Kirby Powell

     Powell Enterprises

     Brownsville, Tennessee

At the 2005 annual meeting in Memphis, Kirby Powell, one of the original founders of Beltwide Cotton Coop, tendered his resignation after years of service to the Board. Having recently sold his ginning operation in Brownsville, Tennessee, Kirby decided it was time to make room for new blood on the Board. Kirby’s service and leadership has been instrumental in taking Beltwide from a local marketing association to the fastest growing cotton cooperative in the land.

Kirby doesn’t remember exactly when he first started ginning but he used to help his father at the gin after school when he was probably around 12. He started his own farming operation in 1974 and in 1987 took over the gin and leased out his land after his father died.

In 1996, Kirby, along with 9 other West Tennessee ginners, formed an LLC with Kirby as its President.  They bought the Federal Compress and Warehouse in Brownsville and arranged for Federal to run its operations.  In order to attract business into the warehouse, the ginners needed a marketing tool – some sort of marketing association that would bring in good honest returns to the farmers. Kirby talked with Larry Lively at Federal and they considered several shippers until they decided upon Weil Brothers. Kirby had been doing business with Weil Brothers for years and was very comfortable with all of the past dealings. A meeting was set up with Larry Lively of Federal Warehouse, Bobby Weil of Weil Brothers and Kirby. Those three drew up a rough draft that was to become the West Tennessee Marketing Association with the cotton to be stored in the Brownsville warehouse and the marketing of cotton managed by Weil Brothers.  Meetings were held with producers in Haywood and Crockett counties who eventually signed up a total of about 1500 acres.  The pool grew in West Tennessee for the next two years before others caught onto the idea. A task force developed from the Texas Independent Ginners Association liked the idea and wanted a similar arrangement. And about the same time, down in Florida, Buddy Burkhead also liked the idea of a marketing association. It was obvious that the West Tennessee Marketing Association would have to evolve. Therefore, its scope was increased to include the other areas of the cotton belt and its name was changed to Beltwide Cotton Cooperative.  Kirby continued as its first President – a position he would hold for six years. Kirby feels like Beltwide is “his puppy” and he puts it best when he says “ it started almost as a whim and took off like a brush fire”  From it humble beginnings of a few thousand bales in West Tennessee it has now grown to nearly 600,000 bales nationwide.  

Kirby has been very active in various organizations throughout the years. In the past he has been President of the Tennessee Ginners Association, President of the Southern Ginners Association, National Cotton Council Delagate for 8 years, member of the Al Chymia Temple in Memphis, Tennessee, Lifetime member of National Rifle Association, Deacon at Allen Baptist Church in Brownsville and the by most accounts, the Number One Football fan of the Tennessee Volunteers. Although he has stopped wearing orange every day he is thankful that his Harley Davidson’s colors are Black and ORANGE.

Kirby had been married to Susie for 30 years and they are blessed with two sons, Nash and J.P.

Kirby won’t be going too far – at the last Board meeting, current President of the Board Tommy Funk thought enough of Kirby’s input to appoint him to the special position of Advisor to the Board.