By Stephany Williams (via The Shopper)

"You Can Never Go Home Again" laments Thomas Wolf, yet Bill Judah and Jerry Harris have a loyalty to their former South Norfolk neighborhood that has lasted decades. Their business, Harris Judah LLC Builder-Developer, is located in the heart of the South Norfolk business district and they continue to utilize their business acumen and time to support a foundation providing college scholarships for its high school graduates.

Bill was born in the Edmonds Corner area of South Norfolk. He and his wife graduated from Oscar Smith High School. Bill met Gay when he stopped by to visit his brother’s home while she was babysitting. They fell in love and soon the brothers found themselves married to sisters. Bill and Gay now make their home in Great Bridge where they enjoy their two grown children, Billy and Mindy, and their two grandchildren, Peyton and Ian.

Jerry is from Richmond where he met and married his wife Janet, then a student of Occupational Therapy at MCV. The Navy brought them here in 1983 and they settled in South Norfolk. They also make their home in Great Bridge now with Jake, soon to be a sophomore at Christopher Newport College, and Josh, a rising junior at Hickory High School.

The two men met in South Norfolk as members of a local scholarship fund. The Herbert T. "Shorty" Stallings Scholarship Fund was begun in 1985 to honor a neighborhood businessman who had been a positive role model for Bill and other young men of the community. Young men frequently hung out at Shorty’s neighborhood pool hall, and he became like a second father to many of them. His passing left a noticeable void in the district.

"He never said no to anybody in need," Bill remembers. "There was a large enough group of us, that we stepped up and said, we have to find a way to honor this man’s memory."

A scholarship fund was established in his name and money-raising activities soon began. Bill and Jerry donated countless hours raising money together manning food booths at the Chesapeake Jubilee and running Bingo, Golf Tournaments, Barbeques, and Oyster Roasts. The Scholarship Fund has contributed thousands of dollars to area schools, helping area students begin their college education.

"We just had fun with each other and doing good," Bill says of those years. The time spent working together for the Fund allowed Bill and Jerry to develop an abiding personal and professional friendship. Eventually they became involved in business ventures together and ultimately formed Harris Judah LLC in 1997.

Bill has 35 years experience in engineering and development skills, and was a key visionary of the Greenbrier development for twenty years. "I remember walking old Magazine Road and being run off Greenbrier Farm many a time," Bill says with a reminiscing smile. "I looked at those plans, some for eleven lane highways, and I thought ‘Where are all those people going to come from?’"

Jerry built the award winning "Universal Living Home" for Homearama in 1996, and has over 20 years of construction experience in residential and light commercial design and building. He has supervised the completion of over $34 million in projects as President of Case Handyman and Remodeling since 1999.

Harris Judah has recently been chosen to jointly develop a project that will kick off substantial redevelopment plans for South Norfolk. The Gateway at SoNo will include three-story structures housing businesses, office-space and loft apartments and six buildings with 18 condominiums in each. "We’re excited about bringing brand new, affordable offices and homes to residents and businesses in South Norfolk," Jerry proclaims.

While they are eager to begin restoring their neighborhood, and are excited by the positive response to Maury Estates, a secluded Harris Judah development of luxury homes located at the end of Medical Parkway, they are most enthusiastic to begin a Chesapeake project they hold especially dear.

The Park View Condominiums at Greenbrier, an exclusive 55+ community, has energized the hearts and minds of Bill and Jerry for some time. The long planned-for community is the culmination of hours of study and observation in designing high-end living spaces, and will provide both men an opportunity to showcase their expertise.

Their planning and skill has guaranteed Park View Condominiums at Greenbrier’s owners the ability to live in security and comfort. The condominiums are available in 11 floor plans, many with two master bedroom suites. They are lavishly appointed with solid wood cherry cabinetry, granite counter-tops, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors, heated, ceramic tile bathroom floors, and fireplaces.

"These are exquisite homes that won’t become an obstacle to their owners in their later years," Jerry says passionately. They include light switches placed lower on the wall and receptacles that are placed higher, walk- in showers, step-less entries, and wide doorways. The gated community will require an access code to enter the buildings and a video camera will monitor each private entrance. "We want the owners of these condominiums to be able to lock up and leave and not have to worry about their homes," Jerry explains.

The Park View Condominiums at Greenbrier are situated across from Chesapeake Community Park where homeowners can enjoy the nearby YMCA or playing tennis on the City Courts. Quietly secluded, the homes are within two miles of any medical or retail need, residents can enjoy dinner and a movie and be home within minutes.

The Park View Condominiums at Greenbrier are a source of professional pride for Bill and Jerry, and yet they have produced a reward much more meaningful to them both. Long ago, The Herbert T. "Shorty" Stallings Scholarship Fund purchased the property as an investment. Bill and Jerry, realizing the spot was perfect for their envisioned community, had Harris Judah purchase the parcel from the Scholarship Fund. The proceeds from the sale of the property will finance the Scholarship Fund in perpetuity, fulfilling college dreams in memory of Shorty Stallings for years to come.

"It’s been nothing but good all ‘round and the first residents will be my wife and me" Bill says with a grin. "We don’t know how yet, but Harris Judah will definitely find a way to commemorate Herbert T. "Shorty" Stallings at the Park View Condominiums at Greenbrier."