Who I Am

I am proud to call Knoxville and East Tennessee home. However, I did not appreciate the opportunities that Knoxville has until I was doing research for the reconstruction of a house in Historic Old North Knoxville. The Souvenir History of Knoxville, published in 1907, and reproduced by Charles Reeves Jr., described Knoxville as an “industrial and commercial center in a great favored region of the South.” It went on to say that growth was inevitable because of abundant natural resources, temperate climate, a favorable geographic location as a trade center with excellent rail and water transportation, a diligent work force, and unmatched scenery for the entire region. The undeniable reality is that everything that was identified in 1907 as a prime contributor to growth is now part of the marketing campaign of every county in East Tennessee.

Unfortunately, Knoxville lost its direction during and after the depression of the 1930’s. Truthfully it has taken almost seventy years for the region to regain the momentum it had at the turn of the Twentieth century. It is easy to look to other cities, other regions of the country, and “expert consultants” from somewhere else to help guide what we should become. I prefer to look to our own history and then pursue the enormous human talent that is now in East Tennessee.

An example of the kind of leadership that Knoxville had, and I believe the leaders are emulating today, is that of Peter Kern, the founder of Kern’s Bakery. Mr. Kern was an immigrant from Germany who made Knoxville his home after the Civil War. He was not trained as a baker but built one of the most prosperous baking companies in the South. He was not a politician but became the mayor. He accepted and encouraged change as well as competition for both his business and Knoxville. He firmly believed that his business would need to change because it would grow as Knoxville grew. To maintain its status as a leader, he felt that his business must innovate to stay ahead of the competition. The “Links in the Chain of a Successful Career” that surround this page are directly from Mr. Kern’s article in the Souvenir History of Knoxville, and exemplify values that are equally important today.

My personal challenge is to be doing the projects that others are thinking about doing. Although each project must stand on its own merits, the criteria for any new project is that it must move my overall business forward and create profits as summarized by Edward Deming: “Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.”

My Philosphy

Knoxville has always been my home. No matter where I have traveled in the world I have never found an area that can match the beauty, quality of life, and business opportunities of East Tennessee

While still a student at UT, I did commercial location work for a national company. I learned quickly that I did not like working with a distant organization. Shortly after graduation, I started representing a Knoxville family who wanted to own the real estate for its expanding business operations. Several generations of the family had already worked in the business and the family wanted to create long term assets by using the business operations to pay for the real estate. Their challenge to me was to recommend only the best “future” location for each store. This responsibility to ensure future value for future generations provided the basis for my long term view of real estate.

My residential activity developed as a by-product of the location of these neighborhood businesses. In general, once their home is established, people do not want their life disrupted. Because this new commercial business was usually the first harbinger of change, the neighbors wanted to discuss how this change would impact their quality of life and the value of their homes.

What has evolved over the last several years is my goal to develop family-friendly neighborhoods. My real estate activity is not building structures but it is about creating neighborhoods that provide a sense of place for everyone who lives there. To do this, the first requirement is to purchase the best land in a competitive market. Second, I work closely with specific builders to design a neighborhood that is desirable and marketable. Third, I stay involved for the life of the project to demonstrate my confidence in the original design and my commitment that the end result will be what was promised to the surrounding community.
When these neighborhoods are designed to incorporate commercial conveniences, either within the development or nearby, the overall quality of life of each resident is improved. I have been involved in the real estate business for over thirty years as an investor, advisor, agent, and broker. This range of experience has enabled me to recognize the need to create residential and commercial projects that will benefit the community for at least three generations. I only work with clients and partners that have this long term view and it is my job to provide the information that they can trust for their essential real estate decisions.
To provide this information, I specialize in understanding how growth is going to occur within a fifty mile radius of Knoxville , Tennessee . I have a strong understanding of events that enable and encourage the change of land uses. This includes road plans from the Tennessee Department of Transportation and county engineering, utility improvements, and locations of new schools.

I use this information to help families who want to sell their land realize the maximum value of their property, and to help neighborhood oriented commercial businesses select the specific piece of ground to expand their business.

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