Episode 2 - Jason Armstrong

What does it really mean to build a community?

In this episode of The Green Scene, Matt sits down with Jason to unpack the vision behind Olde Eight—an intentional, thoughtfully designed place where connection, lifestyle, and legacy come together.

They dive into the complexity of planning a community from the ground up, from the thousands of decisions behind land design to creating layered experiences that give residents the freedom to “choose their own adventure.” Whether it’s golf, lake days, wellness, or simply gathering with neighbors, Olde Eight is designed to feel both nostalgic and forward-thinking.

This conversation also explores how the team is repurposing existing assets, blending old and new, and building something that will evolve over time—shaped by the people who call it home.

You’ll also get a look at what’s coming soon, including amenities like the championship golf course, trails, wellness center, dining experiences, and more as the vision becomes reality in 2026 and beyond.

At its core, this episode highlights the people behind Olde Eight—and why their passion and commitment to authenticity is what truly sets it apart.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:28

Welcome to the Green Scene Official Podcast. Hello, and welcome to the Old Eight Podcast. My name is Matt Green, and we are live from Greenwood, South Carolina. Today's a great day. We're here to tell you about uh this real estate, uh, this mixed-use community that's coming together in Greenwood. And today I am uh very pleased to have with us uh Jason Armstrong. Jason is the vice president of sales and marketing. And Jason has been with us for for quite some time now, and we're really happy to have him on the team. And today's uh a story. We're gonna tell you about old eight and and what is old eight and why old eight and and what are some of the opportunities that old eight presents. So I invite you to sit back, relax, uh, and enjoy this episode about old eight. So without further ado, I'm gonna introduce Jason Armstrong. Jason, welcome.

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm excited.

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Long awaited.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

This is good. This is good. You know, we we you put so much hard work into something, and here we are, right? Here we are to tell the tell the old eight story. So uh I appreciate you coming on here and and and this platform. It's um, you know, I would say, you know, to be honest with you, it's just a little different, right? We can send out emails and and marketing material and all those things, but this is just a true conversation about old eight and what is old eight, right? And why, and and what have you done in your career and what I've done in my career to say, you know, we're we're really proud to be a part of old aid and what it offers. So why why don't we start and just talk about, you know, you you and I often talk about, you know, what is a community, right? And and and what defines a community. There's all kinds of communities, right? It's just the history of when the word community was developed and it's gone up and down throughout the cycles and everything else. But tell me, like, you know, we talk about old aid as a community first. What's that mean?

SPEAKER_00 2:25

Right. Yeah. And I I think, you know, the word community has changed a lot or what we we envision when we hear community. Um, and and you know, if you were to look back in history and and you see see the fabric of community and what community is, um, it was really strong, it was a really strong place, and it was the people that connected you there. And we've kind of lost some of that meaning, you know, the the invention of the um, you know, the car and the invention of the interstate highway. Levitt Town. Yeah, I mean, people moved outside, and so you had these communities that were were, you know, really void of place. Um, and so, you know, they they weren't, you know, back in the day, you would have said, hey, here's the that's the center where everybody's going to to the store, here's the watering hole. Yeah. So everyone gathered around um, you know, this one place. And that community had a lot of strong fabric because it was rooted in uh that that strong moment of of the reason that people are there.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

And and what community has become is something very different. And so people throw around the word community a lot, you know, hey, a brand new community is coming. Right. Um, you know, I sometimes say there's a difference between a neighborhood and a community. Yeah, it's a good way of thinking. And uh, you know, a a neighborhood to me has a little bit less of a uh of an identity um and that vision of place. I think community, when I think of community, there's something really strong. I I think when I say the word community, you tend to have like a uh an immediate I uh idea or vision of what that is to where that is.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Feeling that that emotion. You know, I I grew up in a small town in Ohio. Same. I'll give a plug, right? Shady side, Ohio, right? And it and I grew up and there was a it wasn't even a town, it was a village. Yeah, because there weren't that many people. And uh my my my family had a farm, right? Um my dad and and his brother, uh their parents had a farm and we had a family farm. We had a local store called Green's Market, right? That was right on Main Street that that anchored the corner. And my grandmother and grandfather, Joe and and Mary Elizabeth, worked in the store and they lived above the store. And, you know, my family grew up a stone's throw from there, and I didn't know any better. I got up every day, yeah. I went over to the store, you know, probably ate things that I shouldn't have eaten, and candy and cereal and everything else. But that was the sense of community they had. We had braids, you know, the fire truck celebrated when somebody won a state championship. You knew everybody in town, you walked to school, and we've gotten so far away from that. So far. Like it is not even so far away. And and I and I think about that, and and as as we have, you know, you go through a career and you work on things, and to your point, like, oh, a new community is coming out. Well, what's that mean? Is that a is that a street, a road, one sidewalk on one side that's three feet and a couple of trees and some houses? Or is that are you building a a place? And and as I look at old eight, we're not building a community, we're building a community that's really creating a place. And and I think that's the exciting thing is we we start to tell the story about old eight and and how it was named and and also to the people that that are involved in it. So let's talk about the vision behind old eight. Um, we we talked a little bit about how it came together, but why don't you take a minute to tell everybody like what it takes to build the old eight plan that leads to the community or the place? Like, what are some of the things from the land planning and what what are some of the nuts and bolts that people don't get to see that goes into creating something like this?

SPEAKER_00 6:10

Right, right. And I I think, you know, to piggyback on what you were saying about community and and and that feel, it's the it's the gathering of people. Yeah. And I think that that's what makes a community really strong is giving intentionality to uh spaces and places for people to gather, people to interact outside of their home.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

And so when you think about that on a community scale, you know, you have to create not only these very, you know, formal planned community gathering spaces, but you also have to gather these informal uh spaces, the walking trails. Um, and you think about all of the, you know, something like a walking trail. That seems really simple, right? Um, but when you think about that in a community as you plan it, there's a lot of attention to detail and a lot of uh planning that has to go into where does it connect? What is the material that's gonna be used? What is gonna be the experience? Um how does that work with the home sites that are around it? Yeah. Um, you know, do you do you make that uh a really active area? Do you have um, you know, uh fitness trails and things like that, or do you keep that more natural and and and what that experience is? And I think that that speaks a lot to what the community is, right? If it, you know, who it is, what that community is at its core. Is it is it more nature focused? Then maybe it's it's a little bit more rough. You know, you you leave it a little bit more rugged so that when people come, they experience nature in kind of its truest form. Um, you know, if if you want something maybe a little bit more polished, maybe there's there's you know finished areas um that you have, gathering spaces along the way. Then I think it's also these unexpected. So you you create these expected places, but then you create these unexpected surprises. Because um if you think about the best places you've visited, they they surprise you, they feel like they've been built over time. And so when you take a place like Old Eight, obviously we're not building it over time. We don't have hundreds of years to build a community or a place like Old Eight. Um, you have to do things that that create create the the the layers of experiences that feel like they were layered over time. Yeah. And I think that that's what makes a place feel really special is is that um, you know, I could go and experience old eight, you could go experience old eight, someone else could go and experience old eight, and we could all have very different experiences there. Um and so so when you think about that and the level of decisions that are required, I mean, it's thousands, it's in the thousands. It's amazing. Um, even to the point of, you know, where the sidewalks are and what that interaction of the sidewalk and the front porch and the garage move to the rear and what the landscaping is going to look like. And the very, very best are the ones that people walk through and they don't think that any decisions were made, right? I don't think it looks like it looks like it was effortlessly, um, effortless. And and I think that that's um that's where it requires all of the upfront planning and all of the decision making and and really good partners that that have that experience um you know in in doing something on this scale. And and I say all the time, I've been involved in some really complex communities and projects. This is in old aid is is is one of the most complex. There's there's full projects inside of projects. It's projects inside of projects inside of projects, and and that layer is what's going to create um a really special experience for people.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

Yeah, and I and I think you talked about community and gathering spaces, and that's all being defined by the plan, right? And and whatever you do in life, right? You need a good plan. Right. Um, you know, we've all been in things where we don't have a good plan, and we we know how that ends, right? It it makes it hard. Uh and I think you know, you touched on it as we're going into this master plan with, you know, uh Dan Kiefer and Pierce Scott and Mark Diedrich and and the horsepower that they've got.

SPEAKER_00 10:26

The best of the best.

SPEAKER_01 10:27

And the conversation is amazing. And it's not just you don't do this once and come up with a plan. Like it is, it is 50, it's a hundred iterations because to to your point, I I often think about a great plan gives people choices. And people want choices. Not everybody likes to live uh very close to your neighbor.

SPEAKER_00 10:47

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

Some people like to live with a little bit more elbow room. Some people like to live and look at everything and want to be in the action, want to know everything that's going on, right? Like my grandmother was in Green's Market. She knew everything that was going on at the town, and that was that was her jam, right? Right. Um, and so I like old eight because you know, if you think about the plan that's coming together, you know, you you touched on it the nature trails, the buildings, the residences, the golf, the lake, what's that doing? That that community is creating an experience for people. And I, when I really reflect on that and I really think about what makes Old Eight different, right? There's a lot of golf courses, there's some lakes out there, there's there's there's great restaurants, you know, you can catch a treadmill at a lot of different places. But you know, when I think about how busy life is right now, right? And it's busy, right? I mean, you have kids, I have kids, like it's wide open. We're just talking about soccer and going here and there and everywhere, right? When you talk about and we market this place and we want people to come here, you know, I read an article that talked about, you know, of course, community, mixed use, right? You go to all these conferences, everybody's talking about the same thing. But when we talk about old aid, and what what what to me what differentiates it is is we're really creating a safe haven for people to really come and and and put your car away, right? Right. And go just experience, you know, whatever meets your needs in terms of you know, golf and some of the things that I mentioned. And and to me, that safe haven that that we're coming where people can kind of check out for a little bit, right? Um, it to me is what really defines, you know, what a true community is. And I know me personally, right? I mean, I look for those things. I look for something that's just gonna say, right, take my mind off of it. Right. Right. So so in your mind, like what why is old eight different, right? We we talked about some of those components, but like, you know, when you talk to people, like, you know, we're talking to the audience out there of what why is old eight different? Right.

SPEAKER_00 12:40

And I I think one of the the key things that makes Old Eight really different is that at its heart it's a community. And at its heart, um you you have that know your neighbor, nostalgia, um kind of old school neighborhood uh and and community. But but what we've done is we've taken that, I like to say um it's it's almost like those old books you used to read in middle school. They were like choose your own adventure. Yeah. Like old aid is a choose your own adventure book. You wake up, you go, hey, what do I want to do today? And every day could look completely different. And what that to me looks like is a resort lifestyle and not a resort community. And so, you know, I think there's, you know, resort community, you know, has hotels and, you know, sometimes feels so, you know, overwhelming. Um, and and you don't know your neighbor, right? But in a community like Old Eight, and what it's gonna make Old Eight really special is you're gonna know your neighbor, you're gonna know the people, you're gonna share life with them, you're gonna invite them over for dinner, they're gonna invite you over to go out to dinner or to go out on the boat. You're gonna have all those experiences, but you're gonna have very much the resort lifestyle to be able to part, like you said, park your car and walk everywhere.

SPEAKER_02 13:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

Feel like you never have to leave. You could, you know, I was just telling somebody the other day, you could park your car, you're gonna wake up in the morning, maybe you decide to go get a cup of coffee at the general store, you bring it back and you sit on the front porch with your significant other and you, you know, you chat about the day. Do you want to go play golf today? Do you want to go out on the lake? Do you want to go down to the, the, the wellness center and and and and sit by the pool today? Or do we want to do all of it? Um, and and and maybe it's, hey, I'm gonna go play golf today. Why don't you check out, you know, the wellness center and then let's meet up for lunch at the club? And so there's lots of different experiences. Every day could look completely different. I I don't think you could, you know, you if you wanted to have the same day over and over again, you could. But I think that if you wanted to have a different day every single day at old eight, you could.

SPEAKER_02 14:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:47

And and it's that to me, that choose your choose your adventure, choose your day. What do you want your day to look like? And and I think that that's really powerful and that's that's rare, um, that that real resort lifestyle, but with a underlying community spirit. The other, the other side of things that I think is that um, you know, I think the very first thing when people hear about old eight right now is it's golf, right? It's very golf focused. It's and what I like to say is old eight is golf and right. And it's old eight is golf and you know, the lake. Old eight is golf and community spirit. Old eight is golf and taking the boat out at night, um, you know, to to to to see the sunset, um, to to um, you know, invite your neighbors to to go out and and have have have dinner, right? It's golf and and so I think that that's that's another thing that's really missing is um we have plenty of opportunities to experience individual um you know pieces of that lifestyle, but it's the golf and piece that I think will really keep people wanting to come back to old aid and experience it over and over.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

You know, it it it's um when we were going through the branding and the marketing, you know, Pat Pat Conroy's quote of tell me a story. Uh and what you just outlined and defined is you know, people can tell the story. Right. They can tell their own story. Right. Um, and you can't do that when you have a community that's singularly focused on one thing. Yeah, 100%. Or you've got to get in the car and you've got to drive everywhere to experience, right? That's a long day. And that's you know, to your point, that's how kind of our society has morphed, right? Right. I mean, it it's it's very car-centric, very car centric, and and we're not gonna change that. Old age's not gonna change that paradigm. But what we're gonna do is we're gonna scratch at that surface and we're gonna create a place where as we tell our story, um, you know, the the golf plus, right? The golf and of what we're trying to do, uh, I think to me it's it it really starts to you know touch the soul right of people. Um, you know, I I don't want to say our world's gone soulless, but it's pretty crazy out there with media and you know, all that stuff. And and and I think there's a lot of negativity. Yeah, it's a ton of negativity. And you know, our tagline of made for the moments, like you know, our thing that you gotta celebrate with your your friends, right? The things that you gotta stop, right? And you know, get off your darn phone on the nature trail, right? Someone's probably look at me and say that, you know, but but it's those little touch points and those plans that morph into what's your story, right? Right. And that's what we want old eight to be is you know, that that authenticity, right? That that tradition that's we're starting to redefine for what that looks like tomorrow. Um, I love it because everybody that's been involved in old eight, the people, the culture, the legacy that's coming together, everybody truly believes that. And I want people to understand that. Like when you when people come here, right? I I heard it all the time as we were putting this thing together, you know. Um, I never understood that when I was on the webinar. I never understood that when I was talking on the phone. When I got there, it was completely different, right? And then I think that's a testament to what old aid is becoming, you know, here in Greenwood, South Carolina.

SPEAKER_00 18:12

The easiest thing for us to do would have been to take the land and to do a very uh conventional neighborhood, cul-de-sac, divide it up into large lots and and you know, have have some drivable destinations in it, have an amenity area that's totally focused on, you know, the amenity, and then everything else is spread out from that. That would have been the easiest way to do it. Right. But what that does is to your point, it it lacks soul. It lacks um, you know, it lacks that that place and that experience for people. And so, so I I think that you know, we've decided to take a path that's more difficult, right? Um, but the reward is much greater. Um, and and the reward is greater because of legacy. I mean, this is to me is is a is a legacy type project. It's a project that that um you know, in my background, in my experiences, it's the type of project you you see and you go, I want to be a part of that. Um, because I know that 20 years from now, 30 years from now, 40 years from now, as I come back to old eight and and experience that, that this is a type of community that only it it gets better with age. Yeah. It look, you know, it it you know, the the culture and the the lifestyle and the experiences may start to change. The the homeowners and the people that are a part of it will start to craft it so so that it it fits kind of their lifestyle. And I think that's what's really fun and and exciting about it is what old eight is 10 years from now may be completely different. Maybe completely different because the people that live here will take the old eight banner and and and and have ownership of it. And they'll be able to start to define, hey, we really want this experience on the nature trail. And so we may say, hey, we want this experience on the nature trail, but as people start to move in and experience the nature trail in a certain way, it may, it may adjust to, hey, this is what the community, this is really what the community is about. We want, you know, we want this on the nature trail, or we want, you know, a uh, you know, a gathering, uh, more informal gathering spaces, or we want more formal gathering spaces. So those are all things that I think are really fun when you're a part of a project is is we can say and we're we'll be involved in old eight um, you know, for a for a moment, you know, for made for the moments, for a moment of old eight, but there are a lot of people that are gonna experience old eight beyond us. And and I think that that's what's really fun.

SPEAKER_01 20:40

And well, and I think about as we tell the story of old eight, right? It it it it the story was already there, right? There was an existing community where we purchased a golf course, we purchased some of the amenities of that golf course, and then you know, we we bought some adjacent lands, and so we're taking something that's that's existing and we're blending it with the new, right? Right. And that's where those plans come in just so important as you're weaving those fabrics together, right? Blending the the old versus the new, right? Which to your point, you know, adds a level of a lever layer of detail and complexity to the to the plan and everything else. Well, one of the things I love is that as we've gone through those iterations of taking the existing and connecting it through trails and and and building, you know, a series of villages and and creating all those choices for people. Um, you know, the story that now is that we've taken something that was existing and really we're we're pushing it into the future, to your point, right? We're right, we're not, it's not it, it's not a stance in time. Um communities, you know, they never stay the same. Never, right? History repeats itself, I promise you, right? Like houses don't last for 150 years, right? They may have used to, right? But the current house doesn't. So those things change over time. Old aid has changed over time. And so that's what I love about it is that we've taken this existing community, right? We took the golf course, right? You know, I I love to tell the story about the golf course because it was a good track, right? And there was nothing wrong with it. But we literally took that golf course down to the bones and reshaped it, repurposed it, right? All new drainage, all new greens.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

The amount of dirt that was moved. I was just like floored by that.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

Championship course now, like, and to hear some of the people on the golf side talk with passion about that course, you know, I think it's a really good example of kind of what we're doing, taking something and repurposing it, right? Repurposing it into something that's that that we've rebranded as as old aid and building these world-class amenities to be a part of that story and that experience. And and I think it's great. You know, it's like the Airstream. And when you look at, we took something that was 1970, where people camped, they laughed, you know, their kids, their grandparents, and community around that. It was crazy, right? It was it was a gathering place in its own. And and we hired a company uh that took that with their passion and their energy and repurposed it. And and now today it's called the hangar. It's our temporary golf shop. It's purposed so that it can be a special event and we can pull that thing around to create its own gathering place.

SPEAKER_00 23:21

Right. And it will, it will change too.

SPEAKER_01 23:25

It will change too. It will change too. And you know, it's it's when we had the grand opening on November 7th, and people were walking in, it was a conversation piece, right? It told a story.

SPEAKER_00 23:37

It's hard to miss. It's shiny out there.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

It's hard to miss. And and people don't know it's called the hangar. Uh, and it's called the hangar because it's it's something that, you know, when you look at old eight, it's a a hangar is a place where people gather and and things happen. And so, you know, I look at those parallels and and the experience that we're trying to create at old eight, and I think it's something something for people to draw on, right? It's something for people to look forward to as as it evolves. So, you know, let's let's continue on the journey of of old eight and let's now let's talk about some opportunities. Um, you know, we've talked about this place, we've talked about the vision of how it came together, we've talked about the blending of the the old and and morphing it into the new and taking that into you know 2026 and beyond. Um now let's talk about the opportunities, right? And and you get the awesome job and you do a wonderful job of selling this place, right? Right.

SPEAKER_00 24:33

It's not selling, it's it's telling the story at the time. It's telling the story, right? And it's a compelling story that I think people respond to and and they want to be a part of it. Um, it doesn't take long. I I think think we've been pleasantly surprised at the reaction that we've gotten from people because people, you know, that have, you know, the the people that have come down and visited or or that they've you know called and said, hey, we want to check this out, or they've stopped by our uptown office and they they want to get a little bit of information, they're curious. Um, you know, when you're doing something new, people get curious. Yeah um and there's a little bit of mystery around it, and there's there's always a little bit of rumor of of I heard this and I heard that. And so people, you know, some sometimes people just want to, you know, they want to dig in and they want to know the truth. So they come to the source, and so we get to be the source of truth, yeah. Um, and telling the story of old aid. And, you know, I think people have been really excited about the vision that we have for for the community. Um and they they see themselves there, um, they see their kids there, they see their grandkids as a part of it. Um, you know, I think that that is something that's really exciting is it speaks to the lifestyle at Old Eight speaks to um speaks to everyone. You know, everybody wants to be a part of that. Whether whether, you know, you're you're intent on the golf, um, or you're intent on bringing your kids, or you're intent on bringing your grandkids and having those memories that you can make there. Um, I think that that's what's really special. And that's what people have really responded to is they they they see the vision they've they have bought into the vision of what we're doing at old eight, and they want to be a part of that because they know that they're gonna help shape that as well.

SPEAKER_01 26:19

Yeah, and I and I think that's great. Uh I'll, you know, we we've spent years planning and and and so it's you know we talk a lot about it's it's paper on promises. And so we are moving beyond that. And 26, we're we're going to uh we're building stuff. You know, we built the golf course, it opened in November. Uh we're building the rental cabins right now. We've got 10 rental cabins underway, and the first two are going to be complete here and and and in any day now. Um, so things are starting to happen, right? Those paper and promises are actually being delivered, right? So the restaurant is flourishing, the food is incredible, uh, the putting course is done, the lights are going on, and so pretty soon you're gonna be able to stay in the cabins and enjoy the coffee. It's becoming reality. It's becoming reality. And so let's let's talk about that. What does reality look like for you in 2026 as we're telling people about old aid and and and and especially, you know, we understand the Gulf, right, and the things that are coming, but that experience of you know, living and and some of the other amenities, let's let's tell people like I'm I'm excited now that we're finally at the point where we can say, you know what, here it comes. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 27:31

So we're we're in the process of putting those finishing touches on the homes. Um, you know, as as much attention to detail that has gone on in the in in the community and all of the decisions that have to be made around that, the same level of detail has gone into the homes. And so those are being finalized right now. Um and so when I talk about projects within projects within projects, that's that's another you know, project within within within old aid. And so um we're we're you know on that prep prep, we're on the the like horizon of being able to uh precipice. We're on the we're on the precipice of of being able to release that information. Yeah and and that's really exciting is is there's a lot of work. And so when you when that becomes a reality and you're able to share that um and and and show it to other people, um that's a really exciting place to be in, and that's where we're at. And then as I look beyond, you know, the next the next few weeks and the next few months of old eight, you're gonna see homes start to go vertical. Um foundations go in, we're all selling screws, we're selling homes. Yeah, yeah. We've got um, you know, the first residents of old eight um are going to uh you know be a part of that experience. Um and then as we we shift into the later part of this year, you're gonna see the first people moving into old eight. And what um, you know, what I think is really exciting is is when that first person moves in. That's that's gonna be a that's gonna be a big celebration. Um that's that is uh you know that that that's a big milestone um, you know, when you have spent, like you said, years and years and years of planning. And then that first person moves in. That's that's a that's a big deal, and that's an exciting, exciting old eight moment.

SPEAKER_01 29:29

Yeah, and so let's let's pause, right? Because, you know, I think that's incredible energy that's coming together. And if people could only see to your your point about the the subset of what what goes on, right? And and so Lanthorn homes, right? You and I are both part of Lanthorn Homes, and they're the entity that's building these homes, right? And and Lanthorn, it's just been a labor of love for all of us, is that we're curating this buying experience, this build experience where people can really come in and and customize uh and make the decisions that they want based on all this homework that we've done. Right. I mean, plans and options and design options, and we have a designer on staff for you to be able to come in and you know curate in our design center you what you want your life to be and your living experience at old bait. And and I think that that creates a really unique and competitive advantage for us is that you know, I I've done a lot of custom houses, right? I I've built some things and they take a long time and they're emotional.

SPEAKER_00 30:32

I heard the other day somebody say it's about 10,000 decisions. And I think that's probably light. It requires a homeowner to make about 10,000 decisions.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

Maybe 10,000 physical decisions, but probably 10 million mental decisions as well, is that you think about it. And that's hard, right? And that's why sometimes custom building gets a knock because you know it's it's it's processes get bent and stretched, and you know, it's emotional. I often say outside of your health, building a house is is your largest outside of your health, right? Uh building a house is your second largest investment, right? So it's a it's a big deal. And I think what Lanthorn does is it's you know, it's it's related, you know, in terms of how we look at building and and how can we make it easier for people simpler, right? It tells a story in itself. Um, so I want to make sure that people understand that Lanthorn Homes is the builder, right? And and I think it's really unique. And you've been a huge part of those plans and that development and that energy, and and now you get to tell that story and craft that story. And I think that's pretty awesome in itself.

SPEAKER_00 31:36

Absolutely, absolutely. I think that you know the the golf course is here and and that's tangible, right? And when the homes and the community become tangible, and I think the commitment to bringing the old old eight lifestyle to life, to reality very early, that's uncommon as well. And so um, you know, as we talk about the amenities that are gonna come, you know, this is not a I'm gonna have to wait, you know, I'm I'm I'm getting in, and there's gonna be years and years and years before I get to experience what life at old eight is.

SPEAKER_01 32:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:10

It's gonna be a reality very soon.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

It's coming now.

SPEAKER_00 32:13

The sh the short course, the, the, you know, the the the Callaway Research Center Um and Academy, just all of those different pieces, um, the late club, the you know, the community, the homes, all of that coming to life very early in old eight's story.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

Doesn't happen often.

SPEAKER_00 32:32

Does not happen often.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

Doesn't that happen often as you realize this plan. You know, a plan is a plan for a reason, right? How it gets realized, everybody has their different opinions, but the cool thing about old eight is it's gonna be tangible.

unknown 32:45

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 32:46

Right? At the end of 26, early to 27, the short course, the driving range, as you mentioned, the Callaway, you know, Academy or what we're calling the repair shop, the the restaurant, the wellness club, the trails, the golf course, the cabins, it's live. It's live. And in the gatehouse, you don't have to wait.

SPEAKER_00 33:03

You don't have to wait. I I think that that's a that's most people's experience is selling point.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:09

Oh, well, that's great. But if I'm the first person at old eight, I'm gonna have to wait years before the dream that you're talking about, the paper and promises that you're talking about is reality.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:19

Um, but the commitment that the team has made to bringing that lifestyle to reality very, very soon so that the first people that move there are not gonna have to wait long till they're gonna see the dream become reality.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

Yeah, and it allows, as we talked about previously, that community, that gathering place is coming together in 26 and 27, you know, in terms of years is is when people are gonna see it. Right. So I'm I'm so excited for you and to be able to tell that story. You know, I I have you know incredible pleasure and it warms my soul that I'm involved in and helping, you know, bring all this to realization and working with folks like yourself to come from just an incredible background and experience to be able to bring that knowledge to old age so that we can educate people about what it is, right? It it is made for the moment. No, it is a story, and let us tell you. And so, you know, I hope people realize the reason we're doing this podcast is so, yes, you can get on the website, you can read all their materials, but you're gonna hear it from the people that are involved, the the culture that we're creating, and and you know, sales is much more, it's it's really not selling, right? It it is something much more than that as we as we telling about that. And so, you know, very shortly, uh March and April, as you were saying, you're gonna start to see things to go vertical, you know, from a living standpoint. And and I guess the one last uh message that we'll wrap with, um, that that but that that you want to talk to the audience, right? I mean, I'll give you the floor, like tell people, you know, what excites you every day to come to old eight and and wake up and be a part of this because you tell me, and I think it's something that everybody needs to hear of why you're a part of old eight and why you've given up a lot to come join this team. Um, and and so I'd I'd like you to share that with people.

SPEAKER_00 35:14

Yeah. I I, you know, I've been a part of some really special projects in my lifetime. You know, my my uh background is in master plan and resort communities. Um and I've I've had that opportunity to to be involved in those um in some of the very best, I think. And and projects that I feel like um are, you know, at the time, this is a once-in-a-lifetime project to work on. And so when we started having the conversation about old aid, I very quickly realized this was this was kind of lightning in a bull a bottle times two, right? And so it's another opportunity to be a part of a really, really special project with a team of people. Um, I I don't know if I could work with a group of people that that didn't have the passion for creating place. Um that that you know, and that this team has that. And so um as as I look at you know, what really is the special sauce of old eight, it's the people. It's the people that are around it, it's the people that are involved in in in the you know, in the development and the design, um, and and in the creation of the place. And and then what gets me really excited is telling that story to others and hearing people and seeing people respond well to that and knowing that they're gonna be a part of that story too.

SPEAKER_02 36:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 36:37

And so this is just chapter one. It's been a really long chapter, right? It's been a lot of planning, it's been a lot of the backstory, but I feel like we're right here ready for for this next chapter. And I think that that that's what's really exciting to me is the next chapter involves us showing the world. Yeah. You're right, it's showing everybody else and it's inviting people to be a part of the of old eight. And that's that's really what gets me excited and gets me up every day is I love to tell that story. And I I love to see people's response to that story. And I'm excited to to see them be involved in that story in the next chapter.

SPEAKER_01 37:12

Well, you know, you you define what people, right? What what what what is the people? You know, you are the people, you are the team, and and it's uh it's great for me to see and feel that, right? That was authentic and what you said. And I want I want people to understand that, right? Because I get to see it every day and we get to share that. Now we're sharing that, right? And so as we as we go through.

SPEAKER_00 37:34

This is why this is a great, uh great way to do that.

SPEAKER_01 37:37

Yeah, exactly. And and and you know, as we go through to future episodes, you know, we're gonna have some of the golf team and we're gonna have some of the the golf superintendent, right? And people are gonna meet the people of old eight, right? Right. This culture that's coming together. And so uh thanks for taking the time. I know you're busy to to come and sit down and and talk. And uh thanks to you out there for listening. And uh, you know, we look forward to seeing you the next time on the old eight podcast.

SPEAKER_00 38:03

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 38:04

Thanks.

SPEAKER_00 38:04

Awesome. Yep.