From left, Mike Griffin, president and CEO of Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce; Larry McDaniel, owner of The Town Squire and 2021 recipient of the M.C. Headrick Award; and Lee Stewart, regional president of Southern Heritage Bank
Larry S. McDaniel, owner of The Town Squire, has received the M.C. Headrick Free Enterprise Award during the 95th Annual Meeting of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce Wednesday. The event was held virtually due to ongoing health and safety concerns and state restrictions on large gatherings.
The M.C. Headrick Award is the highest award given by the Chamber to a local businessperson who embodies the ideals of the late M.C. Headrick, a successful Cleveland businessman who believed in free enterprise. Mr. McDaniel was nominated by Lee Stewart, regional president of Southern Heritage Bank and former award recipient, for his business success, community involvement and high moral character.
“Larry has been a constant testimonial to the free enterprise system here in Cleveland for the last 50 years,” Mr. Stewart said. “The Town Squire has offered unsurpassed customer service in the men’s clothing business which has resulted in sustained success. His ability to maneuver in a rapidly changing industry has kept him competitive and profitable. The industry he competes in is always rapidly changing and he stays ahead of the trends in a way few others have ever been able to accomplish.”
Mr. McDaniel began his career in the clothing business at the young age of 14, working with his uncle at Cleveland Menswear. He worked at the Village Esquire while attending Cleveland State in the 1970s before opening his business with the help of a silent partner in 1977. In the late 1990s, he took full ownership of the business and has maintained steady growth through the years.
Over time, Mr. McDaniel expanded the store from a 2,000 square foot space to 4,000 square feet. That growth allowed him to expand product offerings to meet the needs of a new generation of customers while increasing sales more than 42 percent since 2007.
In addition to his professional success, Mr. McDaniel has been a pillar of the community. He was one of the founders of Southern Heritage Bank in 1998 and remains a member of the bank’s Advisory Board. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Cleveland and has been involved with several nonprofit organizations including Junior Achievement and United Way and has served on the Chamber’s board of directors. Additionally, Mr. McDaniel is a member of Waterville Baptist Church where he has served as a Sunday school teacher.
While Mr. McDaniel had several mentors throughout his career, including M.C. Headrick, he credits Max Carroll for helping him open The Town Squire in 1977. Mr. Carroll approached Mr. McDaniel about opening a store, but Mr. McDaniel did not have the funding needed for the venture. Undeterred, Mr. Carroll helped Mr. McDaniel open and grow the business that is still serving the Cleveland community today.
Mr. McDaniel attributes much of his success to his late wife, Linda, who passed away in 2020. “My wife was my mainstay for 48 years and that’s something that you take for granted until you don’t have that anymore. But she was not only my companion, my soulmate, but my best friend and my best critic. She would tell you she was right 99.5 percent of the time,” Mr. McDaniel said as he accepted the award.
Mr. McDaniel has two daughters, Tennille Jobe and Tiffany Inscore, and six grandsons.
From left, Jonathan Jobe, Tennille Jobe, Trae Jobe, Tyler Jobe, Larry McDaniel, Ben Inscore, Tiffany Inscore, Cameron Inscore and Chandler McDaniel