(l-r) Donata Russell Ross, H. Jerome Russell, Jr., Stockbridge Mayor Anthony Ford, and Michael B. Russell

This November marks five years since the passing of H. J. Russell & Company’s founder, Herman J. Russell, Sr. and this year marks the 60th anniversary of H. J. Russell & Company’s incorporation. As one of the largest and oldest African-American and privately-held construction firms in the country, it has been responsible for building some of the most iconic buildings that define the Atlanta skyline. To mark the significance of both occasions, two of Atlanta’s most notable structures were lit green, one representing the past (191 Peachtree Tower), and one representing the future (Mercedes-Benz Stadium).

Many City of Stockbridge officials and the Russell siblings, Donata Russell Ross, H. Jerome Russell, Jr., Michael B. Russell, and EVP, General Counsel, Yasmine Murray (black and white skirt).

During a day of celebration, including the launch of the “We Build” campaign at a VIP luncheon at Paschal’s Restaurant within the Russell Hospitality campus, and a bus tour around the city to discuss the iconic landmark structures Russell helped build, including the a behind-the-scenes tour of the Emory Sports Medicine Complex and Hawks Practice Facility, the Russell family also hosted influencers and supporters at an evening “We Build” reception at the future home of the Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, a lasting legacy to the economic power of entrepreneurism. Watch the launch video here.

Russell recently announced the groundbreaking of the Stockbridge Amphitheater, the first-ever amphitheater in Henry County, and many City of Stockbridge officials came, including Mayor Anthony Ford, to learn even more about the history of the company that will be building their iconic structure.

H. J. Russell & Company's CEO, Michael B. Russell, at evening reception at the Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

“As we reflected on how we pressed through the significant economic downturn that started in 2008, we wanted to pause and pay tribute to our founder, a construction pioneer who always saw the possibilities,” said Lonoia Brooks, marketing director, Russell. “Sixty years in business is amazing, and while looking back, we are also celebrating the legacy that the fresh Russell team is carrying forward, helping to not just build structures, but to help build vibrant communities and spaces that make the cities in which we build and operate thrive.”

Herman J. Russell’s legacy and dreams continue along with the new ones of his children, Michael B. Russell, CEO, and H. Jerome Russell, Jr., president, who provide day-to-day leadership of H. J. Russell & Company. Their sister, Donata Russell Ross, serves on Russell’s board of directors while also serving as the CEO of Concessions International, LLC, a sister company their father started in 1979 that provides airport concessions in eight airports in the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium lit green in honor of H. J. Russell & Company's 60th Anniversary of Incorporation and honoring the legacy of the late founder, Herman J. Russell. 191 Peachtree Tower (below) was also lit green, as a nod to the past

“We’ve had the fortune of building off the legacy of two incredible men of their day, our father and our grandfather, coupled with all the support from our mother,” said Michael B. Russell, CEO, Russell. “Since I took the helm in 2003, we’ve had our ups and downs, but what remains true is our steadfast commitment to improving the working, living and playing quality of life for Atlantans and wherever we do business, and doing so with integrity and excellence. Some of our most recent complex projects we’ve worked on with joint venture partners including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, City of Atlanta Water Supply Program and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, not only make us proud, but lets the industry know that this privately owned firm has all the talent it takes to tackle just about any project on the table.”

Russell recently announced the groundbreaking of the Stockbridge Amphitheater, the first-ever amphitheater in Henry County, along with the development of the King Memorial Transit-Oriented Development in conjunction with MARTA and is renovating 23 Fulton-County Library System libraries.

ABOUT HERMAN J. RUSSELL

Growing up during segregation in the 1930s and 1940s in Atlanta, Herman J. Russell became one of the country’s most successful businessmen and commercial real estate tycoons. It was in the Summerhill neighborhood where he started his first business at age 14 shining shoes. His shoeshining business eventually financed the purchase of his first plot of land at age 16. It was through that land purchase and his building of a duplex, which he rented out, that he financed his own education at Tuskegee University and later started H. J. Russell & Company, a construction firm that has always called Atlanta home.

ABOUT H. J. RUSSELL & COMPANY

Founded in 1952 and incorporated in 1959, H. J. Russell & Company is one of the largest minority-owned construction services and real estate development firms in the United States. A multi-faceted organization providing integrated solutions and an exceptional customer experience, Russell has developed, designed/built, renovated, and managed some of the nation’s most complex, high profile projects involving multiple stakeholders and requiring exceptional diplomacy and skill, including the Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the HHRM JV and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture with Clark Construction and Smoot Construction. Visit www.hjrussell.com to learn more about the firm.

SELECT H. J. RUSSELL & COMPANY PROJECTS IN ATLANTA

• 191 Peachtree Tower
• Atlanta City Hall
• Atlanta Federal Center
• Atlanta Public Safety Headquarters
• Atlanta Public Schools Instruction & Administration Building
• Atlanta Streetcar
• Auburn Avenue Research Library
• The Carter Center
• Centennial Olympic Park
• Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Hughes Spalding Hospital
• Coca-Cola Headquarters
• Cosby Learning Center at Spelman College
• Delta Air Lines Worldspan and Operations Centers
• Ebenezer Baptist Church Addition
• Emory Sports Medicine Complex
• High Museum Expansion
• Judge Romae T. Powell Juvenile Justice Center (Fulton County)
• Georgia Dome
• Georgia-Pacific Headquarters
• Georgia Perimeter College Student Success Center
• Georgia World Congress Center, Phase IV
• Grady Memorial Hospital
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
• Lakewood Amphitheater
• Langston Hughes High School (Fairburn, GA)
• The Manhattan (Sandy Springs area)
• Maggie Russell Towers
• Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Home Depot Backyard
• Morehouse College Dining Hall
• Morris Brown College Administration Building
• National Center for Civil and Human Rights
• Philips Arena
• State Farm Arena Transformation
• Target at Atlantic Station
• Turner Field (now, Georgia State University’s Stadium)
• Water Supply Program (Tunnel Project), City of Atlanta
• Woodruff Arts Center Renovation
• Woodruff Park

SELECT H. J. RUSSELL & COMPANY PROJECTS OUTSIDE OF ATLANTA

• Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History & Culture, Washington, DC)
• DFW Terminal Renovation and Improvement Program (Dallas, TX)
• Parkland Acute Care Center and Sky Bridges (Dallas, TX)
• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (Birmingham, AL)
• American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)
• UNC Charlotte 49ers Football Complex (Charlotte, NC)
• National Center for Bioethics at Tuskegee University (Tuskegee, AL)