It’s common for us to share our work at Texas Rock Milling—transforming barriers into base, laying the foundation for your future builds, and working in the rugged South Texas Hill Country. We love what we do and we are thankful everyday that we get to help your dreams become a reality.
Today, we’re taking a road less traveled and sharing a look behind the scenes with our co-owner, Trey McCarty. In this interview, he’s sharing how Texas Rock Milling got started, where our passion comes from, what’s on the horizon, and so much more.
How did Texas Rock Milling begin? What inspired you to start this company, and what were the initial challenges you faced?
Trey: Well, this is actually a family business, not just me. Texas Rock Milling was started in 2017 along with my mom and brother-in-law. I was working for a company that was in the same industry called Green Mountain. I learned a lot from the owner about this field of work and performing every aspect of the job with excellence. We wanted to work specifically at the foundation of projects, so we set out to start our own company. I’ve always enjoyed being the first one on a job to start it out right!
When we first launched Texas Rock Milling, one of the most challenging aspects was making connections. “Rock milling” encapsulates a lot of different things, so we had to make sure we were providing and communicating a service that met a need that individuals and builders had.
What drives your passion for land clearing and rock milling? Is there a personal or professional experience that particularly connects you to this work?
Trey: I really love being the first man on the job. We get the blank slate before anyone else has touched it. We truly get to tame the terrain all around us and transform it into something that serves our clients well. That may be a house, a roadway, or even a wine cellar. (That last one is really a job we did!)
I’ve always had jobs and positions where I’ve been on the ground floor of making something out of the raw materials that are already there. There’s something incredible about taking what you have and casting the vision for all that it could be.
How often is technology advancing in your industry, and how are you navigating any of those changes?
Trey: The industry is always advancing. There are so many internal components that you can purchase to do all sorts of things. Some of them are necessary to operate effectively like checking the grade and topography. From the outside looking in, our equipment looks just like everyone else’s, but under the hood, there could be a lot going on along with additional tools outside of the equipment.
The challenge is knowing what you really need to get the job done. All of this equipment is quite expensive, so we work intentionally to identify any technology that will truly help us work more effectively.
How do you see Texas Rock Milling impacting the local community and environment in the Hill Country?
Trey: Since we are the first people on a job, we often get to set the standard for how the rest of the job will go. We’ve built a team that knows how important it is to do a job well and achieve what the client is trying to do.
Because we hold ourselves to the highest standard, those who come to build on top of what we have created can tell that we’ve gone the extra mile to provide excellence, and will in turn do the same.
Another way we impact our community is that, instead of mulching through trees and destroying them, we also repurpose the trees by turning them into firewood, to sell to our neighbors, gas stations, and markets through a business called Rock Wood Supply Co. that I started with two close friends of mine, father-and-son duo Colton and David Spaugh.
Reflecting on your journey with Texas Rock Milling, what are you most proud of? Is there a particular project or accomplishment that stands out to you?
Trey: I am most proud of all the relationships we have made along the way. When we start a job, it doesn’t end for us when it’s completed. It’s an entire relationship. We are going to be working with many of these people over and over and over again. They trust us to start their job off right and I think that’s pretty special.
One of my favorite projects was for a former San Antonio Spurs basketball player back in 2018. We worked on his house’s pad. As a Texan, that was really special!
How would you describe the culture at Texas Rock Milling? What qualities do you value most in your team, and how do they contribute to the company’s success?
We try to incorporate an element of fun into our work. To start, we love what we do and that right there brings a level of enjoyment to our day.
Personally, it’s not every day that you get to work with the person that gave you life! Both my mom and I are discovering things about each other that we would have never known if we hadn’t started this business together.
We try to extend that feeling of being a family to include our employees too. Texas Rock Milling is a place where we can thrive and create something together. That attitude and way we approach work trickles down to our clients so they feel like they are part of the family too!
Where do you see Texas Rock Milling in the next five to ten years? Are there any new services or expansions that you are particularly excited about?
Trey: There are definitely some big ways we can grow. We’ve been able to be a part of some really cool projects in recent years like digging and clearing the path for a retention pond supporting a new community in Boerne, Texas. Our team also got to work on the site of the first Tesla roof in San Antonio.
It’s always exciting to get to be a part of new projects and things that are outside of the norm; however, we are all about the people and relationships we build along the way. I want to be able to say that every client we work with would use us again for their next project. Those are the types of relationships and the standard I want to set that will keep our business rolling for the next five years, ten years, and beyond.