Three University of Alabama students and childhood friends have combined their talents to establish a small business that draws on their love for charity and their Southern roots.
In the wake of the April 27, 2011 tornado, Chris Davis, a senior majoring in criminal justice and psychology, was propelled into action as the storm swept away his home. Having known Davis since preschool, John Davis Lind, a senior majoring in finance on the pre-med track, knew he wanted to help not only his friend in the recovery process, but also the community as a whole.
“The whole idea came about after the tornado,” Lind said. “Chris’ house was destroyed, and we were looking for a way to give back. We wanted to keep the Southern way of life and culture around. Our whole motto is in the name. We wanted to give back to the South.”
Davis and Lind devised a business model in which a percentage of the total sale of their products would be set aside for a fund established by the Alma Foundation, the same nonprofit organization that arranges the fundraising efforts for Nick and Terry Saban’s Nick’s Kids. The clothing business, Southern View Company, is to contribute 10 percent of the total sale to the fund as of now, but that number is planned to change, Lind said. The money collected through the fund will be put back into the community through various charities.
“We think that if someone is buying a shirt, the charity aspect could contribute to it; if they knew the purchase could go to something good, they would buy it,” Davis said. “We were first inspired by the tornado and to start something for disaster relief. But if you’re looking to help people, it shouldn’t matter where. There are people needing things every day. We thought to keep it open so it’s not centered around one thing.”
Davis and Lind decided the T-shirt business in Tuscaloosa was a good field to flourish as entrepreneurs.
“Originally, we were targeting college students,” Davis said. “We know from experience and other companies like us that have flourished. We thought, ‘Why not us?’”
The two students then approached friend Braden Fowler to join their team.
“They pulled me into it,” said Fowler, a sophomore majoring chemistry who knew Davis and Lind from high school at Holy Spirit Catholic School in Tuscaloosa. “I was in the library in early summer – early June – and they proposed the idea to me. I thought it was great and wanted to help. They had come up with the lighthouse logo and design already, and we just expanded on that.”
The Southern View Company includes a wide variety of clothing styles for the college student, Lind said. The company now has T-shirts – pocketed, embroidered and V-neck – pullovers, hats, window decals, koozies and bottle openers. Lind said in the future they would like to expand into pants and button-downs.
“All three of us are really into the latest trends and what everyone else is wearing,” Lind said. “I’d say this is the preppy college trend. The colleg-age group is the perfect target group. There’s good competition here is Tuscaloosa. With any business, there’s always someone else who wants the same products as you. It’s just someone to motivate you to come up with better ideas and better products.”
Fowler said the business has created an interesting opportunity for him as a student and an entrepreneur.
“Being a student and running a business opens views and gives me a new perspective; it gives me a look into the real world,” Fowler said. “For us, the idea right now is to get our name out there. More than just clothing, we want to give back. ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ That’s the idea we are trying to run with. There’s this personification of a Southern gentleman – that people are good and want to help others. We try to express that idea as much as we can.”
The Southern View Company is having a fall sale, with everything on their website going for 25 percent off. To shop their products, visit the website, www.southernviewcompany.com, or friend them on Facebook.
