GET TO KNOW: Wesley Dawson

President, Big Man Development, Inc.

Wes grew up in West Texas in the small town of Idalou. He is the son of James and Carol Dawson who still reside in the earth-sheltered home the family built in Idalou. Two brothers, Mike and Steve, live in nearby Lubbock, with their families. A sister, Carla, lives in Coppell.

Each summer starting at 16 and ending ten years later, Wes worked at his uncle’s paving company in Lubbock, Zahn Paving. He did everything from manual labor, concrete finishing, grease monkey, heavy equipment operator, blasting, job foreman, job estimator, to surveyor. Wes was blessed with an innate ability to put things together and natural curiosity about how things are put together. That coupled with the exposure to building and carpentry from his father, and heavy construction from his uncle, lead to his pursuits in design and construction.

In 1987, during his senior year in high school, he was Senior Class President, as well as, Student Body President. He was also voted “Most likely to Succeed” by his senior class along with “Most Courteous” by the student body. Wes was a stand-out athlete at Idalou earning All-Districts awards in football, All-State in basketball, and All-Region in track. He also earned Academic All-State.

Upon graduation, Wes accepted an academic scholarship to play basketball at Carl Albert Junior College in Poteau, Ok. At Carl Albert, he was a two year starter for the Trojans and majored in engineering. After graduation, Wes returned to the Lubbock area and enrolled in Texas Tech University, where he majored in Architecture and Civil Engineering. He was a member of the men’s basketball team for his junior and senior seasons. He is a member of Chi Epsilon, the civil engineering honor society.

In 1994, Wes was given the opportunity to design and build a large custom home at Buffalo Springs Lake, outside of Lubbock. Upon hearing about the house from his son and seeing the house, John Gabbert, hired Wes to come back to Dallas as his in-house general contractor to design and remodel his convenience stores. At the time, among his many properties, John owned six full-serve carwashes. Thus Wes’s carwash career was started.

Upon deciding to leave John, Wes partnered with Sam Higdon and began installing equipment for Sonnys’ Enterprises through Ben Alfred of Benny’s Carwash of Baton Rouge. Thus begins Wes’s relationship with Sonny’s. During the next two years, Wes and Sam, travelled all over North and South-Eastern United States performing equipment installs. They were known for their abilities to do all the electrical and plumbing systems along with the equipment. This enabled them to completely re-equip washes without shutting them down. After being on the road for most of this time, Wes decided to move back to Dallas in 1998 and start his own company in one area.

In jest, after being unsuccessful in incorporating the business name he wanted, Wes incorporated the name “Big Man Development”. Wes was planning on changing it at a later date. But, as a beginning company, the name was a conversation starter. It was not based upon a nickname, as much as a description. On job sites, people looking for Wes were referred that “big man” over there. The name stuck and efforts by Wes to change the name have been rebuffed by clients and employees alike. Sonny’s Enterprises has even gone so far as to name a piece of equipment after Wes.

Check out Sonny's website for the “Big Man” Wraps.

Big Man Development is now one of the top distributers for Sonny’s Enterprises, the largest supplier to the conveyor ized market in the world.

Wes and his wife, Kristie, live in Irving. They were married in August of 2008. Wes calls Kristie, “the best thing that has ever happened to me”.