Southern Indiana Business Report
An Orangeville boy who grew up to rebuild infrastructure in his home state and as far away as Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte, and beyond is a story that embodies the American dream. Jerry Lee Reynolds and his teams at Reynolds Inc. and Inliner rebuilt large swaths of North America’s water and wastewater infrastructure from their headquarters in Orange County.
Reynolds was named a Distinguished Hoosier for his success in business during a surprise birthday celebration March 14. The recognition was presented by State Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, on behalf of Koch and Indiana Gov. Mike Braun.
For decades, Reynolds Inc. was synonymous with large-scale infrastructure projects. The company’s roots go back to the 1930s when the family started drilling wells in Orange County.
According to information from Reynolds’ family, Jerry Lee Reynolds grew up working on the family farms and assisting his father and brothers on well drilling projects.
Jerry’s grandfather, John Lesley Reynolds Sr., started well drilling in the 1930s. Jerry’s father, John Lesley Reynolds II, widely known as Big John, assumed the family business, which incorporated as John Reynolds & Sons, Inc. in 1965.
The company diversified into a full-service water supply contractor. The company was reincorporated as Reynolds, Inc. in 1987 with a trio of brothers at the helm: Jack, Jerry and Bill. The business was first headquartered at the Castle Knoll Farm, later moving to Paoli and eventually south of Orleans on Ind. 37.
Perseverance and an entrepreneurial spirit transformed Reynolds, Inc. into one of the United States’ leading water resource contractors. Under Jerry and family’s leadership, the business employed over 750 people, was active in 26 states, and maintained offices in Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia and Texas.
Reynolds, Inc. was consistently recognized by Engineering News Review as one of the nation’s top 50 heavy industrial contractors and was the largest contractor in the nation deriving its revenue from water and wastewater projects. Jerry also operated Inliner, which created first-of-its-kind liner technology that was used to rehabilitate pipeline systems across the nation and the world.
Importantly, he gave countless friends and family that worked with him a runway for their own dreams.
“Jerry Reynolds’ legacy is a powerful example of how innovation and hard work in Orange County can make an impact both locally and nationally,” said Skylar Whiteman, executive director of the Orange County Economic Development Partnership.
Jerry remains active on his farms in Lawrence and Orange counties where he still fixes problems with the same creative thinking that led him to success. He assists his son and grandsons on their respective grain and cattle farms. Jerry’s family notes he has laid a blueprint for his family and friends to follow in their lives: build things that will last generations, be creative in your work, love the people you surround yourself with, and never stop leading an interesting life.
Jerry’s brother Jack was also recognized by the state for his work with Reynolds, receiving a Sagamore of the Wabash in the 1990s.
The family’s legacy continues today with Reynolds Construction LLC, led by Jeff Reynolds, Jack’s son.