Through a combination of strong analytical skills and decades of construction experience, the team at Jobalia Development Group has become one the most important companies driving new home growth in Florida’s top markets, while carving out an essential niche in the residential development industry.
As demand for new construction shows no signs of subsiding, especially in up-and-coming Florida communities, the nation’s largest homebuilders are continuing to look for ways to expedite utility and infrastructure development, which is often the most expensive and time-consuming part of building new housing plans.
Securing entitlements and building infrastructure for a residential neighborhood plan can take anywhere from two to four years depending on the location and condition of the land. Many homebuilders don’t want to manage the risk of vacant land sitting on their balance sheets for an extended period of time. As a result, homebuilders tend to prioritize construction on land that is already developed, which means demand for ready-to-build land is at an all-time high, and vacant land across Florida remains underutilized.
This trend presented Jobalia Development Group with a major opportunity — a split development evolution model. The organization specializes in utility and infrastructure development at scale. Today, Jobalia acquires undeveloped acreage from homebuilders, secures the entitlements, builds the utilities and infrastructure, and sells back hundreds of ready-to-build lots to homebuilders.
This model not only fuels development and new home growth, but it helps builders manage risk and increase profitability, and multi-dimensional talent is the key to doing it efficiently. One of the reasons why Jobalia has been so successful at this model is because of the robust talent they have developed over time.
Over the last 40 years, the company has succeeded in attracting highly skilled employees who know all sides of the business, and many have been with the company for multiple decades. Jobalia Development Group has also made some key leadership hires that have sparked growth, while also focusing on developing young talent who have the right skills.
“A lot of guys can do the Excel spreadsheets and do the math,” CEO Anand Jobalia said. “Then you got the guys who specialize in construction. But I feel like I took both of those aspects and brought them together, and that’s what makes us very successful at Jobalia Development .”
Jobalia Development Group was founded by Anand’s father, Dipak Jobalia in 1970. At the time, the company primarily specialized in underground utility work while supporting both residential and commercial development. As the years went on, the company shifted to focus exclusively on residential construction. Anand Jobalia took over as CEO of the company in 2004 and has sparked continuous growth through ongoing partnerships with the nation’s top homebuilders.
Over the past several years, the company has refined its programmatic approach to executing large development projects, which it defines as four key initiatives: deeply rooted relationships that drive financing, expertise when it comes to entitlements, experience with complex permitting, and fast platting.
Today, typical projects include infrastructure development for plans containing anywhere from 50 to 500 homes. The company has supported new communities across Jacksonville, Edgewater, Port Orange, Daytona Beach, Palm Coast, St. Augustine, and many other cities in Central Florida.
According to Anand Jobalia, it’s having the opportunity to help consumers secure their first homes that makes the work consistently rewarding.
“The greatest investment for every American is their home, so I feel like I am part of that process,” Anand said.
Jobalia Development Group’s talent, skills, and experience combined with a hot Florida housing market has created a huge opportunity for them to continue to thrive for years to come.