Project Spotlight West: Donteako Wilson

“If you said ‘Who is Don Wilson?’ ” he continues, “ … Don Wilson is a father, Don Wilson is a man, Don Wilson is from the West Side.” 

By Amanda Barber for BBG
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Donteako Wilson, the founder, chairman and managing member of Capital Insurance Group (CIG), is a compelling example of how the West Side community in Charleston, West Virginia, has played a pivotal role in shaping the individuals who grew up there.

Donteako Wilson, founder, chairman and managing member of Capital Insurance Group (CIG). Photo courtesy of CIG

Wilson’s business was established a little over seven years ago on the West Side and is one of the fastest-growing Black-owned insurance agencies in the country, with 17 locations in 16 states, according to CIG’s website. The full-service firm works with major insurance carriers such as Travelers, Allstate, Encova, Progressive, Liberty Mutual and several more. 

When Wilson reflects on his life journey, he thinks about how growing up on the West Side helped bring him to where he is today. His voice holds a sense of unwavering pride when he talks about his childhood: “I’m West Side through and through,” he says. 

Wilson grew up on Grant, Main, and Russell streets. He went to Glenwood Elementary School when Mary C. Snow was the principal, then onto Stonewall Junior High School (now West Side Middle School) and Capital High School. He played football for the Western Generals, the same team his father coached for 20 years and that Wilson also later coached.

A young Donteako Wilson during his first year playing football for the Western Generals. Wilson says he had one of the best single seasons ever during this time. Photo courtesy of Donteako Wilson

Photo courtesy of Donteako Wilson

Wilson remembers spending time with friends on First and Second avenues. He often played pick-up basketball at the Second Avenue Community Center, which is still a popular hang-out spot for West Side youth. He had a group of close-knit friends during his upbringing, and today the West Side remains unique through its distinctive network of interpersonal connections. 

“It was the coolest thing ever, I mean, I wouldn’t change one thing good, bad, or indifferent about where I grew up and the people I grew up with,” Wilson says. “ … The funny part about the West Side is everybody is kind of connected because your parents grew up with the other person’s parents, or your grandparents grew up with the other person’s grandparents. So, it’s kind of unlike a lot of communities, especially these days.”

From left: Thomas Moorman, Dural Miller, Brandon Jones, Brian Williams, Donteako Wilson and Joey Pryor.
Photo courtesy of Donteako Wilson

Wilson speaks about how Scott Swayne, a former basketball coach and retired Capital High School teacher, was a positive influence on his mindset to succeed and his self-esteem as a young man growing up on the West Side. Today, Swayne remains a mentor figure for the West Side community.  

“Just such a giver and teacher, and he was so invested in all of us being successful and understanding our heritage and who we are, and more importantly, what we could be and not letting where you start dictate where you finish,” Wilson says. 

Wilson shares memories of growing up alongside his first cousin Dural Miller, CEO of the Keep Your Faith Corporation, which provides crucial resources for the West Side such as mental health services, recovery coaching, workforce development, access to fresh food and more.

From left: Dural Miller, Donteako Wilson and Brian Williams. Photo courtesy of Donteako Wilson

Wilson also grew up with Turan Rush’s father. Turan is the founder of the Midian Leadership Project, an organization that aims to “develop community leaders through holistic educational and social support, anchored in sports-related programming, for young people ages 10 to 25.” Wilson says he coached Rush in basketball at nine or 10 years old and that Rush even calls him “Unc.” 

“I’m probably 20 or 19 years older than Turan, you know, and I know him like a brother,” Wilson says. “I’m like his uncle. You know, that’s the West Side really in a nutshell, is the fact that ‘Taco’ Wilson and Turan Rush are connected and united as brothers just by that neighborhood. … We’re ready, willing, and able to pass the torch to Turan because he is the beacon of light that we all saw, that we all wanted, and that we all gravitated to, to nourish and nurture, and water that seed that he’s now grown into.” 

Alongside Rush, Wilson commends other successful individuals and athletes from the West Side such as Dorian Etheridge, Leondre Rogers, Kashaun Haley, and brothers Kerry and Kerion Martin. Wilson says he has known for a long time that these young men, as well as many others from the West Side, would achieve their dreams. 

“It’s not even a surprise to us to see like Turan and Dorian and Leondre and those guys be so successful,” Wilson says.  “ … I coached those kids man, I coached the Western Generals. I coached Kerry and Kerion and Turan and Leondre, Dorian, Kashaun, all those guys. It’s one community, it’s one family, and it’s such a close-knit, you know, willing to give the last to them at any cost because it means so much to see them to succeed and making sure that they get to where they wanna go.”

From left: Rush, Wilson and Etheridge snap a photo together at the Second Avenue Community Center. Photo courtesy of Donteako Wilson.

The Elk City Historic District, where Wilson’s business is located, is rich in culture. The area is also considered a successful business district, which has helped change some negative perceptions about Charleston’s West Side. However, certain West Side neighborhoods vary in perception, and some Charleston residents may either be unfamiliar or have never been in those overlooked areas. 

“I think most people, I would think, I mean, most people don’t know about what the West Side is,” Wilson says. “ … They’ve been on the boulevard, they’ve been on Washington Street, they’ve been up Edgewood, they’ve been on Patrick Street, and they’ve been on Pennsylvania. Right? That’s the outskirts. They’ve never been in on the inside of it. They’ve never been on Watts, they’ve never been on Grant, Main, or Russell, or Vine … and Bream. They’ve never been over there. So, they don’t understand it, right, and all they see is the news narrative.”  

Just like other communities – not only in West Virginia but across the United States – certain areas of the West Side have been susceptible to certain social issues. Unfortunately, these hardships have garnered negative, unfair stereotypes about the community and its residents as a whole. However, West Siders do not just give up when faced with challenges, Wilson says. Instead, community leaders, organizations, churches and businesses remain steadfast in addressing those issues and helping residents live happy, healthy lives. There is especially a significant emphasis on providing youth with resources, opportunities, education and mentorship. Wilson says Michael Farmer, Dural Miller, Cookie Miller Jr., Del. JB Akers, Teresa Brown-Johnson, Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin, and City Councilman Larry Moore, are some of the many great individuals who have made a “boots-on-the-ground effort” for the West Side. Through a strong foundation of community, the West Side is doing something right – something that more and more people are starting to notice. 

“Seeing the community and how it comes together,” Wilson says. “When resources are sparse and you still come together to share resources, that’s when you got a community. … That’s what the West Side does when times are hard, they get tough. That’s why I’m proud to be from the West Side, a West Side business owner, a West Side employer of people.” 

From left: Donteako Wilson, Dural Miller and Larry Moore.

Despite the stereotypes, Wilson was never afraid of the West Side nor did he ever worry his business would be unsuccessful in the area. At only 21, he had already started business in the community with a retail store called “Reflexionz Clothing LLC,” which Wilson says was open for about four or five years. He also opened a second location in the Huntington Mall that was open for about two years.

“I didn’t have a fear of the West Side. I knew you could do business on the West Side and be successful on the West Side. There was no hindrance, there was no negative narrative for me because I grew up over here,” Wilson says. “ … I firmly believe that you can be successful and do great business on the West Side of Charleston, and I never stopped believing that. One, I built one of the largest insurance agencies in the country on the West Side, so I’m proving that.”

Looking at Wilson’s accomplishments and how he gives back to the community, he is proving that great things do come out of the West Side of Charleston. He has garnered multiple prestigious awards, including being named “Best Insurance Agent in the Valley” by the Charleston Gazette in both 2013 and 2019. In 2018, he earned the WV State Journal’s “40 under 40” award, and he later secured a spot in the West Virginia Executive Magazine’s “Young Guns Class of 2022.” 

When talking about his “Young Gun” achievement, Wilson says, “The thing that I thought about the most when I got the award was, you know, those times growing up – where I grew up and how I grew up and how it shaped me into who I am today.”

Donteako Wilson, CIG Chairman, Managing Member, and Founder, featured in West Virginia Executive Magazine’s “Young Guns Class of 2022.”
Photo of article provided by Donteako Wilson 

Wilson has a philosophy that a person’s character is instilled in them by 16 or 17 years old, and that regardless of how successful that person becomes, the qualities they form at a young age are still within them through all stages of life. “For me, that’s a kid on the West Side on Vine Street or Main Street, you know, walking around the neighborhood, knowing everybody, and talking to everybody,” he says. 

The principles Wilson learned while growing up led him to what he calls his “give-back mentality.” He holds seats on the board of directors of Goodwill Industries of Kanawha Valley, East End Main Street, FestivALL Charleston, Keep Your Faith Corporation (KYFC), Kanawha County Public Library, African American Philanthropy in Action, Hospice, and Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is involved with the KYFC’s Earl Wilson Community Thanksgiving Dinner, named after his grandfather. 

Wilson has donated bicycles, backpacks and school supplies for the Second Avenue Summer Basketball League’s back-to-school annual giveaways and block parties. When schools were closed during the height of COVID-19, he donated food to ensure local youth had access to meals. For some children in Kanawha County, across West Virginia, and throughout the United States, school breakfasts and lunches are their only consistent source of nutrition. 

Wilson also celebrates the success of fellow businesses in the Elk City district, including Kinship Goods, The Vandalia Company, Dancing Dog Ice Cream Cafe, Backstage Bodywear, Mea Cuppa, 218 Boutique, and The Boutique by B.Belle Events. In addition, he applauds West Side establishments such as Phat Daddy’s on the Tracks, Dem 2 Brothers and a Grill, Andrew’s Floor and Wall Care, and the non-profit organization West Virginia Health Right. He believes a key to furthering social and economic development on the West Side is to connect Elk City to the Five Corners area. Wilson says this would enable more individuals from the inner West Side to involve themselves in business opportunities. 

“Seeing this community and the people that make it up, I mean, and how vibrant it is, and how economically viable it is these days, and seeing more and more businesses over here has been the coolest part of watching this community develop,” Wilson says. “ … It’s such a diverse group and collection of business owners, and I love to see that. But what I don’t want to see is this growth happen, and the people on Grant and Main and Second and Russell, Third Avenue, Florida Street, not know that this development is happening or be a part of the development. … Like I said, connecting Five Corners to this Elk City business district is the next wave of what’s going to happen as far as economic development.” 

Toward the end of Wilson’s interview, he reflected on the loss of Kelvin “KJ” Taylor, a beloved teen and star athlete who was tragically killed on the West Side in April 2021. Just as Wilson grew up with Dural Miller, Turan Rush’s father, and many other West Side leaders, he also grew up with KJ Taylor’s parents. Taylor was a positive influence in his community who surrounded himself with others who wanted to do the same. For young West Siders who aim to carry on Taylor’s torch of light, Wilson says to always remember the excellence their community has instilled in them, just as it has done for countless others in the past. 

“Greatness is in you,” Wilson says. “Going back to the great Walter Easley, who is a Super Bowl champion, NFL player, community and business leader. To Darrion Scott, who I grew up with, who played at Ohio State for four years, and then seven years in the NFL, and then on to operate a huge trucking company in Atlanta. To Dorian Etheridge, who’s carried the torch onto the Atlanta Falcons, and Turan Rush, and myself, and Dural Miller, and Gary Jones. So many successful people have come through these streets. Let their legacy live within you. And know that if I did it, if I can run a multi-million dollar corporation having grown up on Main Street and Grant Street … if I can do that, you can too. I’m not special, but where I grew up is.”