Born in Mobile, Alabama in 1978, John McInnis III is the CEO of McInnis Industries and the third generation of a successful construction enterprise. The family-owned construction company was started by John’s grandfather, John McInnis Sr. in 1970 and focused on heavy construction and transportation infrastructure. John McInnis III began running the day to day operations of several family businesses immediately after graduating from the University of Alabama in 2000 with degrees in Business Administration and Political Science. Through the leadership of John McInnis Sr, John McInnis Jr, and John McInnis III the businesses grew to complete more than $1 Billion and 1,000 major projects including bridges, roads, utilities, toll projects, and disaster related projects. John McInnis III was instrumental in several national emergency cleanup operations including The City of Orange Beach, Al after Hurricane Ivan (2004), St. Bernard Parish, LA after Hurricane Katrina (2005) and 20 miles of Alabama Coastline after the BP Horizon Oil Spill (2010). The Hurricane Katrina Cleanup in Southern Louisiana was one of the largest single FEMA Funded demolition projects in U.S. History resulting in almost 10,000 structures demolished. In 2017 Mr. McInnis served as the Director of Kenny Chesney’s Love for Love City Foundation leading the non profit response to Hurricanes Maria and Irma that devastated then U.S. And British Virgin Islands, working alongside friend Tom Secunda, Co-Founder of Bloomberg.

 

John McInnis III has built a reputation around his expertise in business strategy, principals, and structure. His roots in the highway construction business and solid business principals have yielded experience and assets in the birth and expansion of several different companies in many diverse industries including heavy construction, disaster cleanup and emergency management, government contracting, technology, motorsports, automotive and entertainment. Through his leadership, the John McInnis Family’s business interests have grown to include dozens of successful Companies. Mr McInnis has developed business relationships and partnerships in multiple fields both in the U.S. and abroad. The McInnis Family is also the majority owner in one of the world’s most famous road houses and beach bar’s, The Flora-Bama, which sits directly on the beach straddling the Alabama/Florida State Line. The FloraBama has been named one of or the #1 Beach Bar in the U.S. or World by Playboy, Maxum, CNN, Yahoo Travel, The Huffington Post and others. Jimmy Buffet and Kenny Chesney have both written songs about the FloraBama and in 2014 Kenny Chesney performed his only concert of the year to over 40,000 fans to celebrate the FloraBama’s 50th Anniversary. Mr McInnis, his partners, The Chesney Team and the FloraBama staff executed the highest profile concert in the U.S. for 2014 which was featured in all major news outlets including The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Rolling Stone. Mr McInnis married to Shelly Freeman McInnis and they have 3 sons.

After completing his education at The University of Alabama John joined his parents in the family business. John aided his parents to incorporate NewMc, Inc in 1970 and has 48 years of leadership experience at the McInnis Companies, completing many hundreds of major bonded projects in the United States, including highway, heavy, marine, demolition, military, industrial, utility and repair, totaling more than 1 billion dollars. He is currently president of McInnis Industries.

The McInnis Companies under his leadership have completed major disaster projects, including Hurricane Ivan, Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. John served as the CEO of Unified Recovery Group LLC from 2005 to 2008 completing the largest FEMA funded Demolition project until that time in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina.

John working with his partner in 2000 designed, built and operated one of the most successful privately owned 14 mile toll roads and bridges in the U.S. in Baldwin County, Alabama, know as the Foley Beach Express. Also John and his partner constructed and operated a privately owned vehicular ferry system across Mobile Bay. In the 1990’s John served as the President of the Alabama Road Builder’s Association (ARBA).. John currently serves as a Senior Advisor on the Board of Glenfarne Group, LLC a New York based Equity Investment firm.

John Malcolm McInnis, Sr. was born in Clio, Alabama in 1914. He was named after his grandfather, Malcolm McInnis, who served with the South in the War Between the States. The name John comes from his uncle, John Lang McInnis, who farmed and owned a cotton gin in Clio. After weathering the tough years of the Great Depression, his first big move from the rural life of Barbour County was courtesy of the United States government, when he was drafted into the Army after Pearl Harbor.

 After the War, John returned home to Clio. During the Interstate Construction Era, he contracted to move houses off the condemned rights of way. Later, he joined the Barbour County Road Department and was on several local construction projects. He became acquainted with the various road and bridge contractors while working in Barbour County and was chosen to be the Project inspector on Hack Jordan’s first bridge job. He then became the Assistant County Engineer of Barbour County in 1947.

 John had married Lucille Riley in 1946. They had three children – Charles, John and Tim. In 1956, while C.F. Halstead was working on a job in Barbour County, John joined them and moved to Montgomery, opening Halstead’s Bridge Division in 1959. John moved his family to Montgomery in June of 1960. For the next 10 years, John and Halstead were involved in constructing major road and bridge, interchange and interstate projects during the Interstate Era of the Sixties.

 John spent as much time in the field as possible and loved to “push a job” toward completion looking after every detail. He visited every job weekly, arriving at the jobsite at work time no matter what time he had to leave driving from Montgomery. He made it a point to communicate with every man on the job during his visit.

 John passed away in 1996. During his life, he made a significant contribution to Alabama’s road building history. His company, McInnis Industries, LLC survives him and flourishes today, led by his sons and their fellow employees, who are still inspired by John McInnis and his outstanding toughness, drive and leadership.