Jonathan Graham, President, Horus Construction

July 2026 — Invest: sat down with Jonathan Graham, president of Horus Construction Services, to discuss what is shaping construction delivery in Tampa Bay, along with Horus’ focus on workforce development and community impact. “It’s not just about building one castle for us, it’s about building everybody’s castle around us, with us, at the same time, so we all benefit,” Graham said.

What changes over the past year most impacted Horus, and in what ways?

Over the past year, the labor market has been one of the biggest variables for us. The workforce has been more up and down, and that affects construction and development in a very direct way when you are trying to keep schedules stable and projects moving.

One of the drivers has been the way immigration enforcement has been handled. A lot of foreign workers have not felt comfortable, and that creates hesitation in a segment of the workforce the industry has historically relied on. When those workers step back, it becomes more difficult to maintain consistent manpower across multiple job sites.

Tariffs also had an impact. Materials have been slow to arrive, and at times certain items have been delayed or stopped, and then you see cost increases.

What’s your role in the historic gas plant district proposal, and what does success look like from a construction delivery standpoint?

I have to start with the fact that I was raised in South St. Petersburg, where the gas plant district is. I knew that area before it was done away with by both the interstate and the stadium, and I felt the effects of that. So when the opportunity came up to pursue something meaningful there, I wanted to be part of building a team that could do something real.

I connected with Casey Ellison to form a partnership, and we also brought ARK Invest to the table. For a project of this scale, we believed we needed three elements. One is investment and technology with future-facing ideas. Another is strong, proven development. The third is construction leadership that can deliver, but also understands what the project means to the community and to the descendants of the gas plant.

From a construction delivery standpoint, success is execution with accountability. It is staying on track, keeping commitments, and making sure what gets built reflects the responsibility that comes with the site. It also means building in a way that gives back through investment in the community, including teaching and developing workforce pathways, supporting small businesses, and strengthening the surrounding neighborhoods. If we are selected, that focus is what will continue to guide us.

How are you structuring collaboration with community organizations to deliver both scale and local impact?

There are a number of organizations that have been interested in what we are doing, and supportive of what we are trying to accomplish. One of the most important groups we have engaged is the nonprofit that represents the historic gas plant descendants. I met with individuals from that organization extensively to understand what they need and what they want to see as part of the project.

We also met with the St. Petersburg Housing Authority and the Pinellas County Housing Authority, and we have their support. Community organizations like The Edge have also been supportive.

We are building a wider coalition because scale requires capacity. We have been talking with organizations like the NAACP, and we are also in conversations with major firms and institutions, including groups in engineering, hospitality, healthcare, and universities. The intent is to build a complete group that can deliver at scale while still protecting local impact and honoring the purpose of the project.

What trends are most shaping your bids and project planning today?

We are privileged to work in sectors that continue to invest, especially healthcare and education.

In healthcare, we just finished the MAC & Proton building for Moffitt Cancer Center, which was about a $130 million project. Before that, we finished a surgical center that was about a $347 million project. Work like that shapes how you plan because it demands precision, coordination, and consistency, and it reinforces the need for strong talent and reliable partners.

We also do a lot of K-12 work. We finished what we understand to be the largest high school in the state of Florida, a $202 million high school in Orange County. We are working on school projects in other parts of the state as well. We also do work with Hillsborough Community College. The steady demand across those sectors continues to shape how we build our pipeline and where we focus our resources.

What’s the biggest challenge you are managing right now, and how are you turning it into an advantage?

One of the biggest challenges is that it is still difficult for African American business leaders to do business in many places. There are still barriers, and in my opinion, there have been efforts that make it harder for African Americans to succeed. There has been a direct influence on that.

This has been a challenge since I was a kid. The way we overcome it is by working harder, being more strategic, and staying disciplined. We also have to be very faithful to the people and organizations that accommodate us and support us. When someone puts their foot forward to help create opportunity, we owe them the best quality of attention and the best work ethic.

There are also organizations and individuals who will try to single you out and bring you down. So we continue to focus on performance, on partnership, and on delivering consistent results. That is how you turn a challenge into an advantage over time.

What are your top goals and priorities for Horus for the next two to three years?

Our motto is that excellence is our standard. Our goal is to serve our clients, whoever they are, to the best of our ability. Whether they are healthcare clients, universities, K-12, or any other sector, we want to deliver at the highest level every day.

The other priority is our team. We want the people who work with us to invest in each other and in themselves, so the whole team grows. It’s not just about building one castle for us, it’s about building everybody’s castle around us, with us, at the same time, so we all benefit, and that mindset guides how we lead, how we develop people, and how we build for the long term.