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Austin
CONSTRUCTION NEWS The Industry’s Newspaper
www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 24 H Number 1 H January 2022
Showing dedication
Parading around
Ja-Mar Roofing recently dedicated its showroom to Founders James & Marlyn McKinney.
Whittlesey Landscape Supplies & Recycling is always ready for a holiday parade, like the recent one held in Marble Falls.
A
fter David Phillips bought Ja-Mar Roofing & Sheet Metal from founder James McKinney and his wife Marlyn in 2005, every day started with a hug. “Right off the bat, they became a second mother and father to me. We were that close, and it was that kind of relationship,” Phillips explains. “Marlyn’s a very loving and motherly type and James has been a fatherly figure as well. Our days always started off with a hug, every day. Hugs have kind of remained our thing over the years.” Now, because of Phillips’ touching tribute to the couple, James and Marlyn will embrace everyone who walks
through Ja-Mar’s doors. On Dec. 17, 2021, Phillips dedicated Ja-Mar’s Buda showroom to the McKinneys, with their names in large bold letters above it. “I think it’s something that further acknowledges their stamp on this company and their contribution to the industry. Just to have their names where whomever walks through this door, this is the first thing they’ll see at the top of the wall, is important,” Phillips says. “We th planned on having a big 50 anniversary celebration last year, but COVID put the kibosh on that. One of the things I had planned for that event was the dedication of our showroom to James and Marlyn, so we did that as a year-end event this year.”
T
he community has their pull support! When Liberty Hill or Marble Falls needs help with a holiday haul, Whittlesey Landscape Supplies & Recycling takes the wheel. Both towns recently celebrated the season with parades, and the company rigged their rigs with lights and cruised along with the Christmas caravans. At the Liberty Hill Christmas Festival, Whittlesey had the honor of driving the state boundLiberty Hills Panthers football team in the parade. The community-minded company has been a mainstay in the area since 1975, when Clayton Whittlesey founded
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35 years of traditions
hat better way to conclude another year around the sun than with a day of clay – in two
cities? On Dec. 3, McMillan James Equipment Company welcomed its Austin employees and customers to its inaugural MJEC Clay Shoot at Capital City Clays. Twelve stations were prepared for a popping afternoon, and there was no shortage of celebratory shots being fired. Meanwhile, the company’s San Antonio staff and customers were lining up for their shot at fun at the National Shooting Complex. Both groups spent the afternoon enjoying the fresh air, the camaraderie and made a grab for the gift cards: $50 gift cards went to 1st place winners and $25 gift cards were given for 2nd place. “This was our first year to do this, and we want to make it an annual event,” says MJEC’s Sales Executive Bryan Sublett,
Whittlesey Landscape supplies in 1975 as a landscaping and lawn maintenance business. By expanding their yard four years later, the brothers turned the operation into a full-service landscape supply yard. It became the first of its kind in the area to offer special mixes, garden soils, gravel, stone, rock, and compost. In 1985, Clayton became sole owner, and he recognized that while some of the methods of getting the materials had proved efficient for the company, he had an opportunity to take in green waste and produce mulch and compost for his customers. His ability to see new avenues of serving his clientele paid off, and he
McMillan James Equipment Company Austin employees and customers gathered at Capital City Clays for the inaugural MJEC Clay Shoot.
who organized the event for the Austin office. “We had a great time; it was awesome!’ The multi-city clay shoot joins the many rich traditions cultivated during the full-service HVAC manufacturer representative’s 35 years. Mark McMillan, MJEC’s current president, founded the company in 1987, but MJEC’s roots can be traced back to the 1950s. Houston-based manufacturer’s rep firm McMillan Equipment Company (MECO) was established by Hugh D. McMillan Jr. In 1987; McMillan and Associates was formed when Mark took over MECO’s Dallas Fort Worth operations. The name then changed in 1999 to McMillan Choate & Associates (MCA) when Lonnie Choate teamed up with Mark McMillan. Choate sold his interest back to the company in 2007, and the name evolved continued on Page 14