As published in the Atlanta Construction News, September 2003.

Karon Warren – The Atlanta Construction News Special Feature

Faced with a transfer to California while working for Combustion Engineering, John Morley instead quit his job and opened up his own company, J.J. Morley Enterprises Inc. Now 15 years later, it’s clear he made the right decision. J.J. Morley Enterprises Inc., along with its sister corporation Morley Environmental Inc., earns a comfortable $14 million total revenue a year.

Morley attributes the company’s success to a good staff and good clients. “I went out on my own and hired good people,” he said. “And I think if you take care of your people and do what you say you’re going to do, you’re going to get the work.” This philosophy certainly worked for Morley.

Although Morley opened his first office in Roswell in 1988, because the Atlanta market was a bit slow, he decided to open an office in Nashville. It didn’t take long to start pulling in the jobs. “Our first project up there was a 29-story high-rise,” he said. “It was the First American Center. It was a real high-profile job downtown that we were successful at winning and completed on time and on schedule. That was our first breakthrough.”

Morley continued picking up projects in the Nashville area, including St. Thomas Hospital and Vanderbilt University. Then, work started picking up back in Atlanta. J.J. Morley Enterprises won the bid for work at several Atlanta malls, including Lenox Square, Phipps Plaza and Town Center at Cobb. “That was another good break for us,” Morley said.

Also a good break for the company, in 1992 the United States Post Office awarded J.J. Morley Enterprises an indefinite contract for restoration and waterproofing work on many of the state’s locations. “I’d say we’ve done probably 90 percent of the post offices in Georgia,” Morley said. “To this day, we still have the indefinite contract with them. It was just re-bid and awarded to us. We were actually not the low bidder; it was due to the quality of work we’ve done with them over the years.”

J.J. Morley Enterprises went on to work on several high-profile projects in the Atlanta area. “Our first projects in Atlanta were The Equitable Building, SunTrust Bank–which consisted of more than 60 miles of caulking–and then we went on to do Colony Square,” Morley said. “We’ve done quite a bit of work with BellSouth, Cousins, 230 Peachtree, and we’re also in the process of doing Peachtree Center.” Morley also is working on another large project, 2300 Wildwood.

Bert Collins, senior real estate manager for Wells Real Estate Funds in Norcross, worked with Morley on the SunTrust Bank building as well as several parking decks. He hired J.J. Morley Enterprises Inc. because of its reputation. “John is a very hands-on owner,” he said. “I knew if he told me they could do it, they would.”

Other clients feel the same way. Ron Dudley, distribution facilities manager for Georgia Power Company, has worked with J.J. Morley Enterprises for 13 years on a variety of projects including waterproofing, industrial coatings, asbestos abatement and lead abatement. “J.J. Morley Companies provide the expertise and problem-solving solutions to a variety of facility-related issues,” he said. “Their broad scope of skills, supplier and supervision ensure the job is completed on time and within budget.”

Recommendations such as these helped J.J. Morley Enterprises land another job: the exterior renovation of The Candler Building. “They came with the highest recommendations, not only from their existing clients, but also the engineering firm we employed for this project,” said Chella T. Baker, the building’s manager. “A first-class operation, we are in the process of signing off on two more contracts for repairs with J.J. Morley.”

J.J. Morley Enterprises hopes to continue this tradition of quality work and strong client relations. Morley’s goals for the company include maintaining a strong client list, maintaining the quality of service the company has provided in the past and to have controlled growth. However, that doesn’t mean the company wants every job. “We don’t want all the work in town,” Morley said. “We just want a fair share of it. We want to be in with people who want to solve the problem and go on to the next project. That’s what’s different from our competition. We look at our client as a long-term investment.”

Morley also considers his employees to be long-term investments. Many employees have been with the company for many years, and Morley likes to promote within. “The way I look at it, it’s a business approach,” he said. “Whoever performs and comes to the lead of the pack runs it.”

He thinks readers would be surprised at how dedicated he is to his employees. “I’m not trying to just work them to make a dollar,” he said. “It’s a team approach.”

Mark Kelley started work for John Morley in 1990 as a caulker in Nashville. Today, he is the director of operations for J.J. Morley Enterprises Inc. in Atlanta. “It’s a good company,” he said. “I’m proud to be working here. I’ve been lucky.”

Another long-term employee, John Davis–vice president of J.J. Morley Enterprises Inc.’s sister company, Morley Environmental Inc.–began working with Morley in 1994. “We turned out to be pretty good friends and partnered up in 1994 and opened Morley Environmental in 1995,” Morley said. “And John Rape–who’s vice president of the J.J. Morley side–he’s been with me since 1990. A lot of the guys actually started with us since the beginning.”

A key priority for Morley is making sure his employees are educated and well trained for their work. “We run training programs for the guys,” he said. “We bring in the guys, have barbecue lunches and actually train them on it instead of just sending them out to a job and saying, ‘Here, guys. Here’s your new material and tools and go to it.’ They’re actually trained on it and certified.”

Training his employees is as beneficial for Morley as it is for his employees. “I tell the guys, ‘It’s my name. Don’t embarrass me, and I’ll never embarrass you,’” he said. “It’s a team effort.”

Morley’s clients certainly recognize the hard work both Morley and his employees provide. “He always makes sure his guys know what they’re doing,” Collins said. “He’s got really good guys.” Baker agrees. “Mr. Morley is always available if you have a problem and works along with his staff to resolve any issues,” she said. “I have been in this business for over 25 years and, believe me, construction companies such as this one are few and far between.”

Morley has more than 200 team members spread out through three offices: Atlanta, Nashville and Birmingham. Key staff members include Chris Davis, operations manager for Morley Environmental in Atlanta; Bill Lacy, operations manager for the post office projects; Cosset Brown and Harper Rape, operations managers in Birmingham; Gil Harrell, lead sales manager for Morley Environmental in Atlanta; Jamie Chase, sales manager for J.J. Morley Enterprises in Atlanta; Scott Bennett, manager of Morley Environmental’s Nashville office; Brian Hill, director of operations for Morley Environmental in Nashville; and Michael Werner, manager of waterproofing for J.J. Morley Enterprises in Nashville.

John Morley has achieved a lot of success in the last 15 years, and he has no plans of slowing down. “I’m not the kind of person who can sit still too long,” he said. “But I enjoy it, and that’s the most important part about it. I like getting up every morning, selling and working with the guys and solving problems."