This story is a part of our Shaping the City series, celebrating Black Business Month in Nashville
Dwan Branson, owner of Etchmark Pavement Maintenance Experts and a 2025 Nashville Black 40 Under 40 honoree, believes faith and sacrifice are the foundation of every lasting legacy. His own journey proves it.
Dwan lived a comfortable life with his engineering job. But the catalyst to his entrepreneurial journey did not come from job dissatisfaction, but a far more important job – fatherhood. “I wanted to provide for my kid a certain way,” Dwan says.
After his daughter was born, Dwan began thinking beyond his next paycheck. College funds, long-term security, and the kind of life he wanted to provide for his baby girl became his focus.
Elevation at this point was personal.
While his desire to build generational wealth for his family sparked the journey, Dwan says his greatest motivator has always been his faith.
During Etchmark’s early years, Dwan balanced entrepreneurship with a full-time job as an engineer for the U.S. Postal Service. As business slowed down in the midst of the pandemic, Dwan was left questioning what move came next. It was at this moment Dwan experienced what he believed to be divine intervention – a push from God to leave the Postal Service and grow Etchmark, a full-service pavement marking company specializing in striping, layout design, and roadway safety solutions.
Rather than seeing any setback as failure, Dwan saw it as direction: “God created a situation where He pushed me out the door.”
This transition was no walk in the park. Long nights, fear, and countless what-ifs made the transition daunting. But Dwan believed that a requirement for success is often a surrendering of control. “Some stuff I don’t have control over, and sometimes all you can do is lean in and trust God,” he says.
His approach to business and life is shaped by a lesson he heard from Les Brown and reinforced by his pastor Bishop Joseph Walker: “Life is a gift from God, and how you live your life is a gift back to God.” These aren’t just words, but principles that he lives by to guide his personal life and his business. For Dwan, Etchmark not only helps in building his family’s legacy but also fulfills his personal duty to be of service to his community.
“I have a duty to touch people that I’m not directly related to. I believe you inspire people in what you do.” That sense of purpose is reflected in his work ethic. During the busy season, Dwan and his team’s days often begin before sunrise and don’t end until long after the crew leaves the job site.
During the warmer months, days begin around 7 a.m. on job sites and continue into the afternoon as crews complete pavement marking and maintenance projects. When work slows in the colder months, the Etchmark team focuses on training employees, maintaining equipment, and attending conferences and trade shows.
From working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to Austin Peay State University, the Etchmark team’s work does not stop. More recently, a high-profile project the team completed is rebuilding Nashville’s Second Avenue North, an area that was affected by the 2020 Christmas Day bombing. This project includes pedestrian safety improvements and the new distinctive piano key-style crosswalks, complementary to the character of downtown.
As Etchmark continues to grow, Dwan offers advice to the next generation of entrepreneurs: do your research, build meaningful relationships, and never compromise the quality of your work. And a key to remember? “Relationships are what help your business thrive.”
For Dwan, true success comes with sacrifice. And on the other side of relinquishing control is a mission that is much deeper than simply owning a business. It is about building and sustaining something that outlives him – whether it’s working to achieve generational wealth for his daughter or inspiring someone to stay the course to reach their purpose – Dwan Branson is an example of what it looks like when faith meets hard work.
Interview by: Ashley Currie
Photography provided by: Etchmark
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