Andre Harris Honors Father-In-Law As He Creates New Housing Opportunities
By Andy Greenman
A few days removed from the spring solstice, tree branches swayed on a windy afternoon. A crowd of 50 people gathered along the sidewalk at 915 Faxon Avenue. In the background, footings for a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom single-family home protrude from the ground. Under-slab plumbing had been installed, awaiting concrete.
Traffic along Ayers Street came to a halt as drivers caught a glimpse. Neighbors casually strolled over to the corner lot. Mayor Paul Young, along with his entourage, stopped by to see the progress on another new home construction project in Uptown. But those in attendance came to hear from someone else. Andre Harris was the star this afternoon.
Andre is out to prove that he is ready to build affordable housing in the core of Memphis. This celebration was a long time in the making for the founder of Nuewill Construction.
This emerging developer knows all about pressure. The former Central High School sharpshooter has been driving to the lane on the basketball court and excelling throughout his career. He graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He then accepted a job with International Paper, which eventually sent him far from his Whitehaven roots to Florida, then back to Memphis.
In 2016, he and his wife, Latasha, bought a rental property and began to dip their toes into real estate. Andre was so excited to try something different in his spare time, but it didn’t start smoothly.
On the first day, they hired a flooring professional. A no-show. After not returning any phone calls, Andre turned somber. He confessed to his wife, “We might have made a mistake.”
But Latasha wasn’t going to give up. “You should call my dad. He does everything,” she replied.
With a little doubt in his mind, Andre reached out to his father-in-law, Willie Newberry. He agreed. Willie renovated the entire house and charged very little for his services.
From that point forward, Willie and Andre were a duo. Andre never visited a potential home purchase or future renovation alone. Andre had a partner.
“Without him, we may not have gotten past our first project,” Andre sighed.
The CRA donated the land and building to CAAP. On October 17, 2023, Mayor Jim Strickland and Albert Richardson buried their gold shovels in dirt to celebrate the restoration of the building. Place of Grace was born.
Through the years, he continued the balancing act of renovating homes and playing landlord, all while maintaining his career at International Paper. Experienced in flipping homes, Andre was imagining a new challenge: building new homes. The ideas rattled around his brain for about a year, but he didn’t know where to start.
Then, in 2023, while mentoring for Setting the Standard, Andre gave students a tour of a new home in the Glenview neighborhood. It took the mentor’s eyes by surprise. He was stunned. The developer, Kevin McKinney, was on hand to shake hands.
After the tour, Andre reached out to Kevin to share his interest in home building. Over breakfast, the two got acquainted with one another. Kevin quickly gained respect for Andre’s tenacity and invited him to observe a few new homes under construction.
Throughout the summer and fall, Andre shadowed Kevin on these projects. He watched him operate, took notes of his contractors, and repeatedly visited job sites to learn the process — even if no one was around.
In late 2024, Andre purchased two lots in Orange Mound with the plan to build new homes. He reached out to his buddy Kevin and asked if he could hire him to build on one of the lots. Kevin agreed.
Two weeks after they broke ground at 3128 Douglass Avenue, Andre was laid off from International Paper. Then, at 43, Andre seemed well-positioned to move on from his 20-year career at the paper powerhouse.
“It was an uncomfortable situation after working for 20 years... But it allowed me to be on-site every day,” Andre added.
He made a pact with Latasha that if home building didn’t pan out after 12 months, it was time for Andre to find another job.
During the same year, Latasha lost her father. Willie was no longer around to inspect, repair, or rehab. At this time, Andre would’ve been job hunting if it weren’t for Willie; instead, Nuewill Construction was born as a homage to his father-in-law and friend by inverting the first few characters of his first and last name.
After finishing the first home, Andre was ready to go full-time. He felt he didn’t have any other choice. With the other vacant lot, he told Kevin that he was going to do it on his own. “Go for it. That is God telling you,” Kevin encouraged him.
With a Limited Residential Contractor License, Andre nervously began to build by hiring many of the contractors he’d been observing. Kevin never shied from questions and even made site visits to help. By this time, Andre knew he had to dedicate much of his time overseeing his contractors. He couldn’t have a costly mistake at this juncture.
“These guys are doing a bunch of jobs. They are not just working on your site, so mistakes can happen,” Andre said. “If you get too far down the road, it’s going to be costly for you to go back and change or fix some stuff.”
He was present as the foundation was poured, the plumbing installed, and drywall and insulation contractors worked. He continued taking notes and communicating.
In July of 2025, his first solo build at 3111 Douglass Avenue sold. Job complete.
After a couple of new home builds under his tool belt, Andre was looking for opportunities to grow. In February of 2025, Andre attended the inaugural Convergence Memphis Land Expo at First Baptist Broad. This is where he was introduced to the CRA’s Essential Housing Program. The newly launched program was created to increase the number of housing units in Memphis, specifically, affordable units.
With a significant housing need and ample available land, who’s going to build these units? Emerging developers.
Essential Housing is seeking new, motivated developers. Those who are looking to grow their business. Those who are looking to improve their neighborhood. Those who have shot three-pointers at Morris Park. Those just like Andre Harris.
It just so happens that the founder of the newly created Nuewill Construction stumbled on the right place at the right time.
The CRA made 82 lots available in Uptown and Binghampton for homebuilding. The Essential Housing Program was so new it didn’t even have a director. Andre and the hundreds in attendance were learning about this together. Mayor Paul Young dropped in to see first-hand if the community would support a Land Expo. Less than a year later, the Mayor announced a goal of building 10,000 homes by 2030. We believe he left inspired. So did Andre.
After applying for a few lots, Andre had doubts. He thought, “They’ll never choose me, I’m too new. They’re going to try and get these seasoned developers.”
But to his surprise, it’s emerging developers like Andre that the CRA had hoped to attract. Nuewill Construction was awarded 3 lots in Uptown, and Andre “was excited, but then I was nervous. Now I gotta make sure I can deliver.”
To encourage developers, the CRA sells every buildable lot for a flat $1,000, but then rewards them up to $20,000 per unit. This subsidy supports home construction costs. In turn, the developer must use quality materials in accordance with MLGW’s Eco-Build Program and offer affordable housing prices (rent or own). The CRA manages and guides each participant through the process.
“Programs like this are going to make it (10,000 homes) happen,” Andre added. “It’s ambitious. Let’s go after it. I’m definitely willing to do my part to make it happen, and a lot of others are too.”
After selecting the lots in Uptown, Andre is back in North Memphis, where he has many memories. This is where he visited his grandparents and cheered on the Manassas High School basketball team, which his Uncle Gerald coached to a state championship. He is grateful to see and contribute to the growth of this neighborhood at age 44.
Today, Andre holds a Full Residential and Commercial License, owns 15 rental units, and continues to add new housing units in Memphis. As he continues to hone his craft, he’d like to hire an additional project manager and expand in the near future.
“It’s doable right now, but at some point it won’t be. I know that I have to have more in-house help, and we’ll do it.”