COMMUNITY
A Southern Gentleman Is
Chuck
McDowell A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN: TOUCHES THE LINE
WITH JOHNNY BIRDSONG, YOUR SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN
In keeping with our April Home & Garden themed issue – I wanted to feature a Southern Gentleman who had some affiliation with that field. Founder and CEO of Wesley Financial Group, Chuck McDowell seemed like a fabulous choice especially coupled with his being a real southern gentleman and lover of Williamson County. When we sat down, I wanted to know more about this successful businessman and what he believes makes a southern gentleman – among other things! Enjoy! So, how did you end up living in Franklin? CM: When my wife, Jo Ellen, and I decided to get married and buy a house together, we looked at homes with an open mind. We looked all over middle Tennessee and then found the “perfect” house. We loved it. The only problem was it didn’t have that “community” feel. So, we came to Franklin and found a house…and it just felt like home. After moving to downtown Franklin, we bought tickets to a performance at Studio Tenn for the Battle of Franklin production. It was as good as anything we have seen in New York. We were blown away. We were later invited to an event there, and one of the auction items was lunch with the Mayor, Ken Moore. We thought how great it would be to have lunch with the Mayor of Franklin. And then we all became friends. I think Ken and Linda help make Franklin what it is. What do you love most about Franklin and Williamson County? CM: Anything in Franklin and Williamson County we can get involved in, that is a good cause, we want to be involved. We want to truly be a part of this great community. The great thing about Williamson County is there are so many people who do get involved. It’s not just one or two families but rather, so many people 72 | APRIL 2022
doing so many things here. It’s our home, and it feels like we are a part of something. We could never leave. How do you give back to the community, and why is that important? CM: My grandfather and grandmother took my sister and me to raise a month before I turned thirteen. I went from being the poorest kid in school to the richest kid in school overnight. I look at that as being extremely blessed. I think that’s why it is important to me to give so much. We give to several causes and organizations important to us. I believe the reason I have a heart to give, is because when we were young, and before we went to live with my grandparents, we had people show up at our door for Thanksgiving and Christmas with food and toys. I didn’t understand why strangers were bringing us food until other kids started picking on me, telling me I was poor. Those early experiences have made me a better human being. How did you get started in business and become so successful? CM: My family had a company called McDowell Enterprises that was started by my great grandfather and great uncle along with
my grandfather, Charles McDowell Sr., and I thought this was going to be my life too. I got a phone call when I was twenty or twenty-one, one night from my grandfather asking me to come to dinner. I told him I had a date, and he said, “I don’t care about your date. You be at my house tomorrow night at five for dinner.” Yes, Sir! And, of course, I was there. He sat us down and told us he had sold the company. My first thought was …what about me…what am I going to do? I called him the next day to apologize for my selfish reaction and told him how proud I was of his success and how grateful for all he had passed on to me. I owe all my success to them. Papa would go to job sites and run the equipment and get his hands dirty. Today, I walk through our office and say hello to each employee. I want to stay connected. That’s the same thing he did. I call it TOUCHING THE LINE. Even if you have never played sports, but were in P.E. class, you probably ran “suicides,” and there was always the kid that would stop a foot or even an inch short and then say, “I beat you.” Well, they didn’t…they didn’t touch the line. We give out awards here for people who TOUCH THE LINE. Good examples can be very simple in my mind, like a plate after dinner – don’t put it in the sink, put it in the dishwasher; or if you have a meeting at nine, be
