Building Communities, Not Just Buildings

What we talked about.

Christie, founder of Local Real Estate Developers, joins Sunny Ray to explain why the future of community building belongs to local people rather than outside investors. After twenty years in real estate development, including a career that began installing retail signage before she talked her way into an entry level developer role, Christie built experience across hundreds of projects, from opening a Family Dollar driven Orange County office to spending a decade developing California's hydrogen fueling infrastructure. In 2015 she launched her own firm, then pivoted again after Hurricane Ian devastated her home of Fort Myers Beach in 2022. Watching neighbors lose everything convinced her that development needed to serve locals, not just balance sheets, so she founded Local Real Estate Developers to teach residents how to redevelop their own towns. She now runs a mentorship program and podcast while working on a boutique hotel and the fifteen to twenty acre Elevate Southwest Florida project. The conversation covers imposter syndrome, disaster recovery, and how small scale, locally led development preserves the character outside investors often erase.

A 20 year developer explains why rebuilding towns should be led by locals, not outside investors chasing returns.

The questions, and the answers.

Tell me, what are you building? Why should people care?

We are working on two projects right now. One is a boutique hotel, around 40 to 80 doors, either in the Mountain West or Spain. The other is Elevate Southwest Florida in St. Pete, a 15 to 20 acre sports and wellness destination, our missing third space for communities. I have been in real estate development for 20 years, which is why something like this, 5 to 6 years and over 140 million dollars, is even possible.

You were installing signs at CVS stores and asked a developer how they got into the business. What did you say and what did they say back?

I moved to Florida after college and worked for a sign vendor, putting up signs for national retailers with developers. One day I asked one, Eric, what it takes to be a developer. He said his company was small, 20 to 30 employees, and if I was the right person they would teach me the industry. I asked when he was hiring me, and I joined three weeks later.

What did you not know then that would have terrified you if you had?

Everyone said California had so much red tape, scarier and longer, similar to New York, Boston or Miami. I did not really comprehend how complex development was, but I already knew I was a professional problem solver and figured I would work it out regardless. So I signed up for 60 to 80 hour weeks and just kept grinding until it got done.

What's the project you're most proud of, and is there one you'd take back?

Through beach volleyball I got connected with guys starting a hydrogen company for light and heavy duty trucks. They had the technology and capital but not development know how, so we partnered for a decade building nearly every hydrogen station in California. I always like creating things that do not exist. As for taking one back, none really stands out, every project adds to the story.

You started your own firm in 2015. What made you stop working for other people?

I have always been a serial entrepreneur. What stopped me sooner was imposter syndrome and the golden handcuffs of a big paycheck with no real risk. Once I realized I had done hundreds of development projects, more than most people ever will, I had to get past my own fear. I literally bought a Nissan Rogue thinking if it failed I could sleep in the back.

Take me to the days right after Hurricane Ian. What did Fort Myers Beach actually look like?

We got completely wiped out in 2022 and are still in a 10 to 15 year rebuild period. I biked in three days later just to see if I had a property left, and it looked like a war zone, completely decimated. That is when I realized life is really about relationships and connection, and I decided I did not want to keep building shopping centers anymore.

Was there a specific moment you knew you could not spend the next 20 years building another shopping center?

It was at the top of one of the bridges while biking through the damage. I almost could not breathe, not from the exertion but from taking in the overwhelming devastation. I already knew from my development background how long recovery would take, between FEMA, insurance, permitting and construction, and that realization was overwhelming and clarifying at the same time.

If someone listening loves their town and hates what's happening to it, what's step one for them?

Talk to your local community officials, they are more reachable than people think. Also find out who is actually building and doing things in your community and start talking to them about what they are seeing. The more conversations you have, the more doors open, and eventually you will know exactly who to talk to about that vacant lot you keep driving past.