Posted: July 15, 2011

On a recent Friday afternoon, Homeland Contracting Corp.'s owner Jennifer Crain apologized for being so busy. The work wasn't bogging her down on this day; instead, her devotion to the company's employees kept her wheels spinning.

An employee was leaving that day on a sabbatical to sing opera in Santa Fe, N.M.

"We are having a 'Break a Leg' party for him," Crain said.

Another employee's mother was in intensive care at a local hospital.

"We are coordinating taking care of her house and lawn for her," Crain said. "It's a busy day, and I wish I had more time but the employees come first."

Homeland Contracting Corp.'s staff has a strong bond both with Crain and each other. Crain founded it in 2002 after more than 15 years in the construction industry. She is a founding member and current vice president and vice chair of the board of directors for the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Design Build Institute of America.

Crain is a strong believer in second chances, and that relates to who she hires. When she held a party at her house to celebrate a recent contract award, she struck up a conversation with a young gentleman who was a friend of a friend of her daughter's.

"He had long hair, a scruffy beard, jeans and a T-shirt," Crain said. "It became apparent through conversation that although he'd had some troubles with the law, he was a good, smart kid, who'd just never realized his potential."

Crain offered him the opportunity to interview for a job as a laborer.

"I was thrilled to see him come to the office the following week for his interview with my vice president looking very presentable - clean-shaven, hair cut and combed, and in a pressed shirt and suit," she said. "He's now one of our most valued field employees and is being groomed to be a superintendent."

Effective operations in the field are integral to Homeland Contracting Corp.'s success. To meet this end, the company provides the latest technology for its employees both in the office and the field. Field personnel have laptops, digital cameras and smartphones. Four hybrid vehicles were recently added to the company's fleet.

"The very existence of Homeland Contracting is the personification of the American dream," Crain said. "And the only way to be number one is through continued support of innovation and creativity."

In the spirit of "working smarter, not harder," she said, Homeland Contracting provides employees with the proper tools for the job, so they can work efficiently and think creatively.

"Staying ahead of the technology curve allows us to be on the cutting edge of innovation and be at the top of our industry," Crain said.

The company recently completed the construction of a 14,000-square-foot battalion headquarters building at Fort Eustis, but at the end of the day, Crain was focused on something else.

"Gotta go mow a lawn," she said. nib

- Stacy Parker

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