North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship Church

“We’ve built over 300 churches over the last 67 years,” Jeff Stoops, project manager at Julian P. Barry General Contractor L.P. (JPB), casually mentions. That is no small feat, but to Stoops it’s all in a day’s work. Specializing in general contracting, construction management and design-build services, JPB recently oversaw the completion of the North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship Church in Plano, Texas.

Stoops has been in the industry for over seven years, starting his career fresh out of college. Originally from Los Angeles, Calif., Stoops began working in industrial construction with Nestlé Waters North America, where he assisted in building a 1 million-square foot warehouse. With a background mainly in structural steel fabrication and erection, Stoops has also traveled all over the country building hotels for Marriott and Hilton.

Laying the Framework

Founded in 1946 by Julian P. Barry and Jack Churchill, JPB began as the partnership of Churchill and Barry General Contractors. Soon after becoming JPB, Churchill fell terminally ill, and Barry renamed the company to its current inception. Warren Barry, second-generation Barry family member in the industry and current president of JPB, joined the company in 1971, going on to become chairman and CEO in 1984. JPB remains a family-owned and -operated company in Dallas, Texas.

JPB prides itself in hiring skilled officers and field personnel who stay with the company for years. The average tenure of an employee’s stay with the firm is almost 18 years. As one of the oldest, most well-established firms in the area, JPB possesses a proven record of success.

Expanding Fellowship

The $11.5 million, 74,000-square foot North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship project began in late July 2011 and wrapped up mid-November 2012. The 20-acre site features over 700 parking spaces, a brand-new worship facility, as well as an education wing. The North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship leadership approached Dallas-based HH Architects, a nationwide industry leader in church development and design for over 41 years, to forward the relocation effort. The design team then partnered with the JPB group to construct the project.

“They needed to expand to make room for an adult education building off the front and children’s education building off the back,” describes Stoops, listing the goals of the church congregation. “The building we just put up will become the fellowship hall once the church grows and enough money is raised to complete a permanent worship facility on the same campus.” JPB and HH Architects working closely as a team allowed the building to now easily accommodate a growing congregation.

Rainy weather resulting in muddy grounds presented a challenge for the JPB crew at this site. The project also includes many specialized features, one being the epic deck installation. Connecting to a large-radius glass wall, the deck created difficulties as the JPB field team needed to make sure nothing was exposed by concealing electrical wiring and fire prevention equipment.

However, the team was able to overcome all obstacles and finish the project with success. JPB’s continued successes are due in part to those the team brings on board for assistance, as well as the company’s 50-year veteran John Wilson, JPB’s superintendent for the project.

Over the years, JPB has built trustworthy relations with area subcontractors and vendors, only hiring companies that reach a standard of quality. “We’ve been in business since 1946 in the Dallas area,” explains Stoops. “We have a long list of subs that have been doing business with us for a long period of time.”

Award-winning Experience

In 2011 JPB won the Solomon award for “Best Construction Management Renovation” for work on the 121-year-old FUMC Gainesville Church. The project presented many challenges; all materials had to be approved by the Texas Historical Commission and the facility needed to be clean and safe for ongoing Sunday worship services. JPB met the challenges, exceeding the owner’s expectations, restoring the beauty and grandeur of the church.

JPB has provided services for a broad range of products for 67 years. Although the company’s niche is church construction, JPB also specializes in private educational, financial, industrial, manufacturing facilities, luxury retail, historical and nonhistorical renovation projects. As a full-service construction manager, JPB negotiates over 95 percent of work under the owner-architect-contractor chain.

“We pride ourselves in having repeat clients,” explains Stoops, stressing the importance of service to assure returning clients. “The majority of our work is negotiated, so we have to have good recommendations. We want to make sure the owners are happy because there are other phases of a project that aren’t guaranteed to go to us. If we do a good job, stay on schedule and budget, they’ll want us for the next project.”

JPB services a long list of clients such as General Electric Corporation, Goodwill Industries Inc., YMCA, Southwest Airlines, the Chilton Corporation, Mustang Aviation, the Southland Corporation, the Salvation Army and around a hundred more. On the company’s website there is a long list of testimonials from satisfied customers, including Brian Whiting of Southwest Airlines, who wrote: “We have been well pleased with the timely and satisfying construction of our facility, and even more so with the follow-up since completion.”

The continuance of satisfied customers will allow JPB to service the area for years to come. The North Dallas Community Bible Fellowship Church is just one of the many lucky clients satisfied by Julian P. Barry General Contractor L.P.’s work.