Jeff Morgan
Jeff Morgan, a well-known local builder who headed Morgan Construction Co., died Sunday after a battle with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
He had graduated from Baylor School in 1978 and later served on the school’s board of trustees and constructed or oversaw the construction of such buildings as the Probasco Academic Center.
He also was the general contractor of a number of other building projects around Chattanooga.
He had also graduated from UT and was inducted into the UTC Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 2018.
His brother, Jay Morgan, is a local attorney, and he was the son of the late Chattanooga lawyer John Morgan.
His survivors include his wife, Melissa Morgan; three children and spouses, John and Kara Morgan, Mary Austin Morgan, Bri and Jeff Boehm, and one grandchild, Alice Boehm.
A writeup at the UTC website when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame said:
Morgan Construction Company was founded in 1983 by Jeff Morgan who remains president, CEO and sole shareholder to date. Mr. Morgan was 23 years old when he started the company and the capital for his first venture was borrowed on his handshake at a local bank where he had established a banking relationship as a teenager by exhibiting the merits of hard work, saving money and basic entrepreneurship.
In the early years Mr. Morgan followed a strategy of targeting a few specific markets while building a record for performance and on-time completion establishing a client base comprised of local, regional, national and international developers and brands. Mr. Morgan built his business with a relentless pursuit of excellence surrounding himself with an exceptional team of talented and dedicated employees.
The original roots of the company were in speculative residential building but the company quickly pivoted to small commercial projects where it found stability building quick-turn leasehold improvements for retail, office and medical uses. The company rapidly expanded project types to include restaurants, hotels, distribution warehouses and shopping centers. By 1990, the company was working in seven states and had established itself as a competitive leader in retail construction, particularly neighborhood grocery-anchored shopping centers which have continued to be a strong suit of the company with over 200 grocery store projects completed to date. By the year 2000, the company was active in large Power Center retail and Class A office building projects. In 2007 Morgan Construction successfully undertook its largest and most ambitious project; an 800,000sf regional lifestyle center in Lake Havasu City, AZ. With the economic downturn of 2008 Morgan implemented a plan of "strategic diversification" and on the merits of the company's reputation for performance, Morgan Construction was soon building a more diverse array of large project types.
The company has completed projects in fourteen states and now serves a broad range of clients including retail, office, multi-family, medical office, distribution/logistics, industrial/manufacturing, institutional/education and senior healthcare. Morgan Construction has completed over one billion dollars in construction work and has maintained a repeat business ratio of 97 percent.
Jeff is a graduate of the Baylor School and is a former trustee, member of the executive committee and received the distinguished alumni award. He earned his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee with additional studies at a Knoxville technical school.
Ryan Crimmins, chairman of the Baylor board of trustees, offered these comments in an email, "Jeff was a trustee from 2001 to 2007 and served as Chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee three of those years. Jeff oversaw the building of the new Riverfront Dorm, the Natatorium, and renovations to Worsham Arena as Chair of Buildings and Grounds Committee. The new Baylor gates were designed and installed on his watch and he loved John Roy Baylor’s quote found on the front gate “to prepare for the University and Business of life.” Jeff also chaired an ad hoc committee that improved Baylor’s football program. Jeff loved Baylor deeply and always asked the tough questions and recently spoke of the bright future for Baylor. Jeff appreciated the emphasis at Baylor on Faith, Honor, Excellence, and Magnanimitas.
"After his service as a trustee, Jeff and his Morgan Construction Company built Baylor’s Probasco Academic Center, the new Wilson Activity Center, the renovations to Guerry Dining Hall, the servery and Central Energy Plant, and Jeff oversaw the complete overhaul of Founder’s Hall. Each project finished on time and within budget. Baylor relied on Jeff and MCC, and he was always there for us. We will miss him deeply."