Evans Expands Presence and Leadership in Coastal Region

Gavin Finley to lead new Florida office in Jacksonville as VP/Division Manager and Will Johnson named VP/Division Manager, Savannah

JACKSONVILLE, FL (January 17, 2024) – Evans General Contractors (Evans) to open a full-service office in Jacksonville as part of its Coastal Region expansion. The move solidifies the company’s commitment to the state of Florida as well as to the developers, design partners, and subcontractors who supported Evans’ sustained growth in the area. Gavin Finley will lead the new office as its VP/Division Manager.

Over the years, Evans has built facilities across Florida including Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Ocala, Jupiter, Elkton and more specifically, Jacksonville. In the last 18 months, operating from a small satellite office run out of Evans Savannah, Gavin has been instrumental in the success of Evans building over 5M sf of logistics space in Jacksonville for project’s within Imeson and Florida Gateway Logistics Parks. Opening a full-service office was the next logical step in the company’s progression to support organic growth in Florida.

“Opportunity in Florida has been steady,” mentioned Finley, who joined Evans in 2018, “so the decision to formally open an office adds to Evans’ ability to serve our clients and partners in the area. To support the newly formed Coastal Region, I am focused on building a top-notch team of professionals and instilling operational excellence within Evans Jacksonville as I believe the resources and ability to succeed is present.”

This comes on the heels of the announcement that Jesse Bentley will be leading growth efforts for the company in the Coastal Region as their Regional Director. To fill his previous position, Jesse has named Will Johnson as VP/Division Manager, Savannah.

Will has been in the construction industry for almost 2 decades, also joining Evans in 2018 as a Project Executive where he oversaw the delivery of multi-million-dollar projects within the logistics, office, manufacturing, and healthcare markets. During his tenure, Will has been highly involved in the success of the Savannah office and has championed community outreach projects as well.

“Evans Savannah has certainly grown over the last 5 years,” stated Johnson. “I’ve watched it become one of the largest operating divisions outside of the Atlanta Headquarters, fueled in part by the port, but sustained by a culture of excellence in which I plan to uphold. As Division Manager, I’m concentrating on bringing in additional revenue streams by diversifying our project workload and further advancing our manufacturing and distribution expertise.”

“Both Gavin and Will are two motivated individuals whose drive continues to push Evans forward,” said Bentley. “I have complete confidence that their leadership, industry connections, as well as understanding of the company’s values, operations, and business goals will positively benefit the Coastal Region.”

Evans anticipates the full-service Jacksonville office to be operable by Q3 as they complete tenant improvements on a permanent space. Division Manager roles were effective immediately.