Virgil Brown has always known God, but until a certain point the man known by friends as “Downtown” had never truly given his heart to the Lord. It took a 13-year addiction-fueled journey, 15 arrests, six-plus years of incarceration and being shot by police to set him upon a more productive path. He was also sent an angel, whom he would one day marry. Between her and God, Brown lived to tell his story.
Brown’s resume is not replete with the type of details normally associated with a Difference Maker. He spent 13 years of his life, from age 26 to 39, in a free-fall. He was in and out of jail/prison following drug arrests. It usually took little more than a week after being released from jail for Brown to seek out drug dealers. Numerous attempts at rehab did not provide the desired results.
“The worst thing is the hopelessness when you’re in it,” Brown said in reference to the throes of addiction. “You don’t have the power to stop on your own, no matter how many ways you try. You give up on yourself, and people give up on you.”
Drugs cost Brown his first wife, his job and his freedom. On the morning of Jan. 4, 1998, it nearly cost him his life. That’s when a local police officer fired four rounds at Brown, who was a mere three feet away. The officer was a certified marksman who trained recruits on shooting a gun, yet just one bullet struck the target. How Brown survived is a miracle beyond miracles, and he knows it to be true. He recounted the lesser fortunes of friends and acquaintances who did not emerge from their own journeys.
“I wasn’t arrested 15 times,” Brown said of his criminal record. “I was saved 15 times.”
Saving Grace
Thirteen years of addiction have given way to a wondrous redemption story. Not long after being shot, he met Lovie, the most selfless of souls, and she stuck with him through a final relapse and two-plus year prison term. He found the Lord and became an ordained minister. Most importantly, Brown stayed away from drug street, as he calls it, which has figurative and literal undertones. It wasn’t that easy, but ever since Dec. 15, 2000, Brown has remained sober and drug free.
“I just had to do what is right in life,” he said.
Brown’s career kicked off in fine fashion: he graduated from San Jose State with a BS in finance, and joined the ranks of Xerox in 1982. He wanted to be a sports agent, but soon pivoted back to finance, with the goal of becoming a stockbroker. After five years with Xerox, he was offered a position within the prestigious Dean Witter Reynolds, once a stalwart firm in the realm of securities. Brown asked for a one-month window before joining the firm. When the month was up, he was already deep in the clutches of cocaine addiction, the vice of choice for the 1980s Yuppie.
After emerging from the 13-year drug odyssey, Brown needed to put his career back in order. He got a job selling for Modern Data Products, where he had a large amount of government clients. He left that company and tried his hand at the mortgage business, then construction. He was a vice president at the latter, but felt confined financially because he wanted the limitless potential that could be enjoyed as a salesperson. It was a skill that came naturally to Brown, whose personality is warm, engaging and utterly frank.
In 2012, the opportunity to join Coast to Coast (CTC) Computer Products presented itself. CTC is billed as a second chance company with an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). It offers weekly voluntary 12-step meetings in an open forum, as attendees are employees as opposed to strangers. In fact, the company founder and CEO himself is a recovered success story. A supplier of toner, office supplies and equipment, CTC is highly entrepreneurial by nature (Brown, a national account manager, has the power to hire people). The autonomy and limitless sales potential is what he finds truly compelling.
“If something doesn’t work right, I have so much leeway and time to correct it, and I can make it right for mister customer,” he noted. “I take care of my customers, provide them cost savings and spoil them at times. I’m old school—I’m one of the first to arrive in the morning and one of the last to leave at night. That’s how I roll.”
Opening Up
Over the years, Brown became less protective of his past. His “black wall came down,” and he slowly allowed people into his world. Brown discovered that fellow team members and clients had their own unique stories to tell, which was reinforced by the programs he’d been through during rehab. These connections have been gratifying, and freeing in a sense. He grew up being acutely aware, and reminded of, the fact that he is a black man. Being able to relate with people who do not look like him has been a long journey, with addiction unwittingly providing a silver lining.
Brown owes his relentless nature, in part, to his father. The elder Brown was a gambler who lived an interesting and unique life. He worked for Ronald Reagan in California during the former actor’s bid to become governor of the Golden State. He used to kid his son about being one of three black Republicans in America at the time. His success as an entrepreneur can be traced to having an addictive personality, and it entailed him taking many risks.
“I think that was part of the gambler aspect, the poker player in him, and it didn’t always work out in his favor,” Brown said. “He was wronged by people more than once, and dealt with a lot of racism. But he never gave up. He was connected, especially after Reagan became president, and he was the man to know in southern California because of his direct access to the White House.”
Brown and CTC enjoyed a growth year in 2023. The company offers its own take on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid, which is the four S’s—survival, stability, success and significance. He’s passed the survival test and has found stability in his life. Success could be measured by his daily victories over addiction.
More positive changes are on the horizon. He’s looking to move away from California and its exorbitant cost of living, with an eye toward moving to Nevada. It’s not scary as much as it is a whole new world, according to Brown. Now that his wife is on board with the idea, he can put the plans into action.
Family is at the center of his universe. The Browns have five children, including three daughters (Ashia, Alyssa and Asia) and two sons (William and Darnell).
Pillar of Strength
Lovie has stood beside him through 25 years of marriage, and they have dedicated themselves to helping the less fortunate and those people whose stories are similar to Brown’s. They join mission teams traveling to Africa that help people in dire circumstances. Back home, she’s been known to bring home children in need of food, clothing, and perhaps temporary residence. Lovie also works with a homeless shelter and spearheads the effort to serve 400 families around the holidays. “Downtown” can frequently be seen at her side, looking to make a difference.
“Her name fits her soul so well,” Brown said.
Giving back has become a part-time job of sorts. He’s worked on the board of non-profit organizations and homeless shelters. He spent at least a year working with a man named Daniel, who was suffering from drug addiction and mental health issues. They attended AA meetings, prayer sessions and other activities aimed at helping Daniel recover. Like Brown, he became a success story and reclaimed his life. Herein lies the value of the fourth S, significance, and the impact he’s had in the lives of others.
Brown is still amazed that he was able to survive 13 years of destructive behavior, the level of things that took the lives of many great people he knew. An overdose could’ve ended Brown’s life. He wonders how an expert marksman could not do more damage from three feet away, the bullet coming within an inch of ending Brown’s life.
The odds say he should be in the ground. Instead, Brown’s shifting gears in the second act of his life.
“It’s so weird when I think about all the stories of the things that happened, and knowing it was really me,” he added. “It seems so far away now.”
