One afternoon, Dr. Cowden approached Ezell with the idea of selling his dairy operation. Ezell liked the idea, but his only asset was a 1923 Ford Coupe. Dr. Cowden gave Ezell the option to rent the milking operation, which included 60 cows, equipment, and an old delivery truck, for $450 per month. With Dr. Cowden's help, Ezell secured a $600 loan with American National Bank and Ezell's Dairy was born.

The following year, financial difficulties led Dr. Cowden to sell his cows, but he offered his equipment to Ezell. Ezell took his offer, bought a few dozen cows on credit, traded the Ford Coupe for a delivery truck and rented a 200-acre farm on Edmondson Pike. At the time, about 200 dairies existed in Nashville; with one route and a fresh start, Ezell had nowhere to go but up.

During the difficult years of The Great Depression, Ezell's Dairy continued to grow despite having to relocate many times over the next 15 years. Then in 1945, Ezell's farm had to be shut down due to wartime expansion. What seemed like a detriment to his business was actually a blessing in disguise. Ezell's displacement made him eligible for a small business loan. He secured $60,000, merged with Rosebank Dairies, moved the entire operation to the now familiar location on Murfreesboro Road, and Purity Dairies was born.

Miles Ezell was always particular about the quality of his products and services. He was the driving force behind many innovative operations and packaging breakthroughs; later copied by Purity competitors. Innovations such as refrigerated tanks on dairy farms, vacuum pasteurization (which keeps "onion" flavor out of milk), non-wax milk cartons and the famous yellow plastic jug are just a few of the reasons Purity Dairy remains a leader in quality, freshness and delivery.

In 1998, after 72 years as a family-owned-and-operated business, Purity Dairies joined Dean Foods, the nation's leading dairy processor and distributor. Today, Purity is still operated by the Ezell family and is the only remaining dairy in Davidson County. More than 500 employees make up the Purity family, offering more than 100 different products throughout Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky.

In one of many letters to his family, Miles Ezell wrote: "In order to succeed, think big, dream, work hard, and be honest." Words from a man who not only believed this way, but lived this way.