With his father at the helm, the business grew steadily. More buildings were added to the company headquarters in Clinton. After his father passed, however, David and his brothers grew the business to new heights. Champion continued a meteoric rise. Eventually, David and a partner bought his brothers out. And Lowe took one of Champion’s biggest risks – and investments – to keep the corporate headquarters in Clinton, and expand basically tenfold. “We bought a 450,000 square foot facility in town,” David said. “A major industry in Clinton left town to go overseas, and we bought it. The facility took a while to modernize and grow into, but it worked out well.” At its peak, Champion had 10 production lines operating
in Clinton, die-cutting labels, blowing new bottles, labeling and filling bottles, sealing cases– for numerous products. The facility also had more than 1.7 million gallons of bulk storage. That meant very little time for family activity, but David and his wife cut a deal. They bought an RV and did day trips on Sunday, heading to Branson or doing a variety of other short trips. They weren’t sure their three kids would like the RV, but he said it became one of their best memories. A major milestone in the Lowe family arrive in 2021 when PLZ Aeroscience Corporation, acquired Champion. It meant a big change for David and his wife, but offered even more time for those ever-increasing Florida getaways. It also gave him a little more time to spend on one of the passions from his teen years– muscle cars. Lowe is often found holding court in a pristine remodeled former car dealership he owns in Clinton, showing off his collection of impressively-manicured 60’s muscle cars. “They’re a lot of the cars that I wanted when I was younger but didn’t have the time or money to go after,” he said. “I’ve got a little bit of time now.” Yes, he does. Life has changed for the Lowes.
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