E204: Reviving Communities & Empowering People with Luke Henry

What comes to mind when you see an old, dilapidated building in your downtown area? Now, if you think it’s the least priority in your investment prospects, today’s guest actually thought otherwise. Luke Henry left his pharmacy job to pursue his vision of restoring the beauty of historic buildings in downtown Marion, Ohio, reviving a community that once was. He now owns a wedding event venue, a hair salon, a restaurant, and an ice cream place, pretty much developing the entirety of the downtown in his hometown – all that on top of running his 20-year-old landscaping business. In this episode, Luke shares his dreams and passions of not only revitalizing his own community, but also the importance of seeing the greatness of people and investing in their talent. Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation: [01:00] Luke’s family and career background [05:06] His real estate portfolio and a walk through downtown Marion, Ohio [08:23] How they revived an almost 200-year old building [10:26] Why they decided to revive the community [15:53] Turning a 1970 building into a $100-million wedding event venue [17:32] The ripple effect of businesses opening within the community and gaining momentum [20:46] Why Luke went all-in to real estate and left his pharmacy job [24:50] Luke’s superpower of seeing something in people they don’t see in themselves [30:08] How COVID has separated great cultures from mediocre or terrible cultures [34:45] The importance of seeing people beyond their role [38:14] What it’s like to be part of the GoBundance community [43:10] Lessons from COVID and its “hardening effect” on kids [50:29] A look into Luke’s horizontal income [54:23] Luke’s current health condition [58:33] Giving back to the community [64:25] A mentor he recently sought out and the lessons he learned Notable quotes from the Episode: "I'm never going back to feeling like I have to work for somebody else." "What gets me up in the morning is I'm going to have the opportunity to give somebody an opportunity. And then we're going to build something really special together." "Each person has a need to feel like their work matters to be able to connect what they're doing day-to-day with the mission of the organization.” “When we can transcend just the daily tasks and make sure that people are connected to the mission – they're aligned with our values, reminding why we do what we do, how we do what we do – those are the things that stick for the long term." Connecting with the Guest Website: https://www.mainstreetreimagined.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukehenry12 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luke.henry.148 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luhenry/ Connect with our growing community: Apply to GoBundance: https://www.gobundance.com/membership Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gobundance/ Not a millionaire yet but want to be a part of our ecosystem? Check out EMERGE by GoBundance. Enroll Today! https://www.gobundance.com/emerge Interested in starting your own podcast or handing off your production to a qualified team? Email [email protected] to learn how we're making the world better, one mic at a time.