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PAUL MCKEE:
MAKING LIFE WORK
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By By Christine Imbs
Paul McKee loves to build things.
“Both my father and my uncle were home builders in Overland and Woodson Terrace. So I’d get left-over lumber from job sites, and make all kinds of things in my backyard,” he says laughing. “Go-carts out of wood, you name it, and I was building it. I was born to build, and I’m still doing it.”
Today as chairman and CEO of McEagle Properties, McKee’s building projects are a bit more complicated than a go-cart, but as far as he’s concerned, every bit as much fun.
“I’m doing what I do because I want to, not because I have to,” he explains. “I love it, and what’s more, it helps the community.”
And community is something McKee believes in very strongly. So much so, he helped develop McEagle’s LifeWorks® based on his belief that if you can live, learn, work, pray and play in the same community, then you’ve got a better chance that your life will work. WingHaven®, one of the area’s largest mixed-use developments, is a good example of this
philosophy.
“It’s the way communities used to be,” McKee says. “It’s an old-fashioned, old city idea, but one I believe people want today. They’re trying to align their corporate life with human behavior and family life. Space,
community, and development are a big part of doing that.”
So is seeking a balance, something McKee says is very important, if you truly want to be successful in life. He learned this watching his own father, who never let his work get out of balance with his family life. And because his father proved it could be done, McKee made it his goal as well.
“I have to say it’s been a struggle for me because I love to work,” he admits. “But I guess I felt if my father could do it, then so could I. And I think I’ve done a pretty good job. Not every successful businessman or woman can say they have a successful marriage, a successful family, good kids that serve their community well, and have a faith life. I’m very blessed because I have all these things.”
And of course there’s his most successful family of businesses. It began in 1979 when McKee and his partner, Richard Jordan,
started Paric Corporation, a construction firm specializing in designing and building. Soon afterward, they created Environmental Management Corporation, which operates water, waste water and public works
systems for cities and industries. McEagle, the real estate development firm, was the last
member of the business family.
“Three years ago, British Oxygen Company bought EMC. Then I decided it was time for the old guy to get out of the way, and we sold Paric to my son, Joe. But I still needed something to do, so we have McEagle. I’ve gone from 1,100 employees down to 17,” he says laughing.
When asked if he ever sees a time when he’ll completely retire, McKee is quick to respond, “I avoid using the ‘R’ word. It’s simply not in my vocabulary.” Rather, he sees himself as
moving from the playing field to the sidelines.
“I do more coaching than playing now, and that’s how it should be,” he says. “I’m just evolving to a different place, where the Lord is asking me to use my gifts in a different kind
of way.”
As for advice, McKee says he tells people nothing great happens unless you embrace the tension.
“Whether it’s being a great athlete, a great developer, or a great dad, it takes tension,” he says. “Today, we tell young people tension is bad and you’ve got to get it out of your life. I think just the opposite. You need to embrace it and learn how to live with it. That’s how we make ourselves better. So don’t run from it, go to it.”
TALKINGPOINTS |
BORN: Overland, Mo.
FAMILY: Wife, Midge; four grown children; 11 grandchildren and one on the way.
EDUCATION: Civil engineering degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
HOBBIES: The outdoors especially duck hunting and fishing.
BOOKS: Current favorite is “The Experience Economy” by B. Joseph Pine, II.
MUSIC: A jazz guy. Trumpeter Chris Botti is a particular favorite.
WHAT HE'D STILL LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH: To help make St. Louis the best it can be.
THOUGHTS ON ST. LOUIS: It’s a great place to grow up, raise a family and start a business. |
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