Macon Magazine

February/March 2026 | maconmagazine.com 79 NewTown Macon is an independent nonprofit, making Downtown Macon safe, beautiful, fun, affordable, and locally led. Their comprehensive approach to downtown development has resulted in 83% storefront occupancy, 89% loft occupancy, and 1M+ annual event attendance. the city to start understanding the real value that it offers. I spend a lot of time doing outside sales in cities all over Georgia at this point, and I find myself in conversation very often talking about the positives of living in Macon and why I call it home. It's pretty cool that a facet of this distillery is being able to tell people about the city that I love. HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR BUSINESSES CONTRIBUTING TO THE ENERGY OF DOWNTOWN? We've tried to bring something new to downtown, while also helping to expose people outside of Macon to everything that's going on here. We try to do our part to help raise the profile of Macon in the state, while more directly making it a better place to live and play. I'm a firm believer that people shouldn't wait on change to come, but be the change you want to see. Instead of complaining about something in my community, I should be out there changing it for the better. NEWTOWN MACON HAS BEEN A BIG DRIVER OF DOWNTOWN MACON'S REVITALIZATION. HOW HAS THEIR WORK SUPPORTED OR INSPIRED WHAT YOU'RE BUILDING? Longleaf would probably not exist, at least the form it is now, without NewTown Macon. They have been an instrumental partner with us from the beginning and in almost every phase of the business, and continue to be an ally in a very difficult industry. I believe the reason they are so helpful, too, is because our visions are aligned and they understand how tough it is to run a successful small business. NewTown Macon is a perfect example of people who are putting their time, dedication and money where their mouth is, and we are extremely lucky to have them. OVER THREE DECADES IN, YOU'RE PART OF THE FABRIC OF MACON. WHO HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE NEIGHBORS OR PARTNERS TO WORK ALONGSIDE? Of course, NewTown Macon is very high on the list, but so is Mercer University. Carrie and I both loved our undergraduate time there, and made lasting relationships that still support us today. We were lucky enough to be part of a crew of people that stayed in Macon after college to enact some pretty significant changes in this town, including Everett Verner, Alex Morrison, and Josh Rogers. Mercer has touched aspects of seemingly everything we've done thus far. It's hard to even begin to think of all the connections we've made over the many years, all the mentors, all the business partners, and people who have relentlessly supported us. Then there are the other dedicated Maconites like Susannah Maddux, Aubrey Newby, and Ryan Griffin, who push relentlessly to make this place better in so many ways and represent the new ideas and sweat equity that this city needs to keep moving forward. WHAT'S YOUR PERFECT DAY IN DOWNTOWN MACON LOOK LIKE? I'm a pretty simple guy. A nice morning stroll with the family from my house down to Macon Bagels for a Kentucky Derby bagel and an iced coffee. Rock climbing at 10 a.m. at Macon Rocks, with a burger and a beer afterwards for lunch at Ocmulgee Brewpub. An afternoon show at Theatre Macon with friends, followed by drinks at Rose Room and dinner at Dovetail. Yeah, that sounds pretty great. Now I just need a day off and a good babysitter. WHAT'S ON YOUR AGENDA, CONSIDERING YOUR WORK AND LIFE IN DOWNTOWN MACON? Unfortunately, I feel like the old saying that "The cobbler's kids have no shoes" pretty well sums this part up. Between doing all of the production and outside sales at Longleaf, helping however I can with my wife's interior design firm, and helping to take care of our 18-month-old son, there's unfortunately not a whole lot of time to do all of the wonderful things that are now available in Macon. While I know this won't always be the case, right now, we're in the thick of it. With that said, I still wouldn't change it, nor would I necessarily recommend it. Running two businesses as a couple is not for the faint of heart. Want to build up Downtown Macon yourself? Go to newtownmacon.com to sign up for business resources today. KITCHENWARE STORE, WINE BAR, AND NOW, ROBINSON HOME, AN INTERIOR DESIGN BUSINESS. TELL US HOW MACON HAS PROVIDED FOR YOUR SUCCESS? ANY LESSONS LEARNED? Not a single day goes by that I don't learn a new lesson when it comes to doing business. All of these different entities that I've been involved in over the years have really just given me a deep well of experience to draw from, on a basic level, across the board. I say it's deep, but maybe it's really more like broad and shallow. I think at this point in my career, the most valuable lesson that I have hopefully learned is to hire people who are better than you at the job that needs to be done — and to be able to acknowledge your weaknesses and hire around them. I think people here really care about their city and recognize when a person is truly trying to make their home a better place through offering something new, bringing everyone together, making something beautiful, or preserving a little piece of Macon's history — while trying to make some on the way. WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT IN MACON RIGHT NOW? I really love the idea of our community growing and seeing new construction beginning again on residential units and places to live downtown, and throughout the city. It makes me hopeful that our community is going to keep expanding. New ideas and new people will begin to come in and make this city their own. A city needs transplants to avoid going stagnant and to keep moving forward, and I think Macon is on a really good trajectory to do just that. There have been so many decades of hard work done to lay the groundwork for this city's prosperity, and I'm ready for people outside of

• Cover