Bourbon & Bubbles

FINANCE CHUCK

MCDOWELL is the founder and CEO of Wesley Financial Group. Chuck and his wife, Jo Ellen, moved to Fairview in 2011 and then moved into their current home in downtown Franklin in 2017. He has two sons, Charles and Cameron, who both work at WFG. Chuck married Jo Ellen in 2012 and they are now firmly entrenched in Williamson County. After working at the Country Music Hall of Fame, she worked at the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County. She’s now active in many community organizations including serving on the board of Friends of Franklin Parks. They live close to downtown Franklin and their best days are when they walk down to one of their favorite restaurants like Culaccino or Franklin Bakehouse and just people watch. He also enjoys getting out to Troubadour to play golf with good friends like Mayor Ken Moore. Chuck founded his company the same year they moved to Fairview with the intent to help those who had been misrepresented and lied to by timeshare companies. His company is the leader in helping these victims get out from under crushing timeshare debt. Chuck sold timeshares for a short period of time and quickly realized that the industry is mostly built on telling unsuspecting consumers anything to get them to buy a timeshare, even if they could not afford it. When he quit that job, he started helping those that he sold to get out of their timeshares and it grew into the business they have today. In 2012 he won a lawsuit against one of the largest timeshare companies in the world. His company has grown ever since, and they have amassed more than 500 employees in Franklin and Las Vegas. The biggest contribution he feels that he and his company has made to this community is: “We named our company after John Wesley, founder of the 18th century Methodist movement, so there would be a constant reminder of a simple guiding principle about how I try to live my life and how we operate our company: Helping people. Whether it’s with my co-workers (I don’t call them employees), our clients or charitable organizations in our community, I feel it’s my responsibility and calling to do everything I can every single day to help others.” The thing that drives Chuck to work harder he says is “the thrill of climbing the mountain to see what’s next in business drives me. That said, nothing excites me more than seeing our team members at WFG thrive in the environment we’ve created. Being named as one of the Nashville Business Journal’s Best Places to work last year was one of the greatest honors I’ve ever received because it was based on what our co-workers had to say. I’m also constantly moved by the stories of the clients we’ve helped. That’s what it’s all about.”

The thing that makes Williamson County special to Chuck is the fact that it feels so much more than the place that he lives and works. He has never lived anywhere else where so many people care about the overall community and who actually work together to make it better. He explains that “the sense of camaraderie and ability to plug in and get engaged is why we moved here.” Chuck’s greatest personal accomplishment is “raising two young sons as a widower and watching them grow into fine young men who I get to work with every day is right at the top of the list. Also, right on top is when I reconnected with my best friend and kindest person I’ve ever met, Jo Ellen, on June 25, 2011, thirty years after we first met.” On the other hand, his greatest professional accomplishment is “to now lead a company that is at the top of its industry and that helps so many others, is humbling and a great accomplishment. However, I’m not fulfilled. I’m going to continue climbing the mountain to see what else is up there. I think my greatest work accomplishments are yet to come.” Chuck defines being a gentleman like this: “The easy answer is to the little things…like saying “yes sir” and “no ma’am” or holding the door for others. But I really believe that the key to being a gentleman is to be kind to everyone and, as the Tim McGraw song says: ‘When you get where you’re going don’t forget turn back around and help the next one in line.’ That’s what a gentleman does.”

WYLIE

JONESis a firefighter and has been with the Franklin Fire Department for twenty-one years. He is currently working as an engineer on Ladder Eight. Before joining the FFD, he was enlisted in the Air Force as a firefighter. He always knew he wanted to be in the military but joined the Air Force because “I was working out at my gym when a guy walked in wearing a fire department t-shirt. He explained how he was a firefighter in the military and took time away from work to go with me to a recruiter. His name is Andy and the rest is history.” While Wylie was in the Air Force, he was deployed three times after 9/11 with the last one being in Baghdad. He is unsure of the exact number of fires he has fought over his lifetime but decided “a lot” should cover it.

His role in the department is as an engineer. He primarily drives to the scene and once they are there, he makes sure that the firefighters have the water they need to properly extinguish the fire. Wylie is “grateful for the opportunity to serve in the role of and engineer at St. 8 in the Westhaven community.” He is also a member of the Swiftwater Rescue Team and a participant in fire prevention. The fire prevention division is led by Jamie Melton and is a “great place to engage and connect with the public.” They also do a ton of public events and visits to schools to inform the children about a variety of public safety issues but mainly fire safety. Wylie has lived in Franklin basically his entire life. He is a graduate of Franklin High School and he grew up living on Boyd Mill Avenue with his parents Julie and Stanley. He explains that his family has very deep roots in Franklin by saying, “This county is where many generations of my family can be traced. The plaque on the old courthouse, to commemorate the soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War, carries the name of an ancestor of mine. Much of the Jones family is still here after all these years.” Wylie’s Uncle, Frank Jones, was a mailman here and he had a habit of giving peppermint candies to the kids on his route. His other Uncle, Lee, owns Anderson Auto on Bridge Street. His greatest personal accomplishment is “building my wife, Angie, a she-shed in our backyard. She loves it and my grandkids Amelia and Camden do too!” Wylie finds inspiration through his parents. He elaborates by saying “My dad worked at Textron in Nashville as a machinist for over thirty years and my mom worked in the county school system for over thirty years as well. We didn’t have much in my youth, but we had what we needed. Watching my parents work and sacrifice for all that time inspires me to this day. They are both living a well-deserved retirement now. Thankfully. I was required to work all kinds of different jobs, sometimes at the Jewell farm on 96 taking up hay; working with my grandpa cutting firewood, cutting grass, you name it. I think all that has enabled me to put in the work toward any goal I choose.” Wylie wishes he could tell his younger self to “Work hard, don’t quit, and be sure to have fun.” He has given that advice to his children Daniel and Amanda over the years. His philosophy on that is: “Though life inevitably throws challenges your way, simply sticking to that mindset should be enough to make you a success in whatever you choose to do.” Wylie believes that being a true gentleman starts with being genuine. He follows that up with: “We all know a gentleman by their consistency because being a gentleman can’t be faked for very long. An example for women may be that a guy was such a ‘gentleman’ on the first couple of dates but now his true colors are showing... a genuine phony. Clark Gable and Sydney Pointier are Hollywood gentlemen that we tend to use as examples of what to emulate, and guys like them are hard to find these days. But ultimately, a man who is genuinely respectful, and courteous with a can-do spirit is the modern gentleman.”

HERO

DERBY

JONESpurchased the Williamson Herald in 2006 and has been owner ever since. Derby grew up working for his family newspaper business in Johnson City, Tennessee. He moved to Nashville in 1994 to work for The Tennessean newspaper. He learned from his Grandfather, Carl A. Jones who was a newspaper publisher in his hometown, that the local newspaper can help the community. Carl was Derby’s inspiration. He never cared about what others thought of him and he always did what he thought was best for the community.

Derby married his wife Cassie in 1999 and the couple has two children, Maggie and Derby. Both children attend Brentwood High School. His family moved to Williamson County in 2004 because they wanted his children to go to Williamson County Schools. This was tough for Derby because his heart was still in Nashville. Derby and Cassie’s personal lives revolve around their children’s school, sports, and social lives. When they are not with their children they are out in the community. Cassie serves on several boards including Franklin Tomorrow, Williamson Inc., First Citizens National Bank Smart Women advisory board, and is an advocate for the Alzheimer’s’ Association. Derby is involved with the Franklin Noon Rotary Club as foundation president. He was recognized by the Franklin Noon Rotary Club last year with the distinguished service award and it made him cry. He is also on several other boards and he tries to give as much time as he can.

Derby’s greatest professional accomplishment is being able to keep the Williamson Herald going. He expanded on that thought by saying: “I was not sure if the paper would survive in 2008 and even last year, I was worried whether we would make it. But thanks to our readers and advertisers, we have managed to survive. I could not have done this without my wife, Cassie, and my great staff who work so hard to make this a great product. It’s a labor of love for sure, I am proud of what my team is doing on daily basis to inform our readers.” Derby thinks The Herald and sister publication Southern Exposure, are very valuable to this community because they tell the stories of local people. He explained that the contribution of he and his publications are to be a “community asset that informs our readers on all topics important to Williamson Countians. Local news is important, and I urge everyone to support all local media. My role is to hire great people and we have some really talented people that cover all aspects of life here in Williamson County.” He is driven to work harder, be better, and do more because his business requires it. The local media face more challenges every day. Derby clarifies that this a tough business to be in if you want to make money, but he is driven to play an important role in the community and he has a goal to become the best local newspaper in the county.

Williamson County is special to him because of the people. “I have met some of the greatest people who live and work in this community. Secondly is the beauty. This is a gorgeous place to live and work and raise a family. And the history is amazing. I had no idea how much history was here until I moved to Williamson County and started working here every day.”

Derby defines being a gentleman as: “Just being respectful and nice to people is important. Be courteous to people, it’s really not that hard. I think it also means that you come from a good family, which I am blessed to say that I did.” His Dad always told him to be a gentleman in every situation. He didn’t always listen, but he had four younger sisters to keep him in line.

MEDIA