About Us

JL is the founder and patriarch of J. L. Andrus and Company.  He started developing real estate in the late 1960’s. His big break came in the early 1970’s with Dresser Atlas’s Broussard facility, where he showed his forward vision and was one of the pioneers to develop and invest in what would become the Highway 90 East Broussard “Energy Corridor”, a suburb of Lafayette, LA and gateway to the Gulf of Mexico.  He also was one of the first investors in that area to design, build, and lease commercial industrial facilities to the oil and gas industry.  JL expanded his development depth with industrial, retail, and residential subdivisions to his credit, including projects of 46 and 60 acres and a retail center over 60,000 square feet across from the Acadiana Mall in Lafayette.  JL has built a career and a reputation in the industry that few have matched over his 50 years in depth and scale spanning from Lafayette, Louisiana to Houston, Texas.

JL came to Lafayette as a college professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Louisiana Lafayette and soon met and married his wife and partner of over 50 years Janice Bodin.  Prior to teaching JL had earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Louisiana Lafayette and then a Masters in Engineering Mechanics from Louisiana State University.  He also spent time working at Boeing, Olin Chemical and Southern Pipe Inspection.  JL and Janice started out as most entrepreneurs at the kitchen table and have enjoyed a career that has spanned over 50 years and left an indelible mark on the community and friends they have been associated.

Jay grew up working with his father on job sites since he was four years old. Working during the summers for his family business, he gained appreciation for commercial development.

After attaining his Bachelor of Finance from LSU, he went to work for his father through maintenance and redevelopment of family assets. In 2004 Jay built his first design-build project for their family partnership.

Since then he has done commercial and residential development, concentrating on design-build industrial facilities for the energy industry.

Jay’s versatility can be seen through his many projects and esteemed educational background. Jay achieved his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Tulane University and completed Harvard University Graduate School of Design Advanced Management in Development Program and also Harvard Business School Owner/President Management Program.