Vestavia Hills businessman Drew Carter is wasting no time developing his leadership skills. Just two years after moving to the Birmingham area from his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, Carter became a civic leader in the tight-knit Rocky Ridge business community.
Carter moved his State Farm office from Mountain Brook to The Shops at Oak Park shopping center in 2022 and is actively leading efforts to try to transform the community into the city’s next hot entertainment district.
“We want to have an exciting, fun neighborhood for families to come and enjoy on Fridays and Saturdays on a consistent schedule, whether it’s quarter, semester, football season, and we want that surrounding neighborhoods come to our neighborhood entertainment and have a good time,” he said.
Taking inspiration from Cahaba Heights, Carter sought advice from Katherine McRee, owner of the Lili Pad and president of the Cahaba Heights Merchants Association. Currently, he is networking and recruiting businesses to form a similar association in Rocky Ridge and develop the community’s entertainment district vision.
“I think that goal will be fluid as we evolve and grow, but I think the main thing is just to bring families and keep people here and keep everything local,” Carter said.
McRee said she and Carter began discussing the Rocky Ridge entertainment district and how to bring business owners to the table about a year ago. She said Carter’s energy was contagious and she believed he was off to a good start and would be successful as long as he remained energetic and focused.
“Several times over coffee we sat and brainstormed ideas. We discussed some of the struggles in Rocky Ridge and Cahaba Heights,” McRee said. “I gave him the best advice I ever received: start small and know it won’t be perfect. Learn and grow from each experience and don’t give up.
“Drew’s enthusiasm is the spark the Rocky Ridge business district needs to improve the entire neighborhood,” she added. “I can’t wait to see what he can accomplish.”
Carter brought together several local businesses, including The Ridge Eat & Drink, Andy’s Farm Market, ERA-King real estate agent Bridgett Glasgow and Rocky Ridge Hardware owner Dan Moran, to host a party in October to watch the Vestavia Hills High School. against Hoover.
Carter said the inaugural event was a great success and he was grateful for the support he received from the residents of Vestavia Hills. He said he hoped the event would be a precursor of great things to come.
“The support from the Vestavia community, not just the Rocky Ridge community, has been wonderful,” Carter said. “I think the first attempt went a lot better than I expected, and it’s something that we can kind of use as a foundation and grow from there.”