The UTC College of Business this week will induct Covenant Transportation Group CEO David Parker and the late Carl Austin Watson, founder of Mountain View Ford, into its Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.
The two business leaders, each of whom started Chattanooga businesses that grew into leading companies in the transportation industry, will be recognized by UTC during a ceremony at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club.
The annual honor recognizes those with “the entrepreneurial spirit and the courage to set out on a new path to build a new nation and a new economy.” UTC has previously inducted more than 50 current and former business leaders who have helped drive Chattanooga’s economy through their entrepreneurial efforts.
David Parker
David ParkerParker, the son of the late Southwest Motor Freight owner Clyde Parker, began working full time in the trucking industry at age 17 and was soon managing terminals for Southwest Motor Freight.
In 1985, after much preparation and prayer, David and his wife, Jacqueline, founded his own trucking company by making a “Covenant” with God that he would always operate the business with quality and integrity–principles that are infused into the organization to this day. In January 1986, Covenant Transport began hauling loads with 25 trucks and 50 trailers.
Nearly three decades later, Covenant Transportation Group is a $750 million enterprise with six subsidiaries and a network of more than 2,700 trucks and 6,700 trailers. Covenant Transport became a publicly-traded company in 1994, and in 1997 the company moved to its present headquarters in Lookout Valley.
Although Covenant Transport suffered losses during the Great Recession from 2009 to 2011, the company has since bounced back, more than tripling net income in 2014.
Parker credits his faith for guiding all aspects of his life. He is a deacon with City Church of Chattanooga where he conducts Bible studies throughout the week. Parker also is a member of the Trade and Transportation Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He was elected to the board of of the Truckload Carriers Association in 1994 and also serves on the board of the American Trucking Association.
Carl Austin Watson
Carl Austin WatsonWatson, who died in 2005, was a successful, self-made businessman, who began his career in the automotive industry as a sales associate and finished in the top of his field as head of the family-owned Mountain View car dealerships in Chattanooga.s
He was born in Cleveland, Tenn. in 1926 and after graduating from Bradley High School in 194, he joined the Navy during World War II at the age of 17. When he returned from the war, he married his longtime sweetheart, Billie Jo Wiley, and settled down in Charleston, South Carolina. Returning home to Cleveland, Austin began a career in the grocery business working at a downtown market. After several years, he went into business for himself, opening Austin’s Food Market in downtown Cleveland.
Austin later moved to selling cars in Chattanooga at Furlow Cate Ford. By 1981, while serving as the general manager of Forrest Cate Ford, he was presented the opportunity to purchase the Ford dealership from the Cate family.
As president and dealer principal of the newly formed Mtn. View Ford Inc., Austin brought in his sons, Don and David, along with his nephew Andy Watson to help him with the daily operations of the dealership. By 1989, Austin and sons opened Mtn. View Nissan, bringing another Watson Family Dealership to downtown Chattanooga.
Watson served as president of the Chattanooga Automobile Trades Association, chairman of the Atlanta Region Ford Dealer Advertising Fund Board and president of the Tennessee Automotive Association.
He was a 3rd Degree Mason as well as a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Austin served as a Shriner and spent time driving kids to the hospital for needed care. He was also a member of the American Legion and commander of the local VFW.
Watson’s legacy endures as his original Ford dealership has grown to include Nissan, Lincoln, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep franchises.