Joe's
Story
Born and raised in Greenville, Texas,
Joe got his first taste of the nursery
business when he was only eight years
old. Joe's dad was a fireman who
ran a small nursery and landscaping
business. Joe's afternoons were spent
with his dad either delivering plants
or learning first-hand how to use
a shovel.
After his father's death when Joe
was 16, Joe met his future wife,
finished high school and got a job
at Dallas Nurseries. In 1972, at
age 20, he married Gayle Selement,
moved to Garland and bought one acre
of land at the intersection of Oates & Broadway
from a fellow who had won the land
in a poker game.
Joe and his mom, Eula, co-signed
a $6,000 loan from Southern Bank
to build a nursery facility. Gayle
helped Joe get established by working
the counter while he worked the landscape
sites. When the first of their two
sons, Ryan, was born in 1979, Gayle
left the nursery.
Four years later
in 1983, their son Ross was born.
Ross has worked summers for the nursery
since 1996. After his completion
of his studies at Baylor University,
he plans to join the family business.
Ryan is attending SMU, majoring in
film, television and English. Gayle
is still very much involved, behind
the scenes. Serving as Joe's confidante
and advisor, they are truly a team.
Gayle has most recently been involved
in the creation of the retail store's
gift shop.
After her retirement from E-Systems,
Inc., Joe's mother, Eula, worked
with him for fifteen years, from
1975 until 1990. She kept the books,
assumed the role of "designated
gopher", and kept Joe in line
as well! Joe's hard work, support
from his family, and the growth of
Garland and surrounding communities
helped his business thrive, and he
eventually ran out of space at the
Garland location.
Moving to Rowlett
In 1984, Joe bought land in Rowlett
where he could store his equipment.
The Rowlett property was unevenly
graded, and Joe vividly recalls hauling
in truckload after truckload of gravel
to help level things out. In the
late 80's, Joe had a surprise phone
call from Mort Mortensen asking if
he'd sell his Garland property so
that Phillips 66 could build a gas
station. The wheeling and dealing
took a while, but, finally, Joe decided
to sell, and moved his entire operation
to Rowlett.
Since then, Rowlett's population
has grown from about 10,000 to 50,000
people, and as homes were built in
the area, Joe's nursery continued
to grow. Along the way, Covington's
picked up a mascot. In 1988, Joe's
son Ryan found an Australian shepherd
pup near their home. Pepper began
hanging out at the nursery on a daily
basis, and would ride in Joe's truck
from job site to job site. We are
sorry to tell our long-time customers
who remember our sweet baby girl,
Pepper, that after 14 years of love
and devotion to our family, she left
the house one day never to return.
We miss her. From one man operating alone on
a single acre, Covington's has grown
to a true "destination nursery,
with 18 acres of material, 16 greenhouses,
and 50 employees. The one thing that
hasn't changed is Joe's commitment
to quality and to you—his customers. |