Marrano
You don’t have to venture too far in the Roanoke or New River Valleys to find examples of work by Avis Construction Company. Hop in your car and drive almost anywhere along a main thoroughfare in the Roanoke and New River Valleys -chances are you’ll go past a project where Avis Construction Company in Roanoke was the general contractor. Founded in 1977, Avis likes to say it uses the Team/Build or Design/Build model that brings together the project owner, contractor and design professionals. “Quality and Value” has the mission since the firm (around 50 employees not including subcontractors) was founded. Theatre 101 (Virginia Tech), Webber Hall (Virginia Western Community College), The Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, the Colonnade II business center in Roanoke County on Electric Road, Magic City Ford … the list is long. Jack Avis is the Vice President/ Treasurer and son of the founder Lynn Avis.
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(Troy Smith is the firm’s president). Jack Avis went to work during his summers in high school (early 80’s) before going on to earn a civil engineering degree at VMI and then an MBA at Virginia Tech. He’s been full time at the company since 1989. “We do a lot of schools, manufacturing, warehouses, medical,” notes Avis as he sits in a conference room with pictures of multiple projects on the wall behind him. In the hallway, plaques noting numerous awards and recognition for the company’s work also tell their story. Projects that have converted older buildings to apartment complexes – taking advantage of historic tax credits when possible – is also part of the Avis Construction portfolio. Jack Avis says they normally like to work
