EDWARDSVILLE – Dan Lowery has filled many roles throughout his life, from military veteran to successful entrepreneur to political figure. As he reflects on his long and storied career, Lowery attributes the bulk of his business knowledge and success to the education he received as a student at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Business.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Lowery’s journey in higher education began while pursuing a degree in physics and math at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. When his GPA dropped below the student grade requirement, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served for four years during the Vietnam War.
Following his time in the Air Force, Lowery chose to enroll at SIUE, where he earned a bachelor’s in management information systems in 1973. This degree provided Lowery with the springboard he needed to launch his career in the corporate world.
Lowery spent eight years working at IBM as a new account salesperson and eventually realized his career ambition was not to climb the corporate ladder. He knew he was looking for something different. Lowery recalled advice from one of his School of Business professors: “Always keep your eyes open for new opportunities, because they’re always coming along.”
This quote mirrored advice he received from his father. According to Lowery, his father had attempted to build his own business many times but had failed due to a lack of business knowledge.
“He had a burning desire to do this kind of work,” Dan stated, “and I have that same desire."
When Lowery left IBM in 1984, he founded his own company, LSI-Lowery Systems, from a desk in his attic, buying and selling used IBM hardware. The company quickly morphed into a successful computer software business.
Lowery’s entrepreneurial endeavors were not limited to computer software. Through a business connection, Lowery learned about Massage Envy, a wellness franchise that provides massages and skin care services. He purchased the St. Louis area franchise and would later become the one of the presidents of Massage Envy Regional Developers Association. Lowery expanded his foray into franchising by purchasing European Wax Centers and building out the St. Louis region for that franchise.
Upon retirement, Lowery sold LSI-Lowery Systems, the Massage Envy regional franchise and the European Wax Center regional franchise. He retains ownership of his most recent acquisition, the Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas, region for TemperaturePro, an HVAC franchise.
“TemperaturePro is possibly the best franchise I’ve owned in that the demand is built in for the product allowing the franchisees free to work on operations,” said Lowery.
When looking back on these accomplishments in his entrepreneurial career, Lowery shared that when working as an entrepreneur, “there is no higher high, and no lower low, but the highs are so high you forget about the lows.”
Lowery’s career not only flourished in the entrepreneurial world, but in local politics as well. A Shewsbury, Mo., resident since 1973, Lowery was elected as an alderman from 1978-79 and as mayor from 1985 until his retirement in 1995. During his time as mayor, Lowery obtained land that eventually was used to build a community center and park. Thirty years later in 2022, the Shewsbury Board of Aldermen voted to rename the building the Dan Lowery Shrewsbury City Center.
Lowery expressed his gratitude to the town and his position in politics stating, “You get so much more than you give, and people are so appreciative when things happen in the community.”
The School of Business is among an elite 5% of business schools worldwide that have earned the prestigious accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). This accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. Less than 25% of AACSB accredited schools also hold the accounting accreditation. For the 16th consecutive year, the School of Business is named an outstanding business school by The Princeton Review: “The Best Business Schools: 2022 Edition.” The Princeton Review recommends the School as one of the best institutions in the U.S. from which students can earn an MBA. Nearly 29,000 alumni have earned degrees from the SIUE School of Business.
More like this:
