Meet Lance Carter | Property Management & Real Estate Development

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lance Carter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lance, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
That’s a great question! It is one I often ask myself. Every time the question comes to my mind, I remind myself of what urged me to start my business and what keeps me motivated to continue. To be transparent as possible, it was my need to be different. It was my need to bring a group of like minded individuals together to create something bigger than ourselves to make a difference.I wanted people to feel good about being at work internally and externally. Everyone comes to work for the financial gain, I wanted my company to be also for the mental, physical, and emotional benefits we get from helping others excel. Similarly, there are a lot of great companies in my space that do what my company does and do it well. I realized I learned a lot from my tenure at many of the large companies out there and I did not want to just do it better, I wanted to do it right. I wanted to give people an opportunity to get to a C-Suite regardless of their degree, or potential lack thereof, their race, religion, sexual orientation etc. While those biases “don’t” exist, sometimes they happen subconsciously in certain companies. I wanted to give everyone a chance and bring all the team members to have a seat at the table. I wanted to really show that while we are doing what we love, we need to also love and care for the people we are doing it for and that is our residents, and our team members. I want us to wrap up our day feeling accomplished and like we made a difference not just for a paycheck but for the positive impact we made on others.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As we all know, everyone needs a roof over their heads and it is something we should all strive to help everyone have. In a world where interest rates, inflation, rental rates, and mortgage costs are at all an all time high, it is important in a business like mine to remember people are people. While we do rent multi-family, student housing, build to rent, and single family rentals, my company provides a social impact by going beyond the rental payment. We seek to provide aid to our residents by giving them the tools to get to Homeownership if that is what the endeavor to do, get affordable rentals or even get in proximity to where they want to be long term. It was difficult to get people to understand that I wanted to be in the business not just for money but actually for the people. My company does more than provide a roof but a lifestyle in which we are all one community helping each other thrive and succeed. While I wish I could provide jobs for everyone that needs one, I can be a liaison for people that live at my communities to connect with other like minded individuals to help each other and be mutually beneficial partners to achieving their goals. I endeavor to create communities nationwide that are more than just apartments but networking communities in which we live, work, and play. A lot of our renters, are first time renters, especially at our student housing communities. We endeavor to set them up for success and help them with how it means to live alone and giving them positive exposure to the world to enhance the trajectory of their lives. If we can all help a few people just by being in this network, imagine the impact this will have on multiple communities, multiple states, multiple countries and ultimately, globally. While I have learned that this was not an easy road to travel on, taking this road has truly made all the difference and I look forward to our continued impact.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The city of Nashville has become a thriving metropolis and there are so many things to do in literally every avenue. I often have friends visit the area and I try to take them to do things they like but also things that showcase Nashville (and things I like to do! ha). Personally, for day time fun, pending weather, I have to take them to Centennial Park and around midtown. I enjoy taking them to grab a hot dog and day drinks at Kung-Fu, Red Door Midtown, and L.A Jackson. If we have time, Greenhouse Bar in Green Hills is always a go-to and getting to enjoy that atmosphere and having catch up conversations.

Late night is a little different, I have them jump on one of the PartyNRide Nashville party buses and we tour Broadway and travel to Pushing Daisies, Jason Aldeans, Tootsies, and Twenty Twenty. I make sure we at least make a loop in Miranda Lamberts and end the night with a night cap at Skull’s Candy Room and signing Karaoke in Miss Kelly’s in Printer’s Alley. After that I am beat.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate this Shoutout to my twin brother Lucas. Words cannot describe how different we were on the surface level, sometimes like night and day. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, I knew he was there for me and I would be there for him. He challenged and supported me in ways that I did not even know I needed. When he passed in 2009, I lost myself for a while. I knew how to be a part of a set or a pair but not how to stand on my own individually. I did not know how to be just, Lance, or if that was even good enough. While I miss him everyday and sometimes fall back into sadness, I pray he is proud of me. Like a muse, I often feel the nudges and whispers of his influence in my mind that have created this firm mental foundation for me to stand on. I owe him an extreme amount of appreciation for his encouragement and gratitude to God for allowing me to have my brother in my life for as many years as he did.

Website: www.livewithpmg.com

Instagram: @flywithpmg.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-phoenix-management-group-llc

Image Credits
Darryl Collins Photography Alchemy Media Works