Alabama native Allen C. Harris launched Chapman H LLC in 2015 to develop The Springs of Mill Lakes in Opelika, Alabama, a master-planned residential community of 134 single-family custom homes that is specifically designed to appeal to the active 55+ homeowner seeking an easy-living lifestyle surrounded by nature.
Allen grew up in Anniston (Ala.) where he landed his first construction job at age 13. He graduated from Auburn University’s School of Building Science.
Building Success
In 1979, Allen Harris and Jack Bailey formed Bailey-Harris Construction Company, Inc., and in 1991 Allen became the sole owner of Bailey-Harris, one of the most respected industrial and commercial contracting firms in the Deep South.
The company is founded on integrity, wisdom, hard work and customer satisfaction. Customer service and a persistent focus on the success of each project have allowed Bailey-Harris to grow its capabilities from the first project of $214,000 to single projects of $100M plus. The wealth of the company’s repeat business is a result of Allen’s insistence to be a responsible, responsive and trusted member of the construction community.
To date, his extensive construction portfolio consists of custom residences, apartment housing, and large, high-visibility commercial projects built throughout the southeast, including the Shelby Engineering Center at Auburn University; Dexter Avenue Office Center, Montgomery; and more than 400 projects in Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana.
“The most important thing we build is our name in the community,” is Allen’s maxim.
Building with Passion
Developing land and building homes for boomers is something Allen has become passionate about – and he notes that a community like The Springs of Mill Lakes is “…essential for East Alabama where this product is scarce. This market needs these homes.”
Allen has been inspired to live his best personal and professional life by studying the underlying principles of longevity as illustrated by the population of the Greek island of Ikaria, one of the world’s Blue Zones®. A plant-based diet including lots of olive oil, moderate daily physical activity, and community engagement may be big contributors to this longevity.
Allen firmly believes that family and business should be balanced. His family, including four daughters and one son, gathers for weekly Sunday meals, and his son Russell is part of Bailey-Harris Construction Company’s management team. Always learning and exploring, Allen is fluent in four languages. “Diversity of knowledge is vitally congruent with good business practices,” he notes. Additionally, Allen is an avid Dancesport competitor in Latin and Rhythm Ballroom Dance. “Being competitive by nature and enjoying the opportunity to express, one thing’s for certain…the longer you dance the longer you live!”
To read more about Allen Harris and The Springs of Mill Lakes, enjoy this article by Brian Croce that appeared earlier in Builder.com: A SWEET HOME COMMUNITY IN ALABAMA.
To learn more about The Springs of Mill Lakes, its progress, sites and available floorplans, or to add your name to the interest list, please call (334) 454-4504.
www.thespringsofmilllakes.com
2901 Birmingham Highway | Opelika, AL 36801
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