For Father’s Day, as part of our #NALPStories series, Kelly Dowell writes about what she’s learned by working with her father, Maurice Dowell, at Dowco Enterprises Inc. in Chesterfield, MO.
Growing up I was always observing the business. I remember living in a small trailer home when we just had a couple of trucks with magnetic stickers on them. The Dowco phone line would ring and one of my parents would run to the back bedroom and shut the door to answer it to avoid the distraction of my brother and me.
As the business grew, I have memories of my dad interacting with his employees – always hands on, teaching and training them to do the best job possible. One of my favorite things was when my dad invited me to get in the snow plow truck with him in the wee hours of the morning. I’d listen to my dad dispatch crews on the CB radio while driving the truck, maneuvering the snow plow up and down and spreading salt behind him. I always admired his talents in getting the job done quickly and efficiently.
There was never a doubt in my mind that I would work at Dowco. I’ve explored nearly every position from administration, sales, operations, HR and now I’m mostly involved in the marketing. I can definitely see similarities in my dad and me because I want to get things done efficiently and I want to be the boss!
Working together on a daily basis can definitely be a challenge. There are times when one of us just has to leave the office! But it’s great to work with family because you know, without a doubt, that they have your back. I might not always agree with his decisions, but I never doubt his judgment because I know that he has our best intentions at heart. We have a mutual respect that goes a long way, and it’s really fun to get lunch together while we talk about the fun side of work!
One thing that Dowco does VERY well is establishing systems for the business to run and grow. My dad has been the biggest driver of this and I owe it to him to be able to go on vacations and know that the company will stay afloat because of the systems we’ve established. He’s taken me to so many places around the world and has instilled me with a severe case of wanderlust!
Happy Father’s Day, dad! Thank you for everything you’ve taught me and shown me. I look forward to more years of working together (until it’s time for you to retire)!
Kelly Dowell is the Business Developer at Dowco Enterprises Inc.
For more of our Father’s Day #NALPStories, click here to read about the Kuperus’ click here to read about the Mongeons and click here to read about the Lemckes.
