Mr. Durwood Stephenson is one of the founders of the Johnston County Building Industry Association and has blazed the trail for building in Johnston County for over 50 years! We asked him about his history as he is celebrating his 50 years in business. Here is what he shared:
M. Durwood Stephenson & Assoc., Inc. began in a shared office in downtown Smithfield on March 22, 1973, providing smaller custom-built homes, primarily for first-time home buyers. In the late 1970’s, we transitioned to building larger custom-built homes, establishing neighborhoods in our exclusive single-family subdivisions in Johnston County. In 1981, we relocated from shared office space into our custom designed space on Highway 70 in Smithfield, which continues to be our headquarters. In order to accommodate our growth and needs, we also constructed a warehouse for equipment and construction personnel in 1981, a short distance from our office.