Southern Builders

Southern Builders of York County, Inc. was founded on Saint Patrick’s Day in 1978 in Rock Hill, SC. Founding partner and current company president, Pat Williamson Sr., got his start in the business with his father in law, Mr. Budd Okey. Mr. Okey owned and operated Okey Lumber Company, which was a building and lumber supply company with offices in Rock Hill and Fort Mill for almost 50 years. 
Pat Williamson Sr, after graduating from Clemson University and employment in the US Army, was extended the opportunity to learn the business from Mr Okey. Pat worked for several years for Okey Lumber Company before branching out on his own.

Southern Builders was soon established, with the first projects as small as building a picket fence. In the first few years, the company slowly began to grow and Pat’s strong work ethic and attention to detail forged a dependable reputation in the local construction marketplace. Southern Builders was able to create a nitch building high end custom homes and select commercial projects. Southern Builders was named builder of the year in York County and Pat went on to serve in several offices of the York County Home Builders Association including President.

In 2002, Patrick Williamson Jr joined the company as a full time employee. Patrick grew up working for Southern Builders in the field and went on to pursue his building interest at Clemson University where he received a degree in Construction Science and Management. After returning from college and spending some time as a project assistant at Southern Builders, Patrick began managing projects and focused on further developing the commercial side of the business.  Patrick now serves as Vice President and handles commercial operations at Southern Builders. Currently, Southern Builder’s completed projects are roughly half residential and half commercial with both components being very important to the company’s overall success.