Roddey Dowd of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Wins CPA Industry Leader Award

Roddey Dowd Jr. is a stalwart of American manufacturing. CPA Chairman of the Board, Zach Mottl referred to him as a “titan” and “one of the early voices against globalization.” He was awarded Industry Leader Award on April 5, 2022, during CPA’s annual conference.

“We think the CPA is the only trade organization in DC that is worth its salt,” Dowd said at a podium, award in hand, after thanking Vice Chairman Dan DiMicco for turning him on to CPA in its formative days more than 12 years ago. “We dropped out of NAM, we dropped out of that globalist mess called the Chamber of Commerce, and we found a home here,” he said.

Dowd recently retired as CEO of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry in North Carolina. The company is the largest manufacturer of drain, waste, and vent pipes and fittings in the United States and operates one of the largest molding facilities in the world. Besides North Carolina, they also have facilities in Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, Utah, and Alabama.

CPA’s chief executive Michael Stumo said, “Roddey goes after the globalists in North Carolina…and he goes after them hard.”

Charlotte Pipe won an anti-dumping case against Chinese companies that were selling subsidized, below-market priced cast iron into the U.S. in 2019.

What follows are some excerpts from his speech on Tuesday during the closing dinner ceremony on day one of the two-day event.

“My job is to lead good people and carry on a business that is 120 years old, and give them great pay, great benefits, a shot at taking care of their families and working in a safe environment. It’s been  pleasure and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let a bunch of (Chinese companies) run us out of business.”

He spoke about life outside of the big urban hubs of America, places that grew thanks to manufacturing jobs, and places that – today – have often been left to rot on account of outsourcing to Mexico and Asia, namely to China.

“What’s important to these people is feeding their families, going to church, coaching their kids at the ball game, and going to work for a good company,” he said.

“Globalists have been selling this country out and those good people for 40 years. I’ve watched China decimate the south – our textiles, our furniture. We have to put the clamps on our representatives (in Washington) and require them to stare these good people in the face and tell them the truth: that you’re either for them and their families, or you are working for Wall Street.”

Dowd sang CPAs praises a couple of times during his speech.

“We feel like we are finally with friends here. We couldn’t find one forever. They (Washington) just expected you to keep your workers employed all the while we are spending tens of millions of dollars and lost profit hanging on to our market share. We were lucky to have won a big case,” he said about the anti-dumping ruling in his favor in 2019.

“Let’s keep investing at home,” Dowd said. “Let’s be efficient, take care of our people, and we will win in the long run. I have a great feeling about America. Sometimes people get so down…and I just say, look…when I go to the local diner in town, I don’t see people that are going to roll over. They’re fighters. This is a hornet’s nest. I think there are a lot of reasons to be hopeful.”

Roddey Dowd Jr. assumed the CEO role from Frank Dowd, IV in 2012. He served in the position for 9 years. Dowd will continue working full-time in 2022 as Vice-Chairman of the Board. Frank Dowd, IV will remain as Chairman of the Board of Charlotte Pipe.

Charlotte Pipe has been in Dowd’s family since 1901 when it was created by his great grandfather W. Frank Dowd. His father, Roddey Dowd, joined the company in the early 1950s, a time when American manufacturing was flourishing.