Houston H-E-B president shares his story

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- If you've seen the commercial, you know that being rejected by J.J. Watt is just one of Scott McClelland's claims to fame.

McClelland is the president of H-E-B Houston, managing more than 21,000 employees in the greater Houston area. Because he is also the local face of the grocery store brand, people recognize him.

But his life today is much different than when he started with the company 25 years ago.

"Four weeks into the job, my wife asked how things were going. I said, 'If they find out I have no idea what I'm doing, we are in deep trouble,'" McClelland said.

At that time, he had never worked in a supermarket before. With his prior job at Frito Lay, he had moved eight times in 10 years.

"My daughter went to a different kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade and fourth grade," McClelland said.

Today, his daughters are grown and his two grandchildren live close by, and he is celebrating 40 years with his wife.

He prides himself on being part of his community. Last year, H-E-B donated 40 million pounds of food to the Houston Food Bank.

"One in six people in Houston are food insecure. That means they go to bed tonight not knowing if they'll have enough food for tomorrow," McClelland said.

Just last month, the H-E-B store in Meyerland flooded during the Memorial Day storms and McClelland walked through the neighborhood handing out H-E-B cards to residents.

"It wasn't going to replace their house, what we did, but it was a little gesture to let them know that somebody cares," McClelland said.