In his free time, you can catch him making what he guarantees to be best sock-it-to-me cake you’ve ever had, taking photographs or working on his farm. In his typical day-to-day work life, you’ll catch him personally involved with his customers while providing expert craftsmanship at Young & Sons Drywall L.P.
The Son in the Young
Meet Mark Young. He prefers the Stones over the Beatles. He’s a native Houstonian with 36 years of construction industry experience under his belt. “I started working for a small company as an estimator out of college and I knew I had found my home in this industry,” Young says. “My father always said I needed to learn a trade.”
Young & Sons Drywall was started by Young 16 years ago. Young, a member of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, explains that with his 45 employees, the commercial drywall contracting company is small enough to be personally involved with every project but large enough to provide high quality and timely service.
Young & Sons Drywall has seen growth within their number of contractors and jobs, but also in the way of technology. “Technology has changed the nature of our business,” Young says.
Originally, Young and his team faxed in their bids, got in their cars and then drove to the contractor’s offices to see a set of drawings. Now, that’s primarily done online. “I guess I’m dating myself with this story. Ha!”
Business During a Pandemic
Expectedly, business is changing every day at Young & Sons Drywall. During COVID-19 Young says they’ve been fortunate to be very steady as a company and are well-positioned to weather the ups and downs. “Our client base is very diverse in both project types and the work we do with strong established companies,” Young says. “The private market has slowed and some school bonds have been delayed.”
Looking ahead, Young is confident that Houstonians will recover from whatever they may face. When hard times hit, Young explains that as a native Houstonian, he has learned to keep a long-term view on the economy.
Young and Sons Drywall works primarily with ClarkDietrich Building Systems and National Gypsum Co. The company also uses Beacon Building Products as its primary distributor.
The Road Ahead
Apart from his business, Young enjoys photography. He has been taking pictures since high school and would like to spend some time in London taking photographs. He thinks the Bible is the greatest book ever written, is a longtime admirer of Tom Landry, and finds the most difficult thing about his job being the balance between work and personal time. “It’s hard not to drive around town and not be curious about different construction sites,” he says.
Young is most proud of his longevity in the construction industry. “I hope to continue to be in this business a long time,” Young says. “It’s as much about the people as it is the work. I enjoy seeing the pride in our workers, as well as the pride of the business owners we serve. It’s fun to meet such a wide variety of interesting people in diverse industries.” Young says that what sets their company apart from the rest, is the relationships and the craftsmanship.
