Kelly-Moore Paint Company Makes Endowment to the Texas Builders Foundation

Kelly-Moore Paint Company and the Texas Builders Foundation have established  the Kelly-Moore Paints Endowment to the Texas Builders Foundation. The $125,000.00 endowment will provide scholarships to students who are enrolled in construction related programs in Texas’ trade and technical schools and colleges and universities.

For the last several years, Texas’ residential construction industry has faced a shortage of skilled workers, and over the next five years an estimated 20 percent of skilled laborers in the construction industry will retire. According to the Texas State Data Center, in 2014 an estimated 2,600 individuals moved to Texas every day, and as additional individuals and companies continue to relocate to the state, the need for quality, affordable housing will continue to be in demand.

Steve DeVoe, chairman, CEO and president of Kelly-Moore said, “We take pride in our products, and want to be the building industry’s paint source. We have 31 stores in Texas, and two more will open soon. We are committed to providing industry excellence to help ensure the future of the professional construction workforce.”

The Kelly-Moore Paints Endowment will not only bring attention to the building industry as a professional career choice but will make a significant difference in the future of Texas students who are working toward earning construction trade certifications or degrees and who are planning to join the building workforce in Texas.


In 2013, the Texas Legislature passed comprehensive education reform, giving high school students a choice in their post-graduation path, allowing them to prepare for college, or choosing elective courses that prepare them for employment immediately upon graduation from high school by, for example, earning construction industry or trade certifications. In 2015, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed into law, additional legislation that removed the dual credits cap, thereby allowing students the opportunity to graduate from high school with not only an industry or trade certification, but with an Associates Degree.

Joe Carlyle, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Texas Builders Foundation and president of Carlyle Homes in Troup, Texas said, “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank Kelly-Moore Paints for their investment in the future of the building industry. We – the Foundation’s Trustees and the Kelly-Moore team – are dedicated to helping young people achieve a certification or degree in a construction related field, to providing opportunities for employment as building professionals, and to helping Texans achieve the dream of homeownership. We are committed to opening these doors across our state.”