‘Mater Man’ Tommy McGuire a Lee County fixture

LEESBURG — Take a ride along Philema Road most any afternoon, and as you come upon the IPG Insurance Agency building at 1779 Philema Road, you’ll notice a bright splash of red in the northeast corner of the business’ parking lot.

The eye-catching color that snagged your attention is the produce display of the “Mater Man,” Tommy “Tommy Rock” McGuire, who’s been selling his goods — emphasis, obviously, on his freshly picked tomatoes — since the first good crop came in in February.

Pull into the IPG parking lot to buy a basket of tomatoes, a ripe watermelon, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes or squash, and you’ll most likely stay for the conversation with the affable McGuire, who’s been selling produce at a roadside stand pretty much since his 31-year career with Georgia-Pacific abruptly ended.

“I’m a people person,” McGuire said on a recent hot afternoon. “Jesus said to treat people the way you want to be treated, and that’s what I do. I like making people happy. A lot of my customers may be just riding by and they’ll stop in to talk with me. I love when they do that.”

McGuire became a regular selling produce at another location along Philema in recent years, but when the owners of that property told him they wanted to start collecting $500 a month rent for him to stay there, he decided to move on.

“I just prayed about it,” McGuire said. “I live in this area, and one day while I was out exercising, Mr. Dan Griffin (owner of IPG Insurance) saw me and called me over. He asked me where I’d been hiding, and I told him about my situation at the other location. We talked for a while, and he told me that if I’d open my stand on his property, he wouldn’t charge me a dime.

“See, the good Lord takes care of you through good people.”

Twice McGuire’s portable cabana that provides shade from the summer heat has been damaged — once by a strong wind and once by vandals — but both times customers have come to his rescue.

“Mr. Griffin got me a shelter after someone cut mine, and then after the wind blew the new one away I just prayed about it, asked God to help me,” McGuire said. “Not 30 minutes after I said ‘amen,’ one of my customers drove up and said he and his sister had got together and bought me this shelter. I also stay cool because one of my customers bought me this fan.

“I think because I’m willing to go where God sends me, he looks out for me by sending these wonderful customers.”

McGuire says he takes care of his customers, too, by replacing any non-perfect produce, which he purchases mostly at the Cordele Farmers Market, at no cost.

“The people here are wonderful,” he said. “They look out for me. You be sure and tell them that Tommy Rock says, ‘Y’all come.’ And if they’ve already stopped in, tell ‘em I said, ‘Y’all come back now, y’hear?’”