Throughout the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s, Mr. McDonough expanded his holdings to include several other businesses with ties to construction, mining and exploration. Some of Mr. McDonough’s key ventures and acquisitions included the formation of Houston Shell and Concrete in 1945, and later Gulf Coast Portland Cement.
Mr. McDonough also made major inroads into manufacturing with the acquisition of two nationally recognized companies. O. Ames Company, one of the nation’s leading shovel and hand tool manufacturers, was acquired by Mr. McDonough in 1955.
Then, in the 1960’s Mr. McDonough began to purchase shares of the Endicott Johnson Shoe Company, eventually gaining a 100% interest of a corporation that at one time employed 19,000 people, and operated 29 factories with hundreds of retail locations.