Dr. Larry Golson opened his independent optometry practice, Envision Eyecare in 2008. While preparing to find a location to open in Asheville, he was told by many locals that he should open his practice in South Asheville, where all of the growth was happening. From his perspective, having moved from Atlanta, he had no interest in opening in another suburb. He found an excellent location to lease on Charlotte Street, close to downtown Asheville, but offered the convenience of parking.
After about 3 years of rapid growth and success, Dr. Golson set out to look for a new location for his practice to expand and grow into. He enlisted the help of Jim Diaz for this search for property to purchase. Dr. Golson built a business in a distinct trade area with loyal customers – North Asheville – and the goal was to find a long term investment opportunity as a business asset, while ideally staying in the neighborhood that he served. Jim and Dr. Golson took a great deal of time, over the course of a couple of years to gain a very educated understanding the context of the unique target market.
Dr. Golson was introduced to Jim Diaz by his CPA, Stewart LeBlanc, and recommended because he has the pulse on Asheville’s real estate, so he became Dr. Golson’s trusted resource because Stewart felt that being in such an established area, he needed someone as such to help him to find the perfect property. Jim was able to find that perfect property for Dr. Golson as soon as it hit the market, and it was conveniently located directly across the street from Envision Eyecare’s then current office.
Jim’s ability to “look at the other side of the table” during negotiations helped Dr. Golson and the sellers to come to an agreement that worked for everyone. Jim was able to bring both parties to the table, to mediate the conversation and impart a level of trust that made everyone feel comfortable.
“He inspires trust quickly. He’s a real estate agent, but he’s also a counselor in a sense. He’s given me good counsel and that helps me make better decisions that I feel like not only I would not have made otherwise, but at the end of the day, has led to us being here and in a beautiful space.” –Larry Golson
Jim again engaged the services of his colleague and capital markets intermediary/consultant/veteran senior banker, Keith Pope, to help Dr. Golson source an appropriate SBA loan to enable his purchase of the new building. They were able to get the multiple commercial banks to compete for the business and find the best terms possible for Dr. Golson. They were able to close within the short window of time that the purchase contract required. Jim also successfully negotiated with Envision Eyecare’s Landlord across the street, to enable the practice to remain open during the renovations of their new building prior to their move.
Upon closing on the property at 181 Charlotte Street, Dr. Golson was inclined to interview multiple contractors before deciding who to work with, but he trusted Jim’s judgement and followed his recommendations to work with his suggested go-to team; Paint Rock Builders and Red House Architecture. Together, they renovated the building, constructing a beautiful medical office space and optical dispensary. Dr. Golson began operations in his new office in the Summer of 2014.
