A CHAMPION WORK ETHIC DAVID LOWE PUTS THE BRAKES ON FAST-PACED LIFE
By SCOTT QUEEN
Oh, how life has changed for David Lowe. This driven and laser-focused Missouri Valley College alumnus is enjoying retirement now, and even relaxing a bit in Florida with his wife of 53 years, Shirley. The couple likes to escape Missouri’s winter for a time, but they always end up back home in Clinton. This level of relaxation though, took some getting used to for Lowe. He’s used to a frenetic pace. He remembers that lifestyle well, starting with buying and selling high performance tires and wheels in high school in his dad’s business and moving on through the years to becoming managing partner of the company. “Nobody told me what to do,” Lowe said. “I just went to work.” With older brothers in the business as well, he found his place. He helped Lowe Oil Company, started by his father, Ralph, in 1956, to grow and modernize. The company’s name later changed to Champion Brands, LLC, recognized globally as an industry leader in specialty lubricants, brake fluid and engine additives. As Lowe was getting his degree from Missouri Valley College, he felt such a strong sense of responsibility that he didn’t have what one might call a normal college life. He headed home to Clinton every weekend to work. And to contribute to the Lowe family success. “We weren’t automated back then,” he recalled. “I remember stamping quart cans of oil one at a time and packing the cases. Brake fluid was kind of the same way, one 12-ounce bottle at a time. Through the years, Champion became totally automated with packaging lines running as much as 360 containers per minute." But in between his long hours, Lowe did manage to find some time to do some cruising. He loved cars, and he persuaded a girl named Shirley to jump in and take a ride one weekend. “I didn’t have much time for cars back then,” he said. “Or girls for that matter. But somehow I persuaded Shirley and her parents.” The couple were married in August of 1971 and David graduated from MO Valley in May of 1972. They soon had a family, and built a wonderful life together. “I was working a lot back then,” David said. “Shirley pretty much raised the kids.”
18 Viking Views | 2025
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