(CEDAR HILL, TEXAS) Osie Carroll took a leap of faith when he started his own construction company – JOS Construction — a couple of years ago.
The 2007 Cedar Hill High School Graduate was inspired by an experience he had nearly two decades earlier.
Back in 2003, Carroll was an eighth grader at Permenter Middle School when Cedar Hill High School promoted a 31-year-old assistant coach named Joey McGuire to head coach.
Being part of that process helped Carroll, 34, understand the recipe for success.
“Coach McGuire is absolutely relentless in his pursuit of success and he had that mindset to build something from the ground up,” Carroll said of McGuire, who is now in his second season as the head coach at Texas Tech.
Carroll was a fullback at Permenter and was preparing to be part of an I-Formation offense at Cedar Hill.
McGuire implemented the Spread Offense, and Carroll moved to inside receiver. By the time Carroll was a senior in 2006, the Longhorns were UIL State Champions.
He caught passes from quarterback William Cole.
“We had to play back the film because we couldn’t believe the things Cole did on the field,” Carroll said.
His best friend is fellow receiver Dezmon Briscoe, who played in the NFL with Tampa Bay and Washington. Carroll and Briscoe would later learn that they’re distant cousins.
After Cedar Hill, Carroll graduated from Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture.
“As a kid, I loved to play with legos,” Carroll said. “I’ve always been fascinated by the way structures are put together.”
He started his career as an estimator and worked his way up to a project manager, and eventually a vice president of a construction company. He now owns a company with 12 employees, but he’s still very “hands on” with the work himself. It’s not uncommon for him to show up at the construction side with a hard hat.
JOS Construction incorporates Carroll’s first name, and the names of his wife and three children. The company works on projects ranging from office buildings, warehouses and schools, from Pre-K to universities.
Carroll and his wife, Sherrelle, first met when they were Highlands Elementary third graders in 1997. Sherrelle graduated from a neighboring district, but they attended PVAMU at the same time.
Carroll, who resides in the Dallas area, currently coaches youth football, instilling many of the lessons he’s learned along the way.
