Founders Garden

Project Manager Jay Whitehead has always worked in construction, specializing in the trade of finish carpentry. For a skilled carpenter like Whitehead, some things just come naturally -- like fitting a door to a frame, installing new cabinets and flooring or even beautifying a historically preserved property like UGA's Founder's Garden. 

Whitehead recognizes that he is one of many capable project managers in the department that could have handled the repair and repainting of the Founder's Garden House in early 2023. He suspects that he may have been assigned to the project due to his ability to work efficiently with those in the Operations and Maintenance Shops at UGA. Moreover, it is Whitehead's reverence for collaboration and historical connections that made him the best candidate for the job:

"The project was simply focused on bringing our most cherished buildings back to life after many years of not being able to. The shops were involved early on, mainly to repair rotten wood and damaged windows on the property -- things of that nature. This particular house is on a main path through North Campus so there are many eyes laid upon it daily. The Founder's Garden is also an events venue at UGA. A historic multi-use space like this one should always reflect its beauty both inside and out. After some repair and repainting, the Founder's Garden House is a building we can continue to be proud of. The project turned out very nice; The Garden Club can now continue to host their events with pride."