By Robert W. Dalton

Joseph Jackson ’93 learned early in his construction career that the first thing you have to build is trust.

Those early lessons proved crucial for Jackson, Spartanburg Housing’s director of development, on the recently completed remodeling of Victoria Gardens. The entire 80-unit apartment complex was gutted and refurbished, a job that required residents to relocate while it was underway.

“The challenge was getting the residents to trust what we were telling them,” says Jackson. “We had to convince people who had lived here for 28 years that we were going to relocate them, move them back, and that everything would be OK.”

The project took several years to complete. Jackson said the wait was worth the result.

“Eighty families now have a new start, a new place to call home,” Jackson says.

Jackson, who grew up in Rowesville, S.C., has been with Spartanburg Housing for more than five years. He never imagined he’d end up there after graduation, when he went to work at Foot Locker as a management trainee.

His next stop was Metromont Materials Corp., where he worked as a sales manager for six years. He struck out on his own in 2000 as co-owner of McFadden and Jackson Construction Co. He followed that with stints at Harvest Group, where he is co-owner, and Spartanburg County Parks and Recreation.

In 2016, Spartanburg Housing reached out to him about coming on board as director of development. Even though the work was similar to his previous positions in the private sector, Jackson had to learn a new set of rules.

“I came to public housing with no public housing knowledge,” he says. “I came because I had the construction background, and that’s why they wanted me.”

With the completion of Victoria Gardens, Jackson is now focused on a new challenge. He says there are 500-plus Spartanburg Housing units that need to be rehabilitated or demolished. The first step is finding the funding.

“Spartanburg Housing doesn’t receive enough money to complete the work that needs to be done,” Jackson says. “We’re engaging in a new process where we partner with a developer to complete the work.”

Jackson says whatever the challenges, he’s prepared because of his experience as a Wofford student and athlete. He was a tight end for the Terriers.

“Wofford taught me discipline, how to persevere and how to manage my time,” Jackson says. “It taught me you have to work hard even when others aren’t watching.”