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 The
McCall Heritage
Times Have Changed, But NOT the Commitment to Quality and Prices
This article was written for D.T. McCall & Sons Inc.'s Centennial Celebration in 1996
For Albert McCall it was the natural thing to do to settle down at a dinette table in the middle of his showroom floor to talk about the history of D.T. McCall & Sons, his own life, and his philosophies on both. With 1996 marking the 100th anniversary of the family business, it seemed an ideal occasion for Albert to reminisce and be mindful of the future.
He came from a large family of nine children, and it somehow fell to Albert to be the one to spend summers helping in the general store his grandparents, Albert and Icie McCall, began in 1896 in Flat Rock (just inside the eastern border of Wilson County, Tennessee). "It was a great learning opportunity," says Albert of those approximately eight summers helping to sell groceries, horse collars, and wood stoves. "I met a lot of people and learned good, basic work ethics and important values."
Young Albert began making mental notes on the ways his family gained customer trust and anticipated consumer needs. His father, D.T. McCall, had already established himself in his own right as a premier salesman, having begun his own small business using his "peddling wagon" to go house-to-house, buying and selling produce and other goods throughout Smith County. He accepted sales jobs with grain and feed companies until the late 1930s, when he bought a corner lot on the town square in Carthage and began selling electrical appliances.
In the late 1950s, Albert entered Cookeville's Tennessee Tech. He joined the National Guard which led him to Iowa State University, where he met his wife of forty years, the former Virginia Doran, (niece of Norman Erby, then governor of Iowa). He also attended the University of Missouri and earned his Bachelor of Science and master's Degrees in Biochemistry/Agriculture. At one point he was a full-time student during the day at ISU, while teaching at night for the Veteran's Administration. The Korean War was in full swing and Albert's Officers Reserve was called and he spent two years overseas. When he returned, it was as a disabled veteran who was unsure about his future. "We needed time to think," says Albert. "I had job opportunities but nothing seemed to interest me." So he and Virginia boarded a ship in Quebec, Canada, and sailed to England. They spent the summer of 1955 traveling Europe, away from the influences of family, school, and work. It was on this trip that Albert made the decision to go home to Tennessee and buy into his father's appliance/plumbing business.
"I've always been able to see opportunities and grasp them."
One of Albert's first tasks was to broaden the financial base of the business, so he looked for opportunities at every turn. In 1958, he got word that a local cheese manufacturer was changing the way it processed its products. The 1,700 dairy farmers who supplied the company with milk would all need industrial type milk coolers if they wanted to continue selling milk to the manufacturer. It only took a bit of investigating to discover that North Carolina had just outlawed the exact type of cooler the Tennessee manufacturer required. It took quite a few trips east, but Albert bought 1,000 coolers and had them shipped by truck back to Tennessee but not without first stopping in South Carolina to fill the coolers with peaches to sell back in Carthage!
The next year he heard of a company in Akron, Ohio that had 500 commercial-size electric ranges for sale surplus from the Korean war. That area of Ohio primarily used natural gas for heating and cooking versus Middle Tennessee which was under the TVA. Albert purchased the ranges for a very good price, and within three months had passed on the savings to various schools in the state.
Meeting the needs of the community has always been a McCall trademark, so furniture and a wide range of household appliances, including televisions, was added to the inventory.
When oil prices plummeted in 1984, entire sets of household furnishings from kitchen appliances to living room suites to dehumidifiers destined for condos in Saudi Arabia were sitting in a warehouse in Houston. The orders for the furnishings had been cancelled and the warehouse where they were stored was on the auction block. Albert's adrenaline rushed. "I told my secretary to book a flight to Houston for that afternoon," he told me. "When I got there, I bought it all up and moved thirty-seven trailer loads in seven days." Again he passed on the savings of "buying bulk" to the people of Middle Tennessee and, of course, made a good profit.
"We built our business doing things different from anyone else," Albert says proudly. "We don't force people to buy extended warranties or service contracts. We let them know that's available but they should be able to buy what they want without pressure.
"We sometimes offer merchandise to the public at way below normal dealer costs," states Albert. "And I have received unprecedented customer loyalty in return." He never advertises "x-amount percent off" anything. "What amount are other stores talking about when they offer a certain percent off?" Albert asks rhetorically. "What are they using as their base price? I'll sell you a product and tell you what the price is, period. We offer good products at good prices. And of course, you get free delivery, set-ups, and appliance hook-ups. Any hoses or cords needed to operate the product are free, too, because without them, how could you use the item?"
Market Appeal
For 20 years, Albert McCall was a staple of "The Ralph Emery Show," airing in the early weekday morning hours on WSMV-TV Channel 4. Between 5 and 6 a.m., the show captured 80% of the viewing audience and Albert made quite an impression on Emery's show. Not only did business boom, but Albert's antics on the show made him a popular TV personality within the station's broad Middle Tennessee/Southern Kentucky market. "We were different; we used pictures on the wall versus slides and lots of furniture in the studio to show exactly what we were talking about." D.T. McCall & Sons
was a part of Channel 4's "The Morning Show" (hosted by Sharon Puckett), but Albert now lets other partners John, Tom and Cris McCall represent the company.
And "The Ralph Emery Show" played a very important part of the Carthage community approximately 12 years ago when a flood swept the area destroying homes and crushing spirits. Emery and Governor Lamar Alexander traveled to see the devastation for themselves. The show then held a "marathon" to raise money and goods to help the victims, and Albert sent out trucks to pick up all the items donated. A local Carthage church distributed $100,000 in goods and money to flood victims.
Building for Tomorrow
Looking toward the future, Albert's not ready to retire any time soon. "In the long run, we're building this company for my four grandchildren and the rest of the family," Albert says wistfully. "But my son, Albert, the company lawyer, is 'heir apparent' to the business." Albert McCall II is not only a Vanderbilt educated lawyer, but also has an engineering degree with a minor in Russian and speaks the language fluently, plus pitch-hits as an appliance repairman when needed.
The latter skill came in handy one Saturday evening when a neighbor needed a dishwasher fixed in a hurry. "We've got a housefull of guests, a pile of dirty dishes, and the dishwasher is on the blink," said the caller. "Can you help?"
"Well, said Albert senior, "do you mind if I send out a lawyer to take care of it?"
No objections were made and Albert II gathered up his tools, made the call, and fixed the problem. A few days later, neighbor Al Gore, Jr., then a U.S. senator, sent a note of thanks for D.T. McCall's prompt and highly capable repair service.
All in all, Albert McCall agrees with me that he's had an interesting life
so far!
We were still sitting around the dining table, absorbed in stories about the business and browsing through family photographs when Albert notices a couple wandering down an aisle, looking at bookshelves and mirrors.
"Are you being helped?" he asks, rising from his chair. The two nod, smiling. "Good, take your time, look around," answers Albert, a small gesture perhaps, but it's those "little things" gleaned from his grandparents and parents that have kept a century's worth of customers coming back for that good old-fashioned service, not to mention "quality appliances and furniture at reasonable prices!"
"If I have achieved any success, it has to be laid squarely on the steps of my mother and father who taught me the difference between right and wrong," Albert says in closing. "And to my wonderful wife who has been a shelter in the storms; to my partners John, Dave, Cris, Tom, and Albert II who put up with me; and to 150 of the most loyal and dedicated employees in the entire free world."
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