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Growing A Dream Cullison-Wright Construction Corporation After the great fire of 1883 destroyed most of downtown Ocala, the city rebuilt and rebranded itself as the Brick City. The Cullison family has been building here ever since. By LISA MCGINNES Photography by ALAN YOUNGBLOOD Hair and Makeup by NICKIE COLLINSWORTH AND KALLISTA LINNS of Face The Day Spa And Salon
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he story of Cullison-Wright Construction Corporation’s long history in our community actually starts way back in 1884, around the time Ocala became known as the Brick City. A young man named Jerry Burnett came from South Carolina with his brother to look for work in the Sunshine State’s booming construction industry. The brothers actually planned to go all the way to Orlando, but when the train stopped in Ocala, where much of the town needed to be rebuilt after a recent fire swept through downtown, that sounded like opportunity knocking, and they answered. Burnett settled in Ocala and raised a family, and his grandson and namesake, Jerry Cullison, would start his own construction company, Cullison Builders, in 1962—the company we now know as Cullison-Wright Construction Corporation, still operated by his family today.
The Legacy of Jerry Cullison The Cullison family and their second family at Cullison-Wright Construction Corporation lost their patriarch, Jerry Cullison, when he passed away in August. At age 86, he was still at the helm of the company he built from the ground up, always with his legendary smile. Mr. Cullison found joy in building landmarks that will no doubt stand in Marion County for generations to come. They range from the Skyline Corporation mobile home manufacturing plant, built in 1969, to Forest High School, completed in 2005, and include the complete renovation of the historic Eighth Street Elementary School that Jerry Cullison attended as a young boy. He also found joy in giving back to the community where he was born and raised, and his beloved Ocala Lions Club renamed their annual golf tournament the Jerry Cullison Memorial this year. Nearly 60 years after Mr. Cullison started his company, Cullison-Wright Construction continues his legacy of unparalleled customer service. “Mr. Cullison built that into us, that no job is too big or too small,” says President Barry Mansfield, who joined the company 98
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