Joe Fielden, Jr. and Blaise Burch are steeped in construction know-how, both by environment as well as by trade. Growing up with Joe Fielden, Sr. as CEO of J.A. Fielden, grandfather and great-grandfather having made a living out of home building, Joe Jr. quips, “There’s not much choice in what to do.”
Burch was hired to J.A. Fielden out of the Public Building Authority, and while he doesn’t have the history Joe Jr. does, he certainly has the future with three boys making careers in the construction industry. Joe Jr. has four children with his oldest, a daughter, attending Auburn in the fall. “There’s a lot of fantastic female designers out there, but she claims she’s not going to be studying construction,” he laughs.
Most of the work that J.A. Fielden originally comprised was big box retail construction such as Walmart, Lowe’s and Publix. When Burch joined the company, he sought to diversify their workload and managed to pivot JAF very well with the market into multi-family housing. The company has completed more than 460 projects in 14 states since1992. Burch is President of J.A. Fielden and Joe Jr. serves as Vice President of Real Estate Development.
When the Boyd Family started considering the creation of Covenant Health Park, they approached J.A. Fielden to think about developing an adjoining apartment site. The partnership has thrived with Joe Jr. and Burch working side-by-side to bring what is now Yardley Flats to life over the last three years. Located in the Old City in the former Knox Rail Salvage location, the building reflects the history of the area with the convenience of modern living. Featuring community spaces such as a luxurious pool deck and courtyard, Yardley Flats also have premium views of the new stadium. There are practical amenities too, such as what Burch and Joe Jr. claim to be the world’s largest indoor dog park and parking spaces available for the units.
The two plan to have the building ready by April of this year. About half of the units in Yardley Flats will have full or partial views of Covenant Health Park where they can enjoy Smokies baseball, One Knox soccer and any number of concerts and festivals slated to be held in the stadium. The development is anticipated to bring retail venues, restaurants and public outdoor areas to the neighborhood, re-energizing the historic warehouse district.
Although J.A. Fielden completes projects around the nation, Joe Jr. and Burch are committed to running a family business based here in Knoxville. They have served as highly successful contractors to the company for over 30 years and look forward to continuing their work in the future. “We will always be based in Knoxville,” they say. “We like home base here.” And soon, many Knoxvillians will be enjoying a view of home base at Covenant Health Park when the Knoxville Smokies take the field this Spring.