Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Cobb County. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Milli M. helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Cobb County, Georgia.
Is your business serving the residents of Cobb County? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpCobbCounty.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County
E62: Lacey Heard Brings White Glove Treatment for Your Home's First Impression
What happens when luxury automotive experience meets high-end home renovation? The answer lies in this enlightening conversation with Lacey Heard, the visionary behind Lake City Exteriors. As a proud partner of Bradford Custom Homes, Lake City brings the same meticulous attention to detail and personalized experience to exterior renovations that Bradford delivers in custom home building.
Lacey's background spans interior design studies, architectural education, and years in luxury automotive sales with prestigious brands like BMW and Mini Cooper. This unique combination has shaped his approach to home exteriors - treating each project not as a simple transaction but as an opportunity to craft something exceptional that reflects the homeowner's personality. "You see the exterior before you see the interior," he reminds us, highlighting why curb appeal deserves as much attention as what's inside.
What truly sets Lake City apart is their philosophy on client relationships. "We're not just contractors," Lacey emphasizes. "We're looking to cultivate relationships just as much as margins." This mindset emerged partly from personal hardships, including losing both a coworker and his brother within months. These experiences instilled in Lacey a profound appreciation for life's brevity and the importance of treating every client interaction with empathy and care. Now as a new father to a two-month-old daughter, he brings renewed purpose to creating spaces families will love coming home to.
Ready to reimagine your home's exterior with a team that values relationships as much as results? Connect with Lacey and Lake City Exteriors at 404-571-5831 or through their social media channels to experience the difference that true luxury service makes.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Millie.
Speaker 2:M. Hello everybody and welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, millie M. Are you in need of home exterior renovations and a company that cares not just about your home but about you as well? Well, we have that company and they're closer than you think. I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor Lacey Hurd of Lake City Exteriors. How are you, lacey?
Speaker 3:Fantastic, fantastic. How are you guys doing this morning?
Speaker 2:Doing quite well. We are so excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us more about Lake City.
Speaker 3:So Lake City is. We are a proud subsidiary of Bradford Custom Homes, a custom home builder in Atlanta and now the Charleston area. We launched Lake City with the vision of extending the same high-end personalized building experience to clients who want to reimagine their home's exterior.
Speaker 2:Spoke with Bradford amazing company. I've seen their work. So glad to be talking to you. So how did you get into this business of home exterior? Tell us about that journey of deciding that this was the industry you were going to go into.
Speaker 3:Well, I've always had an affinity for interior design, for architecture. One of my dreams as a kid was to actually have a piece of Atlanta skyline.
Speaker 3:So so I'm still trying, I'm still, I'm still working towards that goal absolutely so I had I have some uh background in interior design at um aiu, the art institute. I studied architecture for a while at morris brown uh during my tenure there as well, so um extensive background in the automotive industry, which was kind of grueling, spent a good time with BMW, mini Ford, amongst others. But I was looking for a change, looking for a shift, and I met Brad through a mutual friend and we just connected and bonded and it's been lovely ever since.
Speaker 2:So you're just a luxury guy. You're like luxury homes, BMWs.
Speaker 3:I like to deliver the finer things in life, so I like to be a part of it. I like to cultivate those relationships and I like to have people excited and really love what product that they obtain.
Speaker 2:Makes sense. So what are some of the myths or misconceptions about your industry or what you do in particular?
Speaker 3:I would say one of the biggest misconceptions about our industry is that all the contractors are the same, like they just show up, get it done and move on. The truth is, there's a big difference between someone who does the work and someone who actually manages the experience, and that's what we like to focus on is actually managing the experience walking the customer through step-by-step, being as transparent as possible, so giving them that feel of you know, almost like they're dealing with somebody that they've known for a long time.
Speaker 2:And I've noticed that to be the thread when it comes to a lot of the good companies like yours. They say we're family, because people are trusting their biggest asset you know, with you and in your hands, and so there has to be that bond and relationship and trust that has grown. So who are your target customers and how do you reach them?
Speaker 3:So our target customers are, just you know, homeowners who value curb appeal, quality craftsmanship and a premium experience, not just a quick fix. So typically it's professionals or families who take pride in their home and want to elevate this exterior in a way that kind of reflects their personality and their lifestyle, Not necessarily looking for the cheapest big, but they're looking for the expertise and transparency and a team that they can trust to guide them through the process.
Speaker 2:You have to pay a little bit more for quality and I would imagine I know we put so much emphasis on the inside of our homes, but I would imagine there to be a psychology behind driving up and seeing the exterior of your home just as beautiful.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. You see the exterior before you see the interior.
Speaker 2:For sure, for sure. So have you ever thought about doing your own podcast as a way to kind of extend your reach, since you have so much expertise in the industry?
Speaker 3:It's definitely something I've thought about here lately. Expertise in the industry it's definitely something I've thought about, uh, here lately.
Speaker 2:Um, I know Brad has been kind of heavily into the podcast game as of late, so it's definitely something that I've I've imagined doing down the line just because you have so much, like I said, um valuable information to give, about the luxury space in particular, but definitely about what you do. So let's talk about outside of work. Okay, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:Right now, what I do for fun is play with my two-month-old daughter.
Speaker 2:So precious.
Speaker 3:She is amazing. She's gorgeous. I love it. First-time father Waited until I was a little longer in the tooth, but I appreciate it even more than ever. Just a big lifestyle change. I appreciate every wink of sleep that I don't get.
Speaker 2:Please just enjoy every single part of that process. What do they say? The days are long, the years are short. She'll be getting married, so, uh, let's switch gears again a little bit. Can you describe a hardship or a life challenge you overcame and how it made you stronger?
Speaker 3:I would say a challenge that kind of shaped me. A couple of years ago. I lost a couple of really important people in my life which was actually a coworker here and my brother, my older brother all within a span of like a couple of months. It was a season of intense grief, disorientation, but it also forced me to slow down and reflect and realign my priorities. So I came out with a deeper understanding of how short and precious life is. So I go into each opportunity knowing that some of these clients may have gone through the same thing. So you always want a white glove every experienced, no matter who the client is.
Speaker 2:I love that how you, how you turn that into compassion and empathy, even in the business world, for your clients. Well, lacey, please tell our listeners one thing that you always want them to remember about Lake City Exteriors.
Speaker 3:That we're not just a contractor. It may seem like a business-based industry, but we're looking to cultivate relationships just as much as we're looking to cultivate margins.
Speaker 2:Love that thought process. So if someone is looking to change the exterior of their home in a luxury way, how would they get in touch with you?
Speaker 3:They can call us at our main phone numbers 404-571-5831, or they can reach us online through Facebook, social media, instagram. Either way, it's going to get back to me and we're going to create a great experience for them.
Speaker 2:You're going to make it happen. Thank you so much, Lacey. I really appreciate your time and best of luck to Lake City, you and that precious little baby moving forward.
Speaker 3:So much. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpcobbcountycom. That's gnpcobbcountycom. That's gnpcobbcountycom, or call 470-470-4506.