WORK HARD, play hard, pray hard” is the motto of the White family, who own White Associates LLC, which opened at 100 L. Fisher Rd. in 2000. What began as two separate businesses opened the door for three generations of Whites to work together.
Lavory White started a consulting firm, and his son, Phillip, along with Phillip’s wife, Kimberly, stepped out by faith and opened a welding business. After father and son merged their companies, they spent eight years as mechanical contractors, primarily working for Tyson Foods. When orders for custom-built stairs and handrails piled up, they hired welders to meet demand. Over the years, they also forged a bond with their neighbor, Cooper Steel, so the Whites began filling orders for them. By this point, the family was operating two businesses — one on the mechanical side and one handling miscellaneous metals and light structural steel products.
Kimberly recalled those early days. “Phillip was in a leadership role from the beginning. He was responsible for all on-site mechanical work, sales, estimating, and day-to-day operations for the miscellaneous steel side. One of the biggest challenges we faced was that he worked out of town and was gone for weeks at a time.”
Phillip wasn’t the only parent logging long hours, as Kimberly averaged 45 hours a week working for a urologist in Tullahoma while shouldering household chores and caring for their two sons, Lavory Wayne and Tyler.
“With two young boys who missed him dearly and who were involved in all kinds of sports and church activities, it was hard,” Kimberly said. “Even when Phillip was home, he was still on call around the clock — even on holidays. We didn’t have a lot of quantity of time, but we made it quality time.”
Nearly 20 years later, Kimberly fulfilled her dream to be a stay-at-home mom. “I quit the urology office just before our youngest son, Walker, turned 2. It was my last opportunity to stay home with one of our sons, and it was one of the best decisions we ever made. With two grown children already, we knew how fast time flies. We are so happy God blessed us with another son and gave us another chance to start over again!”
Lavory Wayne began working for White Associates at 17. Kimberly said, “He started out on one of the road crews and worked out of state most of the time. He is now our operations manager. He loves duck hunting and riding horses. His wife, Kayla, is a wonderful wife and mother. She is also a substitute teacher in Chapel Hill and a photographer. They have two boys — Gage, 13, and Sawyer,
They both play football for Chapel Hill. Gage is such a kind soul who thinks of everyone and enjoys playing video games. Sawyer is into skeet shooting and loves collecting knives.”
Tyler works as a relations manager at First Bank of Fayetteville. “He is a wonderful father and husband and loves to hunt. We always knew early on that he would be a banker because of his love for saving his money and loaning it to his brother, Lavory Wayne, when he was short on funds,” Kimberly said. “Tyler’s wife, Alicia, is a homemaker who loves to garden, bake homemade bread, and craft. They have a set of 6-year-old twins, Hudson and Braxton, and a 2-year-old son, Weston. Hudson has a soft heart and never wants to leave when he comes to visit. He enjoys hunting with his father and playing baseball. Braxton is always trying to make us laugh and is quite the little artist. Weston is an animal lover who takes care of their baby goats, dog, and cat. He follows the big boys and thinks he is just as old as they are.”
Phillip and Kimberly’s son, Walker, will soon be a freshman. Phillip said, “He is 20 years younger than his older brothers and is a good uncle to his five nephews. They are more like brothers. Walker has played baseball and soccer, but his true passion is football, which he plays for Community Middle School. He loves to ride horses with our family and is an avid hunter and fisherman. He loves to work at the family business when his football practice schedule allows it.”
In January 2021, Phillip and Kimberly purchased the steel side of the company from Phillip’s dad, which now employs 90 people. “I had to do a lot of studying to receive my Tennessee commercial construction license. I’m proud to say I accomplished this and also hold construction licenses in several other states,” Kimberly said.
After working alongside Phillip for 23 years, Lavory died in 2023. “My dad always taught me to take care of our clients and employees, to be true to my word, and to always get to work early, even before our employees,” Phillip said. “Dad loved taking the entire family on vacations and us getting together every chance we got.”
Phillip and Kimberly purchased acreage near Petersburg, so the entire family can do what they love best — spend time together. Kimberly’s parents, Linton and Judy Thompson, moved into the family compound and live in a restored 200-year-old log cabin down the hill from the Whites.
Kimberly said, “Family gatherings are such a priority for us. In the fall and spring, it’s all about camping, riding horses, or riding our Harley. And in the summer, it’s all about boating and being on the lake.”
With three sons and now five grandsons, the Whites have welded together a foundation our community can count on. One day, they will pass the torch to the next generation of Whites. GN
