Who is Joseph Holt? - Joseph Holt Plastering

Joseph Holt Came to America from his homeland of Wales in June of 1904, at the young age of 23.

a Finish carpenter by trade, he immigrated to Tacoma, Washington with his beautiful bride Mary and began building new homes with attention to detail.

He refused to sacrifice quality or service for any reason. He soon gained the reputation as a man of his word and a builder of a fine home.

For the next 2 decades, Holt Construction, continued to build a better home with a major emphasis on building a strong relationship with his clients. Joseph Holt knew that no one job made a company, relationships do.

By October of 1929, Holt Construction was building eight lakefront properties for the prominent families of Tacoma. Each house was at a different stage of completion when on October 29, 1929 the stock market crashed and the beginning of the Great Depression was upon America.

With the economy crashing all around them, the future owners of the eight Lakefront properties could no longer afford them. The banks that were financing these homes began to fail and the entire project went broke.

Joseph Holt found himself owing suppliers and sub contractors who had yet to be paid for their material and services on the homes that no one could afford to buy. While the easy way out was to file bankruptcy, Joseph Holt refused to do so.

He moved his wife and 3 children into the upstairs of a rental property he owned, turned the downstairs into a hardware & thrift store and vowed to payback every supplier and subcontractor who he had yet to pay in full for their services on the project.

17 years later, Joseph Holt paid off his last subcontractor , a plumber, and 2 weeks later on June 19, 1946, he died of stomach cancer.

Eleven years later, to the day, Joseph Holt’s youngest daughter, Elesa, gave birth to her youngest son who grew up hearing the stories of this great man and his wonderful legacy.

I am that youngest son and i decided to name my company after Joseph Holt, whom I never got to meet, but feel his influences throughout my business in just about everything I do. Hard work, trustworthiness and an honest approach to my clients are important to the success of this company.

Our customers are our most valuable asset, and no one job makes a company, relationships do. Relationships like those my Grandfather had with everyone who knew him.

Sincerely,
Scott McKernan
President
Joseph Holt Plastering, Inc.