GOODNESS & GRIT

BUSINESS MATTERS

Goodness & Grit

Alabama natives apply the family motto to their Chick-fil-A adventure

STORY BY BETSY ILER PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE & CLIFF WILLIAMS

The opportunity to own and operate a Chickfil-A restaurant first presented itself to Lois Ann (it’s a double name) Murphree 20 years ago. She was a newlywed and a recent Auburn graduate, and while the prospect appealed to her, the timing wasn’t right.

“Chick-fil-A owner-operators must be open to living wherever a restaurant is located, and we did not think we could do that at that point in our lives,” Murphree explained.

Equipped with a master’s degree in public relations communication, she took an inside sales job in economic development instead. Over the next two decades, she moved into fundraising sales and found a place that fed her heart at Varsity Spirit, working in cheerleading while starting a family with her husband, Micah.

Along with their three active boys, they moved around a bit. Eight-and-a-half years ago, they landed in Florida, but like a dangling carrot, the Chick-fil-A opportunity never really went away. Murphree and Micah occasionally discussed the possibility, and in 2017, they decided it was time to pursue it.

“And several years later, here we are,” she said with a smile.

It was 2:30 p.m. on a Tuesday – 11 days after Alexander City’s Chick-fil-A restaurant opened on U.S. Route 280, and she was sitting in the brand new, shining dining room of the area’s newest and most popular business. Taking what probably was her first sit-down break in an 18-hour day, Murphree radiated energy and was dressed in uniform – red pants and a dark blue shirt – with her name tag perfectly pinned just below her right shoulder. Blonde hair pulled back and a grin from ear to ear. After submitting her application to be in just exactly this position, Murphree went through a

screening and interview process and found herself in a challenging training program. When Alexander City was brought up as a possible location, she made a semi-clandestine visit. “I flew to Birmingham and rented a car and spent the day in Alexander City. I wanted to know this was a community where we could raise a family. I drove around town – loved the sportplex – not just that there was a such a facility, but that it is such a nice facility,” she said with emphasis on the word, ‘nice.’ “It was the people I met at other businesses, the conversations I had, that convinced me. I knew this was a community where I could raise my boys. I like the smalltown, welcoming feel. You don’t get that everywhere, you know.” Murphree was already somewhat familiar with the area. As an Auburn cheerleader in the late 1990s, she had visited Lake Martin. While an absence of 20 years and an industrial shift in the community revealed a changed city when she made her visit, she found the prospect of being part of Alexander City’s revitalization invigorating. “I feel like I am on the cusp of something wonderful here,” she said. The thrill of it all is a family affair. The whole family dressed out for the Chick-fil-A’s grand opening last month, and all of the Murphrees will be involved in its operation. Though the boys – 15-year-old Micah J, 13-year-old Collin and 10-year-old Gavin – are finishing the school semester in Florida, they look forward to helping with the restaurant and attending Alexander City schools next year, as well as being active in local sports. “Our family is involved in every sport under the A Family Affair sun – football, baseball, soccer, track, you name it,” Micah, Micah J, Gavin and Collin Murphree will move to Alexander City to help Lois Ann, Micah's wife and the boys' mom, operate Murphree said. Micah is all-in as well, helping at the restaurant wherever he’s needed when he’s not corralling the boys in Florida. this month's most popular “I told him I would have to give him the title of new restaurant, the Chick- Director of Do It All,” Murphree laughed. fil-A at 3899 U.S. Route 280. They bought a house in October and are making

the move with confidence, she said.

“We are 100 percent positive that God has placed us here. We want this to be a place where friends and family can commune. Everybody has a place here. That’s why it was so important to me to have the dining room open on the day of the grand opening,” she explained.

Murphree employs some 115 local residents, from part-time 14-year-old students to fulltime adults, and getting to know them all is a priority.

“I want to know why they are here. Is this a second job so they can buy a car? Or are they the sole breadwinner in their household? I interviewed every one of them – unless two people came in to interview at the same time,” she said.

“If it weren’t for every one of them, I would not be here. This is not a ‘me’ show.”

She takes encouragement from S. Truett Cathy, who founded the fast food chain in 1946.

“He was the most humble human being but also was the savviest Now Open businessman. I strive to be Alexander City's Chicklike that.” fil-A restaurant opened Doing so requires grit, and that just happens to be last month on U.S. Route 280. a family motto, one that has followed Murphree from a young age.

“No one in my family had been to college, but I was headed to Auburn. My dad was in the hospital at UAB and had to take a medical retirement, so I got scholarships and worked through college. My mom helped a lot, too, and I graduated debt-free,” she said. “Our mission is to show care for this community and have grit, to not give up. There will be hard days. There will be long lines, and we will get through them.”

Still new to the community, Murphree already has expressed interest in community concerns.

“I have a heart for youth athletics. I have seen the difference that can make in my sons’ lives. And I have partnered with foster care here. I am working with the schools in the entrepreneurial program. Fellowship of Christian Athletes is very important to us, too,” she said.

It’s a busy life for Alexander City’s most popular business owner, but she’s prepared, realistic and enthusiastic.

“My family could not be more humble to be here,” she said as she headed back to work after her break. “We can’t wait to be involved in the community, so when you meet us, please introduce yourselves.”