October 23, 2025 • 38 mins
This week on At Home With Roby, Eric Vargosko joins Trent and Patrick fresh off Diamond Creek to talk about his journey from owning hair salons during the recession to flying planes and building a successful career in real estate and development.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Ed Homer to Roby. I'm Patrick mcaac from
Roby Commercial in Services along with Trent Haston from the
Roby Family of Companies. We are your hosts. Another week
comes by, another podcast episode, Trent, I got a lot
to talk.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
To you about today, Buddy. I'm a little nervous.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
It's okay, It's okay to be nervous.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
But I don't know why. Our backdrop is Roby Services.
It's usually the at Home with Roby's show. We're promoting
the show. Now we're just promoting Patrick's line of business.
I don't know what's going on.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
What happens when you come late?
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Man?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
I get to play with the dials back here with
E our new man here.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yeah, we're hell Hello E. How you doing, Buddy? Lovely
as always? Man, got some pretty hair. I'll thank you
that I appreciate it. Wow.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
E made an appearance on the show. This is pretty cool, right,
Welcome E. We're glad to be working with you. This
should be good. Hopefully you're glad to be working with us.
We won't make you look too bad, I don't think.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
But my goal is to make sure you guys don't
look bad. So you know. I'm just trying to make
you guys.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Well, we are video recording it and I do need
a haircut, fair enough.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Well, I can't help that. I can help with everything else.
And maybe what's a face facial?
Speaker 1 (01:11):
There you go, there you go, I don't know. Well, hey,
uh he is also the host of the pregame show
we just found out for the Panthers, who are three
and three beat the Cowboys. I mean, we hadn't talked
good about.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I'm excited about this.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
So long, not that we ever talked, Jount. We stay
loyal to the Panthers, that's what you gotta do. But yeah,
man three.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
I mean, I'm fully a fair weather fan. So let's
just go ahead and clear it up.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
You jumped off the band? Who did you?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Who were?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
I'm not on the bandwagon until they're above five hundred.
They're at five hunters. We still we still decide whether
we're gonna get on this wagon.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
What what is what is the spread for the Jet
Panthers game this weekend? This will be here and around.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
I have no clue.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I don't either. That's it's probably good. I've been working, Patrick.
What is it you said we've been working? You've oh
he said it was a oh wow.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
One and a half point favorite.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Okay, I don't know. It's exciting when they win and play.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Good and he's not on he's not on the microphone,
so we don't really.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, Jeff in the corner nailed it. It literally won
a half point favorite.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Jeff Naper, Yeah, he dislikes to hang out in that queen.
It's kind of a little bit weird, but I mean,
we'll let him hang for a bit. I guess, Hey,
I want to a tragic accident recently this past Sunday.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Don't know when to shell air, maybe maybe a week.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
But uh, one of my dear friends and dear friends
of so many and such a good guy, Doug lebed A,
a founder of lending Tree, CEO of lending Tree.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
We ran ypo forum.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Together for for close to thirteen years, and uh, just
just such a wonderful guy, such a great human and
and and loved so many. Uh wrecked on an ATV
and we lost his life. So God bless him and
his family and and thank you, Doug, uh for all
the all the time and experiences and fellowship. I talk
(03:03):
about that a lot, UH preach about it a lot.
You got to live it too, so we're there, uh,
you know, and a lot of people knew that we
were friends and our other form mates, and they're like,
I'm sorry for your loss. Well, his families, it's their loss,
and uh, I'm gonna say it like I said, when
(03:24):
I lost my dad close to eleven years ago, I got,
I got the blessing of why we do this podcast.
I was telling our guests we were together this morning.
I was telling him the inception behind it and the
reason why we do it is because we want to
share our friends and and enjoy them. And and the
(03:45):
thirty six years I got when my dad was a blessing.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Uh, and I'm gonna take it at that.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
And the thirteen I got with Doug was a blessing,
and God blessed the family and having gained a new
angel Sunday so.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, Trent A very very well said too. I remember
when Doug came on the radio show when you know,
many many many years ago, and the wonderful thing about
his business is, I don't know if everybody really knows
all the blood, sweat and tears it took for them
to get this off the ground and how it came
(04:19):
about in the first place, which which is a remarkable,
remarkable story. I remember him saying that, I think they
had a house in Valentine and he worked out of
his home office and it was like, let's call it
forty five forty Hampton leg Drive. And he's like, so
I put sweet One at the bottom just to make
it look like an office. And when you think about that,
like that's what started, that's what became lending Tree. Yeah.
(04:41):
I mean, if you're an entrepreneur and can't respect that,
I mean, ay, I mean, it's just it's a it's
a remarkable story. And I've heard you talk about how
good of a human being he was, so yeah, it's
just it's just tragic.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
And I mean I talk about how he he was
so smart and so driven and so creative. He you know,
I connotate it to the movie A Beautiful Mind Men.
A long time since I've seen that the Fellow was
a genius. But I've seen Doug, and I say this
all the time, you know, multiple four or five times,
(05:15):
pull a sharpie out of his pocket and right on
a wall when he had a thought because he thought
all walls were erasable. I guess They're all paintable at
a certain level. I'm looking at our grass cloth sound
barrier walls in here. But God bless you, Doug, God
bless the Lebda family and all the extensions from it.
And he impacted so many and did so much for Charlotte.
(05:38):
Uh so, yeah, yeah, so you just got to remember
people like that, and once again, if we can just
be a little scratched on the surface, that's why we
do this show to share these legacies. So go check
it out. You can find it in our Annals of Podcasts.
Doug Lebda, Yeah, what do you have for me?
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Patrick?
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Pretty hard to follow that, but or or anything further.
I mean, yeah, I think everybody was just shocked. I mean,
this is real fresh. It happened. I mean we're recording
here on a on a Tuesday. This happened on Sunday.
So yeah, I mean, I'm sure there'll be an outpouring
of support, hopefully from the city and from everybody for
(06:18):
his family.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
So, And changing the subject. On the way here, I
listened to come off of Axios. I listened to a
podcast on the way here, why are houses falling in
the ocean and the outer banks?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
That was kind of an ignorant.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
It was so ignorant that I listened to it.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Wow, So why are they falling into the ocean.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Well, they built them on a barrier island, and burry
islands migrate.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
West and they move very simple.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
You build a dagon thing on a piece of land
that's gonna eventually be gone.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
So how do you make that into an hour podcast?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
That's pretty interesting. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I didn't learn anything new, but I thought people asked
us how we do it. I knew I needed some
fodder to fill our first eight or ten twelve minutes
of the show, and and that gave me, I mean,
at least forty five seconds of it.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Well, I'm glad. I'm glad you said what you did,
and I'm glad you got the opportunity to say it
in this in this setting. It's just gosh, man, it
makes you think about the unfortunate amount of times we
have had to start our show based on something like this.
This ranks were really high up there, but yeah, I
mean we just have have had a lot of tough
things to deal with and coming into the radio show.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Well, I mean, the fact of the matter is, it
don't make you think Doug was fifty five. We live
long enough to you know. I hear my father in
law and those folks talk about it a lot. I mean,
that's what happens, either out last or you don't. And
not one second is a given on this earth. And
(07:53):
be grateful. And I don't know how many times I
texted yesterday carp A DM, I mean live for today,
and and uh we always say this will in the show,
with this, every single show, the Golden rule. Treat others
the way you want to be treated because you never
know what's going to happen or who you're going to affect,
so uh, well, it might be your last last time
ever being to treat somebody.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Take it, take it one step further, because you always say, uh,
treat everybody with the Golden rule, even when you're getting
punched in the face. And I'll tell you something funny.
I don't think you even know this. I had lunch with
a with a really nice fell I don't want I
don't know if he wants to be saying his name
on the radio, but he's doing a talk for the
Bridge Foundation, and a lot of the quotes that he's
(08:33):
basing it off of are similar to that, and I
told him that you. I was like, that's one of
the Trent's favorite things to say, and he goes, I
like that guy already, He's like, I had heard that
he has not met me. Yeah, I said, let's not.
Let's not. Maybe we just don't introduce you to him.
We can't, then we can't get wrong. But no, it
really is true, man. I mean, you don't know what
people are dealing with. You don't know what they're going through,
(08:56):
and you get one chance, and it might be ten
years from now where that that relationship or that person
may pop back up, and then you're gonna remember exactly
how you felt and how you treated him, and if
you treated him like do do, then it's not gonna work.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I mean, it made me feel good Sunday. You sent
me a Nick Saban clip. It's talking about three things.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
You know. He says, you.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Better treat him good on your way up because you
never know if you're gonna see him again on your
way down. I mean, that isn't why you do it,
but it goes a long way. So yeah, man, all right,
let's get on with the show man. I got my
good buddy, Eric Vargosco.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Var Goosco and I was gonna ask you how you
pronounced it. I'm glad.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
I think I think I've always said that right. I
mispronounced names and I can't remember names, but for some reason,
since we met, I've pronounced that I think correctly looking
at Eric and uh.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Arsco and remembered it.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
It's very memorable for my brain sticks in their dog
so uh when we return. He is a true entrepreneur,
a true hustler, wonderful person, wonderful businessman. I can't wait
to hear dive deep into these stories on the at
Home with Roby show.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
And don't forget. Roby Services is your one stop source
for all your electrical heating, cooling, plumbing and handyman needs.
Keep it easy and get it all done by one.
Roby servicesnow dot com. That's robyservicesnow dot com. Welcome back
to That Home with Roby. I'm Patrick Pacasik from Roby
Commercial and Services along with Trent Hayson from the Roby
Family of companies. If you missed us, if you're just
(10:29):
joining in, definitely go back. Take a listen.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Trent.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
That was a very nice tribute you did for your
your your longtime friend Doug Lebda just a super sad situation.
I know the whole city sort of mourns Doug's passing
this past weekend. And so if you didn't get a
chance to listen to that, go back, and then obviously
if you want to go back even further, check out
the podcast or I'm sorry, radio should we do with
Doug several years back? Just such a remarkable story and
(10:53):
I'm sure more of that stuff will come out of
really who who this man was? But anyways, we're gonna
move on from that. We got a great guest who
I have not met yet. We have traded many a text.
I feel like I'm wearing this guy out. Uh but
Eric Vargosco and I think he's from Alaska.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Are you from Alaska? Your double logo over there.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Is I didn't know. Maybe could tell us what day
he's got Alaska, Alaska.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
This was just this was just winter winter where.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Okay, cool for the mountains. For the mountains, That's that's
why you got the beer going?
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Or is that we just had a trip to Diamond Creek.
It was fun.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
That was a great time, special place.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Has anybody ever come back there and said it wasn't fun?
I don't know if that's yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
And that's how we met. Several years ago.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
We met through Brian Ferriss, who's been on the show
several times.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
We went to Diamond Creek together. Wow and uh.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
And then today we were with Julian Roush as everybody
knows the only reason why he was on the radio
is because he kicked the game winning field.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Gold for app Stateium, Michigan.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
And what year was that?
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Eight? Gosh seven eight was that him? Uh huh, that's
pretty good. Hey, So what's pretty cool is but Trent
could it make the show one time? And Brian Ferris
was was his replacement guest host and I said two
words the entire show. No, he did really good.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
He was.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
I mean he I like having We like having people
on that did like to talk a little bit because
it makes it a little easier on us as host.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Brian's that exponential. And then we've had Jamie on the
show too.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Oh yeah, that's right, that's right, that's.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
About her lawyerness. Yeah. So Eric, where are you from?
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Pittsburgh? Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh came down here in ninety five.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
In ninety five, What brought you to Charlotte.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Real Estate joined Croslin, Yeah, joined Crosland under Jim Marrifield
the commercial division back in ninety five and got to
spend ten years with that organization. Amazing organization.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Uh back when mister Crosin was there. Once a month
we'd meet with mister Crasin in the in the conference room,
and about every quarter we get on a bus with
him and go look at all the proper really. Yeah,
he was a legend.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
I mean, dude, so many people I can't how many
people do you think have come on this show over
the year's trent that have had some sort of tie
back to Croslin.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Exponential Yeah, double digits plus at least. That's so cool
and that's so awesome. I mean, growing up my dad
trying to teach me about Charlotte and the legacy of Charlotte.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I mean he was, you know, top tier.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
You had my Call, you had crush Field in the
banking world, you had Croslin in the real estate world.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Yeah, it was, it was, and you know you learned
that quickly being there. But it was Croslin was the
meat and potatoes developer. Our offices were over on scaly
Bark and you know, mister Croslin was was on the
right side of the building. We were all on the left,
retail and commercial. And uh he'd park his big BMW
right in front of the doors and stay there till
(14:03):
whatever hours in the night. I'd leave my car there
and have my roommate he picked me up just that
he'd see the young guys still at the office. But uhh,
roommate who picked me up around six.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
But do that is hilarious. That that's smart though I
like it.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
It was I joke, But that was a great upbringing.
A great career upbringing is is being with that organization there,
you know, the Jim Rrifields, the Stevermillions and their legends.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
And yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
And and I mean, I, you know, getting to know
you over the years. Uh, I knew you were an entrepreneur,
and I knew you, you know, did.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Real estate development as such.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
I had not until to you and me and your
wonderful son had lunch. I had not heard that story.
And I was like, oh my gosh, but you got
to learn from somewhere. Yeah, I mean, everybody learned from somewhere.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
It was just you couldn't ask for better being around
those guys that you know Crosn's land holdings from the
fifties sixties, you know that's Blakeney. Blakeney was just a
long term land holding and waiting for the Audrey Call
connector to be built, and many just the stuff that
they did Burkedale Village, you know, Stonecrest just those were
during my time. But I mean they've yeah, they've just
(15:21):
done some amazing stuff and it was neat to be
a part of that.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
And during your time, you said you worked on Burkedale Village.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
Up, I did the office. Yeah, they worked on the
offices at Birkdale Village. Cool did. Got into kind of
specialized in the mixed use. Started over in Noda in
the late nineties and did my first mixed use building
over there.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
What buildings you do in Noda?
Speaker 4 (15:43):
So the first one was that I called it the
Nevitt Building. It was between thirty fifth and thirty sixth
on the left. It was a three story just to
the right of Cabo Fish Takko I know exactly.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
I lived in noaut from five to eight. Yeah, the
Renaissance was like very like one of the first condominium
developments they did a little bit further out of Town
from thirty sixth Street on the right.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
But we did so that about that time, we were
doing Fat City, yeah, which was five or six stories,
and we were told, no uncertain terms, that would be
the highest building to ever existed. Note of really, oh absolutely,
every every building got a little bit bigger, and we
were told a little bit more in certain terms that
this was. This was as much you know, density and
heights is the area connect.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Well you I mean, you were pioneers in I mean
at that.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Time in the nineties. Yeah, nineties. That was an interesting
bus ride with mister Crosland.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Yeah, I can, I can.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
I'm gonna build this right here. No, I know it's
a bar, but just imagine, you know, imagine people are
going to live there.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
It was tight. It was tough back then. I remember
riding up there with a guy I started my career
at Ferguson same thing to would tell his story all
the time. The training was just phenomenal. And I was
riding up there showing a guy that worked in our
warehouse where my condo was, and he's like, uh, you
should about this, and this is five I mean at
that point and it had just started. Really everything that
you guys had done was really starting to take off.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Yeah, it was, uh, I mean we were early with
but but we always did did fine on them.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Fat City was challenging because we finished that up I
think just in time I remember for lenders to say
we're not lending on condos anymore. So that one was interesting,
but we quickly converted it to.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Apartments and we actually did a project. Do you remember
in the basement and the lower level Protagonist Brewing Ruby
Commercial did that project which would have been on the
ground level of that Fat City building. Yes, well, yeah,
tear upfit third I think, yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, just to the right of
the way.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
You remember that the funny stories, do you remember COVID
We went up there, we couldn't go in, and we
both thought it was like fine, let's call it Thursday
at five five o'clock in the afternoon, we wanted to
have a pop and so we bought like four beers
from out of the window. Uh, Atlanta pop. We call
it all right, and we said on it. We sat
(18:05):
on your tailgate, remember that, and had a couple of
beers in the parking lot. Because it couldn't go in anywhere.
We stayed three feet away from each other. But yeah,
it worked a good old days.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Yeah, to talk about that today.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
So how did you get off? So what was your
transition from Koslin?
Speaker 2 (18:20):
And then what was next?
Speaker 4 (18:22):
Uh So Crosland? Uh So Crosland. He had a succession
plan and then Todd Mansfield came in and uh, I
think you know, Steve Vermillion had left at some point,
and then Maryfield Partners had spun out Jim Maryfield and
I was there for a little bit and just you know,
saw it as an opportunity to maybe go out and
(18:43):
do my own thing and timed it right with with
a recession right around the corner. And it was actually
it was okay, I mean it was we did a
project out on Fairview, uh and then we did uh
residential mixed use uh project in South End, and you know,
(19:05):
we were finishing them up. But I mean with eight
and nine, that was just those were weird times.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Did you live in Gaston County?
Speaker 4 (19:11):
Then I moved to Gaston County and O three.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Okay, yeah, yeah, you already across the river from me.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
Yeah, I hear you. That was Cramer Mountain at the time.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Oh, you lived in Cramer Mountain.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
Mountain. Yeah, build a house and O three there, okay
know that.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
Yeah, that's why I tell everybody this is like uh
speed dating on steroids, because you can hang out with
somebody for a decade and you learn learn more by
by doing this.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Yeah. So uh so you still developed.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Still develop. Uh So the recession came along, and uh
there wasn't a lot to do in real estates. You
guys probably remember guys were talking about you know, you know,
opening a bar or something like that, which I knew
nothing about. It was dating a hairstylist, and so I
decided to do a the Salon Suite Company up And
(20:02):
so I started that in nine and build it up
and then sold out in twenty three. But when real
estate cart came back, I mean that's my true passion
is real estate, you know, taking piece of land and
turned it into something. But I you know, I built
up the Salon Suite Company and uh thirteen or fourteen,
Uh started back like looking at real estate and did
(20:24):
a project out in Blakeney and started buying some stuff
in Gaston County. And yeah, so the real estate that passion.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
So hold on you glasses and glassing over this.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Wait a meet, I want to know about the the salon.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Suite company number one? What is a salon suite company
number two? Did you own the real estate as part
of that deal.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
On some of the locations I started, So in nine
we opened a location in Valentine and we had we
took five thousand feet there and built it out into
twenty eight So you walked in the door and yeah,
you had twenty eight suites and each suite, you know,
had its own wash space, and you know it was
(21:08):
it was key man office space for hairstylists. That's all
it is.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
I go to one now. I mean, say, with the
place that I had, the woman who cuts my hair,
she'said to have a brick and mortar with another fella,
and they they found it more economical and better for
their business and his I remember when he moved it,
he was worried his clients wouldn't follow him, and they
all did.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
We all did.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
I mean, it wasn't too far. You kind of get
used to someone that's been messing with your head for
a while, and it's the same kind of deal. I
don't know if you're able to say the name of
the one that you owned.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
Was it called No, it was Lenox Salon Lenox. Okay,
so Lenox Salons and then Salon Lofts bought me in
twenty twenty three, got it, So all our locations are
now Salon Lofts. But yeah, it was uh, I mean
that was a fun you.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Know, how many how many how what number of locations
did you have?
Speaker 4 (21:53):
We had eight locations and yeah, and you know we
got them to a couple of points. They we're all
at one hundred percent occupancy. And it uh, it was
a neat It was a neat business model because what
you learned in the recession, so dating a hairstylist, uh
back in whenever that was eight o nine. Even before then, uh,
(22:16):
you found that their businesses were kind of inverse to
the economy. So eight nine, nobody was going on vacation,
nobody was buying a car, you know, buying a house.
But the wives were going to go feel good about
themselves for oh, you know, a few hours every month.
And so their business really shot up and so they
were all they did really well.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
During that Wow.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
And uh and when I opened that location in laid
On nine, we leased right up and you know kind
of figured okay, you're onto something here and build it
up from there.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
You were kind of ahead of the curb. I don't really,
maybe I'm wrong. I just had them. I mean, I'm
naive to not pay attention to this type of thing
now that I know you, I would, But it seems
like there are these types of concepts have gotten really popular.
I mean, just when I go to I think it's
called Sola Salon franchisee out of Colorado? Is it Colorado?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
And another one.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
I know we did some work electrical work for my
salon for a little while there, and so it seems
like you have me. But I don't remember seeing these
back when you had started back that late.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
They weren't they were. I actually went to Atlanta. There
was a franchise who had some locations in Atlanta, and
that's whenever I first first looked at them.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Wow, it makes sense me. You think about like the
price per square foot that you could get on the reals.
I mean, you're selling a bunch of like he said,
key Man, sweet's probably a pretty good little yeah, make.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
You're charging them and you're charging weekly rent. Yeah, you know,
so you're actually getting an extra month of income because
you're fifty two. Does this come with some sort of
problems and a little bit. You know, there's a lot
that goes to it. It's not a build it and
they'll come and I think some people have looked at
that model and said that, and you know, they ultimately
end up selling it off to someone because there is
(23:55):
there's a lot of the day to day, you know,
And we provided Lenen services and you know, keeping thirty
women happy with the temperature and five thousand feet how
about it?
Speaker 3 (24:05):
But I was going to ask you mostly women clients, Yes,
they keep you straight, yes.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
And some spicy ones. Some hairstyles get spicy. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
You know if you don't, if you don't treat your
forehead right, they get mad at you.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Brown could it's just all forehead joke?
Speaker 1 (24:24):
I have.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
I have forehead issues there, So, uh what a cool?
What a cool? And a side story that you tried
to gloss over, I said glass earlier and now you
know you get you said the recession subsided and things
got better in fourteen fifteen sixteen.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
What I wanted to where I really started was I
wanted a location in Blakeney and the shopping center had
a soul in it, so they had a non compete, So, uh,
I guess the shopping center sits at is that Ray
Road and Audrey Kell m h yeah. Yeah. So just
up from Audrey Kell from the shopping center, there was
a piece of land there and I looked it up
when it was actually owned by Dot and C Doot
(25:05):
and so I called them and it's it sparked a
a bid and so I went through the bid process.
I got six acres on Audrey Kel for three hundred
and ninety thousand.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
Rezoned it awful rezoning, But we got there zoning done
and we built thirty thousand feet there. You know, we
had the volunt I had, I mean, but what was
doing it was I just wanted my Lenox salons. Yeah,
and we ended up, you know, getting a Lenox location
there and then building a few more buildings and it
was a great project. Yeah, but you use your skill set, yeah,
I mean yeah, it's you know they say if there's
(25:38):
a piece of if there's a sign on a piece
of land, nobody wants it or it's too late, it's
too late. Yeah, exactly right.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Who my alterman said that when he came on the show.
If you remember, Yeah, it makes sense. Still home, let's
go back if nobody got six acres in that location
for three hundred and ninety seven.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
I went through a formal bid process, and I remember
going to the bid and I had like four envelopes
with me, and the envelope, you know, it depended on
how many people showed up. And I knew the appraised
value was three ninety, so I knew that would probably
be the highest because everybody knew the appraised value. And
so there were two other guys sitting in there with
me at the bid process where they open it up,
(26:15):
and it's like, just just give them the three ninety envelope,
stop goofing off, and fortunate say fifty grand on something
like this, and yeah, so we got it, and then
we went through the rezoning process and it was a
it was a good project.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
I think.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
I think you can do anything in South Charlotte. Yeah, yeah,
it'd be successful.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
But then, well, you know when when my wife's family,
some of those have migrated from the Midwest, from the
Chicago area, and when they come down they want to
be in South Charlotte. Yeah, it's like I take them
to the West Side and they're like, well, what about
South Charlotte. Well, this is where the numbers are and
I'm like, no, you need to come check west side.
And now Gason County is coming along, it's coming. I
(26:57):
think the airport's really helping with that. Now, now you've
done some projects in downtown Gaston, you've done some projects
in Belmont. You think that is the new frontier.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
I think Belmont's awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Mm hmm, yea, I heard that.
Speaker 4 (27:14):
I think Belmont's Belmont. You know, Belmont's I mean the
west side is Davidson. In my opinion, Belmont leaders, I
think historically have done a great job of planning and
seeing through and thoughtful development. And as a developer, I
think that's important. Maybe that's you know, what you were
taught at Croslin, but you know, Belmont has thoughtful development.
(27:34):
We did a mixed use building on Main Street and
you know, at the end of the day, you look
at it and people ask, Okay, was that an old
mill building that was converted? And to me, that's a success.
You know. And we're working on another project in downtown
Belmont now, and uh, you know, I'm excited to be
there because it's it's got a good mix of restaurants,
it's a place where people truly.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Want to be.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
They want to park and you want to walk and
go to the shops and restaurant. And yeah, that's and
and I'm optimistic that you know, the other areas further
west on eighty five, you know the I think the
uh Mcaddonville, the car Starphans, I think they do an
amazing job with everything that they touch. It's very thoughtful.
And you know, you hope that Gastonia gets there because
(28:20):
Gastonia's got a great we'll call it a great foundation
with all those buildings. You look at it. To me,
it's it's kind of like an Asheville. When you go
through Ashville and you see all those old buildings. You
don't see that much here, yeah, in downtown, but when
you go into Gastonia you kind of see that Ashville.
He kind of look of the old buildings and you know,
the Peeda wheel and things like that that that would
(28:42):
suggest that, okay, Gastonia could be this. And yeah, so
I'm optimistic. It's it's, you know, God, it's growing pains
to work through.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
And Patrick, you were commenting on his Alaska you say
he was sponsored by Alaska, but it's it's bush wheels.
And Eric is a avid pilot. He flies, He's got
a place down place down in Merle's in it flies
down there a good bit.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
Yeah, yeah, I love to love to fly. Got into
it and I started flying right before the recession. Started
a lot of stuff right before the recession and changed
my mind. But finished my pilot's license in seventeen and
uh and started flying, you know, got a got a
single engine and started flying a lot more and was
(29:28):
talked into getting a multi engine. Got that and then
decided that the things that I wanted to do, the
multi engine wasn't meant for, like low passes and acrobatics,
and so I, oh wow, So I got into My
second plane was a P fifty one Mustang replica company
(29:49):
in it's a German company but in Crosslow, Poland. They
build these exactly. They're seventy five percent scale exact replica
carbon five or P fifty one. And so I got
the second or third one that came to the US,
but went over there twice and watched it being built
(30:09):
and customized.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
The things game It is awesome.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Yeah, And so started flying that and then took it
to an air show and there was a an X cub,
this carbon cub bushplane at the air show and I'm like, well,
that looks kind of sexy. We came home with that.
And then and then earlier this year, you know, you
start watching. I just got on social media in the
(30:35):
past year, and so I have Instagram and like watching
Instagram and these things. Well, now like seaplanes started coming up.
It's like, oh, you should go get your seaplane rating.
So I went down to a place called Jack Brown's
in Florida and used to go down there for three
or four days and they teach you how to land
a plane on the water, and dude, that's surreal.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Yeah, that is crazy, like Timmy Buffet style there.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
That's awesome.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
It's crazy fun. So I did that, and there was
you learned in these smaller planes, these pipers and little
cessnas with floats on them. But they also had a beaver.
And beavers were made in the late forties and fifties.
Most of them were military, but they were just like workhorses.
A lot of them were up in Alaska and it's
(31:20):
how people got people up to where you shouldn't be
going in Alaska. And so they had a beaver there
and so I'm like, okay, if I passed I'm going
for a ride in that. So Beaver sounds like a
sixty seven corvette, you know, it's got a great sound
to it. And it's just this big, massive workhourse of
a plane. So I passed, went on the flight and
(31:41):
that It's like, okay, you need one of these. So
so that was the latest edition.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Oh really you have a Beaver floatplane?
Speaker 4 (31:49):
Yeah, Beaver floatplane.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
You had a fleet at this point a little bit.
Speaker 4 (31:52):
Yeah, but it's it's just it's a passion doing it.
I got a passion. Yeah, any evening if it's nice out,
I'll go over and pull on a out and go
u going and landing on the lakes and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
In the Beaver.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
I want to get it to where you know, there
are a lot of destination places where you can go
and park the plane on the dock on the water
and stay on the water and so wow, Yeah, there's
a lot of adventures left to do plane.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
That's really really cool. I man, we need to go
up on one of your planes with you sometimes. That
would be amazing.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
Yeah, we're doing a there's a fundraiser at the Sullenberger
Museum in a few weeks, but we're doing a fundraiser.
Tim Miller with Barringer Construction, where my brother works. There's
a big fundraiser there and so they're auctioning off. I'm
they're auctioning off a ride in each of the planes.
So one hour in the Beaver, one in the Mustang,
(32:44):
and one in the Bush plane. And so yeah, it's
uh and it's a great benefits you know, it's for
unfortunate kids wanting to get into aviation.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Cool.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
So wow, well when is that October twenty fifth?
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Okay at Sulmburg. I have not been to the re
I have not either.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
Looking forward, we've been.
Speaker 3 (33:02):
We've been talking about taking the kids. So I don't
know if we're in town that weekend, but man, we
gotta go.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Yeah, maybe maybe win a ride.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Maybe a winter u f Osco.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
I'm down.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
I'm down. That sounds amrazy.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
So uh yeah. So I've been y'all been texting and
trying to get together.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
So now that you put a face with the name Eric,
I'm gonna put you on the spot. Good leading. We're
gonna tell a wish story because everybody knows leading up
to our annual pitching for wishes we support make a
Wish of Central and western North Carolina. We we we
give a shout out to our sponsors and tell a
wish story. So you know why we do it. But Eric,
I'm gonna put you on the spot before we transition.
What is one thing that you live by?
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Do what you say you're gonna do. Amen, that's a
good one. Do what you say you exactly what you
say you're gonna do. That's exactly my philosophy. You knew.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
I'm gonna tell you something that's pretty cool. When I
first started my career of twenty two and there's a
guy that I'll give him a shout out. He reached
out to me recently named Daniel Simmons. And Daniel at
Ferguson was the best sales guy. He was the best,
and he was what everybody was trying to be like him,
and he was probably let's call him thirty six thirty seven.
I was twenty two, and I was like, Daniel, man,
(34:11):
like please please, please, Like, well, just tell me what
your secret is? Like there's got to be like what
do I need to learn? What do I need to know?
And he got real serious with me. He goes, you
really want me to tell you? And I was like, yeah, please.
Like I'm like, you know, twenty two year old kids
does nothing, still don't know much. And he goes, all right,
I'm gonna tell you. He goes, it's gonna blow your mind.
I'm like, all right, tell me, like you're expecting this,
(34:32):
Like great nugget. He goes, just do what you say
you're gonna do. And he walked away, and I was like,
that's it, and he was like, that's it. I mean,
so God, I love you, Dane. I hope we get
to hang out soon. He's he's the man. But that's
exactly what he GE's always said.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
And walked away and truly, I mean, in the several
years that we've hung out and known each other, we
treat each other that way.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
And it's pretty clear cut. I mean, it didn't anything phony.
That's how it should be. Huh.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
Yeah, my son, My son's graduated from Clemson and fortunately
he's spent some time with Trent No Tigers. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Yeah, he's Jacob is a stud.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
He's a good kid. And uh, you know that's if
you look at him and you think, Okay, what do
you think you instilled? I think I've got that through
to him then and Uh, that's important.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Fortunate enough to hang out with him, talk to him
a little bit about about the construction business and and
his future, but also got to play around the golf
with you guys. He's a great golfer, but he carries
himself with that and you have a lot to be
proud of.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
And that says it all.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
That means a lot. Yeah, fall far from the tree
with that golf game, either.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
Did it.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
I'm tired of giving you compliments of.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
Baker so much better than mine ever was or will be.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
He's really good.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
He is really good.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Yeah he is.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
But you're pretty good too. You played well, all right, Patrick,
let's go all right?
Speaker 1 (35:56):
Uh So, as everybody knows, we read a wish story
leading up into our Cornerhole Tournament on November the first,
and our sponsors. We have a couple of platinum sponsors, Trend,
Dead Eye Renovations, Barefoot and Company, renewal By Anderson, Home
Technology Solutions, United Healthcare. We've got three new gold sponsors,
Labella Associates, Wolf Construction, and Fozzy Construction. Got it all right?
Speaker 2 (36:20):
You ready? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (36:21):
I am okay. This is about wish Kid Pilar. Wish
Kid Pillar is an amazing team with a gentle and thoughtful
spirit from waxhawt, North Carolina. This seventeen year old girl
loves Charlotte sc soccer, swimming, and her science classes at school.
In a free time, she tunes into Taylor Swift, Gilmore
Girls reruns or cracks open a Harry Potter book. Her
(36:43):
number one passion, though is horses. Riding trails and show
jumping had filled her weekends. The last thing man, The
last thing this young girl was thinking about was having cancer.
Polari's cancer diagnosis has meant countless of doctor visits and
grueling treatments in the hospital, taking her away from her
horse as well as her friends in school. Her guide
her goal is to rebuild her strength and help to
(37:05):
continue passion for horses. Polar's favorite past I'm being with
and caring for horses, where she finds peace. When she
learned she would be granted a wish, she knew it
would be a horse related wish. Polar's wish was to
have a golf cart. From show jumping to more recent
edition of showing her horse, Paular spends a lot of
time at questioning centers when she can a golf cart
(37:27):
with lights, turn signals, and a basket would be the
perfect addition to her favorite hobby and help her save
her strength for the horses. Make it purple and add
a name plate, and you've got a young woman with
a strong will to express herself and desire to beat cancer.
Happy Trails, Polar, Wow, we are great. The corporate sponsor
was icon Ev for helping make this wish extra special.
(37:48):
Icon through a party with pizza, gifts and their staff
was a great way to celebrate. So big on to
you icon Ev.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
Yeh Polar, way to go. God bless you girl.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
That's awesome. That's why we do this. That's why we
do this. That's great, Eric, thanks for being here. Looking
forward to hanging out.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
With you soon. Go do the Golden rule today.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
Treat others the way you want to be treated, as
Patrick said, even when it's tough to do so, even
when it's not going your way.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Treat them how you want somebody to give you.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Grace, carry as smile around on your face. You never
know who needs it. Thanks for listening to Alhen with
Ruby
Welcome to Ed Homer to Roby. I'm Patrick mcaac from
Roby Commercial in Services along with Trent Haston from the
Roby Family of Companies. We are your hosts. Another week
comes by, another podcast episode, Trent, I got a lot
to talk.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
To you about today, Buddy. I'm a little nervous.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
It's okay, It's okay to be nervous.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
But I don't know why. Our backdrop is Roby Services.
It's usually the at Home with Roby's show. We're promoting
the show. Now we're just promoting Patrick's line of business.
I don't know what's going on.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
What happens when you come late?
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Man?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
I get to play with the dials back here with
E our new man here.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yeah, we're hell Hello E. How you doing, Buddy? Lovely
as always? Man, got some pretty hair. I'll thank you
that I appreciate it. Wow.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
E made an appearance on the show. This is pretty cool, right,
Welcome E. We're glad to be working with you. This
should be good. Hopefully you're glad to be working with us.
We won't make you look too bad, I don't think.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
But my goal is to make sure you guys don't
look bad. So you know. I'm just trying to make
you guys.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Well, we are video recording it and I do need
a haircut, fair enough.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Well, I can't help that. I can help with everything else.
And maybe what's a face facial?
Speaker 1 (01:11):
There you go, there you go, I don't know. Well, hey,
uh he is also the host of the pregame show
we just found out for the Panthers, who are three
and three beat the Cowboys. I mean, we hadn't talked
good about.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I'm excited about this.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
So long, not that we ever talked, Jount. We stay
loyal to the Panthers, that's what you gotta do. But yeah,
man three.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
I mean, I'm fully a fair weather fan. So let's
just go ahead and clear it up.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
You jumped off the band? Who did you?
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Who were?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
I'm not on the bandwagon until they're above five hundred.
They're at five hunters. We still we still decide whether
we're gonna get on this wagon.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
What what is what is the spread for the Jet
Panthers game this weekend? This will be here and around.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
I have no clue.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
I don't either. That's it's probably good. I've been working, Patrick.
What is it you said we've been working? You've oh
he said it was a oh wow.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
One and a half point favorite.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Okay, I don't know. It's exciting when they win and play.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Good and he's not on he's not on the microphone,
so we don't really.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, Jeff in the corner nailed it. It literally won
a half point favorite.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Jeff Naper, Yeah, he dislikes to hang out in that queen.
It's kind of a little bit weird, but I mean,
we'll let him hang for a bit. I guess, Hey,
I want to a tragic accident recently this past Sunday.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Don't know when to shell air, maybe maybe a week.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
But uh, one of my dear friends and dear friends
of so many and such a good guy, Doug lebed A,
a founder of lending Tree, CEO of lending Tree.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
We ran ypo forum.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Together for for close to thirteen years, and uh, just
just such a wonderful guy, such a great human and
and and loved so many. Uh wrecked on an ATV
and we lost his life. So God bless him and
his family and and thank you, Doug, uh for all
the all the time and experiences and fellowship. I talk
(03:03):
about that a lot, UH preach about it a lot.
You got to live it too, so we're there, uh,
you know, and a lot of people knew that we
were friends and our other form mates, and they're like,
I'm sorry for your loss. Well, his families, it's their loss,
and uh, I'm gonna say it like I said, when
(03:24):
I lost my dad close to eleven years ago, I got,
I got the blessing of why we do this podcast.
I was telling our guests we were together this morning.
I was telling him the inception behind it and the
reason why we do it is because we want to
share our friends and and enjoy them. And and the
(03:45):
thirty six years I got when my dad was a blessing.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Uh, and I'm gonna take it at that.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
And the thirteen I got with Doug was a blessing,
and God blessed the family and having gained a new
angel Sunday so.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Well, Trent A very very well said too. I remember
when Doug came on the radio show when you know,
many many many years ago, and the wonderful thing about
his business is, I don't know if everybody really knows
all the blood, sweat and tears it took for them
to get this off the ground and how it came
(04:19):
about in the first place, which which is a remarkable,
remarkable story. I remember him saying that, I think they
had a house in Valentine and he worked out of
his home office and it was like, let's call it
forty five forty Hampton leg Drive. And he's like, so
I put sweet One at the bottom just to make
it look like an office. And when you think about that,
like that's what started, that's what became lending Tree. Yeah.
(04:41):
I mean, if you're an entrepreneur and can't respect that,
I mean, ay, I mean, it's just it's a it's
a remarkable story. And I've heard you talk about how
good of a human being he was, so yeah, it's
just it's just tragic.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
And I mean I talk about how he he was
so smart and so driven and so creative. He you know,
I connotate it to the movie A Beautiful Mind Men.
A long time since I've seen that the Fellow was
a genius. But I've seen Doug, and I say this
all the time, you know, multiple four or five times,
(05:15):
pull a sharpie out of his pocket and right on
a wall when he had a thought because he thought
all walls were erasable. I guess They're all paintable at
a certain level. I'm looking at our grass cloth sound
barrier walls in here. But God bless you, Doug, God
bless the Lebda family and all the extensions from it.
And he impacted so many and did so much for Charlotte.
(05:38):
Uh so, yeah, yeah, so you just got to remember
people like that, and once again, if we can just
be a little scratched on the surface, that's why we
do this show to share these legacies. So go check
it out. You can find it in our Annals of Podcasts.
Doug Lebda, Yeah, what do you have for me?
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Patrick?
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Pretty hard to follow that, but or or anything further.
I mean, yeah, I think everybody was just shocked. I mean,
this is real fresh. It happened. I mean we're recording
here on a on a Tuesday. This happened on Sunday.
So yeah, I mean, I'm sure there'll be an outpouring
of support, hopefully from the city and from everybody for
(06:18):
his family.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
So, And changing the subject. On the way here, I
listened to come off of Axios. I listened to a
podcast on the way here, why are houses falling in
the ocean and the outer banks?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
That was kind of an ignorant.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
It was so ignorant that I listened to it.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Wow, So why are they falling into the ocean.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Well, they built them on a barrier island, and burry
islands migrate.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
West and they move very simple.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
You build a dagon thing on a piece of land
that's gonna eventually be gone.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
So how do you make that into an hour podcast?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
That's pretty interesting. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I didn't learn anything new, but I thought people asked
us how we do it. I knew I needed some
fodder to fill our first eight or ten twelve minutes
of the show, and and that gave me, I mean,
at least forty five seconds of it.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Well, I'm glad. I'm glad you said what you did,
and I'm glad you got the opportunity to say it
in this in this setting. It's just gosh, man, it
makes you think about the unfortunate amount of times we
have had to start our show based on something like this.
This ranks were really high up there, but yeah, I
mean we just have have had a lot of tough
things to deal with and coming into the radio show.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Well, I mean, the fact of the matter is, it
don't make you think Doug was fifty five. We live
long enough to you know. I hear my father in
law and those folks talk about it a lot. I mean,
that's what happens, either out last or you don't. And
not one second is a given on this earth. And
(07:53):
be grateful. And I don't know how many times I
texted yesterday carp A DM, I mean live for today,
and and uh we always say this will in the show,
with this, every single show, the Golden rule. Treat others
the way you want to be treated because you never
know what's going to happen or who you're going to affect,
so uh, well, it might be your last last time
ever being to treat somebody.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Take it, take it one step further, because you always say, uh,
treat everybody with the Golden rule, even when you're getting
punched in the face. And I'll tell you something funny.
I don't think you even know this. I had lunch with
a with a really nice fell I don't want I
don't know if he wants to be saying his name
on the radio, but he's doing a talk for the
Bridge Foundation, and a lot of the quotes that he's
(08:33):
basing it off of are similar to that, and I
told him that you. I was like, that's one of
the Trent's favorite things to say, and he goes, I
like that guy already, He's like, I had heard that
he has not met me. Yeah, I said, let's not.
Let's not. Maybe we just don't introduce you to him.
We can't, then we can't get wrong. But no, it
really is true, man. I mean, you don't know what
people are dealing with. You don't know what they're going through,
(08:56):
and you get one chance, and it might be ten
years from now where that that relationship or that person
may pop back up, and then you're gonna remember exactly
how you felt and how you treated him, and if
you treated him like do do, then it's not gonna work.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I mean, it made me feel good Sunday. You sent
me a Nick Saban clip. It's talking about three things.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
You know. He says, you.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Better treat him good on your way up because you
never know if you're gonna see him again on your
way down. I mean, that isn't why you do it,
but it goes a long way. So yeah, man, all right,
let's get on with the show man. I got my
good buddy, Eric Vargosco.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Var Goosco and I was gonna ask you how you
pronounced it. I'm glad.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
I think I think I've always said that right. I
mispronounced names and I can't remember names, but for some reason,
since we met, I've pronounced that I think correctly looking
at Eric and uh.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
Arsco and remembered it.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
It's very memorable for my brain sticks in their dog
so uh when we return. He is a true entrepreneur,
a true hustler, wonderful person, wonderful businessman. I can't wait
to hear dive deep into these stories on the at
Home with Roby show.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
And don't forget. Roby Services is your one stop source
for all your electrical heating, cooling, plumbing and handyman needs.
Keep it easy and get it all done by one.
Roby servicesnow dot com. That's robyservicesnow dot com. Welcome back
to That Home with Roby. I'm Patrick Pacasik from Roby
Commercial and Services along with Trent Hayson from the Roby
Family of companies. If you missed us, if you're just
(10:29):
joining in, definitely go back. Take a listen.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Trent.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
That was a very nice tribute you did for your
your your longtime friend Doug Lebda just a super sad situation.
I know the whole city sort of mourns Doug's passing
this past weekend. And so if you didn't get a
chance to listen to that, go back, and then obviously
if you want to go back even further, check out
the podcast or I'm sorry, radio should we do with
Doug several years back? Just such a remarkable story and
(10:53):
I'm sure more of that stuff will come out of
really who who this man was? But anyways, we're gonna
move on from that. We got a great guest who
I have not met yet. We have traded many a text.
I feel like I'm wearing this guy out. Uh but
Eric Vargosco and I think he's from Alaska.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Are you from Alaska? Your double logo over there.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Is I didn't know. Maybe could tell us what day
he's got Alaska, Alaska.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
This was just this was just winter winter where.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Okay, cool for the mountains. For the mountains, That's that's
why you got the beer going?
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Or is that we just had a trip to Diamond Creek.
It was fun.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
That was a great time, special place.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Has anybody ever come back there and said it wasn't fun?
I don't know if that's yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
And that's how we met. Several years ago.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
We met through Brian Ferriss, who's been on the show
several times.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
We went to Diamond Creek together. Wow and uh.
Speaker 3 (11:48):
And then today we were with Julian Roush as everybody
knows the only reason why he was on the radio
is because he kicked the game winning field.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Gold for app Stateium, Michigan.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
And what year was that?
Speaker 1 (11:59):
Eight? Gosh seven eight was that him? Uh huh, that's
pretty good. Hey, So what's pretty cool is but Trent
could it make the show one time? And Brian Ferris
was was his replacement guest host and I said two
words the entire show. No, he did really good.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
He was.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
I mean he I like having We like having people
on that did like to talk a little bit because
it makes it a little easier on us as host.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Brian's that exponential. And then we've had Jamie on the
show too.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Oh yeah, that's right, that's right, that's.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
About her lawyerness. Yeah. So Eric, where are you from?
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Pittsburgh? Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh came down here in ninety five.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
In ninety five, What brought you to Charlotte.
Speaker 4 (12:45):
Real Estate joined Croslin, Yeah, joined Crosland under Jim Marrifield
the commercial division back in ninety five and got to
spend ten years with that organization. Amazing organization.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Uh back when mister Crosin was there. Once a month
we'd meet with mister Crasin in the in the conference room,
and about every quarter we get on a bus with
him and go look at all the proper really. Yeah,
he was a legend.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
I mean, dude, so many people I can't how many
people do you think have come on this show over
the year's trent that have had some sort of tie
back to Croslin.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Exponential Yeah, double digits plus at least. That's so cool
and that's so awesome. I mean, growing up my dad
trying to teach me about Charlotte and the legacy of Charlotte.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I mean he was, you know, top tier.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
You had my Call, you had crush Field in the
banking world, you had Croslin in the real estate world.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Yeah, it was, it was, and you know you learned
that quickly being there. But it was Croslin was the
meat and potatoes developer. Our offices were over on scaly
Bark and you know, mister Croslin was was on the
right side of the building. We were all on the left,
retail and commercial. And uh he'd park his big BMW
right in front of the doors and stay there till
(14:03):
whatever hours in the night. I'd leave my car there
and have my roommate he picked me up just that
he'd see the young guys still at the office. But uhh,
roommate who picked me up around six.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
But do that is hilarious. That that's smart though I
like it.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
It was I joke, But that was a great upbringing.
A great career upbringing is is being with that organization there,
you know, the Jim Rrifields, the Stevermillions and their legends.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
And yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
And and I mean, I, you know, getting to know
you over the years. Uh, I knew you were an entrepreneur,
and I knew you, you know, did.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Real estate development as such.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
I had not until to you and me and your
wonderful son had lunch. I had not heard that story.
And I was like, oh my gosh, but you got
to learn from somewhere. Yeah, I mean, everybody learned from somewhere.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
It was just you couldn't ask for better being around
those guys that you know Crosn's land holdings from the
fifties sixties, you know that's Blakeney. Blakeney was just a
long term land holding and waiting for the Audrey Call
connector to be built, and many just the stuff that
they did Burkedale Village, you know, Stonecrest just those were
during my time. But I mean they've yeah, they've just
(15:21):
done some amazing stuff and it was neat to be
a part of that.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
And during your time, you said you worked on Burkedale Village.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
Up, I did the office. Yeah, they worked on the
offices at Birkdale Village. Cool did. Got into kind of
specialized in the mixed use. Started over in Noda in
the late nineties and did my first mixed use building
over there.
Speaker 1 (15:41):
What buildings you do in Noda?
Speaker 4 (15:43):
So the first one was that I called it the
Nevitt Building. It was between thirty fifth and thirty sixth
on the left. It was a three story just to
the right of Cabo Fish Takko I know exactly.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
I lived in noaut from five to eight. Yeah, the
Renaissance was like very like one of the first condominium
developments they did a little bit further out of Town
from thirty sixth Street on the right.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
But we did so that about that time, we were
doing Fat City, yeah, which was five or six stories,
and we were told, no uncertain terms, that would be
the highest building to ever existed. Note of really, oh absolutely,
every every building got a little bit bigger, and we
were told a little bit more in certain terms that
this was. This was as much you know, density and
heights is the area connect.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Well you I mean, you were pioneers in I mean
at that.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Time in the nineties. Yeah, nineties. That was an interesting
bus ride with mister Crosland.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Yeah, I can, I can.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
I'm gonna build this right here. No, I know it's
a bar, but just imagine, you know, imagine people are
going to live there.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
It was tight. It was tough back then. I remember
riding up there with a guy I started my career
at Ferguson same thing to would tell his story all
the time. The training was just phenomenal. And I was
riding up there showing a guy that worked in our
warehouse where my condo was, and he's like, uh, you
should about this, and this is five I mean at
that point and it had just started. Really everything that
you guys had done was really starting to take off.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Yeah, it was, uh, I mean we were early with
but but we always did did fine on them.
Speaker 1 (17:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:12):
Fat City was challenging because we finished that up I
think just in time I remember for lenders to say
we're not lending on condos anymore. So that one was interesting,
but we quickly converted it to.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Apartments and we actually did a project. Do you remember
in the basement and the lower level Protagonist Brewing Ruby
Commercial did that project which would have been on the
ground level of that Fat City building. Yes, well, yeah,
tear upfit third I think, yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:42):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, just to the right of
the way.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
You remember that the funny stories, do you remember COVID
We went up there, we couldn't go in, and we
both thought it was like fine, let's call it Thursday
at five five o'clock in the afternoon, we wanted to
have a pop and so we bought like four beers
from out of the window. Uh, Atlanta pop. We call
it all right, and we said on it. We sat
(18:05):
on your tailgate, remember that, and had a couple of
beers in the parking lot. Because it couldn't go in anywhere.
We stayed three feet away from each other. But yeah,
it worked a good old days.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Yeah, to talk about that today.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
So how did you get off? So what was your
transition from Koslin?
Speaker 2 (18:20):
And then what was next?
Speaker 4 (18:22):
Uh So Crosland? Uh So Crosland. He had a succession
plan and then Todd Mansfield came in and uh, I
think you know, Steve Vermillion had left at some point,
and then Maryfield Partners had spun out Jim Maryfield and
I was there for a little bit and just you know,
saw it as an opportunity to maybe go out and
(18:43):
do my own thing and timed it right with with
a recession right around the corner. And it was actually
it was okay, I mean it was we did a
project out on Fairview, uh and then we did uh
residential mixed use uh project in South End, and you know,
(19:05):
we were finishing them up. But I mean with eight
and nine, that was just those were weird times.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Did you live in Gaston County?
Speaker 4 (19:11):
Then I moved to Gaston County and O three.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Okay, yeah, yeah, you already across the river from me.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
Yeah, I hear you. That was Cramer Mountain at the time.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Oh, you lived in Cramer Mountain.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
Mountain. Yeah, build a house and O three there, okay
know that.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
Yeah, that's why I tell everybody this is like uh
speed dating on steroids, because you can hang out with
somebody for a decade and you learn learn more by
by doing this.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
Yeah. So uh so you still developed.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Still develop. Uh So the recession came along, and uh
there wasn't a lot to do in real estates. You
guys probably remember guys were talking about you know, you know,
opening a bar or something like that, which I knew
nothing about. It was dating a hairstylist, and so I
decided to do a the Salon Suite Company up And
(20:02):
so I started that in nine and build it up
and then sold out in twenty three. But when real
estate cart came back, I mean that's my true passion
is real estate, you know, taking piece of land and
turned it into something. But I you know, I built
up the Salon Suite Company and uh thirteen or fourteen,
Uh started back like looking at real estate and did
(20:24):
a project out in Blakeney and started buying some stuff
in Gaston County. And yeah, so the real estate that passion.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
So hold on you glasses and glassing over this.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Wait a meet, I want to know about the the salon.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Suite company number one? What is a salon suite company
number two? Did you own the real estate as part
of that deal.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
On some of the locations I started, So in nine
we opened a location in Valentine and we had we
took five thousand feet there and built it out into
twenty eight So you walked in the door and yeah,
you had twenty eight suites and each suite, you know,
had its own wash space, and you know it was
(21:08):
it was key man office space for hairstylists. That's all
it is.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
I go to one now. I mean, say, with the
place that I had, the woman who cuts my hair,
she'said to have a brick and mortar with another fella,
and they they found it more economical and better for
their business and his I remember when he moved it,
he was worried his clients wouldn't follow him, and they
all did.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
We all did.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
I mean, it wasn't too far. You kind of get
used to someone that's been messing with your head for
a while, and it's the same kind of deal. I
don't know if you're able to say the name of
the one that you owned.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
Was it called No, it was Lenox Salon Lenox. Okay,
so Lenox Salons and then Salon Lofts bought me in
twenty twenty three, got it, So all our locations are
now Salon Lofts. But yeah, it was uh, I mean
that was a fun you.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Know, how many how many how what number of locations
did you have?
Speaker 4 (21:53):
We had eight locations and yeah, and you know we
got them to a couple of points. They we're all
at one hundred percent occupancy. And it uh, it was
a neat It was a neat business model because what
you learned in the recession, so dating a hairstylist, uh
back in whenever that was eight o nine. Even before then, uh,
(22:16):
you found that their businesses were kind of inverse to
the economy. So eight nine, nobody was going on vacation,
nobody was buying a car, you know, buying a house.
But the wives were going to go feel good about
themselves for oh, you know, a few hours every month.
And so their business really shot up and so they
were all they did really well.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
During that Wow.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
And uh and when I opened that location in laid
On nine, we leased right up and you know kind
of figured okay, you're onto something here and build it
up from there.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
You were kind of ahead of the curb. I don't really,
maybe I'm wrong. I just had them. I mean, I'm
naive to not pay attention to this type of thing
now that I know you, I would, But it seems
like there are these types of concepts have gotten really popular.
I mean, just when I go to I think it's
called Sola Salon franchisee out of Colorado? Is it Colorado?
Speaker 2 (23:04):
And another one.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
I know we did some work electrical work for my
salon for a little while there, and so it seems
like you have me. But I don't remember seeing these
back when you had started back that late.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
They weren't they were. I actually went to Atlanta. There
was a franchise who had some locations in Atlanta, and
that's whenever I first first looked at them.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
Wow, it makes sense me. You think about like the
price per square foot that you could get on the reals.
I mean, you're selling a bunch of like he said,
key Man, sweet's probably a pretty good little yeah, make.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
You're charging them and you're charging weekly rent. Yeah, you know,
so you're actually getting an extra month of income because
you're fifty two. Does this come with some sort of
problems and a little bit. You know, there's a lot
that goes to it. It's not a build it and
they'll come and I think some people have looked at
that model and said that, and you know, they ultimately
end up selling it off to someone because there is
(23:55):
there's a lot of the day to day, you know,
And we provided Lenen services and you know, keeping thirty
women happy with the temperature and five thousand feet how
about it?
Speaker 3 (24:05):
But I was going to ask you mostly women clients, Yes,
they keep you straight, yes.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
And some spicy ones. Some hairstyles get spicy. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:17):
You know if you don't, if you don't treat your
forehead right, they get mad at you.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Brown could it's just all forehead joke?
Speaker 1 (24:24):
I have.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
I have forehead issues there, So, uh what a cool?
What a cool? And a side story that you tried
to gloss over, I said glass earlier and now you
know you get you said the recession subsided and things
got better in fourteen fifteen sixteen.
Speaker 4 (24:41):
What I wanted to where I really started was I
wanted a location in Blakeney and the shopping center had
a soul in it, so they had a non compete, So, uh,
I guess the shopping center sits at is that Ray
Road and Audrey Kell m h yeah. Yeah. So just
up from Audrey Kell from the shopping center, there was
a piece of land there and I looked it up
when it was actually owned by Dot and C Doot
(25:05):
and so I called them and it's it sparked a
a bid and so I went through the bid process.
I got six acres on Audrey Kel for three hundred
and ninety thousand.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
Rezoned it awful rezoning, But we got there zoning done
and we built thirty thousand feet there. You know, we
had the volunt I had, I mean, but what was
doing it was I just wanted my Lenox salons. Yeah,
and we ended up, you know, getting a Lenox location
there and then building a few more buildings and it
was a great project. Yeah, but you use your skill set, yeah,
I mean yeah, it's you know they say if there's
(25:38):
a piece of if there's a sign on a piece
of land, nobody wants it or it's too late, it's
too late. Yeah, exactly right.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Who my alterman said that when he came on the show.
If you remember, Yeah, it makes sense. Still home, let's
go back if nobody got six acres in that location
for three hundred and ninety seven.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
I went through a formal bid process, and I remember
going to the bid and I had like four envelopes
with me, and the envelope, you know, it depended on
how many people showed up. And I knew the appraised
value was three ninety, so I knew that would probably
be the highest because everybody knew the appraised value. And
so there were two other guys sitting in there with
me at the bid process where they open it up,
(26:15):
and it's like, just just give them the three ninety envelope,
stop goofing off, and fortunate say fifty grand on something
like this, and yeah, so we got it, and then
we went through the rezoning process and it was a
it was a good project.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
I think.
Speaker 4 (26:32):
I think you can do anything in South Charlotte. Yeah, yeah,
it'd be successful.
Speaker 3 (26:36):
But then, well, you know when when my wife's family,
some of those have migrated from the Midwest, from the
Chicago area, and when they come down they want to
be in South Charlotte. Yeah, it's like I take them
to the West Side and they're like, well, what about
South Charlotte. Well, this is where the numbers are and
I'm like, no, you need to come check west side.
And now Gason County is coming along, it's coming. I
(26:57):
think the airport's really helping with that. Now, now you've
done some projects in downtown Gaston, you've done some projects
in Belmont. You think that is the new frontier.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
I think Belmont's awesome.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Mm hmm, yea, I heard that.
Speaker 4 (27:14):
I think Belmont's Belmont. You know, Belmont's I mean the
west side is Davidson. In my opinion, Belmont leaders, I
think historically have done a great job of planning and
seeing through and thoughtful development. And as a developer, I
think that's important. Maybe that's you know, what you were
taught at Croslin, but you know, Belmont has thoughtful development.
(27:34):
We did a mixed use building on Main Street and
you know, at the end of the day, you look
at it and people ask, Okay, was that an old
mill building that was converted? And to me, that's a success.
You know. And we're working on another project in downtown
Belmont now, and uh, you know, I'm excited to be
there because it's it's got a good mix of restaurants,
it's a place where people truly.
Speaker 2 (27:55):
Want to be.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
They want to park and you want to walk and
go to the shops and restaurant. And yeah, that's and
and I'm optimistic that you know, the other areas further
west on eighty five, you know the I think the
uh Mcaddonville, the car Starphans, I think they do an
amazing job with everything that they touch. It's very thoughtful.
And you know, you hope that Gastonia gets there because
(28:20):
Gastonia's got a great we'll call it a great foundation
with all those buildings. You look at it. To me,
it's it's kind of like an Asheville. When you go
through Ashville and you see all those old buildings. You
don't see that much here, yeah, in downtown, but when
you go into Gastonia you kind of see that Ashville.
He kind of look of the old buildings and you know,
the Peeda wheel and things like that that that would
(28:42):
suggest that, okay, Gastonia could be this. And yeah, so
I'm optimistic. It's it's, you know, God, it's growing pains
to work through.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
And Patrick, you were commenting on his Alaska you say
he was sponsored by Alaska, but it's it's bush wheels.
And Eric is a avid pilot. He flies, He's got
a place down place down in Merle's in it flies
down there a good bit.
Speaker 4 (29:07):
Yeah, yeah, I love to love to fly. Got into
it and I started flying right before the recession. Started
a lot of stuff right before the recession and changed
my mind. But finished my pilot's license in seventeen and
uh and started flying, you know, got a got a
single engine and started flying a lot more and was
(29:28):
talked into getting a multi engine. Got that and then
decided that the things that I wanted to do, the
multi engine wasn't meant for, like low passes and acrobatics,
and so I, oh wow, So I got into My
second plane was a P fifty one Mustang replica company
(29:49):
in it's a German company but in Crosslow, Poland. They
build these exactly. They're seventy five percent scale exact replica
carbon five or P fifty one. And so I got
the second or third one that came to the US,
but went over there twice and watched it being built
(30:09):
and customized.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
The things game It is awesome.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Yeah, And so started flying that and then took it
to an air show and there was a an X cub,
this carbon cub bushplane at the air show and I'm like, well,
that looks kind of sexy. We came home with that.
And then and then earlier this year, you know, you
start watching. I just got on social media in the
(30:35):
past year, and so I have Instagram and like watching
Instagram and these things. Well, now like seaplanes started coming up.
It's like, oh, you should go get your seaplane rating.
So I went down to a place called Jack Brown's
in Florida and used to go down there for three
or four days and they teach you how to land
a plane on the water, and dude, that's surreal.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
Yeah, that is crazy, like Timmy Buffet style there.
Speaker 2 (30:57):
That's awesome.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
It's crazy fun. So I did that, and there was
you learned in these smaller planes, these pipers and little
cessnas with floats on them. But they also had a beaver.
And beavers were made in the late forties and fifties.
Most of them were military, but they were just like workhorses.
A lot of them were up in Alaska and it's
(31:20):
how people got people up to where you shouldn't be
going in Alaska. And so they had a beaver there
and so I'm like, okay, if I passed I'm going
for a ride in that. So Beaver sounds like a
sixty seven corvette, you know, it's got a great sound
to it. And it's just this big, massive workhourse of
a plane. So I passed, went on the flight and
(31:41):
that It's like, okay, you need one of these. So
so that was the latest edition.
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Oh really you have a Beaver floatplane?
Speaker 4 (31:49):
Yeah, Beaver floatplane.
Speaker 1 (31:50):
You had a fleet at this point a little bit.
Speaker 4 (31:52):
Yeah, but it's it's just it's a passion doing it.
I got a passion. Yeah, any evening if it's nice out,
I'll go over and pull on a out and go
u going and landing on the lakes and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
In the Beaver.
Speaker 4 (32:05):
I want to get it to where you know, there
are a lot of destination places where you can go
and park the plane on the dock on the water
and stay on the water and so wow, Yeah, there's
a lot of adventures left to do plane.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
That's really really cool. I man, we need to go
up on one of your planes with you sometimes. That
would be amazing.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
Yeah, we're doing a there's a fundraiser at the Sullenberger
Museum in a few weeks, but we're doing a fundraiser.
Tim Miller with Barringer Construction, where my brother works. There's
a big fundraiser there and so they're auctioning off. I'm
they're auctioning off a ride in each of the planes.
So one hour in the Beaver, one in the Mustang,
(32:44):
and one in the Bush plane. And so yeah, it's
uh and it's a great benefits you know, it's for
unfortunate kids wanting to get into aviation.
Speaker 1 (32:52):
Cool.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
So wow, well when is that October twenty fifth?
Speaker 2 (32:57):
Okay at Sulmburg. I have not been to the re
I have not either.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
Looking forward, we've been.
Speaker 3 (33:02):
We've been talking about taking the kids. So I don't
know if we're in town that weekend, but man, we
gotta go.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
Yeah, maybe maybe win a ride.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Maybe a winter u f Osco.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
I'm down.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
I'm down. That sounds amrazy.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
So uh yeah. So I've been y'all been texting and
trying to get together.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
So now that you put a face with the name Eric,
I'm gonna put you on the spot. Good leading. We're
gonna tell a wish story because everybody knows leading up
to our annual pitching for wishes we support make a
Wish of Central and western North Carolina. We we we
give a shout out to our sponsors and tell a
wish story. So you know why we do it. But Eric,
I'm gonna put you on the spot before we transition.
What is one thing that you live by?
Speaker 4 (33:41):
Do what you say you're gonna do. Amen, that's a
good one. Do what you say you exactly what you
say you're gonna do. That's exactly my philosophy. You knew.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
I'm gonna tell you something that's pretty cool. When I
first started my career of twenty two and there's a
guy that I'll give him a shout out. He reached
out to me recently named Daniel Simmons. And Daniel at
Ferguson was the best sales guy. He was the best,
and he was what everybody was trying to be like him,
and he was probably let's call him thirty six thirty seven.
I was twenty two, and I was like, Daniel, man,
(34:11):
like please please, please, Like, well, just tell me what
your secret is? Like there's got to be like what
do I need to learn? What do I need to know?
And he got real serious with me. He goes, you
really want me to tell you? And I was like, yeah, please.
Like I'm like, you know, twenty two year old kids
does nothing, still don't know much. And he goes, all right,
I'm gonna tell you. He goes, it's gonna blow your mind.
I'm like, all right, tell me, like you're expecting this,
(34:32):
Like great nugget. He goes, just do what you say
you're gonna do. And he walked away, and I was like,
that's it, and he was like, that's it. I mean,
so God, I love you, Dane. I hope we get
to hang out soon. He's he's the man. But that's
exactly what he GE's always said.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
And walked away and truly, I mean, in the several
years that we've hung out and known each other, we
treat each other that way.
Speaker 2 (34:53):
And it's pretty clear cut. I mean, it didn't anything phony.
That's how it should be. Huh.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
Yeah, my son, My son's graduated from Clemson and fortunately
he's spent some time with Trent No Tigers. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:06):
Yeah, he's Jacob is a stud.
Speaker 4 (35:09):
He's a good kid. And uh, you know that's if
you look at him and you think, Okay, what do
you think you instilled? I think I've got that through
to him then and Uh, that's important.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Fortunate enough to hang out with him, talk to him
a little bit about about the construction business and and
his future, but also got to play around the golf
with you guys. He's a great golfer, but he carries
himself with that and you have a lot to be
proud of.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
And that says it all.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
That means a lot. Yeah, fall far from the tree
with that golf game, either.
Speaker 2 (35:37):
Did it.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
I'm tired of giving you compliments of.
Speaker 4 (35:44):
Baker so much better than mine ever was or will be.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
He's really good.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
He is really good.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
Yeah he is.
Speaker 3 (35:50):
But you're pretty good too. You played well, all right, Patrick,
let's go all right?
Speaker 1 (35:56):
Uh So, as everybody knows, we read a wish story
leading up into our Cornerhole Tournament on November the first,
and our sponsors. We have a couple of platinum sponsors, Trend,
Dead Eye Renovations, Barefoot and Company, renewal By Anderson, Home
Technology Solutions, United Healthcare. We've got three new gold sponsors,
Labella Associates, Wolf Construction, and Fozzy Construction. Got it all right?
Speaker 2 (36:20):
You ready? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (36:21):
I am okay. This is about wish Kid Pilar. Wish
Kid Pillar is an amazing team with a gentle and thoughtful
spirit from waxhawt, North Carolina. This seventeen year old girl
loves Charlotte sc soccer, swimming, and her science classes at school.
In a free time, she tunes into Taylor Swift, Gilmore
Girls reruns or cracks open a Harry Potter book. Her
(36:43):
number one passion, though is horses. Riding trails and show
jumping had filled her weekends. The last thing man, The
last thing this young girl was thinking about was having cancer.
Polari's cancer diagnosis has meant countless of doctor visits and
grueling treatments in the hospital, taking her away from her
horse as well as her friends in school. Her guide
her goal is to rebuild her strength and help to
(37:05):
continue passion for horses. Polar's favorite past I'm being with
and caring for horses, where she finds peace. When she
learned she would be granted a wish, she knew it
would be a horse related wish. Polar's wish was to
have a golf cart. From show jumping to more recent
edition of showing her horse, Paular spends a lot of
time at questioning centers when she can a golf cart
(37:27):
with lights, turn signals, and a basket would be the
perfect addition to her favorite hobby and help her save
her strength for the horses. Make it purple and add
a name plate, and you've got a young woman with
a strong will to express herself and desire to beat cancer.
Happy Trails, Polar, Wow, we are great. The corporate sponsor
was icon Ev for helping make this wish extra special.
(37:48):
Icon through a party with pizza, gifts and their staff
was a great way to celebrate. So big on to
you icon Ev.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
Yeh Polar, way to go. God bless you girl.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
That's awesome. That's why we do this. That's why we
do this. That's great, Eric, thanks for being here. Looking
forward to hanging out.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
With you soon. Go do the Golden rule today.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
Treat others the way you want to be treated, as
Patrick said, even when it's tough to do so, even
when it's not going your way.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
Treat them how you want somebody to give you.
Speaker 3 (38:15):
Grace, carry as smile around on your face. You never
know who needs it. Thanks for listening to Alhen with
Ruby
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