Julian Bell received his B.S. degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech in 1962. He began his career immediately after college with DuPont Chemicals as division engineer. Mr. Bell’s real passion has always been civil engineering and, as a result, he migrated to Chattanooga, Tn., in 1970 as the director of public works. During that time, he was instrumental in identifying a potential 100-year flood which engulfed Chattanooga in 1973. As a result of his forewarning, residents and businesses were evacuated prior to the flood and countless lives and businesses were saved.
His position with the city showed him the importance of teamwork in handling infrastructure, planning, operation and maintenance needs of a growing city. He also noticed a need for quality housing and engineering services. This prompted him to form Bell Engineering Company in 1976, with a focus on sanitation, pollution control, waterworks projects, manufacturing plants, equipment application, and electrical and mechanical design. Bell Engineering completed many projects including M&M Mars and E.I. Dupont buildings.
Since establishing his own development company in 1980, Mr. Bell has focused on residential land development, with completion of over 4,000 residential lots in 28 subdivisions over a 30-year period. His three sons have all worked in the company, and Jay Bell is still involved as vice president. Mr. Bell’s commitment has always been to provide quality homes at all price points. His vision and success in this arena has led Bell Development to become the largest residential home developer in the region.
Mr. Bell has been involved in many professional and civic organizations through the years, including acting as past president of the Home Builders Association, and vice president of the Tennessee Association of Professional Engineers. He has held a professional engineering license in 13 states, is a licensed surveyor, and a licensed real estate broker.
Mr. Bell is a family man foremost, and has raised three children all while finishing his schooling and building his dream of a successful company. He has been married to his wife, Carola (who also attended Virginia Tech) for over forty-eight years, has three sons: Julian III, Jonathan, and Jay, as well as several grandchildren. Mr. Bell is passionate about history, particularly the Civil War era, and is a hobby shooting enthusiast.
His philanthropy has now extended to assisting Virginia Tech CEE students through the Land Development Design Initiative. Mr. Bell offers financial support for the program’s goals, including providing scholarships to seven students. He believes in the next generation of civil engineers and as he recently said to a scholarship beneficiary, "Leave the land better than when you found it, treat people fairly and always be honest in your dealings."