In this episode of the Best of Johnston County Podcast, join host Jonathan Breeden as he welcomes Johnston County native and real estate developer Annice Broadwell. Together, they delve into the county's past, present, and future.

Annice Broadwell: Okay. Yes, I'm a real estate agent. I work for Hometown Realty. Which is a native also of Johnston County.

I am now moving into some commercial just because of the development side has moved me into the real estate side of commercial. So I help clients buy, sell, help investors buy and sell. So listing a home, helping buyers find the right home, people from out of town, people from out of state coming to move here.

Jonathan Breeden: Hello and welcome to this episode of the best of Johnston County podcast. I'm your host Jonathan Breeden and today we have a guest on that is a Johnston County native and who is in real estate development and residential real estate here in Johnston County and Anna's Broadwell.

And I guess when your main name was Lee and her father is Denton Lee and old Cleveland forever. And he was on the school board, did a lot of different things and him and her doing some development around here. We'll talk about that and some of those stuff that she does in Johnston County.

So tell us a little about what it was like growing up here in the Cleveland community, which was not like the Cleveland community today. No, it

Annice Broadwell: has changed a lot, especially over the last 30 years. So growing up, it was very small, rural farm town. We Knew everybody, you know, you went to the store, you went to church, you saw, you know, everybody knew school was, I mean, not very many people in each class.

K 8 was in the school building, the old Cleveland school building by GCAA. Had to go to high school all the way at South Johnston and Four Oaks. So, a lot less people here and then 40 came through in the early 90s and we started booming. So, changed a

Annice Broadwell: Is that right? It was like 94, yep, and my aunt was the first principal of the elementary school, K 5. Right. It's on the corner of Cleveland and Cornwallis. Right. And Miss Ferguson. Miss Ferguson, right. Yep, she was my, she's my aunt, and Yeah, so the old school stayed the middle school for a little while until the new middle school, the Cleveland Middle was built.

So, and now it's senior apartments. Right,

Jonathan Breeden: right. Very nice senior apartments. They did that a few years ago, and a lot of nice people live there, and they don't cost a million dollars, and that's great. It's great for the community and stuff like that. So yeah, I mean it's hard to believe that, you know, 40 is not completed until 92.

So I guess you've watched that. So what What do you let's talk a little bit about what you do now. I know you're in real estate. Tell the listeners about what you do and how you can help them.

Annice Broadwell: Okay. Yes, I'm a real estate agent. I work for Hometown Realty. Which is a native also of Johnston County.

I am now moving into some commercial just because of the development side has moved me into the real estate side of commercial. So I help clients buy, sell, help investors buy and sell. So listing a home, helping buyers find the right home, people from out of town, people from out of state coming to move here.

Jonathan Breeden: life. Hey, it's definitely too late. It's definitely too late.

I know. I know. I mean, I figured out that I wanted to be a lawyer when I was in the ninth grade, you know, and I think that is a little unusual. Yeah. Yeah. You know, sitting in the ninth grade in Larimer, North Carolina, and I'm like, You know, studying civics and the Federalist Papers, and I'm like, you know what?

Annice Broadwell: We did. We we developed Macklemore two phases in there and then went and did freedom farms out off of freedom road.

By off of Plenta. Okay near the high school and that is almost finished we've got a couple more lots in there that builders have that they're building on and Then we moved in commercial into commercial real estate and that just happened because My dad had some property out there that food line wanted and so food line came And ended up staking claim to that little triangle there at Cleveland and Macklemore and Fire Department Road and just found out last night that they are the fourth highest producing food line in all the stores.

Jonathan Breeden: couldn't believe that. I, and these numbers may be wrong, but I think they built it. And they thought it might do 300, 000 or 400, 000 a week, and it's never done less than 600, 000 in a week. It's amazing. It's just unbelievable the success they've had there. And of course, Food Lion being an original North Carolina company out of Salisbury, I know now it's owned by a more national brand.

I think maybe the people that own Kroger are now owning it. And I don't know their names, but But still, I still think that they've tried to keep the Food Lion brand. As it was when the family started it out of Salisbury 40 or 50 years ago. That's been my experience with Food Lion. I like Food Lion.

That food line is extremely convenient. I live out here just like you do and and everybody just always worked there. It's always been nice. And you never go there and not see a whole bunch of people.

Annice Broadwell: So it's very busy. I can't go in there and not stop and talk to at least two people. Usually it's four or five.

Jonathan Breeden: Right. But the next thing I guess you and your dad are working on is across the street from the food line. Where was the. The pelican snowballs and the batting cages and the little baseball field my son used to play on now that has been flattened and they put it in parking lots.

What's that

Annice Broadwell: going to be? So that is going to be a commercial development called Parkview Center. And we've moved pelicans over a little bit. We still have pelicans there for a good many more years, we hope. Taking up that space from us and so the community can still enjoy that. But we are going to start putting in some commercial buildings for leased space.

So we're really excited about having a new spot for people to hang out. She's gonna have full bar. So there's gonna be A lot of places to sit and hang out as well as a huge patio that we hope that she's going to have some entertainment and things

Jonathan Breeden: like that. Oh, that's going to be, that's going to be awesome.

I know how well, I mean, Draft and Vine, you know, right next door has been a tremendous success. And I mean, and so, I mean, you know, this community clearly would, could use more because I mean, Draft and Vine, I mean. It's been unbelievably successful. I think it's been beyond what they even thought it was gonna be.

Annice Broadwell: So, as of right now, we have pad ready for five additional buildings. Okay. Possibility of six later, but there are five pad ready spaces there. Okay. And we are working with a designer to build the first building as of right now. We've just decided which building that's going to be, but we're still in talks about that, so I'm not going to say which one that one is.

So

Jonathan Breeden: how big will these buildings

Jonathan Breeden: big enough that it may have more than one business.

Yes. Correct. Could be several

Annice Broadwell: businesses. They're going to be vanilla box built. So they're going to be pretty much. Open inside where leases can come and, you know, decide if they want one space, two spaces, depending upon the size of the building, and lease that space

Jonathan Breeden: out. Right. Well, and I think you told me a few minutes ago that you're going to put the lot beside Foodline that butts up to Macklemore, not the one with the White House, but the one on, right next to Foodline on the market.

As well, and you maybe might get a

So, yeah, the sign is getting made right now. And I'm fixing to make it active in MLS. And... So, yeah, that'll be on the market.

Jonathan Breeden: That's a lot going on. I love that. Yeah,

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Jonathan Breeden: and I guess, I mean, I asked you right before we started, but I'll ask you again. At one point, I was told the White House was going to be, right there on the corner, was going to be picked up and moved down the road, but it's still there.

So, is it going to be there for the foreseeable future? I know your family owns that

So he's happy there right now and we're going to keep that there. Well,

Jonathan Breeden: cool cool. Well, that's awesome. So, so I guess we'll ask you a couple more questions. What do you love most about Johnson County from here? You're part of having you really in the fabric of this community.

Annice Broadwell: So I think, I really think it's the people. I mean, Growing up, you could pretty much count on anybody to do anything, and I don't think that's changed with even with as many people as we have now, and maybe we don't know every face like we used to. I still think everybody loves this community. When they move here, it becomes part of their life.

They feel like they're from here once they've been here a while. And the people like me who grew up here feel the same way. Right. And I just think that everybody is just very helpful and want to be helpful to everybody. I mean, we have, yes, we're just a community. We're not a town, we're not incorporated, but Right.

Jonathan Breeden: Now the parade, the Christmas parade, that's done by, with the fire department.

Annice Broadwell: Yeah. So the Celebrate Cleveland started back in the early nineties as well.

I was actually on that board back then when we first started it. So, with Cookie Poe?

Jonathan Breeden: Cookie Poe. Yeah. I was on that board for several years. Yeah. With your brother? , you know, we, and the and yeah, Robert Underwood. I mean, it was, we go way back. I mean, I was. If you know Cookie Pope, you ended up on that board at some point.

That's right. Oh man, she's the best. So, anyway. So, alright, well cool. What would you like to see, you know, or wish you could see more of in Johnston County?

Annice Broadwell: I really, I got behind the whole parks and rec thing for our communities that are not incorporated. I think the county is moving forward on that.

Jonathan Breeden: Well, and your father and michael not and scott james and, you know, actually went in and bought the land, you know, before the county did to preserve it.

So it didn't become another neighborhood at polenta And in Matthews and now the county has bought that. But like, I mean, that was a tremendous possible sacrifice by about those three individuals. So we're going to buy this land and we're going to preserve it and hope that the county buys it from them, which they did.

And hopefully in the next 10 or 15 years, we'll see a community park there. I don't think it's going to be immediate. These parks are 30 to 50 million. It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. involved with that since the very beginning. I was on one of the very first calls with the county manager Rick Hester with the lady who owned the land about what she wanted to see and would she be willing to sell it and that kind of stuff.

Annice Broadwell: that's what I keep telling my kids, that's what I keep telling them.

Hopefully your kids will be able to play there. Right, right.

Jonathan Breeden: So, I don't think it will be for me yet. So, so, what what is, I guess, would you say your business with the real estate and the commercial development? What are y'all doing to help improve Johnston County? And stay active in the community.

Well,

Annice Broadwell: To touch on my real estate part is being part of a hometown realty. I mean, we're very, hometown realty is very active in all of the communities that it serves. Sponsoring so many different things from school events to community events. Also local food banks and food drives and coat drives.

There's constantly a box in our offices for some kind of donation that we're wanting to help like backpack buddies or coats for kids or all of those things we help with. I think those are helpful in our community as far as the development part of what we do. I think that offering, you know, being able to build the stuff over at Parkview Center in Cleveland community is going to be an added bonus to our citizens where they won't have to go so far for some things that they do now, even if it's, even if it is 40, 42, that's still a 10 minute drive for some people on the other side of Cleveland community, 15 minute drive.

Jonathan Breeden: Hungry Howie's is there.

Hungry Howie's is there. there, right. There's a Mac and

Annice Broadwell: Cheese place as well.

Jonathan Breeden: Right, right, the Mac and Cheese place. I'll be sick if I go there. But anyway, I love Mac and Cheese. So I guess I guess the last question would be what has you excited right now about, about Johnson County, the Cleveland community, you know, what's going to happen here in the next, you know, six, six to 12 to 18 months?

Annice Broadwell: Gosh, what has me most excited? Well, I love to learn new things and I love to be a part of stuff and be of service. So I think that me learning the commercial side of things has gotten me excited to start that development and continue that and offer. Things to our community in that way. I'm always excited to see new businesses open and thrive.

Jonathan Breeden: Yeah, no, I mean, I'm with you.

I mean, you know, I mean the growth, I mean the growth is going to happen, right? This is a, this is a. free world where you can live wherever you want to live. I used to do a lot of criminal defense. They don't get to live where they want to live sometimes but you know, like, and so this area is going to continue to draw people because of its proximity to Raleigh, because you have Novo, you have riffles.

Those are all definitive decisions that a developer can make and hopefully should make for our community to make it better and We're about to have an exit, another exit right on the Cleveland School Road off of one of the busiest interstates in the United States. And you know, that's going to, that's going to add even more traffic and create more commercial there on, on the Cleveland School.

Jonathan Breeden: I'm new to Tik Tok

Annice Broadwell: too. LinkedIn. So yeah, just my name, Anna Sleet Broadwell. Pretty much you can find me. It's a pretty unique name.

Jonathan Breeden: And we'll try to make sure we put that in the show notes down below.

And so if you've enjoyed this episode of Best of Johnston County, Be sure to like or subscribe or follow depending on where you're getting this episode from so that you'll be aware of any future episodes that come out every week. We have some exciting more guests that we will have coming on.

That will help us with our visibility. And so other people in Johnson County and the surrounding area can find this podcast and learn a lot about it. I do think there will be a lot of people listening to this podcast as time goes that are considering moving here. So those five star reviews will make it more visible for them.

Until next time, I'm your host, Jonathan Breeden, and thanks a lot for listening.

That's the end of today's episode of Best of Johnston County, a show brought to you by the trusted team at Breeden Law Office. We thank you for joining us today and we look forward to sharing more interesting facets of this community next week. Every story, every viewpoint adds another thread to the rich tapestry of Johnston County.