One House at a Time

PHOTO COURTESY OF BERKELEY BUILDING CO.

BY HEATHER HAMILTON-POST

On a journey marked by professional milestones and personal challenges, Jenna Englund is the picture of the transformative power of passion and compassion. Under the direction of her purpose-driven leadership, Berkeley Building Co, where she is president, is working to change communities, building the St. Jude Dream Home for the thirteenth time.

The company, founded by Joe Atalla 17 years ago during a housing market crash, sought to utilize land left idle by the downturn. Known for their efficiency, quality, and innovative homes, Berkeley Building, with Atalla and Englund, embraced a culture of giving back.

This philanthropic drive comes authentically—after Englund’s daughter received life-saving care at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, her resolve to contribute to the community was resolute. Since then, St. Luke’s has been a frequent recipient of Berkeley’s charitable efforts, including funding for the pediatric cardiology unit, a new behavioral health facility, and mobile care buses to provide healthcare directly to schools. Berkeley’s other work includes remodels for the Women and Children’s Alliance and a range of contributions to the Ronald McDonald House.

In November, Berkeley broke ground in Star on Idaho’s St. Jude Dream Home. The team builds the home at zero cost, and proceeds from ticket sales—which often sell out within hours—go entirely to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Englund said that the home will feature modern Mediterranean design, luxurious appliances, and even solar energy integration. True to Berkeley’s style, it will also include their signature “secret spaces”—a playful touch to delight families.

The Dream Home is a platform to relay the message of St. Jude because people don’t realize that the hospital itself is working to cure cancer rates worldwide—not just locally...

For Englund, the Dream Home campaign is about more than raising money. “Part of the reason we do anything publicly is to get the message out there,” she said. “The Dream Home is a platform to relay the message of St. Jude because people don’t realize that the hospital itself is working to cure cancer rates worldwide—not just locally, and not just in Memphis. All the research is openly shared, which affects protocols across the world.”

Englund hopes that the work she’s doing extends the impact of the St. Jude Dream Home, a sentiment she shares with her team at Berkeley, whose philanthropic focus has shaped their internal culture. “We hire people who care about that part of our business,” she explained. “Our houses are better because our team is driven by a bigger purpose.”

Their business success has allowed them to give back to the community in bigger ways—in 2023, Berkeley was named Meridian’s Big Business of the Year, a recognition of the outsized impact the small, 13-person team has made on its community.

The work is personal, too. Two years ago, Englund lost her daughter, Mia, who inspired her family’s commitment to giving. In Mia’s honor, she’s exploring initiatives to combat homelessness, a cause that meant a lot to her daughter, whose legacy lives on in the work of her parents and older sister. Together, the family continues to meet challenges by turning them into something bigger, Englund said—just as Mia did.

We don’t just build an average home. Our contractors are as dedicated as we are.

“I know what it feels like to have a sick child, and what it does to your family. Being able to do this—to make people feel less helpless, to make them hopeful— that gives us a reason to get up every morning,” Englund said.

Tickets for the St. Jude Dream Home will go on sale in April and the giveaway happens in June. The three bedroom, two bath home “has some secret surprises that will not disappoint,” Englund said. “We don’t just build an average home. Our contractors are as dedicated as we are—they’re so much more generous that I would ever even ask them to be.”

As Englund and her team continue to build homes and other spaces—for St. Jude, families in crisis, and underserved communities—they’re also building community.

“You have to have a greater why to get up every day,” Englund said. For her, that “why” is clear: using her success to uplift others and honor the memory of a daughter who inspired a lifetime of giving.