A Better Community
The company remains a vital contributor to a number of non-profit agencies, including Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross. It also gives to Safe At Home, a volunteer community service program dedicated to reducing the risk of death and injury from falls in the home.
When the Sea City Work Camp was launched in 1993, it lacked the grant funding needed to get off the ground. The Corpus Christi-based association works with the First United Methodist Church and Grace United Methodist Church, teaching high school-age youth about service to the community. Students help elderly and low-income homeowners that cannot make repairs to their homes.
For two weeks near the start of summer, about 175 students and volunteers rebuild and fix homes. During the process, the students get an education in a multitude of contractor-related topics, such as how to use a power tool properly.
Sea City Work Camp president Dan Morrow says that since its inception, several hundred homes have been improved. Rotten wood has been replaced, new windows have been installed, and in some cases, new roofs has been put on. In turn, 98% of the camp’s materials are bought through McCoy’s, which no longer completely funds the camp.
“It’s a very good training tool for the students,” Morrow says. “And even if they don’t go into the trades, they know what to look for in their own homes.”
Brian McCoy views the Sea City Work Camp as the type of organization McCoy’s enjoys assisting: an organization that gives back to the community while accomplishing a task related to the building industry.
Brian also acknowledges the Boy Scouts, in which all of the McCoy sons took part. In rural areas of Texas, McCoy’s has gotten involved with youth agriculture programs such as the 4-H Club and Future Farmers of America. The company has donated fencing products and funds to the programs.
Among the McCoy Foundation’s many contributions, last year a $360,000 donation from Emmett and Miriam was the final piece of a $5.1 million financial puzzle that San Marcos and Hays County put together to buy 253 acres of environmentally sensitive space. Although voters approved a $2 million public bond, Hays County donated $700,000, and federal and state agencies kicked in more than $2 million, it wasn’t enough.
The McCoys’ donation let San Marcos create a preserve that sits above Spring Lake, the headwaters of the San Marcos River. Before buying the property, a private developer had a different plan in store: a resort and hotel. San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz shares the sentiment of voters on the topic of preserving green space in the community.
“Most of us grow up with memories of our grandparents with farms and animals and fields. But as time goes on, there is less and less of that,” she says. “What’s significant about this preserve is it’s owned by the citizens of San Marcos and kept in a natural state.
“We would not have been able to do this without the McCoys’ foundation,” says Narvaiz.
The cities of San Marcos and Kyle as well as Hays County previously have benefited from the McCoys, when they donated funds to build an animal shelter several years ago. After a recent expansion of the shelter, a re-commemoration ceremony was held and a tree planted in the McCoys’ honor. Narvaiz says the tree recognizes the seeds the family has planted in the community and the example that they’ve set.
“This is a family company with great values and ethics that shows success in all ends of the spectrum,” she says.
The Next Generation
Among the 10 grandchildren of Emmett and Miriam, Meagan Jones, 26, is the only one involved in the business.
“I really grew up during my summers at McCoy’s, and really loved it,” she says. By the time she was 10, Jones was going to work with her father, eventually answering the phone at the receptionist’s desk and taking messages before the age of voicemail.
While studying for a master’s degree in communication studies at the University of Texas, Jones worked part time at McCoy’s. She was going to pursue a doctorate degree and had become a teaching assistant at the university, but her career goals began to lean toward a future at McCoy’s.
“I can say without a doubt that this is what I want to be doing. I feel doubly blessed to figure all that out by the time I was 24,” Jones says.
Now taking an active role in the industry, Jones notes that she has been pleasantly surprised with the level of acceptance she has received while engaged in LAT activities. “I’ve worked with people my father’s age and received nothing but respect,” she says. “For a young person, and a woman, in our industry, that struck me as pretty awesome.”
Ask Brian about Jones’ role in the company, and you can tell he is thrilled to have her on board, taking an active role in developing the future of McCoy’s Building Supply.
“We know we are beating some pretty big odds with a family-run business in the fourth generation,” McCoy says. “So much of our industry is a family business. It’s getting a little rarer all the time, but it’s still a family business.”
