“uh oh,” but to see him start to make sounds that mean something is just great. Kids go through slow, almost imperceptible growth, but it is all exciting. With parenting, you’re constantly getting that “wow” experience.
I’ve enjoyed being on it; it’s a lot of fun. It always seems like towards the end of the shooting each season it becomes highly pressurized and all of the drama kind of comes to a crescendo. Well, [laughs] like we saw at the end of last
Going forward, what do you think your career path looks like? Well, I’ve done quite well in business and right now I’m maintaining my real estate portfolio. I own a couple of development sites that were ready to go prior to the 2008 Lehman Brothers meltdown, so I have those ready to develop still. I basically quit [looking for new projects] about ten or 15 years ago to venture into politics. About 90% of what I do now is maintaining my existing portfolio. Perhaps I’ll develop a couple more shopping centers, but what I’ve done already, and keeping that up, gives me a comfortable life and keeps me busy. Honestly, my kids are my main focus at this point. Also, I am on that TV show now and that helps to pay some of the bills. The show is a two to three month job every year. The more success we have every year, the more episodes they order. We went from eight episodes and now I think we’re up to about 15 or sixteen. We’ll just have to see how season four goes, and if it turns out as well as I think it will, then they’ll have to start paying us a lot more money and they’ll have to order a lot more episodes [laughs]. Speaking of the show, have you enjoyed being a part of it?
season, sometimes it ends with an explosion. It does get tough, but we have to keep it all compartmentalized and try not to take it too seriously. We all just have to remember to keep our emotions in check and try not to let it get to us too much. What do you think the future holds for the Ravenel family and its relationship with Charleston?
I think that the Ravenels will continue to be one of the leading families in Charleston. We’re very active in the community and the church. We all also work to maintain some of the old Charleston traditions. I’ve personally inherited a legacy of giving back. I learned a lot from my mother who has done a tremendous amount of work for the less fortunate and the disabled. My father taught me about giving back because he has done so much with rebuilding homes and neighborhoods. He’s accomplished a lot on the east side of town and I’ve continued that legacy. He has been sort of a pioneer in bringing some areas back. None of it has been profitable or anything like that; he has always done it because he’s enjoyed it and what it does for the city and I’ve continued with that. I’ve restored four or five houses while my father completed innumerable houses throughout the years. Currently, I’m renovating 635 East Bay Street, which has a beautiful, Greek revival colonnade. It’s about to be completely renovated to its former grandeur. We’re beautifying the city in many ways that you can see, but we’re also giving back and contributing in ways that you can’t with various donations, and support. While we might not necessarily carry the political torch, we do give a lot of advice in that arena and continue the ethic of public service that has given Charleston such a good name. ✦ For more information about the interior design, email Carolyn S. Griffith, LLC Interior Design at griffithdesign@comcast. net. For more information about the Styling and Floral Design, email biz.design at elizabethsgriffith@gmail.com.
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