Brands

JDL COMPANIES

“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.”

– Henry Ford

Urban Villages™ promotes developing sustainable communities in America, based on the development philosophy of NeoRetroism, and using ReModuletics as a build process. Urban Villages™ improves currently blighted land of urban areas in cities.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Urban Villages™.

Fifth & King™ is a multi-media company that produces award winning audio and visual content. From books, magazines, documentary films, corporate branding, story telling and more, Fifth & King™ has produced quality content for over 3 decades.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Fifth & King™.

Boxtley™ produces modular housing units, which can be utilized for various applications including: temporary housing, emergency housing, portable shelters, workforce housing, and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), on land that is either owned or under control.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Boxtley™.

Brands
Vision
Affiliations

JDL AFFILIATIONS

“Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously…”

– Collin Powell

Affiliations
Leadership

JDL LEADERS

“Don’t follow the crowd…”

– Margaret Thatcher

Leadership

Ekoyata Aikens

Chief of Staff | JDL Group

Ekoyata Aikens
Chief of Staff

Ethan DeSota

Operations | JDL Group

Ethan DeSota
Innovation

Kimberly Lee

Dir. Corporate Affairs | JDL Group

Kimberly Lee
Dir. Corporate Affairs

Moti KC, P.E.

Engineering | JDL Group

Moti KC
Engineering

Kimberly Kimmons

Development Services | JDL Group

Kimberly Kimmons
Development Services

Mustafa Raghib

Architect & 3D Specialist | JDL Group

Mustafa Raghib
Architecture & 3D Specialist

Heidi Boutwell

Senior Civil Engineer | JDL Group

Heidi Boutwell
Senior Civil Engineer

Joel DeSota

Architectural Design | JDL Group

Joel DeSota
Architectural Design

Fazlay Rabbey

Fluid Dynamics & Hydraulics | JDL Group

Fazlay Rabbey
Fluid Dynamics & Hydraulics

Deyona Kirk

Community Development | JDL Group

Deyona Kirk
Community Development

Expertise

JDL EXPERTS

“Together, we form a necessary paradox…”

– Criss Jami

Expertise

Jeff Blackard

CEO | Blackard Global

Jeffory D. Blackard
CEO, Blackard Global, Inc.

Edwin Jones, P.E.

CEO | EJES, Inc

Edwin Jones
CEO, EJES, Inc.

Linda Fowler

Founder | Regionerate, Inc.

Linda Fowler
CEO, Regionerate, LLC

Monica Fink, AADP

Owner | Fink Wellness

Monica Weeks
CEO, Wellness Coach

James Gilleylen

Founder | JQUAD Planning Group

James Gilleylan
CEO, JQUAD Planning Group

Robert T. Melvin, J.D.

Founder | Limitless Creations, Inc.

Robert Melvin
CEO, Limitless Creations, Inc.

Katie Wallace

Founder | Hux Sustainables

Katie Wallace
CEO, Hux Sustainables, Inc.

Scott Polikov

Principle | Gateway Planning, Inc.

Scott Polikov
Advisor, Planner, Innovator

Vision
Proficiency

JDL SKILLSETS

We are all born with certain gifts and talents. JDL Group has a team of extraordinary individuals who serve with a higher purpose in mind. To serve others is one of the greatest things we can do.

Urban Planning & Design

100%

NeoRetroism

100%

Housing Market Analysis

100%

Energy Planning & Design

100%

Architecture & Engineering

100%

ReModuletics

100%

Disaster Recovery Planning

100%

Sustainablility Solutions

100%

Planning & Zoning Compliance

100%

Repurposing & Upcycling

100%

Media & Marketing Design

100%

Affordable Housing

100%

Land Development & Management

100%

Pre-Fab & Modular Construction

100%

Civil Engineering

100%

Stormwater / Floodplain Design

100%
Proficiency
Philosophy

OLD-WORLD VILLAGES

JDL Group promotes NeoRetroism – the philosophy which advocates the recreation of old-world evolutionary characteristics, in modern-day development environments. We believe it is the future of real estate development.

Supetar, Croatia – an old-world village, formed the backdrop of where NeoRetroism was first conceived.

- Jeff Blackard

Supetar is a town on the northern side of the Dalmatian island of Brač, in the Split-Dalmatia County, in Croatia. It became the island’s official centre in 1827. The Town of Supetar includes Supetar itself and the three villages: Splitska, Škrip and Mirca.

Supetar is also the place where the development philosophy known as NeoRetroism was first concieved. Jeff Blackard, renowned international real estate developer, became the father of the concept after travelling to the small fishing village and having a paradigm shift, as it related to his view of how modern-day development ad shifted away from the intimacy, connectivity, and vibrant lifestyle of a village.

After returning to the states, J.D. Lee, visionary business developer, and Blackard would forge a bond that would merge their talents to foster the philosophy of building modern-day villages in the 21st century.

In 2017 GCON (Global Conference on NeoRetroism), Lee and Blackard teamed up to produce the first public summit introducing NeoRetroism to the real estate development industry. The event took place at the George Bush Presidential Library, on the campus of SMU, in Dallas, Texas. It was a huge success.

Philosophy
The Village

MODERN-DAY VILLAGES

Adriatica Village, located in the beautiful suburbs of McKinney, Texas, is the first modern-day village utilizing NeoRetroism as the driving philosophy of the design / development process. It is a $250M project on a 48.6-acre site, with retail, residential and recreational components.

Adriatica is a modern-day village, based on the philosophy of NeoRetroism that overcomes barriers created by hidden segregation in America.

- J.D. Lee

Adriatica is a modern-day village specifically tailored to overcome the setbacks of the outdated development patterns of American real estate.  From conception to completion, the process was shaped by meeting the needs of the local community needs first, and excess external market demand second. 

The Adriatica model prioritizes the holistic long-horizon growth of the village over the accelerated timeline. Adriatica embraces a varied ownership structure that seeks to balance the quality and governance control of single-ownership and the long-term loyalty, wealth creation, and personality integration of granular ownership. 

The Adriatica model designs from a basis in human ecology. Adriatica derives its usage ratios from historical patterns of human development and translate those lessons from history into the modern day context of real estate development. 

The Village
The Urban Village

URBAN VILLAGES™

The flagship Urban Village is currently under construction at the Cotton Groves in McKinney, Texas. It is a high density, affordable housing project, using planned development zoning, has good transit access, great amenities, and affords pedestrian walkability, along with ample greenspace.

Urban Villages™, using NeoRetroism and ReModuletics, is the future of community development.

- J.D. Lee

JDL Group is an advocate of Urban Villages™, which is an opportunity for cities to truly embrace rebuilding sustainable communities in the heart of America. In the Urban Village, every home consists of modular built units, with the process known as ReModuletics (using repurposed materials for modular construction). Renewable energy and rainwater harvesting are also available.

Workforce Development is an essential component of Urban Villages™, as t supports the wide range of activities, policies and programs employed by cities and community development organizations, to create, sustain and retain a viable workforce that can support current and future business and industry.

Economic Development is an essential component of Urban Villages™. By this we refer to the process by which the overall health, well-being, and academic level of the general population of a community where an Urban Village is developed improves. 

Community Development is an essential component of Urban Villages™. The most obvious characteristic being that many LMI families’ immediate needs are met – decent, affordable housing, access to job training and education, nearby health care, and so forth. Momentum is also built within the Urban Village that enables the people within it to sustain and build on the positive changes that have occurred.

The Urban Village Initiative is currently working with cities, developers, and organizations to bring Urban Villages™ to a neighborhood near you.

The Urban Village
ReModuletics

MODULAR CONSTRUCTION

JDL Group is an advocate of ReModuletics – the process of using re-purposed materials that would otherwise be discarded, in the production of modular building units. These units are then deployed to development sites to construct vertically built structures.

We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.

- Native American Proverb

JDL Group is an expert in the field of sustainability and modular construction, particularly in the reuse and repurposing of intermodal shipping containers. Being ready made modular unit themselves, shipping containers allow for an almost unlimited number of options and design possibilities. Additionally, because modular construction can typically be completed in about 1/3 the time vs. traditional methods, with careful planning one can obtain a CO (Certificate of Occupancy) in a much faster timeframe.

Whereas traditional construction takes place on site, modular construction takes place in factories. The utilizations of tools, such as custom jigs which ensure that all walls, floors and ceilings are square and plumb, create a more efficient process of quality control vs. on-site building methods.

Before modular construction begins, shipping containers are acquired and certified for residential or commercial use. All building plans are designed to the code for the jurisdiction where the units will be shipped for final assembly. All plans are reviewed by planning / permitting department, and then approved before construction begins. Quality engineering and more efficient construction techniques significantly increase the energy-efficiency of a modular built home or facility. This ensures it will be economical to own and comfortable to live in regardless of the weather.

ReModuletics
Contact

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