All in the Family
Fathers and daughters who work together.
With Father’s Day coming up Sunday, June 21, we thought we’d take a look at some of our Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce member businesses with father/daughter teams. We hope you enjoy their stories as much as we did. And to all the dads out there: Happy Father’s Day!
Michele Tully
Powers & Associates General Contractors, Inc.
(Michele’s dad is Tom Powers)
Q: How did you wind up working with your father?
A: In high school, I never planned on working with my father. I kind of knew what he did, but had no real knowledge or interest in it.
In 1987, I graduated high school (Go Huskies!!), and started Birmingham-Southern College as a Business Major planning to be a stock broker or financial planner. About a month into school, my dad, who had decided to start his own construction company, asked me to come to his office (my grandparents’ old house in Woodlawn) and type a letter for him. (This was due to the fact that I got a typewriter for graduation with minimal word processing capabilities – the 1987 equivalent of a laptop – and I took typing in high school.) I only had one class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I obliged him for what I thought would be one day, and headed back to school.
After that, I ended up working for him two days a week typing proposal letters and invoices, and since I was a business/accounting major, also paying bills. I set up his job cost accounting system based on what he told me he was used to seeing at his previous company, and shortly also began doing weekly payroll (by hand I might add.)
Fast forward almost four years later, and as I was preparing for graduation and pursuing a position with a bank or some other financial institution, my Dad offered me a job I couldn’t refuse. So I decided to continue working full-time for him, so I have been working with my father for 33 years now! I have learned the Construction Industry inside-and-out through full-time, on-the-job training. It was never the job I dreamed of, but God had a much bigger plan, and I am so grateful!! His plans are always better than we could hope or imagine!!
Q: What is the best part of working with your father?
A: The best part of working with my Dad is … well a lot of things! Getting to see him and eat lunch with him every day, learning from him every day, knowing that he always has my back, knowing that I can always ask a question without judgement, and that I always belong.
Q: What is the worst part of working with your father?
A: The only bad thing about working with my dad is … well, nothing! We do, from time to time, “debate” things, but we get over any disagreements quickly and get right back to work.
Q: What’s the key to a successful working relationship with one’s father?
A: I think the key to a successful working relationship is mutual respect. For our whole working relationship, we have valued each other’s opinion and respected it, even if we didn’t necessarily agree with it. We try to shore up each other in the things that we have more knowledge in, and work together to make our company successful, not just for us, but also for our employees. He has shown me what a good “boss” looks like, and I think we have been successful because of it.
Side note: I am currently President and majority owner of our company, and we are certified as a Women Owned Business. Because I respectfully accepted his job offer 30+ years ago, he is respectfully handing the company off to me for the future.
Meagan Welch
Wilbur’s Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing
(Meagan’s dad is Wilbur Doonan)
Q: How did you wind up working with your father?
A: Ever since I was 5 years old I wanted to be my daddy. I’ve been helping him most every summer, since I could remember, riding in a truck and going on calls with him. However, when I was in high school I decided to go to college to be a Veterinarian, tried that at MSU for two years and decided it wasn’t for me… and ended up getting a business marketing degree from UAB instead.
I started getting paid to work for him and my mom in 2006. And I’ve slowly learned every part of the business inside and I truly love what I do. If I could just get him to retire and enjoy it! Then I’ll be a second generation business owner. Wilbur has taught me a lot about plumbing, heating and air conditioning, but mostly I’ve learned customer service and how to care for others in need.
Q: What’s the best part of working with your father?
A: The best part about working with my dad is that I get to see him every day!
Q: What’s the worst part of working with your father?
A: The worst part is that we are a lot alike and can butt heads, which can be frustrating.
Q: What’s the key to a successful working relationship with one’s father?
A: You have to learn to wear different hats so that you can separate family from business. Sometimes at work I go into his office and I say, “Daughter hat!” and I talk to him about family stuff. Then I say, “Work hat!” and we get back to business.
Maegan Reynolds
Carroll Pharmacy
(Maegan’s dad is Greg Carroll)
Q: How did you wind up working with your father? Is it something you always planned on doing? If not, what had you planned to do instead?
A: I always knew I wanted to do something in the medical field, but I didn’t necessarily want to be a pharmacist. During my sophomore year of college, I really started to think about my career, and I had a realization that my dad had worked so hard to build up the pharmacy business, and I decided it was a legacy I wanted to be a part of and carry on for my family.
Q: What’s the best part of working with your father?
A: The best part of working with my dad is the quality time we get to spend together, and just the opportunity to love and serve in our community together. It is very unique to have your dad and your personal and professional mentor.
Q: What’s the worst part of working with your father?
A: The worst part is it is hard to get “in trouble” by your boss and it makes it 1000x harder when that is your father. It takes not wanting to disappoint your boss to a new level.
Q: What’s the key to a successful working relationship with one’s father?
A: I think the key to a successful working relationship with your father is to not make everything about business. You have to know how to let go and laugh sometimes too. If you know my dad, you know he is pretty serious, but we all love it when he cuts up and we can all laugh together.
Maegan’s Note to Dad: Thank you for all the sacrifices you have made throughout the years so that I have the opportunity to work at Carroll Pharmacy. There is truly nowhere else I can imagine being. Learning to love and serve alongside you has been one of the biggest blessings of my life. You have taught me to always put others before myself and more about business than I ever thought was possible. You have literally poured your life into these stores, and I am forever grateful for you being the best father and mentor I could ask for. You have set high standards for our business and our family, and I strive every day to make you proud.
