Migration to Knoxville may be driven by social, economic, and environmental factors, as individuals or families seek better opportunities. The area’s favorable living conditions attract diverse populations, enriching the community. The MacDonald family shares that history.
While Drew MacDonald was born in Knoxville, his father was raised on a farm in Ormond, Ontario. He emigrated to Detroit in the late 1920s. He was a naturalized US citizen and was later drafted into the US Army. After WWII, he moved to Knoxville and started a family with his wife, Dorothy Norton MacDonald, where they set down permanent roots.
John MacDonald started the family business, Royal Brass and Hose, in Knoxville as a sales representative of a firm based in Wisconsin. He had the Southeast territory and later incorporated under the Royal Brass & Hose name in Tennessee, where the corporate office and central distribution warehouse are today. The company has expanded to 11 locations in 10 states with over 200 employees, 30 sales reps, and $88 million in sales for 2025 … and still growing.
Drew MacDonald, the youngest of four, began working in the family business after graduating from West High School and the University of Tennessee, earning a degree in Business Administration. His technology acumen instilled in him the crucial role that effective computer systems could play in the business, so Drew focused on finding and refining the best systems to help them manage it.
Today, Drew is the CEO and majority owner of Royal Brass and Hose.
Drew and his spouse, Betty, whom he met at a UT/GA Tech football game, have been married since 1983 and have one adult daughter, Sarena Paige (Ramsey).
Drew’s sense of adventure led him to apply his technology expertise in other areas, such as becoming a certified pilot, where his love of flying provides an outlet for pleasure.
As part of the Bearden Rotary Club’s “Know Your Rotarian” segment, fellow member Dick Hinton shared four facts about Drew MacDonald—three truths and one lie:
Three Truths and a LIE
- Drew played in a rock-and-roll band in high school; he sang lead and played keyboard. They named their group “Hazelnut Glory.”
- Why is his company named Royal Brass? His Canadian-born Dad first worked for a similar company in Canada, Royal Brass, and he wanted to preserve that sentimental connection.
- Drew and his wife, Betty, were very active and caring foster parents; between 1985 and 1995, they fostered 17 children.
- Possibly due to the Canadian connection, Drew played ice hockey from age 10 until well into college; he played a total of 45 full-contact games his junior year at UTK. (and still reportedly has all of his original teeth)
Maybe not as famous as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who got their start in high school, Hazelnut Glory was a local high school rock-and-roll band featuring other local musicians.
Since Drew was the lead singer, it is a good thing he kept all his teeth while playing ice hockey for over a decade.
Drew and Betty have one adult daughter, but were blessed to have 17 foster children over the course of ten years. Drew and Betty had foster children while their daughter was growing up.
So, if you picked number two as the LIE, you were correct. The company name, Royal Brass, has no connection to a Canadian company of the same name.
When Hinton interviewed Drew and asked him to talk about his business, Hinton says, “I just couldn’t keep up with what he said. I can tell you, it’s NOT just the piece of brass on the top of a garden hose from Home Depot.”
From their website: We specialize in OEM kitting, tube bending, hydraulic hose assembly, and fittings. Adapters, clamps, quick disconnects, battery cables, gauges, black iron pipe, brake lines, air conditioning hose and fittings, fasteners, agricultural PTO, industrial hose and fittings, pressure washer hose and fittings, and much more.
The Rotary Club of Bearden meets every Friday, 12:15 p.m. for a luncheon meeting/program at Bearden Banquet Hall, 5806 Kingston Pike, 37919. All guests are welcome. Contact Joseph Pace with membership questions: here.
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