From Zoning To Ribbon Cuttings: How Charleston Builds And Grows

Want the real playbook for getting a project built in the Lowcountry without losing your mind or your margin? We sit down with eighth-generation Charlestonian and contractor Adam Ferrara to unpack the journey from spark to occupancy, why Charleston isn’t Charlotte, and how to grow without sacrificing the canopy, character, or coastline.

We start with the truth behind timelines: rezoning, design review, stormwater plans, and DRB approvals can stretch to two or three years before vertical work begins. Adam maps the stages that matter, from early land diligence to choosing the right civil and architect, and explains why design-assist-build helps small businesses avoid “beautiful but unbuildable” plans. Then we get into market cycles—multifamily and storage cooled after a rush, industrial surged and is now leveling—and what that means for investors weighing Mount Pleasant against the Queen City.

Charleston’s constraints are physical and philosophical. Height limits, tree preservation, and massing rules protect the town’s feel, while wind loads, seismic risk, and poor soils demand conservative structures and careful foundations. Adam breaks down liquefaction in plain English and shows how LID techniques, pervious pavements, and underground detention manage our flat terrain and heavy rain. Sustainability isn’t window dressing here; spray foam, LED lighting, and solar incentives deliver lower lifetime costs and better buildings.

We also explore Point Hope’s intentional growth, where schools, restaurants, healthcare, and services follow rooftops to reduce highway dependence. On the tech front, AI speeds early site layouts and feasibility, saving weeks at the front end, while remote-controlled earthwork hints at safer, smarter job sites. And for a region hungry for childcare, Adam details the economics of early childhood education centers—why they’re vital, why they’re expensive, and how funding and rates shape access.

If you care about smart growth, attainable housing, and building for generations rather than quarters, this conversation offers clear steps and hard-won lessons you can use now. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s planning a project, and leave a review to help more Charleston builders and business owners find us.

Presenting Sponsor: Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce

Studio Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions

Expo Podcast Sponsor: ‪@PollenSocial‬

Production Sponsor: RMBO.co

Design Sponsor: DK Design

Interested in Sponsorship? Click here.

Committee:
Kathleen Herrmann | Host | MPCC Immediate Past President | Mount Pleasant Towne Centre
Mike Compton | Co-host | Marketing Chair | RMBO.co
Rebecca Imholz | Co-host | MPCC Executive Director
Amanda Bunting Comen | Co-host | Social ABCs
Ben Nesvold | Co-host | In-coming President | Edward Jones

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_05 (00:05):
You know what's funny?
Let me bring up Charlotte.
It's we're big as Charlotte.
It's like our third as big asCharlotte.

SPEAKER_03 (00:12):
Yeah, well, David Beast is my partner up there in
the formal office.

SPEAKER_04 (00:17):
Shut off the data.

SPEAKER_01 (00:18):
Alright.
Alright, well let's actually doit to get started so you all
know who we're talking to.
Uh welcome to the BuildingBusiness Podcast powered by the
Mount Pleasant Chamber ofCommerce.
We are recording with ourfriends at the Charleston Media
Solutions Studios.
Great partners to the Chamber.
Thank you for being here todaywith us.
And thank you to our podcastsponsor, DK Design.

SPEAKER_05 (00:40):
Yes, DK Design, what's up?

SPEAKER_01 (00:42):
We love DK Design.
My name is Kathy Herman.
I am the immediate pastpresident of the chamber.
And I am also the marketingdirector at Mount Pleasant Town
Center.
And my favorite co-host againwith me today.

SPEAKER_05 (00:57):
I like favorite veterans special.

SPEAKER_01 (00:58):
Oh no, well, your special and favorite.
Oh both, I guess.
Yeah, that's awesome.
Everybody, my favorite, MikeCompton, owner of Roombo
Advertising.
Co-owner, yep.

SPEAKER_05 (01:09):
George, my business partner in Tampa.

SPEAKER_01 (01:10):
Okay, sorry about touchboard.
Um and the uh almost non-chairof the MPCC marketing committee.
So wild.
Almost the end of the year.

SPEAKER_05 (01:24):
Very exciting about that.
We love Darius.
He's great.
So we built a good team.
You guys are in good hands.
I'm not going anywhere.
We're still doing the pocket.
Are you still gonna be myspecial favorite?
Special favorite.
Special favorite.
We have a really specialfavorite person here.

SPEAKER_01 (01:35):
We do.
Um and actually, uh beforebefore I even um introduce him,
we were so excited to find outhe is actually eighth generation
Charlestonian.

SPEAKER_05 (01:43):
I think that's the deepest Charlestonian we've had.

SPEAKER_01 (01:44):
That we've had, especially the week.
John Wright, how far back doesJohn Wright go?
Oh, I don't know, probably farback too, but we didn't get the
actual generational line backhere.
We'll have to ask him.
Yeah.
But as far as we're concerned,he's the farthest one back we
had.
Yeah.
Congratulations.
Um, our guest today um ispartner and managing member of
um Ferrara Bust contractors, uh,who oversees, he oversees their

(02:08):
Charleston office and managesthe company's expansion into the
Midlands and lower half of SouthCarolina.
Uh he serves as the president ofbusiness development and
operations manager.
You do all this, okay I do.
Uh, directing all aspects ofsales and business development
and coordinate with clients,architects, engineers, and
developers to get projects offthe ground and running smoothly.

(02:32):
And how important is thisconversation with all of the
construction going around MountPleasant and Charleston in the
area today?
So I am so excited to welcomeour special guest, Adam Ferrara.
Adam Ferrara.

SPEAKER_03 (02:45):
Thank you, Kathy.
I appreciate it.
What an awesome opportunity tobe here with the two of you
today and just to talk abouteverything uh Charleston, South
Carolina, and uh whatever elsewe have on tap.
And construction for sure.
Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 (02:56):
And uh and the reason why I'm laughing about
this, um, my past life in uh myhusband was um a I always say he
built shopping centers, but heactually didn't manage.
So if you had a shopping centerthat was being built from the
ground and it was 80 tenants, hehad to manage the construction
of the 80 stores and all theirindividual construction teams.
Okay.

(03:17):
So um I got to hear a lot aboutthat for 15 years while he did
that.
Um so we I always joke whenwe're driving around and see
something going up, and I'mgoing, well, I don't know, that
doesn't look pretty sturdy, thatdoesn't look too sturdy.
That's going up too fast for me.
So I'm curious I'm lookingforward to hearing more of like
you know.

SPEAKER_05 (03:34):
Like everything on Clements Ferry.

SPEAKER_01 (03:39):
I drive one day to get a pizza and there's nothing
there, and two days later Idrive back in his apartments.
I'm like, uh, those can bemerged.
I don't want to get anybody introuble.

SPEAKER_05 (03:48):
Anyway, lots of growth here in Charleston.
And then thank you for yoursupport with the chamber.
Yes, absolutely.
Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 (03:55):
And uh we'll certainly bring up um a very
special thank you at the end forsome things that Adam has done
for us with the chamber.
But say hello to everybody andlet them know um a little bit
about you, how you got involvedin the construction industry and
all that stuff, and and um howFerrera Bust got started.

SPEAKER_03 (04:11):
Yeah, absolutely.
Thank you so much.
Uh appreciate it.
Umce again, Adam Ferrero withFerrera Beast Contractors.
We are in Charleston, SouthCarolina and Fort Mill, South
Carolina, servicing Charlotteand the North Carolina markets.
Um we started in 2009.
Uh my partner, David Beust andI, we were just uh chit-chatting

(04:32):
one day when we were visitingthem down in Stewart, Florida,
and uh just suggested to himthat he might want to move up to
the Fort Mill area in theCharlotte Market to start a
commercial construction company.
At that time I was inresidential, and uh I had gotten
that start in residentialworking uh here in Charleston
with John Wheeland Holmes andthen transferring up to

(04:52):
Charlotte with them.

SPEAKER_01 (04:53):
So hopefully it wasn't you that was building
those ones that we were justtalking about and making fun of.
We're gonna get into that.

SPEAKER_03 (04:59):
Okay, we'll talk about that.
But uh yeah, so so we startedthere in Fort Mill, and um it
was we were literally at onedesk with two computers, one on
each side, and uh and we startedout with our first job.
It was for Cup Crazed Cakery anduh uh Baxter Village, and she
went on to win Cupcake Wars,which was pretty cool.
That was cool.

(05:21):
Yeah, that's right.
That's right.
So we can we can boast that.
And uh uh ironically, I ended upmeeting uh with her and her
husband, and they uh worked uhor he worked for uh Summit uh uh
land uh environmental and weended up then building a home
for them on Lake Wiley.
So it was it it sort of justspins off from there.
If you if you do a good job andcommunicate, which is the

(05:43):
biggest challenge in theconstruction field, yeah.
That's that's uh that's how youcan have a recipe for success.
Just communicate.

SPEAKER_01 (05:50):
But what a big difference between residential
and commercial, correct?

SPEAKER_03 (05:54):
It is.
And and I had a uh a uniqueskill for residential working
with those two companies.
Uh John Wheelan, I'll I'll I'lltell everybody this.
They taught me how to build ahome and how to communicate.
Toll brothers taught me how torun a business.
Oh wow.
So that that's the difference inthe t in the two.
Uh one was regional, one waspublicly traded.
So that was an awesome uh uhjumping off point for me.

(06:14):
But uh our my partnership withDavid Bust has been exceptional.
Uh he is an engineer, uh civilengineer grad from Clemson.
And um there is a story, I don'tknow if we'll get to it today,
but uh how how we met uh ourwives grew up together uh in
Anderson, South Carolina, and uhthey they were hanging out at
college and and my wifeintroduced David to to his wife.

(06:35):
No, I love this.

SPEAKER_01 (06:36):
Oh, love stories too.
You get everything on thepodcast.

SPEAKER_03 (06:40):
So uh so so they're they're all you know, Clemson
Tigers.
I'm a I'm a college CharlestonCoover.

SPEAKER_05 (06:45):
Okay and um staying strong there.

SPEAKER_03 (06:47):
Yeah, that's right.
So uh so that's kind of how weconnected and and met, and uh he
has really taught me a lot aboutcommercial construction.
That that relationship has beeninvaluable, not only from a
professional standpoint, but apersonal standpoint.
So much that we vacation asfamilies every year and and get
to do cool stuff.

SPEAKER_05 (07:02):
So that's amazing.
Um when it comes to you know,well, first of all, we talked
about Charlotte.
You you kind of hinted inCharlotte.
Just so the audience knows,we're big in Charlotte right
now.
We're 12% of our total downloadscome from Charlotte.
Where 29% come from MountPleasant, and then eight percent
come from Charleston.
Okay.
Isn't that wild?
So Charlotte's beatingCharleston out on our downloads.

SPEAKER_01 (07:23):
Well, we need to fix that, everybody listening in
Charleston.

SPEAKER_05 (07:26):
Yeah, you know, or in shout out to everybody in
Charlotte.

SPEAKER_01 (07:28):
Yeah, shout out to Charlotte.

SPEAKER_03 (07:31):
I do.
We we have uh we we we have agrowing team of about 34 out of
both offices.
Okay.
And David uh ha picks up about60% of that.
I pick up about 40% because hisoffice uh or our office started
uh 15 years ago, and our currentoffice now we opened up in 2017.
Okay.
In the summertime of 17.

unknown (07:50):
Wow.

SPEAKER_05 (07:50):
And and so you're you're in you got your hands
kind of in both.
What which I don't want to saywhich one's doing better, I
don't want to say anything likethat, but as far as like uh
growth, um from your vantagepoint, what are the biggest
drivers of growth here in MountPleasant, let's say?
So compared to Charlotte.

SPEAKER_03 (08:09):
Yeah, it's it's a great question because the the
growth in this area has hascertainly been either uh
individuals that are uh owneroperators of a business as an
example.
Um we built Wanda FamilyDentistry, uh Dental Office.
We have uh built some small kindof one-off apartment complexes
for folks, so individualinvestors.

(08:31):
But we've seen a lot ofinstitutional money come into
the market.
Uh so uh, you know, betweenprivate equity and uh you know
large-scale lender support,we're we Charleston has
officially been on the map for Iwould say in in a very strong
way for probably the past 10 to12 years.
So we hit it right at the righttime.
Do you feel more um growth inlike commercial or multifamily

(08:53):
or you know, multifamily took abit of a uh a bit of a dip um
after after COVID.
Uh they were pushing hot andheavy into that market, and and
then a lot of supply came on.
Uh similar to storage, a lot ofsupply came on.
But uh it it's uh things need toneeded to simmer down a little

(09:13):
bit, it got a bit frothy.
Sure.
So that's simmered down a bit.
And you're today you're you'veyou've seen a huge uh influx of
industrial um warehouse spacescome online.
So there's a a large supply ofthat right now, so you're seeing
that cool a little bit.
So you've got these sort of youknow uh ebbs and flows with the
way the market works.

SPEAKER_05 (09:31):
Aaron Ross Powell Is the town helping with that ebb
and flow in in the meaning I Iheard that they kind of capped
the amount of new builds inresidential uh at one point?
Is that old news?

SPEAKER_01 (09:42):
Aaron Powell I I I believe it was the moratorium
was lifted, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_03 (09:46):
The moratorium has been lifted.
Okay.
Um there are a certain uh uhformula.

SPEAKER_05 (09:51):
They had that for a time to go ahead and it that's
my point.
Are they helping with that or isit hurting?

SPEAKER_03 (09:56):
Like what's what's that all is that like Well I
think a lot of people don'treally get it until Mount
Pleasant brings Moreland in fromannexing.
Mount Pleasant to me from what Isee is about 90% full.
There's not a whole lot left.

SPEAKER_04 (10:08):
Everybody listening right now can probably nod in
their head thing like theengineer's nodding.

SPEAKER_03 (10:12):
Bless you amazing.
There's not a whole lot left inthat uh in that respect.
So um, you know, MountPleasant's done a great job of
of preserving trees.
Uh we all know it's sort of treecity USA, uh, with a 40% canopy
coverage.
Um and and and I'm not thatplugged in.
Uh I I do uh I don't know if I'mallowed to say I do sit on the

(10:32):
planning commission for the townof Mount Pleasant as a
volunteer.
Thank you for that.
Thank you for your service.
So uh it's just a volunteerposition.
Um but uh so I've I've learned alot about uh how our community
works.
We're all volunteers here.
We get it.
So uh but but yes, to answeryour question, I I would say
that the the biggest uh hurdleuh where Mount Pleasant has

(10:54):
helped and can continue to helpis is recognizing where we have
some affordability issues.
And we need to bring in someattainable housing and we need
to uh really uh work around someof the code with that, uh with
landowners and encourage them,whether it be through some some
sort of incentives or um workingwith developers with some sort

(11:16):
of tax incentives to help thembring some more product online
uh in the 400,000 price pointrange.
Right.
Right.

SPEAKER_05 (11:24):
Is that kind of what you guys are talking about in
your planning commission?
Is that a little inside?
I would say we discuss that uhquite a bit.

SPEAKER_01 (11:32):
Don't get them in trouble, Mike.

SPEAKER_03 (11:34):
Yeah, we're we're we're discussing how we can uh
continue to still keep MountPleasant great, but it's okay if
it grows.
It just needs to grow in a in aresponsible way.

SPEAKER_05 (11:45):
Yeah.
I think that Haney uh speaks tothat as well.
Yeah, pretty well.
That's right.
Uh congratulations, Haney.
By the way.
He won that.
Yeah, congratulations to youtoo.
Yes.

SPEAKER_01 (11:54):
Uh you know what I'm curious about, um, and I don't
know if you can answer this,Adam, but so again, I I I take
it, I take a I watch a lot ofconstruction from beginning to
end because I I personally findit fascinating from what my
husband did, right?
But even just on my side.
So take for instance, um,there's a piece of land over up

(12:15):
in Park West across from umthose apartments that are now
supposed to be attainablehousing, correct?
Across from the apartment.
Is it all in Bulldoz?
Yeah, it's all bulldozed.
Right up right next to Park WestVets.
Oh, yeah, yeah.
That's what I heard.
Is that true?
Oh.
But Michael.
Don't get him in trouble, man.

(12:36):
Is this in Carolina Apartment?
Yeah.
No, in Park West.
In Park West.
Right across from the Grove, uh,I think they're both called the
Grove apartments.
Okay, okay.
Um actually we can figure thatout later.
But my my question, so it's beenit was grazed, and I mean, how
long does it take for from themoment I guess the moment you

(12:58):
get the land, right?
Let's not even include thepermitting, because that could
take forever, but like to get ifyou're gonna build four level
apartments, I mean, how longshould it take?
Let's put it that way.

SPEAKER_05 (13:09):
How long the trees down at this point?
Like, everything's down.

SPEAKER_01 (13:12):
And I believe this I well they I think they've
already started putting thesewage in.
I'm I'm not but like like fromthe beginning to end, how long
does something like that take?

SPEAKER_03 (13:20):
Okay, so let's let's talk about how we go from spark
to closeout and occupancy.
I love that.
That's huge.
Oh shit, right?
So you have to understand thatif if your land is not zoned
properly, you have to get eithersome conditional zoning or get
it rezoned.
So that process could takeanywhere from three to six
months if you have all of yourconceptual renderings in place

(13:43):
and your concepts in place andyou've had conversations with
the right parties.
Uh I hate to say this, sometimesthe vote happens before the
vote, but it that just means theconversations have taken place.
Okay.
Right?
So you've got that, let's callthat worst case scenario six
months.
Now you're into you're kickingoff design on the civil side,
you've engaged your landscapearchitect, right?

(14:04):
Because we have to protect thetrees and we have to worry about
what were called best managementpractices, which are SWIP,
stormwater prevention, pollutionplans.
The the the black, ugly fencethat goes around the trees and
the orange ribboning andeverything.
I swipped yesterday.
Yes, slippering around thehouse.
But uh so so we do that, andthen from there uh we have to

(14:26):
get uh the civil drawingsapproved through in Mount
Pleasant the the technicalportion of the design, so the
DRT.
And that DRT r involves all thehorizontal construction.
And then we've got to go throughDRB, which is all our vertical
construction.
So how does the land shed itswater or maintain its water that
it you know the first inch ortwo of rain, and then from

(14:46):
there, what's it look like goingup?
So really from spark toconstruction to close out, best
case scenario, you're probablylooking at anywhere from two to
three years.
That's what I guess that's whatI figured.
So so the idea can sort of maybenot feel as cool three years
later, or the market haschanged, or the lending
environment's changed, or maybethe base that you were building

(15:09):
that particular product forisn't there anymore.
So there's a huge risk that wetake as developers to do this.

SPEAKER_01 (15:16):
I I knew I mean just because you're looking at it and
you're going, I mean, it's somuch space.
Exactly.
Never mind there again, nevermind all the legalese and all of
the permitting and all that thatgoes behind it.
But um and also obviously youwant it to be built well, built
and not, you know, blow downwith the you know.

SPEAKER_03 (15:33):
But once the plans are finished, the construction
should take anywhere from 10 to12 months.
Once you're ready to govertical.
10 to 12 months.
You said vertical.

SPEAKER_05 (15:42):
Why can't we uh build uh taller buildings in
Mount Pleasant?
I understand Charleston, Iunderstand the peninsula, I
understand that.
But in Charleston, I feel likewe're just building these
one-story mini malls all overthe place.
Why can't we think bigger andthere's a height requirement on

(16:05):
all commercial buildings?

SPEAKER_01 (16:06):
I think the height requirement.
We're not saving any turtles.
You know what I mean?
Like there isn't Are we?
Am I wrong with that?
No, there's a high but there's aheight requirement.
Like the hotel we put in at towncenter can only be a certain
feet, fifty-eight feet, I think.

SPEAKER_00 (16:20):
So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (16:20):
Um that's why it's a boutique hotel.

SPEAKER_03 (16:22):
So just to recall, I mean, design is is is structural
in nature.
So we've got uh we've got a lotof uh adverse conditions here.
We've got wind loading withhurricanes.
I was I was here duringHurricane Hugo 1989.
That's a big one.
I like it.
Uh we we are in the uh secondlargest earthquake fault area in
the country.
Come on.
Behind San Andreas before ofSomerville, I'll try not to.

(16:44):
I try not to think about it.

SPEAKER_05 (16:45):
When was the last time we had an earthquake?
1870.
Yes.
Great, great, great greatgrandpa was here.
Yes.

SPEAKER_03 (16:53):
Yes.
Yep.
The Burbages and the Ferrar'swere here.
No kidding.
Uh and then uh we've got um poorsoil conditions.
Poor soil conditions.
Okay.

SPEAKER_01 (17:02):
Is that because of the low country?
Because of the sand.
I mean, half my yard's sand.
Okay.
And I'm not even in a floodzone.
I don't understand that.

SPEAKER_03 (17:08):
And then when an earthquake is happening, you've
got, you know, uh movements leftand right.
It's called liquefaction.
So have you ever put your footin the sand at the beach, right
near the water, and you just rubit back and forth, the water
comes up to the top and yourfoot sinks.
Yep.
Yeah.
Building does the same thing.
Okay, that answers a few of myI'm not an engineer, but I did
uh eat my weedy.

SPEAKER_05 (17:28):
It sure sounds like you know what you're talking
about.
Play one on TV at least.
Um Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 (17:32):
But I also um on the flip side of that, Mike, just
not the mechanical reasons, butand I could I'm saying this from
my own personal view.
Correct.
I like that there's no tallbuildings in town.
That's one of the things Ireally like about this town.
Okay.
Um business wise, I canunderstand why people might want
to build to all the hotels andthis or that, but I love how you
I'm a fan of the heightrequirements.

SPEAKER_05 (17:55):
And I and I understand that you know, we
only have so much land.
You mentioned that earlier.
We we gotta annex some moreland.
Okay, we we don't go tall.
Maybe maybe we go a little bitbigger in in in structure.
Like like an Omar Shrine type ofsituation.
Not like a Coliseum, but like abigger shark.
So we can have more lunchessomewhere else.
You know what I mean?
Like so we can have parties, youknow what I mean?

(18:17):
Like Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (18:18):
Yeah, there we we do lack a certain level of scale to
our buildings that you might seein bigger cities, you know, your
Atlanta's and your Charlotte'sum of the world.
But there is something specialabout living here.
There is something special aboutknowing that it's at least we
can see and differentiate thecolors of our buildings.
I mean, you can be in otherparts of South Carolina that are

(18:38):
a little further south that's HH.
Sure, sure, sure.
Uh where you cannot see thebuildings.
Everything's the same color asthe bark.
Um so you do get s a little bitof um uh diversity in that.
So I I think there are uh thereare there are wins and losses
from that respect, but I I thinkat the end of the day, we only

(18:58):
have so much land.
Um we're we're cut off inhundreds of ways by water uh
versus a Charlotte or someplacelike that.
They can really just go aroundthe clock and just expand out as
far as they want to.

SPEAKER_05 (19:10):
This is kind of off the cuff right now too, right?
But when we're when you'rebuilding here in Mount Pleasant,
um you you really you reallytake mind to the to the trees
and to the space, right?
To the point where you can'teven see the logo of the
building until you get right infront of the building.
So as a camea, not an eighthgeneration friend like you, but

(19:32):
as a camea, I was I was I'mbuilt on my GPS.
I can't go anywhere, right?
And then everybody says, Oh,it's by this.
I'm like, well, you can't seeit.
Oh it's by the old theater.
You know, it's like I love it,but I hated it at first, but
obviously it, you know, yeah,that's the way to go.

SPEAKER_03 (19:48):
Well, phones have definitely uh, you know, Google
Maps Ways and all that hashelped us a lot out a lot.
But um you know, I I thinkthat's an individual developer's
choice or an owner's choice asto how they uh prepare the
monumentation for their signage.
Yeah.
Um whether it's a marquee at thestreet or some some some
building signage.
So so I do believe that there issome s of a strategic approach

(20:12):
to managing that, that maybeindividually those things could
be done a little bit better.
Well, whatever.
But you're right, though.
Everybody needs to understandthat that if you don't if you're
a new business, you either haveto have a fantastic uh marketing
plan or you need to be visible.
Right.

SPEAKER_01 (20:29):
Um and land take note at all new people, take
note to that, because that isabsolutely 100% true.

unknown (20:36):
Yes.

SPEAKER_05 (20:36):
Well, yeah, as the you know, the the you run the
town center, like businessescome and go all the time.
I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 (20:43):
My stores are um look are inside unless you're an
anchor and you're on one of themarquee signs, there's only six
spaces, um, there's no signageon 17 of where you are.
Yeah.
So of course, me as as themarketing director, part of my
job is to make sure people knowwhat stores I have, but they
also need to do their part.
Yes.
And so that's when you alwaysyou'll always hear, you know, so

(21:05):
and so at town center, so and soeven stores that are not
officially at town center, yes.
Use town center as a landmarkbecause everyone knows where the
actual shopping center is, thenthey just have to find you
inside.
But yeah, it's it's the trees,it's the signage.
Yeah.
And as a business owner, itcould be a little bit of a mm,
but as a as a uh resident ofthis town, I love again love

(21:30):
just seeing trees.
Yeah, right.
That's one of the reasons Imoved here.

SPEAKER_05 (21:33):
I'm the guy who also says keep 41 the way 41 is too,
but that's a whole other thing.
Um I wanted to talk about howyou we talk about small
businesses.
How can small businessesapproach you and and and how do
you help small businesses?

SPEAKER_03 (21:46):
So so I can tell you, I you know, I'm a small
business guy.
This is how we started.
I love small business becausethere's er everything is um uh
sort of uh you know, gumdropsand candy and and happy, happy,
happy because they're like, Oh,I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do
this, I'm gonna do this.
And what I get to do in myindustry is I get to help steer

(22:09):
them in a way that helps themsay, Yes, you do get to do these
things, but these are the thesteps to get there.
So when they approach us as anexample, we will help them
source the land.
So we'll help them find land.
It's not that we're realtors oruh commercial brokers, but uh we
have access to uh differentplatforms where we help them
find land or we haverelationships with other brokers

(22:31):
in the area.
So we'll we'll source land forthem, we'll steer them away from
land that's not good to build onthat might cost$300,000 to
$400,000 per acre to developversus$250 to$350,000 right.
So so there are ways that youcan buy bad land that cost a lot
more to develop.
And the numbers are a littlehigher than what I just said,
just to be clear.
Okay, we're not getting intothat.

(22:51):
I was trying to be fair.
I'm taking notes.
But uh so so we get to we get tohelp them with all of the
diligence aspect of it.
We get to help them source theright team of civil and
architects.
And it's not that I want to holdthe keys to that castle, but
sometimes people get to thefinish line and they get to a
permit and they have a set ofplans they can't afford to

(23:11):
build.
They just can't do it becausethey're like, oh my gosh, I did
not realize my building wasgonna cost four hundred dollars
a square foot to build versuswhat I thought would be two
hundred dollars a square foot.
And it happens quite regularlyto small business USA, which
represents over 80% of oureconomic uh output in our
country.
So you're really a one-stopshop.
I am a one-stop shop, and and wehave a great team.

(23:34):
Uh we empower our team tounderstand how to have these
visits.
So it just doesn't have to be mehaving the visit with somebody.
You know, uh we've got three orfour great folks in our office
that can uh source these visits.
We do we have the exact sameplatform.
So uh up in Fort Mill, and it'sit's like uh some people used to
think about it as design build,and and that sort of while it's

(23:57):
still popular, it's sort ofaging out a little bit.
You still see some public jobsunder the design build platform.
We have taken it a step furtherto design assist build.
Um and and that design assistbuild enables the uh business
owner to own the drawings.
But design build means I get toown the drawings and you have to

(24:17):
use me to build it.
Right.
Even if you fall out of lovewith me.
I don't want my clients to fallout of love with us.
I want them to love us from dayone to to finishing the
warranty.
We we built um uh if I can sayit's Madden Real Estate's
office, we built his office forhim, uh right over on old
Georgetown, right behind uh theNordstrom rack.
And we were just in there theother day performing warranty

(24:40):
work four years later.
Oh and we that's what we wantbecause whether you look at it
as marketing dollars or you lookat it as, you know, uh we're
just trying to to to be goodguys.
Um that's just the way we do it.
Uh we don't want it it's reallywhat I learned at John Wheeland
Homes um uh up in Charlotte.
They they just had a fantasticreputation for coming in and

(25:02):
servicing their product.

SPEAKER_01 (25:04):
I mean, listen, reputation is everything around
here.
I've learned that very, veryquickly.

SPEAKER_05 (25:08):
Are you new build only or do you go in and ask
that?
Oh, yeah, right?
Are you reconstructing a lot ofthings?

SPEAKER_03 (25:16):
We just had a uh a a young lady that wants to open up
a Pilates studio at Point Hopecome into her office for just a
walk-in with her broker andsaid, We need an answer now.
We want you to come walk throughour space at this uh generation
two space that had been uh uhanother business prior to.
And we just need you to help usgive us a kind of a low, medium,

(25:39):
high guesstimate on what thiswill cost us to turn this from
this uh dessert place to aPilates studio.
And so we we we are going togive her that answer on Monday
and Tuesday.
And so you just walked in.
They walked right in.
And I was stood I stood there, II heard the voice, and I was
like, Yep, I'm getting out of mydesk and I'm walking over.

(26:01):
And then uh my my lead in myoffice, Dave Lejita, he he he
came in and walked up and and wegave them the information they
needed, and we just want to helpher realize I can do this or I
can't do this.
Where's your company?
Okay, so we can have morewalk-ins.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (26:17):
You guys had something to do with that point,
help building.
We didn't because I rememberseeing a sign.
Yes.
I love the um the New Mexicanplace over there.
Yes, Katrina's is awesome.

SPEAKER_03 (26:26):
Yeah, Katrina's is uh that that's part of the um
Laha group, Laha Cienda group,and they own Viva as well.
Um they're they're great.
Uh Yugosenia is awesome.
They run a top-notchorganization.
And I remember seeing your signsthere because I I go there
often.
So uh so when we moved back toCharleston in 2017, uh after we
were in the Charlotte Market foruh 17 years, uh we uh isolated

(26:52):
uh Rivertown uh and we we webought a home in Rivertown that
was existing.
It was the first time I'd everuh bought a home that I didn't
build.
So it was kind of a uniquesituation.
So interesting.
So we lived in that home forfour years and renovated it and
uh continued to uh I I sawanother lot in the neighborhood
where I threw my drone up andsaw a cool view, and so I built
my home there next to Clubhouse.

(27:13):
But um so I kept driving up anddown Clements Ferry and was so
annoyed with the tra with theconstruction from the two lanes
to four lanes and and now it'sbeautiful, right?
The traffic flows they're gonnado.
Yeah, they're they're gonnathey're gonna do a good job with
with the way the uh signals areworking, and they're not gonna
have you know s signal and then200 feet later another signal.

(27:35):
Okay, right, because that cancreate the the the stagnation.
But um so I saw Point Hope as areally unique opportunity, and I
was like, this is the lastundiscovered country, and it
really feels like Mount Pleasantover here.
And so it's Berkeley County,it's a part of its city of
Charleston, but it really feltlike Mount Pleasant, and it's

(27:56):
seven miles from my house.
Yes, yes, is Berkeley County.
We're in the city of Charlestonright here in this building.

SPEAKER_05 (28:04):
Is that right?
We're in Berkeley.

SPEAKER_03 (28:06):
Well you are.

SPEAKER_05 (28:08):
Oh, because Berkeley is part of Charleston County.

SPEAKER_03 (28:11):
So there's called incorporated and unincorporated.
So everything that's BerkeleyCounty that's not in some
municipality is allunincorporated.
Okay.
If it's within a township or acity or some other name borough,
that's that's incorporated intosomething.

SPEAKER_05 (28:27):
Is that part of the whole annex?
What are you talking about?
I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_03 (28:31):
Well well, likely there was some level of
discussion about that because uhyou mentioned Point Hope and all
of Daniel Island, uh which wasuh uh I guess uh the the
shouldering of the burden ofgetting that developed was a lot
through uh DIDEF CO.
And DI DEFCO's been hired to doall of Point Hope as well.
So you're seeing the brandinggoing up and down Clements Ferry

(28:54):
Road.
It's really uh think of DanielIsland 2.0.
No, okay.

SPEAKER_01 (28:58):
There was absolutely nothing on Clements Ferry Road
when I moved here.
Nothing.
It was one lane each way.
The old bridge, that WandaBridge wasn't there.
It was one one lane each way.
Because I when I first movedhere, I moved out there and I I
you know I came from New Yorkand I said, I mean, I have to
drive like 8,000 miles to go tothe grocery store because there
was not there was absolutelynothing out there.

(29:19):
But I also I happen to be a fanof the country, so I still kind
of live out still kinda live outin the country.

SPEAKER_05 (29:24):
Are you still in Rivertown?

SPEAKER_03 (29:25):
I we are in Rivertown.
It's it's a great community.
It's uh we've we've had our ourour three kids uh have have come
come and gone through thathouse.
Well, still some are stillthere.
Um we do have a senior at our uma sophomore in Wando and a
freshman at Clemson.
And then we have a uh one atJenny Moore.
But uh it Rivertown's beengreat.

(29:45):
The key the connection to PointHope has been awesome and and
really seeing what I I listen, II wasn't like a prophet or
something.
I didn't project, oh, this isgonna be great, and I'm the
first one, right?
The idea had already been laidand I understood What was
happening and just being in theindustry and I said, that's
where I need to put my office.
And I was only going to buildone building.

(30:06):
And then my partners and I,because we have a separate
company called Vulcan PropertyGroup, where we build and
develop commercial real estate.
Okay.
We said maybe we can dosomething a little bit more
here.
So we instead of doing onebuilding, we did five buildings.
And those five buildings have uhBon Secor's Philosophia's coming

(30:27):
in, uh the uh Mediterraneanrestaurant, Tavern at
Philosophia.
Yeah.
So they're coming in.
Um we only have one little spaceavailable.
And uh Meyer Cap have beenawesome as a uh brokerage firm
that's been leading the way tohelp us get that leased up.

SPEAKER_01 (30:41):
Super Eric and Well, because they also know there's
gonna be 8,000 million peopleliving across the street
eventually, right?

SPEAKER_03 (30:46):
Well let's be clear about the rooftop count.
So they were s I believe 25,000houses?
No, uh I think you're thinkingpeople because it's they were
permitted, I want to say, for 14or 16,000 rooftops for all of
Point Hope, which is the oldGuggenheim property.
It's old hunting land.
Okay.
And uh so they'll likely seemore like 10,000 rooftops.

(31:10):
So 2.5 people per, and that'sprobably where you get the the
$25,000 number.
$25,000, okay.

SPEAKER_01 (31:17):
10,000 houses is still a lot of houses.

SPEAKER_03 (31:19):
It is a lot of houses.
Uh and it that means that theyneed services.
So if we can get the services tothem, they don't have to jump on
the highway and go elsewhere toget their services unless
they're going to the towncenter.
Of course.
Everybody comes to town centerthing.

SPEAKER_01 (31:34):
Because they won't have any other place.
The only one around here.
You're right.

SPEAKER_05 (31:36):
We're doing a really intentional job of bringing the
amenities to where we are, andthat's where the next generation
wants to live.

SPEAKER_01 (31:43):
Right, so when they built the school out there,
sure.
Yep.
That's amazing.
Um, I want to talk quickly aboutsustainability.
Yes.
Because that is such a hugeissue for all businesses these
days.
Um, because if you don't followor don't, you know, you could
lose cost I I know how importantit is for our environment, for
our future, for everything.

(32:04):
But that's gotta be a big thingfor doing construction.
Yeah.
And how has it changed over thelast few years?
And um I'm assuming it affectscosts and things like that.
So, you know, what are somethings that new businesses can
do or that you've learned thatyou could share some.

SPEAKER_03 (32:22):
Yeah.
Kathy, that's a great question.
So s sustainability, uh how doyou mix in sustainability with
yet still being affordable,right?

SPEAKER_01 (32:30):
So I think that's And still making profit as a
business, correct?
Right.

SPEAKER_03 (32:33):
And making profit as a business.
So um, you know, uh I won't getinto business operations so
much, but on the constructionside, I would highly encourage
if anybody's gonna do somethingcon construction-wise, you know,
look into uh look into productthat is uh that already has some
certification.
So the town of Mount Pleasanthas what's called LID

(32:53):
techniques, which is uh lowimpact uh development techniques
on on how you can do uh certainthings regard around your site,
not only with trees, butpollinate our gardens and things
of that nature for butterfliesand bees and stuff.
But on the building side ofthings, uh there are
efficiencies that you shouldabsolutely take advantage of so
you have lower power bills.

(33:13):
Got it, right?
LED lighting.
Spray foam is huge, LEDlighting, uh uh solar, if you
can incorporate solar.
I mean, there's still a lot ofincentives out there to
incorporate solar.
And the town of Mount Pleasantis now requiring buildings to
have pitched roofs versus flatroofs.
So every new building that yousee either has the appearance of
a pitched roof, like the newfloor and decor that just uh

(33:35):
opened is opening up in front ofHome Depot, um, it has a the
appearance of a pitched roofover the first five percent, and
then it gets flat on top to foryour rooftop units.
What's the point of that?
Tell me, teach me something.
It's to soften the edges alittle bit to control the
massing of the building.
Because the the more you canmake the building appear short,
the better it is uh from amassing standpoint.

(33:57):
So you might have a two and ahalf, three-story building, but
if it has a traditional gabledroof, it appears shorter than a
flat roof with a parapet wall.

SPEAKER_01 (34:07):
I'm really learning a lot today.
This is this is very interestingto me.
Oh, really?
It's for uh Mike and I'd havelearned something that we did
not know when we walked in thedoor.
Yeah, actually, that's reallythat's very, very interesting.
Yeah, it is.
And then um Mount Pleasant, Imean, obviously you've done name
some of the projects you've donethat we would know.
What's your favorite?
Uh besides the besides thechamber offices, but we'll get

(34:28):
to that in a minute.

SPEAKER_03 (34:28):
So we did an expansion for Carrie Ryan
Dynastry uh for them.
So that was great.
Yes.
Uh fantastic project.
Uh we have we built uh one ofthe buildings where the New York
Butcher is at the OaklandShopping Center.
Okay.
Uh where Dolce A.
Dolce AS sure.
Um and uh can't believe we'restill talking about COVID five

(34:50):
years later, six years later.
Uh we did Wanda Family Dentistryas well.
Um we've got uh a new projectthat's about to uh break ground.
It's uh 17 North Village Retail.
So that's a four and a half acredevelopment uh right to the uh
uh left of Life Park, the churchat Life Park.
Okay.
Oh so we've got four buildings,uh about thirty thousand square

(35:13):
feet, the retail buildings, andthat's going to be an entrance
into a roughly uh 90 to 100 uhuh uh upscale townhome product
that's being built by anotherbuilding group.
Uh but we'll we will likelypartner with them in some
fashionable.

SPEAKER_05 (35:31):
See, houses are still being built.
Where I I hear that.
We raised them.

SPEAKER_03 (35:34):
There's eleven acres available, and they're they do
have to do things, right?
They have to put in a liftstation, which is almost a
million dollars to do for thesewer.
Okay.
Uh you know, water accessibilityis huge.
Um our partners to the right ofus at Life Park are are getting
us access to water and we'llextend.

SPEAKER_05 (35:51):
Where is Life Park again?
It's Carolina, isn't it?
Carolina Park?
It's right across the park.

SPEAKER_01 (35:54):
Park West.

SPEAKER_03 (35:55):
Where the new Aldi is, right across the street.
Oh.
On the other side of thehighway.
They've started, I've seen themstart to where Charleston Fun
Park is.
Where they're right across thestreet from there.

SPEAKER_01 (36:04):
Yes.
On the side, the yes.
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
Oh man.

SPEAKER_03 (36:08):
So that's going to be awesome.
So we'll we'll we'll developthat site.
It has a lot of uh uh perviousparking because for underground
retention we have to managestormwater.
That's huge.
Um we don't well listen, we're avery flat area.
And it's you know, in Charlottewhen we're building and
developing, I mean there's tonsof topo up there.
We can shape the land and dothings and put up retaining

(36:30):
walls and build ponds.
It's actually much easier todevelop in Charlotte than it is
Charleston.
Topography, I think, is topo.
Topo, excuse me.
Yep.
So uh so yeah, so that that'sthe big advantage.
So here, civil engineers have toget ultra creative and they're
looking at tenths of an inchwhen they're determining water
uh sheet flow uh to retain thefirst inch of rainfall, which is

(36:52):
a requirement, and sometimeseven more now that we're getting
much larger uh quick compactrain events.

SPEAKER_05 (36:58):
No kidding.
Um kidding.
Parking was a conversation thatuh Mr.
Brady and I had on an episodethat'll be dropped before this
episode, and uh he's theeconomic development.
Matt, yep.
Yeah, he's great, isn't he?
Yes.
Um you work probably with the Iwould imagine.

SPEAKER_03 (37:15):
Yeah, we we do have uh good communication with him
and and want to be in the knowof how we can certainly help to
build for new businesses, butalso if there's anything that we
can do um to support his effortsas well, because he has a tough
job to help uh attract newbusinesses to our area.

SPEAKER_05 (37:30):
Correct, with the new technologies and the new
speaking of new technologies,how how is that going with you?
How is the AI uh coming in yourworld?
Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_03 (37:38):
You know, AI is great when it comes down to how
can we just do a rough layout ona site.
Sure.
So if if we can quickly get to asite plan layout that's that's
not only sustainable but uhgives us the right mix of
parking and building size, uhand AI is helping us do that
within minutes.
So it's or we'd have to wait forthree, four, or five weeks,

(38:00):
maybe two months for a civilengineer to or a or a land
planner to fold that into theirwork and give us an answer.

SPEAKER_01 (38:07):
Is it I mean is how accurate is it?
Yeah, I mean rough.

SPEAKER_03 (38:11):
You said rough just to kind of get it started.
So it's I'm not a fan of AI, soit's very well I'll tell you, it
it it gives us enoughinformation to then continue
down the traditional path.
Of course, yeah.
Or say, oh gosh, this is notgonna work because you know, uh
buffers here or accessibilitythere, or um, you know, uh it's

(38:34):
not gonna give us zoninginformation, right?
But it's it's going to help usuh with certain land planning
strategies.
One of my favorites right now isuh is Google Gemini, uh Deep
Deep Seek, Deep Research, whereyou can uh put in as much
information as you need to abouta business or a product or uh a
build in an area and and askabout the viability of it in the

(38:58):
market.
And it's almost like a cheatcode for initial business
planning.
Yeah.
For these new business ownersthat don't want to go pay
somebody five thousand dollarsto get a business strategy, they
can do kind of quick hittingpoints where they can say, This
is financiable, or I love this,or oh my gosh, I didn't know I
had to do that.
I don't really want to do thisanymore.

(39:18):
Right?
So that happens quite a bit.
So I would say AI is helping inthose areas to kickstart people.
Kickstart the people.
Or or push you off to adifferent path.

SPEAKER_05 (39:27):
There you go.
It's not really uh shorteningthe two-year construction span
yet, right?

SPEAKER_03 (39:33):
It's not like you go back to sleep at 8 a.m.
and wake up at 8 p.m.
and see a paycheck because ofAI.
Yes.
Right.
Yes.
Well, I was gonna say itactually can build something.
Yes.
So there are robotic things.
Uh so this is pretty cool.
So with site work with massgrading, you're seeing uh uh

(39:53):
people standing on the sidelinesremote controlling you know the
skid steers and loaders andthings of that nature to do
sight work.
So mass clearing grading, that'ssort of AI, right?
It's it's more kind of like youknow, Google Maps meets eight
eye AI.
But uh I I think that thatyou're seeing a lot more of that

(40:15):
um technology in traditionalwork.
You see some really cool roboticmachines, kind of like this
microphone here that spinsaround a house and drops mortar
and builds a house out of thinair from the Oh, I've seen that.
It's like 3D printing a house,yes, I've seen it in real real
time.
I don't know how how how sturdythat's gonna be.
There's no rebar, there's youknow there's no steel, like you

(40:38):
know, is that gonna work?
But uh you're seeing some somefun stuff being teased teased
around.

SPEAKER_05 (40:43):
What um we're here in Mount Pleasant.
Uh I wanted to ask real quick,how big are you in Charleston,
like downtown?
Is there anything building thereover the generations your
family's been here?

SPEAKER_03 (40:53):
Yes.
Uh so which church, you know,which yeah.
We were just awarded a projectum for a developer out of
Charlotte.
It's uh uh it's about an 8,000square foot renovation of an
attorney's office downtown.
So that's that's pretty neat.
Charlotte?
Uh so they're in Charlotte, theyown real estate downtown, and
they have the tenant connection.
So uh that that yin-yangapproach from Charlotte to

(41:17):
Charleston, you're almost seeingevery developer that is doing
something in Charlotte maybe doit in Charleston, and maybe
they're peeking into Savannah orBuford or Bluffton.
So uh which we've done projectsthere too.
Yeah.
Not only for ourselves but forothers.

SPEAKER_05 (41:30):
So I didn't know that Charlotte was in
Charleston.
We're kind of almost I don'tlike to say sister cities, but
like there's a lot of they payattention to each other a lot.
Yes.
Um even on the you know, to toto talk about the Marketing
Association podcast.
We're also the same thing we'reseeing in that podcast is we're
getting a lot of Charlotte viewsand downloads.
So really interesting, andyou're just backing that

(41:51):
information up.

SPEAKER_03 (41:52):
That's it.
Yeah, so so uh we had a very,very large project that we were
invited to bid on.
Uh it would have been ahospitality use with mixed use,
which is you know combination ofoffice retail, convention space
with an 120 keys hotel downtown.
And it uh this was about a yearago.
I just kind of felt like weweren't quite ready for that

(42:16):
yet.
Uh to to to peel off a hundredand sixty million dollar project
would have absorbed our entirebandwidth.
Sure.
And we would have just notserviced the customers that
we've been slowly nurturing andbuilding.
Okay.
And I think that would have uhthat's where you have to decide
that chasing the money isn'talways the answer.

SPEAKER_01 (42:34):
So we and especially downtown, right?
Aren't there certain there arecertain restrictions and certain
guidelines and historical sitesand you have to use this color
and this brick and this whateverit might be.

SPEAKER_03 (42:44):
So Yeah.
But uh I will say that you know,as a company that's growing, you
have to hire the keyprofessionals to do it.
So my number one guy is Stave,and Dave was in the uh Dave was
in Manhattan, so he's worked onmid-rise, high-rise buildings.
He's worked on publicproperties.
He knows what he's doing.

(43:05):
Uh he isn't he's not available,he's not looking for jobs for
the record.
Uh so nobody try to call him.
Um admin, don't worry about me.
I'm not calling you.
But uh but the so we feel verycomfortable in that space, and I
feel ultra comfortable in thatspace, downtown Charleston, uh
have having grown up here.
What a cool, cool city.
It's amazing.

SPEAKER_05 (43:25):
I love Mount Pleasant too.
But it's really great to havethat amenity of the historic.
Right.
And then so when did you getinto Mount Pleasant side?

SPEAKER_03 (43:33):
Like, yes, so so Mount Pleasant uh, you know, as
I said, was was a fishingvillage, and people were kind of
creeping into West Ashley uhback in the uh late 1950s, early
1960s, and that's when you seeSouth Windermere coming on,
James Island is starting to kindof peak, peak out towards the
beach and peak out towardsMaybank, and then uh uh heading

(43:55):
towards Ravenel, uh all of thatstarted uh coming uh full circle
in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
So West Ashley's due for a uh abit of a facelift, as we know.
Sure.
Um and because it's it's alittle tired and and I I think
the current uh mayor uh Cogswellin in the city is doing a good

(44:16):
job of of carrying on what whatJoe Riley did, which was you
know really making Charleston uhuh very uh interesting to come
to and see.
Um, you know, that man did a lotof great things for us uh to to
get folks to come here and andsee what a beautiful city we
have.

SPEAKER_05 (44:32):
Man, and then there's the the James Island and
the John Island and all theexpansion going on over there.
You you're probably hip on allthat.

SPEAKER_03 (44:38):
Yeah, we've built several daycares uh and we have
another one coming up out of theground, uh these early childhood
education centers.
So not not daycares, they're notjust babysitting, they have
curriculum.
Uh these buildings, it it is awe have become the the early
childhood education developer,contractor of of really what I

(44:58):
feel like is the Carolinas umbetween the Kitty Academies, the
New Horizons, the Goddardschools, the Ivy Brooks, uh
we've built Goddard schools aregreat.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, the curriculum is great.
Listen, it it's not the mostaffordable, uh, but when you're
talking about keeping yourchildren safe and having them
learn and be prepared to getinto the school systems, um,

(45:20):
they have the right programmingto do it.
And those centers range between10,000 to 16,000 square feet,
and we have built about 50 ofthose in the last five years.
Okay, yeah, yeah.
So we're we're yeah, those arereally, really awesome projects.
Uh we love those projects andknow how to deal with uh the
fire marshal uh in uh with withuh in Columbia, the uh DHEC, all

(45:43):
the ordinances, all thedifferent little governing
bodies you have to work throughto deal with that.
Sure.
The programming, right, how thebuilding lays out uh the um ADA
within the building, um safetywithin the building.
And uh so we're we're reallyenjoying working in that space
as well.
And that's a huge need.
That's a huge, huge need in theCarolinas, North Carolina, South

(46:04):
Carolina, where there's gotta besome reform where we can get
some additional dollars, uhwhether it be federal or state
subsidized dollars to help folksum that uh are at a certain
income level to to offset someof that because the cost of the
building even even if I built itfor cost, it's still gonna drive

(46:27):
rents in the forty dollar persquare foot or higher.
Right.
So it's not the cost of thebuilding that's the issue.
It's it's quite frankly, it'sjust that between land cost,
right?
So you're at a million dollarsfor the land, maybe a little
less.
You've got site work that'sanother seven to eight hundred
thousand dollars, and thenyou've got the vertical.
So these these projects are anybetween five and a half to seven

(46:49):
million dollars to build.
Yes.
And with where rates being arewhere they are, there that's
that's what's kind of drivingthings.
We need rates to come down alittle bit, and we need a little
bit of help from Uncle Sam andthe state to uh offset uh for
folks that that don't have quitethe income level, but we need
these people want to work.

(47:10):
These people get a sense ofvalue out of working.
Um you don't have to be a a adoctor or lawyer to get a sense
of value out of what we do.

SPEAKER_05 (47:17):
Correct, correct, and getting it more affordable
here in Mount Pleasant.
No offense to doctors orlawyers.

SPEAKER_03 (47:21):
No, no offense taking it.

SPEAKER_01 (47:23):
Listen to me, I know you'll you'll build a doctor's
office any day.
I will.
Uh-huh.
We love docs too.
So, what I mentioned before,before we're gonna get to some
fun questions in a minute, butum so when the chamber, and this
is, you know, again, um not justwhy we had you on today, Adam,
but we'll be ever grateful.
Um uh the chamber last year, weum received some space from our

(47:44):
friends at Pinnacle Bank um thatneeded some updating.
Um, Mike, if you remember thegreen carpet and no, I don't
remember the green carpet.
I don't think I walked into theshow of what it looked like.
I'm sure Adam remembers what itlooks like.
Um it was um, like youmentioned, dated.
It was just an older building.
It was dated, it was vacant.
And um, and so um Adam and histeam came in and um just redid

(48:08):
our office space for us.
And um what a difference.
I mean, what a great job.
Everything was done toperfection.
Uh we had to move plumbing.
Like we at first we kept sayingwe're just gonna do this and
this and this.
Then we're like, ooh, you know,we if we're gonna do it, let's
just do it right.
So we took a space and made akitchen so we could have events.
That's nice.
Uh the running water and therefrigerator and the sink.

(48:30):
Yeah, it was just all um theydid everything.
Okay.
Yes.
Uh the flooring, the walls, theeverything.
It was just um, and of course,now if you come visit us on
Johnny Dodge, you'll get to seefirsthand the work.
We take walk ins, though.
Adam and his team.
Rebecca Diddy love walk-ins.
Yes, they do.
They sure do.

SPEAKER_03 (48:46):
Well, I can't say enough about what the chamber
does for the community, uh, forthe local businesses, the ribbon
cuttings, the awareness, the um,you know, the the sort of the
that that that hand-up approachthat small business needs.
And uh we all have to help eachother recognize where the
opportunities are, and then thechamber does a great job of

(49:06):
that.
So we at Ferbius felt likethere's gotta be a way we can
give something back, right?
So uh it was uh just an honor tobe able to come into the space,
uh hear the vision, see thevision, and say, hey, you know,
I think we can get it done forthis.
And quite honestly, you know,just passing through costs and

(49:29):
and being a part of what's goingon there and just being able to
meet the folks has been great.
And so we were happy to do it.

SPEAKER_01 (49:35):
Thank you.
I really appreciate it.
And Amanda, that's a nice littlecut there, everything he just
said.
Yep, perfect, isn't it?
I didn't even pay him for that,everybody.
He's like nothing, no hands,see, nothing, nothing, nothing.

SPEAKER_05 (49:46):
Building business podcasts, right?
And we're literally buildingbusinesses.
So this is the we're at our apexright now, I feel like.
This is we could be this isright here.
This is this is everything.
I agree.
It's awesome.
Two years of podcasting, is thisis it right now.
We're on the top.
We're on the peak.
Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 (50:02):
Sorry, so we have some just fun quick questions
for you, if you don't mind,okay?
All right.
So what is the strangest orfunniest thing you've ever seen
on a job site?

SPEAKER_03 (50:11):
Hmm.
Well keep it clean.

SPEAKER_01 (50:14):
Yeah.
It is a business podcast.

SPEAKER_03 (50:16):
Um Well, we've had some people that uh tend to
migrate uh with tents that showup to job sites.
Uh every now and again you mightuh in in certain areas you might
open a Portageon and and and seesomeone just sleeping.
So you interrupted them.

(50:37):
So while I I would say that'snot funny, that's absolutely
strange.
Yes, empty and surprising.
So uh so that has happened.

SPEAKER_01 (50:45):
I can I can only go with that, but that that is
rapid-fire questions here.
Yeah.
If you could build anything inthe world with no budget, what
would it be?

SPEAKER_03 (50:54):
Ooh.
Wow.
A uh daycare.
Yeah.
I think it's had enough ofthose.
You know what?
Uh uh uh my wife and kids and I,we visited uh New York City a
couple of years ago and we wentinto the Empire State Building.
The story, the stories of thepeople, the pictures you see of
the guy sitting on a piece ofsteel, the lives with no horse.

(51:19):
They built that in a year.
Oh, really?
In a year.
And I I understand the time thatthey did it, the the uh uh
workforce was plentiful, but uhuh an achievement like that is
just phenomenal.
So Empire State Building woulddefinitely be up there for me.

SPEAKER_05 (51:36):
Nice.
That's super interesting.
That's really fun.
It goes back to the history too.
Trails has got so much history.
Yeah.
Um so that's great.
Yeah.
What else you got?

SPEAKER_01 (51:45):
I got um what's your favorite tool in your toolbox?
What and like what or what andor what tool should every single
person have in their toolbox?

SPEAKER_03 (51:55):
Uh at least three tape measures.
One to keep in the toolbox, oneto keep in the truck, and one to
lose.

unknown (52:01):
Okay.

SPEAKER_03 (52:01):
All right.
Oh my gosh, how many tapemeasures can we have around the
house?
I'm like, well, some supposed tobe in the car.
You know, it's the old uhmeasure twice.

SPEAKER_01 (52:11):
That's so funny.
Um more.
Uh what superhero would make thebest construction worker and
why?

SPEAKER_03 (52:18):
Oh.
To me, there's no doubt,Superman.
Right.
Superman.
Well, yeah.
Right.
Right?
Because you don't have to cutopen a wall to see if there's a
wire in there.
Oh, that's right.
And this has happened.
Uh it didn't happen on my watch,but uh when I was in home
building, somebody put thefoundation of the home in uh uh

(52:41):
an exact mirror image oppositeway.
So maybe you could take thatfoundation out of the ground and
flip it back over.
There we go.
That happened.
Not in not in Charleston andCharlotte.
And uh yeah, that was that wasby me.
Okay, good.

SPEAKER_01 (52:56):
You wouldn't let that happen now, would you?

SPEAKER_03 (52:58):
We had to rip that out, and it was like, oh my
gosh, just painful to see allthe concrete and rebar come out
and the and the guys doing thework.
Uh yeah.
So Superman.

SPEAKER_01 (53:08):
Remind everybody where they can find you, Adam.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (53:10):
Yeah.
So we are at Point Hope, uh uhat the gates at Point Hope.
Uh if you know where Katrina'sis, you know where we are.
Uh we're in building A at 826Foundation Street in uh
Charleston, South Carolina.
Um seven one thing, and it'swww.ferrera-bust B-U-I-S-T.com.

unknown (53:32):
That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 (53:33):
Yeah.
Good work.
Thank you, Adam, so much foreverything.
Thank you.
Great to speak to you about allthis kind of stuff.
I like this.

SPEAKER_03 (53:40):
I might have a second life in this uh gig if I
don't uh handle constructionwell.

SPEAKER_05 (53:44):
Let's do it.
Let's do a podcast for Buiston.
Anytime.

SPEAKER_01 (53:48):
Mike and I are available.
Thank you so much.
Because this is volunteering.
Thank you so much.
Oh, it's such a pleasure, Adam.
Buist is going to pay us forthat, but I'm saying this that's
not volunteer.
Uh so before we leave, we justwant to thank again our sponsor,
DK Design, and our partner, uhCharleston Media Solutions, for
their support, not only of thepodcast, but of the entire Mount
Pleasant Chamber of Commerce.

(54:09):
Um, we do have some sponsorshipsavailable, Mike, right?
If you'd like to be a sponsor ofour podcast, you could just
reach out to the chamber andsomeone will get back to you.
Uh be sure to like and subscribeon all of our channels.
It's Spotify, iTunes, YouTube,Instagram, Facebook, and
LinkedIn.
Thank you so much for listeningto us today.

(54:30):
Until next time, Mount Pleasant.
Until next time, listeners.