God Had a Plan

West Westmoreland, president of Jaguar Builders, considers himself a lucky man. At 49, he runs several successful businesses, devotes time and money to various charitable causes and is able to spend quality down-time with his family at their farm in central Georgia.

And, as a quadriplegic, he does it all from a wheelchair.

It's a life Westmoreland never envisioned for himself as a rowdy young man growing up on Jacksonville's Westside. Back then, he partied as hard by night as he worked at construction jobs by day. But the events of August 28, 1983, would change his life forever.

After spending the better part of that day drinking with friends in a St. Augustine bar, the 27-year-old Westmoreland crashed his motorcycle near the Castillo de San Marcos. His back was broken in four places.

A helicopter took him to Baptist Medical Center, where he awoke to find himself immobile. He spent the next eight months in a rehabilitation center, strengthening his damaged body and adapting to life in a wheelchair.

But the depression and anger doctors predicted he would experience never set in. And that, say his friends, is truly indicative of Westmoreland's character.

"I knew who to blame for the accident-me," Westmoreland says from behind his large desk at Jaguar Builders' Southside offices. "I should have died. But I was alive and needed to find a way to survive."

As Westmoreland's determined attitude and survival instincts kicked in, his entrepreneurial spirit did too.

With a monthly Social Security check as his only income, he declined an offer to live with his parents and moved to a low-rent apartment near downtown Jacksonville. He then convinced Memorial Hospital to hire him part-time as a patient advocate.

Next, he started a hot dog vending company. But the longer he was away from construction, the more he missed it. A year later, he decided to find a way to restart the career that had been disrupted by his injury. But how?

The enterprising Westmoreland soon found a way. He quickly realized that most construction companies knew very little about building for the disabled. In response, he formed a company called Handicapped Accessibility Consultants & Builders.

That venture led to a full-time construction supervisor job with Gulf Stream homes in 1987, followed by a supervisor position with a small Ponte Vedra land development company.

By 1992, Westmoreland had decided that the time was right to start his own company, particularly after watching other builders scramble to comply with codes mandated by the newly adopted Americans with Disabilities Act.

Dubbed Jaguar Builders, the company's initial mission was retrofitting existing buildings to make them more accessible to the disabled. Then it expanded into developing and building its own large commercial projects.

Jaguar Builders has since earned a sterling reputation for its involvement with an eclectic array of projects, including the Historic Kings Road Warehouse Complex; the Westside and Southside offices of the Harrell & Harrell law firm; the Central Florida Electrical Operations Center; and the complete renovation of the venerable Mount Zion AME Church in downtown Jacksonville.

"West can handle anything that's thrown at him," says Ken Kuester, owner of Lumber Unlimited, who for the past decade has partnered with Westmoreland in a company called 210 Properties. "Working with him is unbelievable. I've known West for 20 years and he's just the real deal-honest with integrity and a great sense of humor."

Attorney William Harrell of Harrell & Harrell was so impressed with Jaguar Builders' work on his Westside office that he hired them again to build the firm's headquarters on Sunbeam Road.

"West is tough, but easy to work with," says Harrell. "He's overcome so much personally, and it's reflected in his can-do attitude toward solving the complicated problems associated with construction."

As Jaguar Builders became more successful, Westmoreland began to use that "can-do" attitude to reach out in the community to help others.

As an active member of the Northeast Florida Builders Association, Westmoreland became particularly involved with HabiJax's Habitat for Humanity and NEFBA's Builders Care, a not-for-profit subsidiary that rehabilitates substandard homes for elderly and disabled Northeast Floridians.

Then, two years ago, the Rev. Gene Zimmerman asked Westmoreland to help spearhead a project that would turn the circa-1940s Paulus Music Building on Duval Street into a new, state-of-art facility that would house the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic.

"Gene visited me every week in the hospital after my accident, and I had never even met him before," recalls Westmoreland. "He always told me that there was a reason for the accident, and that God had a plan for me. Twenty years later, when he approached me to help with the construction of the VIM Clinic, he told me he had found that reason."

Westmoreland immediately donated his services as project manager and went to work soliciting help within the development community. He recruited Joe Turner Roofing to put on a new roof, then enlisted Esposito Cheek & Associates to draw up the architectural plans. Shortly thereafter he organized a "framing party" and secured enough donated and discounted services and supplies to complete the job in eight months.

"We're totally indebted to West," says Dr. James Burt, medical director and co-founder of the clinic. "He's truly a dedicated volunteer who called and cajoled everyone to help out. He's a very special man."

Since its September 2003 opening, the VIM Clinic has helped thousands of people who have jobs, but are uninsured or underinsured. Each week, roughly 300 patients are seen at the clinic, which offers free primary care medical services as well as discounted medicines, x-rays and other services.

For the past year, Westmoreland has also served as president of the Independent Living Foundation (ILF), a not-for-profit organization that facilitates independent living for people with disabilities. A particular passion for Westmoreland is the organization's work providing educational opportunities for disabled youths.

In October 2005, ILF held its First Annual First Coast Youth Disability Conference. The one-day event showcased an assortment of resources for disabled teens and young adults, including educational and employment opportunities.

Westmoreland's involvement with the organization is an extension of the 10 years he served on the Mayor's Disability Council, a 13-member board that works to improve the quality of life for local people with disabilities.

In September 2001, Westmoreland's achievements were recognized when he received the Outstanding Entrepreneur Award from The Able Trust, an organization that is a part of the Governor's Alliance for the Employment of Citizens with Disabilities.

For longtime friend Jack Gillrup, chief of Jacksonville's Disabled Services Division, Westmoreland's success-and his willingness to help the physically challenged comes as no surprise.

"West pulled himself up by the bootstraps, even when he couldn't feel those bootstraps," Gillrup says. "He had the drive and will to move on and up with his life. But to me, his greatest accomplishment has been that he leads a normal life."

Now, after many years of working long hours at his various business ventures-including Accessibility Specialists, Inc., a company that installs assisted driving equipment such as wheelchair lifts and hand controls for brakes-Westmoreland is looking forward to retiring in the next few years and spending more time with his family, including his 19-year-old son, Robert, and his wife of six years, Lori.

After years of physical rehabilitation, Westmoreland has feeling in all his muscles except his left hand, although he still uses a motorized wheelchair. And with his 50th birthday approaching, he says he's ready to slow things down and enjoy the life he's built for himself.

"Hey, I was living paycheck to paycheck before the accident," Westmoreland says. "And now, I have all this. I guess God really did have a plan for me."

HOW YOU CAN HELP

For more information on the Independent Living Foundation or to make a donation, contact Marcia Randall at (904) 254.2866 or email ilfoundation@ilfoundation.org.

For more information on the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic or to volunteer services, call (904) 399.2766 or visit its website at www.vim-jax.org.