Editor’s note: I grew up in Tennessee. My Daddy was a horse trainer and farrier with four daughters. He instilled in his girls a strong work ethic and helped us believe that there was nothing we couldn’t accomplish. One went into drafting, one became a seamstress, another followed in his footsteps as a trainer, and I worked in television. He was proud of each of his girls, just as ABD is proud to salute all the dads this weekend who set examples for their children to follow.
Successful business owners act as mentors, teach accountability and display the importance of respect towards fellow employees and customers. Those principles are often mirrored in relationships between fathers and their children. To say, the apple never falls far from the tree may sound trite, but it’s true and plays out in “dad” guidance every day.
Take Kurt Mueller, a financial planner with Apollon Wealth Management, for example. Early on, he lived abroad as his dad was in the Peace Corps in American Samoa and later served as president of a hospital in Saudi Arabia.
“Those experiences helped me understand different cultures and to see and appreciate the difference in being poor and being fortunate,” Mueller explained.
Mueller and his wife, Megan have two young boys. Thus, he has focused on youth development and volunteers his time mentoring at Belvedere & Mossy Creek Elementary School in North Augusta. He has coached his son’s teams including soccer, t-ball, and basketball.
As his father did for him, Mueller, who is also now engaged in competitive barbecuing, has passed his BBQ smoking skills down to his sons. In their first year of competing, the boys were named Grand Champions in the 6 to 10-year-old division at the Georgia BBQ Championship.
His advice to his boys is, “Stay humble. It’s all about lifelong learning.”
“My dad worked for the Department of Defense which led me to join the Navy and eventually, their nuclear power program,” Myers said.
He worked at nuclear power plants in leadership positions, including Plant Vogtle for 30 years and that experience led him to serve as the local facilitator for The Alternative Board (TAB) to help local companies grow. Myers also owns Savannah River ProHome Care, a business that is successfully managed by his daughter, Emma.
“I wanted Emma to be the driver and passion of the business and she is,” he said.
While Emma is blazing her own path, she refers to the plaque on her dad’s desk as her favorite quote and guide in business: “There’s no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.” – Ronald Reagan
His other daughter, Hannah also worked at Plant Vogtle, but has since moved to Texas, where she is pursuing her love of art.
The Owings family has a history in dentistry spanning 56 years. What started with Dr. David Owings’ practice in 1976, has resulted in three generations of dentists.
His son, Alan, never dreamed of following in his dad’s footsteps.
“I didn’t want to become a dentist because my dad wasn’t home that much,” he said. “I started college for an electrical engineer degree, but in my second year, it was like a calling to go into dentistry.”
Alan’s daughter, Kacie, came on board Owings Family Dentistry as a dental hygienist and after graduating from The Dental College of Georgia with a Doctor of Dental Medicine Degree, his other daughter, Allison Owings Bass, also joined the family practice.
She shares the same love of dentistry and helping generations of patients.
“A patient asked me recently if it was hard being part of a family business. I said no it’s not and it’s really an honor being a part of three generations of any career,” Bass said.
“My dad was a traveling salesman. I learned from him to be kind, to solve problems for customers, and to listen,” Gordon explained.
Those traits have served him well in a 34-year successful career in journalism. He’s worked in television and online news in that time, currently as the founder of Augusta Business Daily.
His nine-year-old daughter Lyndee is a “driver” with a big personality. Wonder where she got that from?
“I want her to use her personality to get where she wants to go, but to always be kind and be a good person,” he said.
They say a son’s first hero and a daughter’s first love is Dad. Regardless of all those lessons you taught and how well you think they are prepared to fly from the nest and conquer the world, those feelings may never change.
Editor’s Note:
Mitzi Oxford is a veteran broadcaster and features writer who also worked at the same television station in Columbus, Georgia as Augusta’s Brad Means!
If you have a South Carolina story idea for Mitzi, please email her at mitzioxfordcreative@gmail.com.
