York Builders
Duncanville Mayor Greg Contreras, left, and Reginald York stand at a podium while posing for a photo. Millicent York is at Reginald's left. Reggie York Jr. is at the right on the third row.
Reginald York is one of the most interesting — and inspiring — people you will meet.
By sheer will and persistence, he started York Builders out of the sale of a Subway franchise he owned. And acquiring the Subway required its own sort of hoops to jump through.
With a contagious energy and enthusiasm, York epitomizes the mantra that the difference between winning and losing is quitting. But building things is a gift that he believes is God given. And with that gift, York believes, it is demanded that one gives.
That is, in essence, how York Builders, a commercial builder based in Mansfield, came to be the general contractor for a home renovation in Duncanville as part of “Military Makeover with Montel.”
York initially wasn’t sure the timing was right.
“My wife said we should look at it,” York says. “When I found out it was a veteran family, I said, ‘We want to be a part of that.’ We both have long lines of people who served in the military. So, I said, let’s do this.”
“Military Makeover with Montel” is hosted by Montel Williams. Contractors go in and renovate the homes of veterans, who are completely unaware of the work being done.
The assisted veteran was a gentleman named Kevin Jones, a U.S. Marine who served deployments during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield. He suffers from lingering emotional and physical injuries from his service, including PTSD.
The makeover can be seen through a seven-episode series on Nov. 8 on Lifetime or militarymakeover.tv.
The Jones series marks the show’s 40th season.
"This is a significant milestone for Military Makeover to have touched the homes and lives of 40 veterans," said Nicole Oropesa, president of BrandStar Entertainment.
Jones’s nephew, Michael Willcot, just happens to work as a structural engineer for York. Willcot’s mother was the one who submitted the application for her brother’s home. Coincidentally, the show needed a general contractor on the project.
The contractors and subcontractors had eight days to completely renovate the home. The city of Duncanville renamed the street “Military Makeover Avenue” during the eight days in September. On the ninth day, a Sunday, the Jones’s came home, completely surprised by their new home.
“Our subcontractors have come in with the best attitude, their time and resources because there is no real budget for this,” says Millicent York, Reginald’s wife and the business’ finance manager. “They have given above and beyond. It really is a labor of love.”
York has a philanthropic arm that does things like handicap ramps and such, Millicent says.
“But this is a whole different level,” she says. “And now we're looking, because our contractors have been so amazing for us, to maybe pick a family [to do this for]. We’re all blessed to be a blessing. If you’re blessed your goal should be how am I going to give back.”
Faith is an integral component of the York business and family.
“We open and close every [work] meeting in prayer,” Reggie Jr., the Yorks’ son who is operations manager, told me two years ago when I first met the family.
York Builders is very much a family in every way. In addition to his son, the Yorks’ daughter, Megan, is also a part of the business.
“God just gave me the gift,” York says humbly. “I didn’t set out to be a contractor, but whatever I was doing, I did it 100%. That was what my father taught me. And do it right the first time.”
Reginald and Millicent met while they were students at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Millicent is a native of Fort Worth.
She finished her studies there, but York did not. He discovered that his aptitude, like his father’s, was working with his hands. Building things made him happy, and, to that end, he pursued instruction in carpentry and cabinetry. He flourished in the trade, so much so that his instructor hired him to help build cabinets and houses while still in school.
Life took a different turn when York and Millicent decided to move back to her hometown, Fort Worth.
While she taught school, York built cabinets. He also saw an opportunity in a sandwich franchise, Subway, in the early 1990s. There was a shop he had seen on Vickery. However, everywhere he turned for a bank loan to buy the franchise, he was rebuffed.
“I applied for a loan 10 times,” he remembers. “I had no assets.” One bank turned him down three times. To that loan officer, he offered to buy her lunch.
“She told me, ‘Reggie, we are not going to give you a loan,’” he says. She went to lunch anyway at the Subway he wanted. There was a line out the door, he says.
“I told her what I would do if I owned it,” he says, “and she tells me, ‘I tell you what, I’ve never met anyone as persistent as you. If you can come up with 25% down, I’ll convince the bank to make the loan.’ They did.”
York worked day and night, literally. During most of the day, he ran his Subway restaurant. Late afternoon and evenings, he did his carpentry or odd jobs, like hanging a ceiling fan perhaps. He worked as late as his clients were comfortable having him there.
Reginald saw an opportunity to build homes in Como. A market of young Black couples wanting to move back there was emerging. He eventually built four houses there.
York’s first commercial enterprise was a TECQ buildout on East Loop 820. He had finally gotten a commercial job after falling short of several bids. He got lucky because every other company said they could not meet the tight timeframe, which, suffice to say, was longer than the eight days of the military makeover.
“He says he is born to this,” Millicent says. “I think God gives us all skills and he gives us all talents. It's up to us to hone those skills. And that's what [Reginald] does. He's been a student [of building] ever since I've known him.”