Jobes Henderson celebrating 50 years

• Jobes Henderson and Associates is celebrating its 50th anniversary
• The civil engineering firm has done multiple projects in central Ohio.
• The company also does land surveying and provides environmental services.

NEWARK – He's gotten a few eye-rolls from his kids over the years but Jim Roberts loves driving around Newark and pointing out projects his company, Jobes Henderson and Associates, has worked on.

It's a long list. The civil engineering firm has been involved with the Ohio 79 median project in Heath, improvements to Country Club Drive, the new Heartland Bank building downtown and the Newark City Schools construction project.

And that's just a few of the projects they've done in the company's 50-year history.

"That's what we take great pride in," Roberts said. "Seeing things we've been a part of that have been improvements to the community."

The company was started in Newark in 1965 by Al Jobes and Bill Henderson. They focused on private development, engineered and designed the Southgate subdivision and shopping center, and completed numerous road projects.

After several decades of running the company together, they sold it to former employee Jim Van Ostran. He helped expand the company and purchased its current building, the former Mound Elementary School at 59 Grant St., in 1997.

Roberts took over as president when Van Ostran retired 2010.

His son, Jeremy Van Ostran, started with the company when he was a teenager, became senior vice president and director of surveying in 2007. His sister-in-law Courtney Van Ostran, who now works as vice president and marketing director, has been with Jobes Henderson since 1997.

The company now has 33 employees and focuses on three area; civil engineering, land surveying and environmental services, Roberts said.

The engineering department has three groups — the municipal group, which focuses on work for cities, the transportation group, which works on roads and bridges, and a land development group, which focuses on commercial development.

Having multiple specialties has helped the firm stay successful, especially during the economic recession of 2008. Although they are licensed to work in six states but 75 percent of their business comes from Licking County and the surrounding area.

For many of their projects, Jobes Henderson employees work with architects, designers and contractors to make sure a project's infrastructure, such as the foundation and sewer drains, is completed correctly, Courtney said.

"A lot of what we do, people don't see, but are very dependent on it," she said.

Their staff is usually the first group on the scene of a project and the last ones to leave, Roberts said. But they are constantly communicating with clients and partners.

"We talk about the old stereotypical engineer in the corner who doesn't like talking to people, he doesn't exist anymore," Roberts said. "We have to communicate, we have to keep people informed."

The civil engineering industry has changed significantly in a short time, but staff members are consistently learning about the latest technologies, Courtney said.

"Part of being successful is an understanding of what our clients' needs are," she said. "As their needs change, we have to respond to that as well."

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Jobes Henderson is planning an open house for clients and community members on June 4. They'll have a variety of items from the business' history on display as well as a special cake.

To prepare for the event, they've been working on updating the building, refinishing the wood floors and painting the walls. But they still want to the building to look like a former school.

Many of the offices have chalkboards on the walls and pictures of the school's former students hang in the entry way. Roberts has the old school bell outside his office, which he rings when the firm lands a big contract.

"Keeping the feel of the school is really important to our community identity" Courtney said. "We want to make sure the community knows what we do and who we are and that we care about this area and want to remain involved in helping them improve their lives."

Roberts encourages all his employees to be involved in community causes they are passionate about. Jobes Henderson has also been an active participant in promoting science, engineering, technology and math to students.

That involvement will continue as the company looks to the future, Roberts said.

Although he's interested in expanding the company's offerings, their values will remain the same, he said. They'll continue their founders' legacy of great customer service.

"It all started with Al and Bill and their quality service and receptiveness to a customer's needs," he said. "Every firm can design, but what sets us apart is our responsiveness."

@amsjeffries

740-328-8544

Twitter: @amsjeffries

Learn more

For more information about Jobes Henderson and Associates, 59 Grant St., Newark, go to jobeshenderson.com or call 740-344-5451.

About the series

Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs — whether they're unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at advocate@newarkadvocate.com or 740-328-8821.