Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1546131
August/September 2026 | maconmagazine.com 119 NewTown Macon is an independent nonpro t, making Downtown Macon safe, beautiful, fun, a ordable, and locally led. Their comprehensive approach to downtown development has resulted in 83% storefront occupancy, 89% loft occupancy, and 1M+ annual event attendance. and people pay attention, and that's how you gain the respect of a lot of people. Albert was a giant of a man, and me standing under that mural with him looking out over the city, out over me, is a look that I thought was appropriate. WHAT DOES YOUR PERFECT DAY IN DOWNTOWN MACON LOOK LIKE? An overcast fall day, with a nice gentle breeze. No rain and just being able to walk. Go into restaurants, have a bite to eat, a glass of wine, see friends, and just sort of hang out. Not dressed up in a suit, but just hanging out. That would be my perfect day downtown with my wife, Paula, and perhaps our dog, Kenya. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SAY ABOUT BEING A BUSINESS OWNER OR DEVELOPER? I'm very proud of that. I guess I have to pinch myself because I remember where I came from. Coming up [to] where I am today was totally unheard of. And for me to come from very humble beginnings, a single-parent home, father not in the picture… but to be able to graduate from high school, be the fi rst of my family to actually graduate from college — not go to college, but graduate from college — then graduate from law school and being able to have a law fi rm that is representative of the kind of business that Macon can be proud of... And then to develop a property in the name of Albert Billingslea along with a good friend, Brian Adams — I think that's special. It all comes back to giving back to the community and remembering from whence I came. Want to build up Downtown Macon yourself? Go to newtownmacon.com to sign up for business resources today. TALK ABOUT YOUR INVESTMENT IN MACON. YOU'RE A FOUNDING BOARD MEMBER OF NEWTOWN MACON, WHOSE GOAL IS TO REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN. HOW HAS NEWTOWN AFFECTED YOUR LIFE AND WORK? NewTown has been probably the single most important piece or instrument in the development of Downtown Macon. Not probably. I mean, it has been [for] Downtown Macon, and just Macon in general. It has really changed the face of this community. It has had a signifi cant impact on my life and my work because I can look at the diff erence in downtown since NewTown was established. It has made downtown a vital part of the community for all of us. YOU WANTED TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED AT ALBERT BILLINGSLEA'S MURAL, ON A BLOCK OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS YOU OWN THAT CONNECTS TO THE HISTORIC COTTON AVENUE DISTRICT. WHY HERE? Albert Billingslea was a tremendously infl uential person in my life. He was a mentor and a father-like fi gure for me. And I've said this many times, two of the smartest people I have ever met are Albert Billingslea and Frank Amerson. Albert was a man who had so much infl uence in Macon, who made such a big diff erence in Macon, and didn't seek the credit for it. He was not always out front, but he was a quiet leader. But when he did speak, people listened. I took that to heart. And watching him, I quickly learned that it's not about how much you say, how loud you talk, but it's just about being measured. Doing the work, doing the research, knowing what you're talking about. And then when you speak, having something to say that makes a diff erence. Because I think when you do that, people listen Virgil Adams stands in front of his development, Billingslea Commons, in front of a mural of namesake Albert Billingslea.