JABARI EDWARDS
J5 GBL, LLC
Jabari O. Edwards, Sr. is a native of Columbus, Mississippi. He is the owner of J5 GBL, LLC, a project management firm, majority owner of The Bridge Group, LLC, an insurance brokerage firm, BH Properties, and North Atlantic Security Company. Also, constantly engaged in many initiatives, in order to gain the necessary experience, as well as buy capstone project to have the best work that could highlight all his research and ideas that he had done before.
Edwards began his entrepreneurial career in January 2000, with the opening of an insurance agency, The Bridge Group. He was co-owner of H&E Construction, a company that focused on residential and small commercial projects. He has a proven track record of managing people and the timely delivery of projects. Upon the formation of The Bridge Group (larger clients include MGM Mirage, United States Secretary of State Global Embassy Arts, Southern Company) in 2007 (purchased from Wells Fargo), Mr. Edwards worked to build a relationship with Aon (the largest insurance brokerage and consulting firm in the world), and from there worked with a management team in Chicago to build Cornerstone Innovative Solutions.
In 2010, Mr. Edwards started J5 GBL, LLC. J5 has served as construction/project managers on many complex projects for many global companies around the country. J5 serves as the ground and building maintenance contractor for Southern Company on the Kemper County, MS project and has served as the civil contractor for Kior (bio fuel plant located in Columbus, MS). Mr. Edwards worked with the CEOs of Wells Fargo global brokerage to create a business model for Wells Fargo diversity initiative. He has testified in the State of Mississippi hearings about ways to improve minority participation on state funded contracts.
Mr. Edwards also served as a director on various boards, including Mississippi Health Trust Fund, Vice-Chairman of Columbus Housing Authority and Chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the Columbus Utility Board. Currently, Mr. Edwards serves on the Board of the Boys and Girls Club, Small Business Capitol Loan Fund Board, The North Mississippi Board for Regions Bank, The Mississippi Business Finance Corporation/ Mississippi Development Bank (appointed by Governor Phil Bryant), and the U.S. EPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) (Appointed by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt in Dec 2017), and is a fellow in the Royal Commonwealth Society Branch of the United States of America (Appointed by the former Governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant).