Whittington & Associates, LLC

News Release

Custom Builder J.A. Long Goes Coastal in New Home Construction

Jacksonville, FL (October 20, 2008) - Custom home builder J.A. Long, Inc., which has focused most of its construction efforts in the estate neighborhoods of Fleming Island, has extended its reach to the beaches – now building a 4,485 square foot custom home in Pablo Creek Reserve.

"After reviewing our portfolio and comparing our bid with some other builders, our customer decided that we could offer the same quality of construction and significantly better pricing than other companies currently building near the coast," said J.A. Long Chief Operating Officer Randy Long. "It is also a conscious decision on our part to expand our reach further out from our normal base of operations."

Long says the company is looking for more opportunities to build new custom homes, or take on major home renovation projects, in the beaches area.

"While we have built custom homes in the Jacksonville Country Club and World Golf Village, most of our work has been focused near our home base in Orange Park," Long said. "We’ve been concentrating on Eagle Harbor, Pace Island, Eagle Landing and scattered waterfront builds for the most part. We’ll continue to build in these areas, but we are certainly branching out to secure more new home construction in Duval and St. Johns counties."

Long concedes the company is building fewer homes compared to three years ago when the housing market was "white hot." However, the company is on track to complete 13 projects this year – including two waterfront homes on the St. Johns River – and has been supplementing their business by focusing more on major home renovation projects over the last two years.

"We have a great group of subcontractors we’ve come to know over the last three decades, and getting into renovation projects has helped us retain those relationships and generate another revenue stream while we wait for the residential housing market to rebound to normal levels," said CEO John A. Long.

J.A. Long, Inc. is based in Orange Park and has been a custom builder on the First Coast since 1972. A family-owned business founded by John Long, the company has built a reputation for quality, personal service and unique home design with superior value – constructing custom homes in some of the most prestigious neighborhoods and communities including Fleming Island, Pace Island, Magnolia Point, Paradise Moorings, Romeo Point, World Golf Village, Eagle Harbor, Eagle Landing, and the Jacksonville Golf and Country Club. For more information, contact 904-264-3073 or visit www.jalong.com.

Media Contact: Ron Whittington (904-563-0402)