Today we’d like to introduce you to Pat Wilson.
Hi Pat, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Two US Marines, met on a small tropical island of Okinawa while stationed together there in 1994. Been best friends ever since. Left the US Marine Corps in 2002 to pursue a civilian career with my wife. Jimmie Morris, had been working for one of the largest building suppliers in the world in Texas and reached out for my interest. I later accepted a sales position, worked for that company for nearly 8 years before Jimmie and I opened the doors of Legends Architectural Stone in 2013. With limited resources, some key friendships and a few helping hands, we grinded out the the founding footsteps of this company into the where we are today, a multi-million dollar company that provides natural stone, brick, landscape, and masonry materials to the greater Houston area and we ship across the United States. We have blessed along the way with organizations such as the Greater Houston Builders Association that help make Legends a household name among the industry. God has blessed our journey in so many ways…He says put forth the work and I will provide the harvest, live in no fear and have faith in My promise. We have been in business now almost thirteen years with opportunities to serve and provide stone for residential homes and commercial properties across this great city. Along the way we have been gifted some opportunities with HGTV in 2017 with “Beachfront Renovation” for a home in Galveston TX. Most recently, we had the intimate pleasure to work with David Bromstad and HGTV on a project and that episode airs on Dec 19th. There’s an emotional connection between our customers and Legends – buying a home is one of the greatest liberties our great nation provides us and we get to live and breath each and every day. We built our current facility from the ground up in 2023-24. A lot of work has gone into our location to ensure our customers experience exceeds that of the market. We are consistently researching and innovating new ways and improvements to our facility to incorporate products with experience. We served as America’s 911 Force as US Marines, now we help you build the American Dream.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth road – lol. Nothing worth something ever seems to come easy. We borrowed a facility and shared it with a good industry friend – we leased his employees with no experience in our industry as hired hands – having to teach them everything about preparing materials for shipping. I sold the job, invoiced the job, bought the materials for the job from suppliers, I scheduled deliveries of the materials and make sure materials were pulled correctly. Jimmie did all the background financials all the while so I could focus on the sales.
We bought materials from my competitors, resold them to my customers and even some of them at a very reduced profit but we had to – no manufacturer would extend us credit and we had to operate like that of our competitors. There are a lot of friends along that way that helped us out for sure. Having been in this industry for nearly 20 years now, its really a small world and you realize that very quickly.
We had our challenges, leaving my previous employment making a six figure salary to start my own company making about a third or less than what I was making before – only getting that if I sold materials and made money doing it. We had to build slowly and smart – cash flow was always a concern – hiring key employees in the rights spots was crucial. Buying equipment saws, forklifts were strategic and we had to be careful to not exceed our ability. When I left my former company, I and the company were a dominate force in the market, serving most of the major builders in Houston such as Highland Homes, Taylor Morrison, Toll Brothers and more. Legends did not have the resources nor the infrastructure to service big homebuilders so I watched one of my competitors takeover the market until Legends were ready to start taking it back and that took a few years. They were a great competitor and did a great job. Combating to take back the industry has been a challenge that we face daily. We now have the infrastructure to handle the business, now we have to capitalize on our relationships and create key partnerships that help both the builder and Legends. We have been doing that, God willing, successfully for the better part of ten years or more.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Founded in July 2013, Legends Architectural Stone is one of largest suppliers of natural stone building products and masonry in the Houston area. We specialize in residential construction projects ranging from new construction to remodels, landscape, pools, outdoor living and much more. In addition to residential construction we provide material for commercial projects as well across the country.
Our showroom is designed to provide our clients a clean, refreshing and knowledgeable experience with some of the largest product offerings available under one roof from stone, to brick, to flooring, to turf, to paver, to veneer for the interior walls and so much more. Our custom home builders have given us the inspiration and creativity to feature many of our custom stone blends, brick, and veneer options through their models and unique customers.
Unlike other showrooms, Legends inspires creativity and imagination, allowing customers to truly see, touch, and experience the products that bring their vision to life. Our representatives are highly knowledgeable in both materials and construction, helping transform our customers’ unfinished ideas into reality. Empathy and understanding are at the heart of what we do.
We proudly offer some of the most recognized brands in the construction materials industry, including Landmark Ceramics, Royal and Sesco Cements, Fond du Lac Natural Stone, Natural Paving USA, Belgard, Nucor Steel Products, Simpson Strong-Tie, Wirebond, Cultured Stone, Lonestar Brick, Triangle Brick, and many more.
It’s not a single brand that defines us — it’s the combination of these industry leaders that enables us to deliver a complete and exceptional building experience.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy — God, my family, and working aside my best friend and one of the best teams in our industry. Because we are a privately owned company, our path and its design is in our hands. We get to decide moving forward and creating something from nothing to where it is today has been an amazing experience.
Why do I do it — my family. My wife and our three children – I want to be able to provide the best experience possible for them. I want to lead and inspire them to stretch themselves and reach for the goals they want in life and show them that through hard work, it can be done and I’ve shown them that through Legends,
I start my day every morning at 4:25am with a cup of coffee, a devotional which I send to close family and friends, and the gym – this recharges my day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.LegendsStone.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendsstonehouston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/legends.architectural.stone1/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/legends-architectural-stone/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LegendsStone
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8lLl6sqAOZR2cXQjbrjwDg
- Other: https://tiktok.com/@Legendsstonehouston
