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Wednesday, July 9, 2025
FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 26, 2025) –Entering into his junior year at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Graham Jones has big dreams. As a construction management major, Jones has his sights set on owning his own construction firm and everything he has learned in his first weeks as an intern at Neal Communities has only reinforced his vision, but also perhaps made him a little more realistic.
“Since starting with Neal, I have realized that my lifetime goal of owning my own construction firm is going to be a big hill to climb” Jones says. “I’ve slowly started to learn how it takes a team of people to collectively work together to achieve something big. Whether it’s building a home or starting my own firm, I’ve realized how important it is to have knowledge of everything going on in your company and understand how your team works together. This gives you a better scope of what to expect from your company and the things you can do differently to help make it the best.”
Jones’ internship is just part of Neal’s commitment to supporting students entering non-traditional fields, particularly those bridging the gap between high school and careers that combine technical expertise with leadership. He was also the recipient of the Neal Communities Scholarship, established in 2022, a $25,000 pledge over five years to support FGCU’s construction management program.
“My day-to-day with Neal is primarily spent working in a community under development named SkySail,” Jones says. “The team at SkySail treats me like family and has given me extraordinary learning opportunities.”
Jones spends his days shadowing most of the Neal Communities’ team by learning how they all work on specific tasks to achieve the vision of Neal.
“I’ve helped construction managers’ stencil measurements and letters around their homes, reviewed production reports of homes with the project manager, put out fires with the director of construction, surveyed undeveloped sites with the land engineer, calculated takeoffs with purchasing, and assisted customers’ needs with warranty. I’ve been exposed to so many different jobs and grasped a real understanding of the Neal team vision.”
Jones says his two favorite fields to work in are land development and building.
“I love working in land development not just for the big excavators and dump trucks but taking a plain old quarry and transforming it into a beautiful piece of land with windy roads and massive lakes,” he says. “I was surprised to learn that the biggest tool used in land development is gravity. Whether it’s moving water from lake to lake or sewer water from one corner of the property to another, using gravity to transfer the water saves a lot of space and money.”
While land development has captured his imagination, building has Jones’ heart.
“The adrenaline and satisfaction I get is unexplainable,” he adds. “Every day I learn something new about a material or trade. From breaking ground to flying trusses, to installing sod, I love the process that goes into building houses. Working with the trades, learning how they operate is fun too. My goal is to learn how a house gets built from start to finish. I want to learn the process of achieving permits, scheduling trades, problem solving, passing inspections and what comes after the home is complete.”
By investing in students like Graham, Neal Communities isn’t just contributing to education—they’re building futures, one brick at a time. Their partnership with FGCU underscores the importance of encouraging diverse career paths and giving students the tools to succeed.
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