(This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights Columbia Walmart Store Manager Mike Lowery.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born in McComb on July 13, 1965.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: My elementary and early childhood schooling was in Modesto, Calif., then we moved to Pike County. I also went to Southwest Junior College.
Q: Where do you work? Tell us about your job/company.
A: I’m the store manager of Walmart. I work hard every day to save people money so they can live better. My focus is making sure we have items and merchandise for our customers, and Walmart is a one-stop shop so you can come here for automotive, pharmacy, card center, food and apparel needs. We make it easy and convenient. My job is to oversee that and the several different managers and 400 associates. It’s all about convenience for the customers. The one thing I love about Walmart is we’re here for the community. That’s what my drive is: What are we doing for the community and are we making it easy for our customers? We work hard every day to make sure our customers save money.
Q: What led you to your profession?
A: It sort of chose me. Early in my teenager years, my mother, Sharon Harris, told me I needed to work. I went to work for a little grocery store, Jitney Jungle, in McComb and became a courtesy clerk and worked for tips. I made enough for the family with three brothers at home. My mom couldn’t work, so it was something I did for the family. Later on I tried a few different things, but I enjoyed working in retail and with customers so I came back to it.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: The one thing I’ve always enjoyed is the customers, and I’ve always loved the art of selling to a customer. I enjoy watching people grow in business and being there for the associates. I also like the idea that I work for a company that allows me to go out and be involved in the community.
Q: What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
A: I’m a perfectionist and like routines, and I like that customers can have the ease of shopping. So right now with the remodel, that’s what is challenging for me that customers are having difficulties. The customer can’t see right now that the remodel is for the ease of their shopping at the end. It’s putting all the juice on one aisle, all the water on one aisle and having all the snacks on one aisle. They’re not going to see that until the end result. It really bothers me when people say they didn’t have a good shopping experience. I work hard to make sure their next shopping experience better, and this is the place they trust.
Q: When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: I wanted to be a NASCAR driver. When I came to realize it wasn’t realistic for me, I settled for drag racing down Delaware Avenue in McComb with my friends.
Q: Who are the people who have been most influential in your life?
A: My father-in-law, Johnny Jones, because he showed me how to be the best husband and father I can be. Then the man who hired me at Jitney Jungle, Buddy Davis. I applied for several jobs that day after my mom told me I needed to get a job to support the family, and that was the last place I went. You never forget that moment. I told him I needed to have a job before I got home. He offered me a job to carry bags to people’s cars, and that’s how you made your money with tips. That day and that moment when he hired me, he gave me a chance and sort of mentored me to become the person I am today in my career. It’s a defining moment.
Q: What is your spouse’s name?
A: Melinda. She homeschools our two boys, Chase, 18, and Noah, 15.
Q: If you could have anything for your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: I love shrimp po-boys that are fully dressed, and my favorite dessert is a German chocolate cake. I like going to some places in Baton Rouge and New Orleans for po-boys.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I would go to Europe to go hiking in the Swiss Alps. I’m an avid hiker and love being out in nature. I love no cellphones and like being off the grid because you have that time where you and your family can really have that quality time together when there’s not something like a phone getting in the way.
Q: What hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?
A: Each year I take a major hiking trip to places like Mount Rainier or Canada. I’ve hiked a lot of national parks, and I actually want to visit every national park and hike. My dream job would be as a park ranger at a national park. I also love to run and spend time with my boys. Those two are my true hobbies.
Q: What do you enjoy about Columbia and Marion County?
A: I’ve worked in several different cities, but four years ago when I became the store manager here I found the place that’s right fit and that’s peaceful. Everybody is so nice, and it’s so calm and quiet. No matter if it’s going to get something to eat here or shopping, Columbia is a beautiful place. It just has great people. I’m so blessed to work with the associates I have. Their work ethics and everything about them is unique. Of all of the Walmarts I’ve ever been, this is truly the best one.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone from your life or history, who would it be and why?
A: My paternal grandfather, Jesse Dunnagan. My birth father was not in my life, and I recently found out about my grandfather and would love to have lunch with him. He served on the U.S.S. California and was in World War II. I recently found out through the Library of Congress that his ship was bombed in Pearl Harbor and he received the Purple Heart. He knew of me but never got to meet me, and I found out he always wanted to know who I was and where I was. I wish today that I could go back and say, “Here I am,” and go back and talk to him because he had such a unique story. I watched an interview of him talking about Pearl Harbor, and he talked about having to swim through the thick oil and when he looked back at the harbor it looked like an inferno. I would’ve loved to hear it from him firsthand.
Q: Using one word for each, what are your top three morals?
A: Courage, compassion and kindness.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: I want to be remembered as a good husband and a good father.
— Joshua Campbell
Pictured Above: Columbia Walmart Store Manager Mike Lowery initially got the itch for customer service working as a bag boy for Jitney Jungle grocery store as a teenager, and he said he loves being able to make a customer’s shopping experience as enjoyable and easy as possible. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
