History of Espy Lumber Company, Inc.
Espy Lumber Company, Inc. was founded by Wesley Espy in 1958 as Espy Concrete Company, Inc. The company began doing business on Hilton Head two years after the first bridge was built linking the island to the mainland. Initially, its primary business was to furnish concrete to the emerging resort developments.
During the 1960’s, as the population of Hilton Head grew from 900 to 2,500, the business was broadened to include lumber and building materials. As a result, the company outgrew its original location on what is today, Pope Avenue. In 1971, two acres of the current five-acre site on Arrow Road were acquired.
Construction was completed and Espy Lumber moved to its present location in 1972. During the 1970’s, the concrete operation was sold, and the lumber and building materials business continued to expand, and the company acquired an adjacent three-acre parcel for future growth.
In the fall of 1978, Wesley Espy was killed in an automobile accident and the estate offered the business for sale. The following April, the company was acquired by Rodman McLeod and Ross Arnold.
In 1984, the company developed and secured the necessary approvals for a master plan for the site, cleared the adjacent parcel and began operating from the entire site, continuing to expand the business in lumber and building materials.
In 1986, it became apparent that for Espy Lumber to maintain and grow market share while increasing gross margin, it would be necessary to make some management changes and expand its products and services to better meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated and demanding marketplace. During that year, Mike Reeves was promoted from Outside Sales to General Manager.
In 1987, the Millwork Division was established under the leadership of Don Owens, in order to expand our business in windows, doors and interior trim. The division continues to be significant to our company.
The next step was to create a showroom at the Hilton Head location, with a vastly broadened product selection, not only to obtain a more significant share of existing contractor customers’ business, but also to penetrate new contractors’ accounts and begin to address the growing remodeling market segment. Modernized facilities also improved accessibility, with the addition of off-street parking, and provided a more professional environment for our customers to make product selections.
In 1988, plans were initiated to completely gut Espy Lumber’s main 10,000 square foot building to construct offices and a 4,000 square foot showroom. Additionally, plans were made to build a new 10,000 square foot warehouse. The warehouse was completed in the spring of 1989. Construction was begun on the showroom and offices in October 1989 and the showroom opened for business in April 1990. This additional space has enabled Espy Lumber to offer a complete selection of power tools and accessories, builders’ hardware, hand tools, fasteners, and decorative hardware.
In January 1998, a 12-acre site was acquired in the Okatie/Cherry Point area at the intersection of SC highways 141 and 170. Plans were begun for a second location to serve the expanding construction activity on the mainland. Particular attention was given to the unique requirements of receiving, stocking, and shipping windows, doors and interior trim as the facility was designed. Showroom space was designed so that our contractor customers could get in and out quickly, while providing space for our homeowner customers to review and make selections from our millwork lines. Ground was broken in May 2000, and the yard opened for business in January 2001 with almost 40,000 square feet under roof.
As our business has grown, we have added to our Okatie facility. In 2003, we expanded the drive through shed and added an additional 7,000 square foot shed. In 2005, we added mezzanine space in our main warehouse. In 2006, we added 2,500 square feet of office space and moved our administrative operations from the Hilton Head location.
Mr. McLeod passed away in 2013, and the company remained in the ownership of Mr. Arnold & the McLeod family until 2019. At that time, the McLeod family sold their interest to Mr. Arnold, who eventually brought on a minority partner in Mark McGahan. Also following the 2013 passing of Mr. McLeod, Mike Reeves became the President & General Manager, a role in which he remains to this day.
In 2022, the company was bestowed with the honor of becoming the Independent ProDealer of the Year and, for the second time, Versatex’s Regional Dealer of the Year for the South-Eastern Sales Region. Espy continues to have a strong presence and remains active within the industry and within the Lowcountry.
On March 14 of 2023, Espy Lumber Company, Inc., will celebrate 65 years in business!
