Living Legends 2023: JOHN R. LAWSON II

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, W.M. JORDAN, NEWPORT NEWS

Published August 30, 2023 by Virginia Business

Raised in a construction family, Lawson fell in love with the business. His late father co-founded W.M. Jordan, which Lawson joined in 1975 after his graduation from Virginia Tech, where he earned a degree in geophysics. He’s paid back Virginia Tech by serving on its board of visitors and as rector, as well as funding the Myers-Lawson School of Construction. In 2017, Lawson received the university’s highest honor, the William H. Ruffner Medal.

Lawson retired as president and CEO of W.M. Jordan in 2018, after the company played key roles in the Historic Cavalier Hotel & Beach Club’s restoration and construction of the Hilton Norfolk The Main hotel, among many other projects. In March, W.M. Jordan broke ground on the $335 million Atlantic Park development in Virginia Beach.

PERSONAL MOTTO: Expensive only hurts once. Cheap hurts every time you look at it.

IF I HAD A TIME MACHINE, I’D MEET: Robert Moses, the man that had more influence on building New York City than anyone in history

WHAT I’VE LEARNED: It is one hell of a lot easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble!

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