By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | A long time Gwinnett enterprise has another person in charge these days, though the company operates much the same as before. The company is John D. Stephens Inc., run for years by John D. himself of Snellville. Today his former companies are run by his youngest son, Mitchell, 47, while the father concentrates his efforts in another company with work around the Atlanta Airport.
John D.’s current firm is known as Stephens Industries, and focuses on a mining operation, rock quarry and landfill near the Atlanta airport. This firm was known for moving tremendous amounts of dirt and rock for the fifth airport runway, and did it with an innovative conveyor instead of using trucks.
Mitchell Stephens’s three companies employ about 150 people working out of Lawrenceville, and are:
- John D. Stephens Inc., a pipeline contractor. The majority of this work is within 250 miles of its offices, and includes pipeline of ductile iron, steel, reinforced concrete and pre-stress concrete cylinder pipe.
- JDS Blasting LLC offers certified blasting crews with mass rock and trench blasting for site development, road infrastructure projects and pipeline projects.
- Metro Green Recycling, diverting construction and demolition debris from landfills to the construction industry.
John D. had three sons, all with the MDS initials. The oldest, Mike, is more into real estate these days, while Mark works primarily with heavy equipment near the airport.
Mitchell Stephens
Mitchell started working with the companies part time, his earliest work at the age of 13. He’s come up from being initially a laborer, and put time in all the facets of the many businesses. He grew up in Snellville, and eventually graduated from Southern Tech in 1993 with a degree in civil engineering technology.
Early on he worked on Stephens pipeline projects from Virginia to Texas. By 2001 he was running all the construction operations in the Metro Atlanta area, and in 2005, became president of John D. Stephens Inc.
In addition to his business operations, he’s been active in the Georgia and Gwinnett business and civic community. He was on the board of directors of the Georgia Utility Contractor’s Association from 2005 to 2012. He was president of this board in 2010-2011, and currently sits on the Blasting Advisory Board for the Georgia Insurance Commissioner.
Locally, he is a member of the boards of the Gwinnett Children’s Shelter; Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, the Joint Development Authority of DeKalb, Gwinnett and Newton Counties; the Gwinnett Medical Foundation, and is a member of the Chairman’s Club of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. He stays busy, in work, and in giving back his time to his communities.
Mitchell was born at Georgia Baptist Hospital, and lived in Gwinnett most of his life. He and his wife, the former Jennifer Dorsey of Lilburn, now live in Atlanta, more central to his work, and have three daughters, ages 18, 15 and 14. They attend 12 Stone Church. The couple enjoy travel, and have enjoyed particularly trips to Italy, France and Japan.
As to the future, Mitchell likes to look at business matters which are diamonds in the rough “and make something better out of them.”
It’s good to see a second generation taking over one of Gwinnett’s premier businesses.
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