SoWalSally
09-22-2006, 08:29 AM
By Joyce Owen
Many knew Jim Whittaker as “Mr. WaterColor,” a familiar sight on County Road 30A, always wearing a straw hat as he oversaw the development of WaterColor, one of St. Joe’s most important projects.
For seven years and one month, Whittaker toiled on the infrastructure. He was responsible for “all the internal parts – the utilities, bridge and even the realignment of County Road 30A,” then like many others, he got an e-mail that signaled the end of his service at St. Joe.
“The e-mail told us to be at a certain location at a certain time. When I got there, I was told, ‘your position has been eliminated,’” Whittaker said.
The layoffs, announced on Aug. 11, came as the company reorganized and downsized. It involved employees from vice presidents on down and was company wide, Whittaker said.
“I had a feeling this was coming, after being there from day one and what with the economy and trying to stay up with the times,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to be so drastic, but St. Joe has its reasons. They still have projects going, but I guess it was time to do it,” he said.
Whittaker was working on James Island in Jacksonville, a St. Joe/Arvida project, when in 1999 he was asked to relocate to South Walton and begin WaterColor. James Island was the last project built by Arvida, while WaterColor was the first St. Joe development, he said.
Whittaker, one of the first hired to work on the major development for St. Joe, brought with him experience developing infrastructure for major developments including the Port Authority in Jacksonville. Although it was a development on a grand scale, with plans that included a major bridge, docks and road improvements, it was the type of job Whittaker was prepared to tackle.
“Everyone would be watching,” Whittaker was told. “This was the biggest project St. Joe had. All eyes are going to be on us.
“The hours were long and the work hard, but the deadline never changed. And we met it,” he said.
“We had some good people and good management, but now very few of them are still there,” he said.
Even as Whittaker struggles to understand the layoff, he is loyal to his former company.
“They treated me well. I had no problems. There were frustrations at times with how they did things.”
Whittaker hopes someone will give him a chance to take on another major project, “but nothing will ever compare to WaterColor,” he said.
Many knew Jim Whittaker as “Mr. WaterColor,” a familiar sight on County Road 30A, always wearing a straw hat as he oversaw the development of WaterColor, one of St. Joe’s most important projects.
For seven years and one month, Whittaker toiled on the infrastructure. He was responsible for “all the internal parts – the utilities, bridge and even the realignment of County Road 30A,” then like many others, he got an e-mail that signaled the end of his service at St. Joe.
“The e-mail told us to be at a certain location at a certain time. When I got there, I was told, ‘your position has been eliminated,’” Whittaker said.
The layoffs, announced on Aug. 11, came as the company reorganized and downsized. It involved employees from vice presidents on down and was company wide, Whittaker said.
“I had a feeling this was coming, after being there from day one and what with the economy and trying to stay up with the times,” he said. “I didn’t expect it to be so drastic, but St. Joe has its reasons. They still have projects going, but I guess it was time to do it,” he said.
Whittaker was working on James Island in Jacksonville, a St. Joe/Arvida project, when in 1999 he was asked to relocate to South Walton and begin WaterColor. James Island was the last project built by Arvida, while WaterColor was the first St. Joe development, he said.
Whittaker, one of the first hired to work on the major development for St. Joe, brought with him experience developing infrastructure for major developments including the Port Authority in Jacksonville. Although it was a development on a grand scale, with plans that included a major bridge, docks and road improvements, it was the type of job Whittaker was prepared to tackle.
“Everyone would be watching,” Whittaker was told. “This was the biggest project St. Joe had. All eyes are going to be on us.
“The hours were long and the work hard, but the deadline never changed. And we met it,” he said.
“We had some good people and good management, but now very few of them are still there,” he said.
Even as Whittaker struggles to understand the layoff, he is loyal to his former company.
“They treated me well. I had no problems. There were frustrations at times with how they did things.”
Whittaker hopes someone will give him a chance to take on another major project, “but nothing will ever compare to WaterColor,” he said.