Roosevelt Lowery is a local business owner who has learned from years of experience about the good and the bad that comes with having your own company.
Lowery, 69, owns Lowery Masonry, a family operated bricklaying and construction businesses located in Crawfordville.
Lowery Masonry started with humble beginnings.
“I started off with $200, a mixer and three employees,” Lowery said. “It was a struggle to build clientele at first, but I was determined to have a successful business so I wouldn’t give up.”
Though Lowery struggled in the beginning, the company began to grow as time passed and he gained more experience. Lowery Masonry has grown to have contracts with businesses and people locally, as well as outside of Crawfordville.
Even though Lowery has managed his business well over the years, one of the things that he still struggles with is technology.
Mary Rosier is Lower’s niece and recently took over the role of secretary of Lowery Masonry. Rosier has been able to handle the technical part of the business, so that Lowery can focus on being hands-on and traveling with his workers to various job sites.
“I’ve seen my uncle put his company first my whole life and it’s nice to be a part of the business now and help take some of the stress away from him,” Rosier said. “There are some days that he starts work at 7 a.m. and he’s still working at 6 p.m. when everyone else has gone home.”
Alvin Jackson is Lowery’s nephew and he has been employed with Lowery Masonry for the past year. Jackson knows that Lowery is serious about his business and that he expects everyone who works for him to take the success of the company seriously.
“Uncle Roosevelt hates laziness, and he will send you home quickly if he sees that you aren’t working like he needs you to,” Jackson said. “This is his business and even though we’re family, he still expects us to work just as hard as he would expect employees that he had no history with to work.”
Lowery is thankful that he has been able to run his own business and provide employment to some of his family members, but he is ready to slow down.
“I’ve worked hard for the past 30 years, so now I’m focused on finding a reliable business partner to help run the business,” Lowery said. “I love my business, but I do plan to retire and pass the leadership role to someone else within the next three years.”