J & K General Contractors

The Largest Contractor Firm In Hoke County Is Preparing To Expand As Development Activity Increases In The Area

Now serving as the largest contractor firm in Hoke County, J & K General Contractors had a very different start when the company began in Moore County in 2002.

“It was a small company, we were just doing renovations, building small houses here and there, and we moved here [Hoke County] in 2008 and started doing the same thing, just working on smaller houses and renovations,” shared J & K Contractors President Jamal Shahbain. “We’ve built a few shopping centers in Moore County and started doing developments in 2016.”

Started by J & K themselves: Jamal and Khaled Shahbain, the company has since grown to have a presence in Hoke, Moore, Robeson and Cumberland Counties and in the Raleigh area working on both commercial and residential properties.

According to Shahbain, the company currently has 14 housing developments under construction throughout Hoke and is currently on track to build at least 2,000 homes in the area within the next year. With other larger contracts under their belt from the Hoke community, like the recently completed James A. Leach Aquatic & Recreation Center, it's hard to believe they ever had trouble developing in the area.

“We tried in 2008 to build a shopping center and we were denied, and then we tried again in 2014,” shared Shahbain. It was due to a change in leadership around 2014 that allowed for J & K to get projects approved for development, and the company has been working on projects across the county ever since.

Current projects in development by the company include the Brookstone Village development, expected to have 380 homes located right off U.S. highway 401. Development plans for the 33 lot Woodhaven subdivision, located at 6319 Rockfish Road, have also concluded and the company plans to break ground in the coming weeks.

J & K work closely with their primary partner Bell Manley Real Estate who are involved in all stages of a project from land acquisition through the development phase.

“If all goes according to plan, then we'll have lots to sell to other builders but also have lots that we can have J & K build houses on and then my team can come in at the back end and help sell some of those houses,” shared Bell Manley Real Estate Co-owner George Manley.

While the homes will be a nice addition to the community, commercial properties are also expected to move into the area as part of the develop- ment plans.

“We’re doing five gas stations, and the time now we're talking about, we've proposed to bring in upscale shopping and grocery shopping. We’ve discussed Publix and Harris Teeter, so it's been proposed, we're trying to see if we can land one of those guys. And we’re also trying to do something for entertainment, arcade games, bowling alley, something like that. It’s also been proposed and we’re hoping to get an approval on that,” shared General Manager Alex Aguirre.

Company leaders confirmed that plans have been approved by the County for a new bowling alley expected to go right beside the recently completed and opened aquatic center on U.S. Highway 401. J & K will also be working on the upcoming new Hoke County Courthouse and Administration building going in downtown Raeford and a new high school building both priced at $36 million and $78 million respectively.

As these expansions continue in Hoke County, J & K are looking to expand their operations as well, start- ing with a new headquarters.

The current J & K office is located at 1184 Fayetteville Road in Raeford and will be switched for the future new home of J & K General Contractors which is currently under construction along Highway 401.

Currently, the company employs more than 100 people but with the completion of their new building they expect to grow their operations as well as their staff.

“With that office we’re going to make an actual headquarters here for J & K and we’re looking to have about 300 employees when it's all said and done to bring more growth to the county. And we’ve been touching on how much easier it is to build here in Holk County and the growth and I just want to say we're lucky to have growth minded leadership in the town that make things possible for us and not just us, for all the builders in the county,” shared J & K Project Manager J.R. Blackwell.

The J & K team say they hope to have their new home finished by late 2023.