The name MACS has been a part of our family’s history long before we started our plumbing company. It all began with Joe’s dad, Harvey McFerron. While most of the family pronounces it “MEK-ferron,” like McDonald’s, Harvey always said “MAC-ferron.” That pronunciation stuck with him—and later, with all of us.

Harvey was a sound engineer by trade, but 2008 hit and he was unexpectedly laid off. He had only a few months to decide what to do next. Instead of backing down, he took a leap of faith and opened MACS Pizza Works, a food truck in 2009. This was before food trucks were mainstream, and city ordinances for them weren’t completely fleshed out yet. Harvey had a knack for precision—he measured every ingredient down to the ounce—and his dedication to quality made the business a success. On weekends, Joe would help his dad run the truck, learning firsthand the value of hard work and business operations.