Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
Drew Carter, a State Farm insurance agent in Rocky Ridge, is working to bring members of his community together to improve the city’s entertainment district.
Vestavia Hills businessman Drew Carter is wasting no time developing his leadership skills. Just two years after moving to the Birmingham area from his native Jackson, Mississippi, Carter has emerged as a civic leader within the tightly 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 spearheading efforts to try to transform the community into the city’s next hot entertainment district.
“We want to have an area that is exciting and fun for families to come and enjoy Fridays and Saturdays on some type of consistent schedule, whether it be quarterly, semiannual, football season, and we want the surrounding neighborhoods to come over to our entertainment district and just have a good time,” he said.
Taking his cue from Cahaba Heights, Carter has sought the advice of Katherine McRee, owner of the Lili Pad and president of the Cahaba Heights Merchants Association. Currently, he is networking and enlisting businesses to form a similar association in Rocky Ridge and develop the vision for the community’s entertainment district.
“I think that goal will be fluid as we evolve and as we grow, but I think the main thing is just bringing families and keeping people here and keeping 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 is infectious, and she believes he is off to a good start and will find success as long as he stays 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 passed along to him the best advice I ever got: start small and know that it will not be perfect. Learn and grow from each experience and don’t give up.
“Drew’s enthusiasm is the spark that the Rocky Ridge Business District needs to improve the entire district,” she added. “I can’t wait to see what all 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 put on a tailgate party in October to watch Vestavia Hills High School’s road game against Hoover.
Carter said the inaugural event was highly successful and he is thankful for the support he received from people throughout Vestavia Hills. He said he is hopeful the event is a precursor for 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 way better than I anticipated, and it is something that we can kind of use as a foundation and grow from there.”
