JMS Builders & Developers was founded in 1978 by John Surprenant. The business began as a one man show consisting of John, a truck, a skill saw and a toolbox. For the first few years, JMS specialized in remodeling projects and installing commercial cedar roofs. Gradually the business grew to include building custom homes and tract housing. By 1985, JMS was constructing custom homes in Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia; a beautiful resort area in Southwest Virginia. In over thirty years of business in building design and construction, JMS Builders went only three months without work. “People come because they know they’ll get quality,” said Surprenant. Word-of-mouth is the name of the game and people continuously pass on the JMS name. Also, potential buyers are taken to previous sites and shown prior work so they can judge for themselves. In 2011, Surprenant was met with another occasion to grow the JMS business. He partnered with Bob Bell, Tom Clarke and Ana Clarke of Kissito Healthcare to become the prime contractor for all of their healthcare facilities in Arizona, Texas, Virginia, Ethiopia and Uganda. Now JMS Builders has built all types of buildings from tract homes to resort homes to strip malls to healthcare facilities and plans to continue to diversify and adapt to meet the changing times.