COMMUNITY | A Southern Gentleman Is...
Building YOUR COMMUNITY A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN IS JOHN MAHER
What do you love most about Williamson County? The people. It has been a very welcoming community to me. It is a great place to raise a family, and start and run a business; plus, with four children, the school system – academics and sports – are all awesome! I love downtown Franklin; it has its unique charm. People talk about the Williamson bubble, and I feel like we truly are in an ideal place. Tell me about your family and where you grew up. I grew up in Kentucky with my mom, dad and six siblings. I was the oldest, and she had all seven of us before the age of thirty. In 1972, I received a football scholarship to play football at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) as an offensive lineman. I have been married to my wife, Margie, for forty-five years. We have four children; three daughters and one son, who are part of the family business.
John Maher
BY JOHNNY BIRDSONG
We all know how blessed we are to live in this amazing community. There are so many wonderful things that make it special. I am convinced it’s the people that make the biggest impact. I had the privilege of meeting one of those people who make the difference, Mr. John Maher. As we talked, I not only understood why and how he has been so successful in life and in business but also as a role model and a true Southern Gentleman. 78 | NOVEMBER 2022
Your story of how you came into the home-building business is intriguing. Tell me a bit more. Well, in 1978, I got licensed as a real estate agent. John Green had a local real estate/insurance company in Franklin, and I was affiliated with him most of the time while I was a teacher and coach. I became more interested in real estate and began investing in properties – buying a house and renting it behind us for the first seven years we were married. By the time I quit teaching, we had fourteen rental units. I bought a book by Carl Heldmann, Be Your Own House Contractor: How to Save 25 Percent Without Lifting a Hammer, the latter being the key. So, I borrowed money from a local banker and built a 1,200-square-foot home. After my tenth year of teaching, I went full-time into building. How does it feel to be Spring Hill’s #1 homebuilder for over 30 years? We feel blessed and fortunate. A lot of it was timing – the right place at the right time. In the beginning, it was starter homes. But, as this community has matured, we have grown with it. Currently, we are selling and building the first million-dollar neighborhood in Spring Hill. We take great pride in watching Spring Hill grow and participating in the growth. I project Spring Hill will double again in the next ten years. One in every six homes in Spring Hill we have built, which at this time is about 2,700 to 2,800 homes. A lot of credit goes to my employees; the core people have been here since the start, which is over twenty-five years.
