Sturdy Foundation
Jance & Company promises quality work on time, at a reasonable price

Jance & Company, Inc. is a uniquely qualified construction management, general contracting and design/build firm located in Mentor. Paul Jance, president, started the company in 1970. Prior to starting his own company, he worked for a very small contractor, a large architectural firm, and then a very large contractor performing work internationally. Paul worked on projects such as the Ohio Wesleyan Science Building, Ohio University Library and West 9 th Street Pier in Cleveland, as well as Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh and the E. R. Squibb Corporate and Research Facilities in New Jersey.

When Jance & Company was started, Paul was the estimator, project manager and field superintendent, because the size of the company was very small. As the company grew, project management and estimating staff and superintendents were employed.

Paul's sister Evelyn is executive vice president of Jance & Company, Inc. and has been with the company since its early beginnings. She has handled the financial aspects and assisted with estimating, project management and management functions.

The office staff today is 12 persons, and the field employees vary based on the volume and nature of work.

Evelyn studied business management at John Carroll University and Paul attended Fenn College. Because of his experience, Paul believes that he has a better understanding of the typical aspects of most of the trades, which is an asset in managing and scheduling the work. Evelyn says she is not mechanically oriented, but can handle the financial and administrative aspects very effectively.

In June of 2006, Jance & Company LLC was formed as a female-owned business owned by Evelyn. Paul is executive vice president of the minority company.

"I think that having ownership of the company presents an entirely different concept from that of an employee regarding the many aspects of management of a company," Evelyn says. "I am focusing on the expansion of our company, along with maintaining the highest possible service to our current clients, rather than being concerned with titles or position in the company. I want to vigorously expand the company in several markets."

Today, Jance & Company does a significant variety of work. It ranges from institutional, healthcare, schools, libraries and retail, plus work at several nuclear and fossil fuel power plants. The work includes new construction, renovation, energy conservation, environmental work and historic preservation projects. Jance & Company also has a pre-engineered metal building dealership.

Jance & Company LLC is certified by the City of Cleveland as a Female Business Enterprise (FBE). The company is also EDGE Certified by the State of Ohio as a female-owned business. The State of Ohio is committed to making all state contracts, services, benefits and opportunities available to businesses without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age or ancestry. Jance & Company LLC has also earned the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) Certification for women-owned businesses. It is one of the most widely recognized and respected certifications in the nation. This certification is accepted by thousands of corporations within the United States and a number of Federal and Government Agencies. WBENC Certification is an important tool for expanding a company's visibility among decision makers in corporate supply chain diversity and procurement. The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the nation's leading third party certifier of women's business enterprises for the private sector.

Evelyn participated in an extensive interview process in order to secure the WBENC certification. The ultimate goal of the exhaustive process is to determine that the female business owner, as submitted in the submission application, is actually actively involved in the management of the business.

"Many major corporations are becoming more and more interested in hiring female and minority-owned businesses," Paul says. "We do a lot of work that way already. Having female ownership does not get you the job, but it gives you opportunities you might not have otherwise."

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