Barry Cosey, Plumber
Kane Epperson, Custom Painter
DeJuan Bateman, Carpenter

Kevin Logan met plumber Barry Cosey more than 20 years ago while rehabbing one of the family's earlier homes on Withnell Street, near Benton Park. After a hard freeze burst pipes and opened hidden leaks, Cosey assessed the system, traced the problem, and fixed it in a matter of hours. From that point forward, Cosey became Logan's go-to.

Painter Kane Epperson arrived in St. Louis during the Ferguson period after rebuilding his life from a turbulent youth. Painting paid the bills while he also pursued work in music promotion; the trades proved the more dependable engine of independence. "The paint business bought our house," he says.

Carpenter DeJuan Bateman followed a steadier path — family discipline, technical training, professionalism shaped on job sites. He mentors younger workers by explaining not just what to do, but why, translating classroom precision into field judgment.

Together they represent not exception stories but a working ecosystem, one rarely visible to policymakers or developers, yet deeply present on neighborhood job sites.

[ Long-term partners ]

Barry Cosey

[ 01 ]

Barry Cosey

Plumber · Barry's Sewer and Drain

Kevin's go-to plumber for 20+ years, since a burst-pipe rescue on the Withnell Street rehab. Runs his truck like a rolling workshop, fittings arranged by size.

Kane Epperson

[ 02 ]

Kane Epperson

Custom Painter · Independent

Arrived in St. Louis during the Ferguson period; built a painting business that, in his words, "bought our house." Approaches paint with an entrepreneur's eye for neighborhoods.

DeJuan Bateman

[ 03 ]

DeJuan Bateman

Carpenter · Independent

St. Louis carpenter with classroom training and field judgment. Mentors younger workers on every job, explaining the why, not just the what.