Meet the Incoming Chair

Julie Holmes is the President of JK2 Scenic LLC, an architectural millwork and specialty construction company focused on bringing creative spaces to life. She joined the family-owned construction company in 2013, learning business and day-to-day operation strategies, and was responsible for the growth of the scenic division. JK2 Scenic spun-off into a separate company in 2017 and the company obtained a Women-Owned Business certification in 2018. Prior to joining JK2, Julie spent 12 years as a leader in the civil engineering and development industry, managing multiple projects for retail roll-out clients across the United States, and has exceptional knowledge in civil engineering site design and entitlements.

Julie is a registered Professional Engineer and was a Cum Laude graduate from the University of Florida, earning a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering while being on the Dean’s List in the College of Engineering. She is a two-time academic all-SEC student athlete and was a three-year letter winner of the University of Florida’s Women’s Swimming & Diving Team. She was a 2019 Women Who Means Business honoree by the Orlando Business Journal; serves on the M. E. Rinker, Sr. School of Construction Management Industry Advisory Board at UF; and the company has been honored numerous times for outstanding growth and excellence in construction awards.

Q & A

Tell us about yourself?

I am a true Floridian (born in Winter Park, FL); am the oldest of three girls (my father named the family business “JK2” after his 3 daughters – Julie, Karon, and Kelin); went to the University of Florida and earned a degree in Civil Engineering (Go Gators!) I lived in Atlanta for 8 years working for 2 different engineering firms, and just celebrated 10 years in Orlando at JK2 and working in the construction industry. I enjoy watching Florida football, exploring the outdoors (tennis, skiing, boating, the beach), and love traveling and spending time with friends and family during my free time.

Give us one word that describes you the best.

Driven

What are your goals?

Our mission at JK2 Scenic is to “Build a Better Tomorrow, for our PEOPLE and our

COMMUNITY!” Our most valuable business resource is our people. We are committed to investing in talent (finding the right people for the right seat); documenting our core processes (the JK2 Way), and growing our company culture. If we can grow our people, give them new skills that allow them to grow both personally and professionally, while creating additional opportunities for others in our community, we can “Build a Better Tomorrow.”

What’s been your most meaningful project?

I don’t think I can name just one project, as we work on so many creative projects in town, right here at our theme parks in Orlando. We bring spaces to life and have had the privilege of working on the Disney Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, Universal’s Volcano Bay Water Park (along with several other new hotels and spaces within Universal’s existing parks), and Sesame Street Land at Sea World Orlando, to name a few.

Who is a person that you considered a role model early in your life? How and why does this person impact your life?

I’m very lucky and have been surrounded by a family of entrepreneurs my entire life. Not many people have the opportunity to work with their parents, uncle, and cousins in a second-stage family business. My father, Paul Holmes, has had the biggest influence on my career. When I no longer wanted to become a doctor, he guided me to become a civil engineer since I was good at math. After working for two different engineering firms, he persuaded me to move back home and join the family business in the construction industry. In these past 10 years, it has been a crazy rollercoaster of ups and downs. I never understood how many risks and sacrifices would be required to grow a successful business and spin-off JK2 Scenic. I love being able to tap into my father’s business acumen, 36+ years of business ownership experience, and he is an unbelievable resource for advice and insight. If running a business was easy, everyone would be doing it and I’m excited to see what the future holds at JK2.

What do you hope to achieve in 2024 as Central Florida ABC Chair?

As chair of the ABC CFL Chapter, I will continue to drive the organization from success to significance. Our chapter has had a successful 50 years and as we roll into our 51st year as a chapter, we don’t need to reinvent the “wheel”, but continue to be strategic with our focus to add value for our members. I hope to continue to show relevance towards our member value proposition, which is founded on the Merit Shop Philosophy: ABC helps its members develop people, win work, and deliver that work safely, ethically, and profitability, for the betterment of the communities in which we live and work.

What is most important to you and your organization –mission, vision, or core values? Why?

Our “Why?” is to Provide Creative Solutions to Uncommon Ideas and we do this through our Core Values:

Creative Minded – We creatively conceptualize, value engineer, and bring spaces to life using unique and innovative techniques.

Solution Driven – We are out-of-the-box thinkers who utilize mockups, templates, and floor layouts for early trade coordination.

Quality Focused – We focus on fabrication techniques that last and ensure easy service/maintenance in the future.

Respected Partners – We are your #1 team on the job, communicating with drawing flips and trade integration for a seamless project approach.

What advice would you give a new employee going into a leadership position for the first time?

Make sure you lead by example in everything you do.

What is the most important characteristic that every leader should possess?

From Patrick Lencioni’s “Ideal Team Player”, a leader should also be “humble, hungry, and smart.” A hungry leader is one that’s selfmotivated and always looking for more (doesn’t give up easily and is able to drive and motivate the team). A humble leader doesn’t have a huge ego, isn’t concerned about status, shares credit, and praises others. A smart leader has emotional intelligence, interpersonal awareness, can ask good questions, and listens to what others have to say. A leader with “humble, hungry, and smart” traits will be able to build great teams.

How do you define success?

Success for me is watching others become empowered to learn, grow, and become their best self. Running a women-owned business, in a typically male-dominated field, has its challenges and I love the success stories we are building within our own JK2 team. We are an example of what a business can look like when lead through diversity and inclusion. Our leadership team is comprised of 75% women decision makers and the company in whole is currently made up of more than 30% female staff. We are committed to investing in talent and growing our diverse workforce from within, to position the business for continued growth and a strong future.

What’s been your toughest career challenge as a woman business owner?

As a woman in construction, I’m definitely a minority and often times, when I look around the room in a meeting, I will be the only female voice. Every day I’m faced with challenges and the toughest one is earning the trust and respect of new people and clients I encounter. By being true to myself, doing the right thing, and being objective in each situation (seeing all sides of the issue/problem), I have been able to gain the trust and respect of other industry leaders. I enjoy the challenge and growing a strong, respected and successful business in the construction industry. I wake up every day and get to work with creative minds, build dreams, and bring amazing spaces to life. I love conquering business challenges and helping pave the way for more women leaders in the industry. 

Our chapter has had a successful 50 years and as we roll into our 51st year as a chapter, ... continue to be strategic with our focus to add value for our members. I hope to continue to show relevance towards our member value proposition, which is founded on the Merit Shop Philosophy: ABC helps its members develop people, win work, and deliver that work safely, ethically, and profitability, for the betterment of the communities in which we live and work.

— JULIE HOLMES