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Paul Cocker

A man in a black shirt smiles while sitting outdoors in bright sunlight. In the background, there's a black metal railing and lush green foliage.
Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS) alumnus, Paul Cocker, had a few false starts when he began his studies at TMU. While Cocker spent his time socializing and enjoying his youth, he admits to not studying as hard as he should have. While this resulted in him being asked to leave the University, it also led to the first negotiation of Cocker’s career. 

“I had to go to the president to convince him that I should sit out for the year and come back on probation, and they agreed to that,” said Cocker. “And so I started my carpentry apprenticeship. It turned out to be the best experience, and I learned a great deal. I connected with people that I eventually worked with, and when I finished my apprenticeship, I was given some credit for my time at TMU.” 

Despite his initial missteps at TMU, Cocker graduated with a civil engineering diploma in 1970 and began his career at McKay-Cocker Construction. With the company originally founded by his father, Herb, and Colonel Hugh McKay, Cocker purchased the company in 1991 with his older cousin, Jock Tindale. Today, Cocker is the retired owner and CEO of McKay-Cocker Construction. However, similar to his experience at TMU, the alumnus highlights the pair’s difficult start after acquiring their new company.

“I always joke and say, ‘Four hours after we bought the company, the biggest recession hit Canada,’” said Cocker. “There were no opportunities here for four years and I was actually looking for work in China. I was about to travel there to see if there were some real opportunities.” 

“We were almost ready to give up. We had shared loans, and believe it or not, in those days, the interest on those loans was 21 percent. It was a tough time.” 

While the economy wasn’t in their favour, the company was able to continue and thrive after having the opportunity to meet with Walmart and successfully closing a deal with the multi-billion dollar company. This allowed McKay-Cocker to renovate and build several stores for the corporation.

“I went into this three and a half-hour-long interview, we were competing with the big boys and were just the little McKay-Cocker,” said the alumnus. “After we’ve gone through all the interviews, I got a call. I was leaving my squash club on Saturday morning, and I had a voicemail on my phone. They said, ‘I don't usually do million-dollar deals on voicemail, but I just thought you'd want to know that you're the first Canadian company that's been chosen by Walmart.’” 

“I bet I left that voicemail on my old car phone for about seven years. Every time we lost a contract, I played it to get my spirits back up.”

Despite their difficult start, Cocker says his proudest achievement is working with his late cousin to create the successful and profitable business that was McKay-Cocker and is now a division of Magil Construction, based in Montreal. 

“I think just the fact that we were able to turn the business around is my proudest accomplishment,” said Cocker. “I was always sad that [Jock] couldn’t participate for another 10 years, and it was certainly a huge test of my management skills and our whole company's ability to survive, grow and thrive after that.”

Reflecting on his challenging beginnings in university, Cocker is proud to offer support to TMU today through his generous investments into students’ academic careers. 

“I had always wanted to recognize the second chance I was given,” said Cocker. “I think if I had gone to another school, I never would have had the applied education that I got from TMU.”