Brown Family

By John Allen

Roger Adair Brown, ‘88, reads the six words written on a sign in his garage every time he comes home. It is, perhaps, this quote that best captures the foundation of the Brown Family legacy.

Devotion to family and serving others are two principles that have been constant in the fabric of the Brown family. Two generations have continued and evolved the family building legacy that started in Alva, Okla., by Robert R. Brown. This legacy is based on family values, loyalty to customers and a strong work ethic.

“My dad and granddad continue to be identified as two very caring men,” said Roger. “As with Robert R., my dad intensely loves his family. He cared for and protected his father’s name and reputation with that love. With that came loyalty to and caring for the customer.”

Adair Group, Inc., headquartered in Denver, Colo., is known for the excellence it provides to the customers’ projects, whether residential or commercial. The award-winning company is a leader in the industry, building projects across the country. At print time, Adair Group has projects in Carlsbad and Pasadena, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; San Antonio and Houston, Texas; and Denver. But the awards and accolades earned by the company pale to the focus of satisfying the customer. And it all began in Alva, Oklahoma.

Robert R. Brown – “Robert R.” as he was known to many – was well-known for building solid homes in northwest Oklahoma and southern Kansas from the 1950s through the early 80s. He also owned the Robert R. Brown Lumber Co. in Alva.

Robert R. Brown

A strong and unwavering work ethic was a standard for the Brown family.

Adair Brown, ’70, recalls his father picking him up from a little league baseball practice or game to go to work on a construction site. Adair eventually traded the leather glove and wooden bat for hammers and other tools of the building trade.

“As a young child, I would sit on a demolition site and clean used bricks that were destined for a new home,” said Adair. “Brick and mortar construction was a standard for my dad.

“We were taught from a young age that getting up early – four or five in the morning – and doing your job paid dividends in the end.”

With Northwestern a few blocks from home, Adair took advantage of its academic offerings. With the work ethic instilled early in his life, Adair participated in few campus activities. When not in class, he was often on a job site learning the building trade from Robert R.

“My father taught me a profound work ethic, which was not optional. Northwestern then taught me discipline regarding my education. My dad taught me so much about always delivering the best to the customer. He taught me to take care of the customer. That has been a cornerstone of our success. But without the lessons I learned at Northwestern, I would not be where I’m at today.”

While attending Northwestern, Adair and Susan (Ware), ‘68, married. Susan took her degree and taught school in nearby Burlington, Okla., while Adair balanced finishing his economics and political science degrees with working alongside his father. Nighttime often found Susan supporting Adair by typing his college papers.

After graduation, Adair and Susan headed to Austin, Texas, where Adair studied economics at the University of Texas Graduate School of Economics. Yet, the pull of a thriving family construction business brought Adair and Susan back to Alva and then to Pratt, Kans., to build new homes.

Roger and daughter Reese.

They eventually moved their family of three children to Colorado in 1979. Adair expanded his knowledge of the construction industry and developed valuable relationships along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

Roger returned to Alva to attend Northwestern and earned his business administration degree in 1988. Northwestern also welcomed his siblings. Randy attended classes in Alva before moving on to colleges in Colorado and California. Julie also attended Northwestern and then completed her degree in early childhood education at Colorado State University.

At Northwestern, Roger sought the same academic advantage his father found years earlier.

“Your greatest mentor may be your dad, your granddad, your uncle,” shared Roger. “Robert R. was – and Adair is – an intelligent and mindful businessman. They provided me with opportunity and insight into the building business. Northwestern then provided me with the business acumen and the understanding of what I could do with the tools learned on the construction site. Northwestern opened me to the awareness of being prepared for the future.”

After receiving his degree, Roger applied his strength in finance to a fast-paced, upward progression of positions in the savings and loan industry. He went to work for Columbia Savings and Loan in Wichita, then moved to its headquarters in Emporia, Kans. After six months, Roger was offered a position in Dallas, Texas, in 1989.

“During this time we experienced the savings and loan crisis. It gave me an opportunity to build a portfolio and work with numbers beyond my experience. I was exposed to complicated transactions.”

His ongoing success found Roger back in Denver, close to family and the continuing legacy of Brown construction. The move also brought a new opportunity.

On September 1, 1992, Adair Group, Inc. opened for business, offering high quality residential and commer-

cial projects along with unquestionable customer service and loyalty to employees.

For Adair, it was another step in how he looked at his career.

“Some go to work, some go to an adventure.”

Joining Adair and Susan in this new chapter were sons Roger and Randy. Randy has since left the company to work independently, but the sense of family commitment remains in the business and in the Browns’ personal lives.

The Steel Magnolia Usually reserved for a woman of the historical Southern United States, the characteristics defined in “steel magnolia” are part of Susan Brown. Petite, beautiful and gentle, she has the strength of steel in her resolve.

Susan continues to be a steadfast advocate for her family and the business. She pays attention to the balance of both and understands the risks in the construction industry.

“I don’t recall a time when I worried about Adair’s business decisions” Susan explained. “I had faith in him. “He was deliberate in calculating both the possibilities and the risks. I was young when I became a part of the family business, so I grew to understand there were risks. But I always thought, ‘If we lose everything, we will just start over.’”

Both Adair and Roger call this steel resolve “the glue that holds this family together.”

“Mom always had the knack to take the edge off of the intensity of the project,” offered Roger. “My dad and I could become so embroiled in a situation. Mom knew how to pull us back and remind us that we both had the same goal, only different methods to get there.

“There is so much involved and much to consider: family, business, finance, etc. There’s a lot to say for keeping this dynamic together and in balance for decades. Mom kept the priorities in front of us. Family comes first.”

The investment that Adair and Susan put into family

Adair and Susan enjoy their southern California home.

is obvious in the ways they support and encourage one another. They appreciate each other’s company.

“Adair and I grew up together. We enjoy each other. We appreciate so many of the same things. I took up golf so we could spend more time together.”

Susan recalls a time when she joined a group of women for a game of golf.

“That just didn’t last. It was more enjoyable playing the course with Adair.”

Do they ever disagree?

“Occasionally,” confesses Susan. “Adair gets quiet and stonewalls,” she offers with both a smile and the expectation of a response.

“Negotiating tactic,” comes the response from Adair, along with a smile.

Roger has led Adair Group, Inc. since 2014.

“It is extremely satisfying coming to work every day and walking into a building that has my father’s name on it. It is wonderful to be part of a legacy that went from building three to four homes a year to where we are today.”

For several years, Adair Group, Inc. opened an average of 365 new doors a year – or one each day of the year. This included single family homes, multiple-family facilities

and commercial buildings. A current point of pride for the business is building dementia care facilities.

“These facilities provide a safe place for our residents who can no longer care for themselves and who need continuous care and supervision,” explained Roger.

And like generations before, Roger takes his 14-year old daughter with him on job sites.

“If I’m out checking jobs on Saturday, Reese is with me. She is shown the good, the bad and the ugly. She may not understand all of it, but she is developing her own concept of the business and can determine what part she wants to play in its future.

“Reese also understands the legacy, and she can choose to define her own role in continuing that legacy of family, business and serving others.”

In his spare time, Roger enjoys family time including joining his wife, Janice (a nurse) or his parents for a game of golf. Adair and Susan will continue spending time with their family, including five grandchildren, ranging in ages from 12 to 18.

At the end of a Northwestern commencement address in May 2008, Adair left the graduates with a quote by John Wesley: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

This advice is playing well in the Brown family.