Meet Chris and Liz Kilmer of Del Rio Corp in Greenville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris and Liz Kilmer.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Chris and Liz. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My father owns Del Rio Corp. I am the fourth generation of Kilmers to be a part of the development here in Greenville. My father graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering, and then went on to receive his Masters Degree in Physics at East Texas State University (now Texas A&M – Commerce). His father and grandfather were both architects. My brother, who was an amazing inventor and had a bachelor’s in Information Technology, unfortunately passed away in February of 2015. He also had made his mark with our company in years past. My family was devastated and confused when he took his own life quite unexpectedly. I have always been the free spirit of the bunch. Well, black sheep, some may say. I have worked for my Dad many times throughout my life, but the loss of my brother brought me back home for good. My mother is a retired teacher, and Del Rio supports our entire family unit. I felt that I needed to use the strength I had acquired through the hardships in my life to hold this company and my family together. The greatest sense of pride comes from being my father’s daughter. He has quite the reputation around this and other far reaching communities. My Dad is probably most important to people because he is so very motivating and encouraging to everyone he meets. I often joke about our employees, including myself, being wayward children of sorts. We all have very interesting pasts with a very common denominator. My Dad puts faith and trust in us that no one else ever has. He gives us hope that other people would have never shown us. Instead of judging the guys for mistakes of their past, he hired them with a confidence about their future. He is the model of true reform. He is my hero and I’m not alone. My family’s vision and hard work grace most every street in our town and many all over Texas. He has imprinted everything from restoration and renovation of Historic Downtown Greenville, to Churches, schools, commercial business, residences, to many, many charitable contributions throughout the community. There are many occasions where we must replace the original and dated works of my grandfather and great grandfather with the more modern skills and design of my father. I find it sad to keep up with the pace of development, but I guess that’s where the girl in me shines through. I did say I was the free spirit! I have always been more artsy than the rest. I love to paint and create! I have found myself incorporating my hobbies into building design in the past couple of years. I have an eye for things that my very “Type A” father has come to appreciate in our line of work. I have so many wonderful things I want to share, but I feel as if I’m rambling a bit. If any of this is interesting, just know there is much, much more! There are some pretty famous people in our lineage. Artists- such as Joyce Kilmer who wrote the famous poem Trees; Dr. Kilmer- who was famous for many remedies of our past; even Val Kilmer is a not so distant cousin. All of these, and it all boils down to Del Rio Corp.- the last of our Kilmer legacy. I wonder what kinda of mark we will leave behind….

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Wow….so many to choose from. I began my exploration of the world and deterioration of my parent’s sanity when I was about 13 years old. I was a little rebellious and independent. Though I skipped school often, I somehow pulled off graduating with honors and going on to college. My parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. all have at least bachelor’s degrees. I, well, do not. I have a vast amount of experience and wisdom from my adventures, however! Anyways, my parents went through many sleepless nights over me I’m sure. I was hanging with rock stars and tripping acid, and everything else, when I was expected to be attending college classes and making my family proud. My brother went to college on a track scholarship and joined a fraternity.

He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Information Technology and was a very successful inventor and businessman. He and I were eight yrs. apart, and he didn’t exactly support my gypsy lifestyle. We didn’t speak for three years prior to the two holidays that preceded his suicide in early 2015. I saw him on Thanksgiving briefly, and Christmas briefly, and was the last one of us to speak with him on the phone the day before he died.

He just wanted to tell me he loved me and he was proud of me. I was nearing graduation from a faith based rehab in Winnsboro. We left for a women’s retreat in Marshall right after I spoke with my big brother for the last time. The following day, devastation ensued upon my family. I had to pack a bag and come home immediately. I stayed for two weeks to help stabilize my crumbling parents, but I returned to Winnsboro to finish my six month program. Had I not been so spiritually sound from the five months I had been at the rehab, there is truly no telling if any of us would have made it. My parents became like helpless children holding on me as their rock. I knew I had to come home and I knew my path would be difficult to walk. I was raised by very scientific people who were not necessarily religious in nature. I had, at this point, become very religious and very blessed to have become so when I did. I always had a desire to believe, but I had many strongholds to overcome. I had never had anyone clear things up for me growing up. I couldn’t discount tangible knowledge of things, such as carbon dating, in order to have faith in creation and biblical documentation. However, my time in Winnsboro allowed me to stumble upon a very educated and very spiritual woman who gave me the key to understanding. The Bible is very much like reading prose. When you read the bible, it is important to realize that, much like the fairy tales of our youth, the teachings had to reach the entire world as an audience and the moral lessons understood by all. As children of all backgrounds, we learn many life lessons from the same timeless stories.

They are universal in their teachings. The Bible conforms to the same concept. The greatest teacher of all authored these works so that all people of all generations would learn their valuable lessons. It is society that creates the conflict. Science doesn’t contradict religion at all. It is quite supportive, actually. Society thrives on the conflict of creation vs. evolution, black vs. white, man vs. woman, democrat vs. republican, and so on. The conflict between science and religion has been carried throughout the world and passed down from one generation to the next. Like many customs, society just accepts the way instead of investigating its validity. Wouldn’t the world change if we discovered that the conflicts that define us aren’t really conflicts at all?

Please tell us about Del Rio Corp.
Del Rio Corp is a multifaceted company providing services in all aspects of general contracting and construction management. We are comprised of many skilled laborers and a solid administrative team. For more that forty years, my father- owner of Del Rio, has been designing, building, and restoring our community. He is admired and respected by all. His countless contributions to this area have made him a pillar in our rapidly growing city. We operate by reputation alone. We have a website, but have never had to advertise. Our customers all come from the recommendations of other customers or the display of our work around town. We are a small company, but we are very capable of multi- million dollar projects. We recently completed a 24000 sq ft Church, a multi- tenant commercial lease space, and several other projects this year. We are currently juggling a major renovation in historic downtown Greenville, a major residence remodel, a school district in another town, two residences in two other cities, and working on the design phases of the Chamber of Commerce, Women in Need Backyard Refuge, Boles ISD playground, two historic remodels in the business district of downtown, a major industrial remodel, and a couple of projects we are donating to the Cotton Museum, which we also built. We have less than 15 employees and my Dad and I are the only estimators and project managers. So, needless to say, we have a lot on our plates at all times. There are many projects we regretfully have to decline because we simply can’t get to them. The demand for Kilmer influence far outweighs the supply of Kilmers these days. We are steadily improving and steadfast in providing the service people have come to expect. My father sets us apart. Plain and simple.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My mom used to get refrigerator or washer/ dryer boxes and bring them home if the weather was bad outside. I would turn the box into my dream playhouse, and my big brother would quickly transform it into a battle fort. I would envision curtains and flower boxes under windows, then my brother would install a periscope and duct tape ball launching catapult instead. I have to admit; his plan was always more exciting!

Contact Info:

• Website: delrioconstructionservices.com
• Phone: (903) 883-0340 or (903) 355-0403
• Email: delriocorp@live.com

Image Credit:
Creekside Church of Christ; VL Bama Building: Kinsey Abstract/ Sabine Title; Chris, Cheryl, Liz, Averi, and Alexandra Kilmer (Averi and Alex are Liz’s daughters)

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