With Eye Toward Innovation & The Future, Titan Home Improvement Becomes Titan Holdings

With Eye Toward Innovation & The Future, Titan Home Improvement Becomes Titan Holdings

CORAL GABLES, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Titan Holdings (“Titan,” formerly “Titan Home Improvement”) today announced a companywide new operating structure aimed at driving innovation and growth including the launch of a new business vertical and the rebranding of another as part of a broader strategy to revolutionize the end-to-end residential remodeling process.

Titan has split itself into two business verticals: direct-to-consumer home improvement operations and a residential services technology business, as further detailed below. The home improvement operating business will be branded as Renuity and will own Titan’s family of home improvement divisions, including FHIA Remodeling, Mad City Windows & Baths, Statewide Remodeling, Home Smart Industries, and Paradise Home Improvement. Renuity, which will serve as the overarching parent company to those existing regional operating brands, will continue to pursue an aggressive growth strategy through new market expansion and acquisitions. This strategic growth has been the hallmark of Titan since its founding in 2019.

The second business vertical is Bylt, a new technology business that was launched earlier this year. Bylt includes the recent acquisition of LeadPerfection, the home improvement industry-leading CRM platform. Bylt will also serve as an incubator for innovation that will create a best-in-class technology services offering to the residential services industry. The Bylt team is already hard at work significantly enhancing the functionality of the LeadPerfection system, including the near-term roll out a newly developed and proven lead scoring & analytics add-on. Bylt will be led by Bill Baker as the company’s Managing Director. Bill was previously the CIO of Titan, and in his new role will report directly to Daniel Gluck, who is now the CEO of Titan Holdings. Bob Rubertone, the visionary founder of LeadPerfection, will remain with the company and will continue to build on his long-standing relationship with Bylt’s valued customers.

“This is a move guided by innovation, growth and our goal to be the disruptor in this category, and we are not stopping until we get there,” said Gluck, who has been the architect of Titan since its launch in 2019. “Similar to the relationship between other holding companies structured as parents for branded verticals, this new organizational structure splitting our business into home improvement operations and a separate technology business will allow us to aggressively invest in the development of new tools to redefine how residential remodeling is done. We will now be able to bring best-in-class technology we are developing to the rest of the industry, who will benefit from the significant development dollars we are putting behind our new technology vertical.”

“Opportunities like this don’t come around often, and we are ready to take full advantage of it,” said Baker, who has been a key member of Titan’s leadership since its launch. “I am incredibly excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead Bylt and expand upon the great foundation that Bob and his team have laid with the LeadPerfection platform. We are looking forward to rolling out the upgraded LeadPerfection functionality next year along with making our recently developed lead scoring product available to our customers. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to turn LeadPerfection into a truly special piece of technology and to offer the revamped product and our recent investment in customer support resources to the home improvement industry.”

About Titan Holdings

Formerly “Titan Home Improvement,” Titan Holdings features two home-related verticals, including a portfolio of national home improvement operating divisions (“Renuity”) and a technology platform focused on building out a superior managed solution for the home services industry (“Bylt”). The holding company aims to leverage its portfolio of assets to revolutionize the end-to-end residential remodeling process. Titan Holdings is based in Coral Gables, Fla.

About Renuity

Renuity is a portfolio of national home improvement operating divisions owned by Titan Holdings and operating across the United States. These businesses include best-in-class organizations like FHIA Remodeling, Mad City Windows & Baths, Statewide Remodeling, Home Smart Industries, and Paradise Home Improvement. Collectively, these businesses have helped hundreds of thousands of homeowners get quality remodeling services and reliable installation at a competitive price.

About Bylt

Bylt is a technology platform focused on building out a superior managed solution for the direct-to-consumer residential services industry. Bylt’s initial acquisition, LeadPerfection and its associated data analytics arm, represents the customer relationship management software of choice for residential remodeling companies.

Hawaii’s ultra-luxe real estate is smashing records. Here’s what’s selling

Hawaii’s ultra-luxe real estate is smashing records. Here’s what’s selling

This $23.5 million mansion in Kauai recently sold to guitarist Carlos Santana.

PanaViz

Hawaii’s luxury real estate market is soaring to all-time highs fueled by several factors including pent-up demand from the coronavirus pandemic, record low interest rates and rising equity markets.

In the first three quarters of this year, homes valued at $3 million or more saw sales volume rise 235{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} compared with the same period in 2020. Deal volume hit a record-breaking $3.7 billion, according to Hawaii Life’s Luxury Market Report. But sales of homes priced above $10 million have climbed at an even more robust pace — trouncing state records.

“It’s just been like a rocket ship,” said Hawaii Life Real Estate CEO Matt Beall. “Referring strictly to the data, it’s just an incredible, incredible event for the market.”

Beall, who’s been selling real estate in Hawaii since 1998, said he’s never seen a faster moving market, as the vast majority of the high-end transactions his firm has brokered are being purchased in all-cash deals.

This mansion in Maui has five bedrooms, five and a half baths, and an ocean view. It recently sold for $12.5 million.

Travis Rowan

“There were people showing up, they’re like, ‘OK, I’m [going to] … offer on this house sight unseen. … It’s going to be a two-week closing. I’m going to have a 13-day due diligence, I’m going to fly in on the 12th day, … meet with all the inspectors, … and move in on the 14th day.'”

Beall said the pace has been “aggressively quick” with some $20 million deals closing inside of 30 days.

“I think that pace caught not just the profession off guard, but also the sellers. You know, it’s like … that’s not normal,” he said.

This mansion in Maui spans over 5,800 square feet with five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms. It recently sold for $18 million.

WeR3DMaui

The state’s previous record for volume was set in 2017, when the first three quarters of the year saw 317 transactions and $1.67 billion in total luxury home sales. Over the same time period, 2021 saw more than double the sales volume and two times the transactions, with 634 sales of homes priced above $3 million. That’s an average of about 16 luxury homes selling per week, every single week for 39 straight weeks.

“The volume and the velocity of Hawaii’s real estate market have shattered every record and historical norm previously held,” said Beall in his report.

The view from the infinity pool of a Maui mansion that recently sold for $18 million.

WeR3DMaui

Remarkably, the gains are coming at a time when most foreign buyers have been unable to visit Hawaii and participate in the record-breaking buying spree due to Covid-19 restrictions. In 2019, foreign buyers accounted for about 4{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} of home sales in the state, Beall said.

“It’s really significant to me that all of this, or the great majority of it, is been done domestically,” he said.

Real estate firm Hawaii Life is having a record-breaking year as well, Beall said, with more than $3 billion in sales over the first three quarters of 2021. Sales of luxury homes accounted for $1.38 billion of the total sales volume.

This 4,758-square-foot mansion in Kauai recently sold for $21 million.

PanaViz

According to the data, the average luxury home in the state sold for more than $6 million, up 12.4{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} over the same period last year, with an average price per square foot of $1,795.

“We are seeing buyers from the entertainment, technology and finance sectors purchase both high-profile and off-market listings, and for record-setting prices,” said Beall in the report.

Ultra-luxury sales take off

Most notable was the staggering growth in the ultra-luxury market, which includes homes priced above $10 million. In the first three quarters, there were 64 transactions totaling $1.06 billion in sales in this segment — a 603{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} change in dollar value over the previous-year period and more than six times the number of transactions.

This 8,173-square-foot island home on Kauai was recently purchased by legendary guitarist Carlos Santana.

PanaViz

Despite the market’s velocity and its stratospheric rise, Beall said he does not see signs of frothiness.

“I don’t actually feel like it’s super frothy yet and that it’s all just going to come crumbling down, ” he said, noting how deep the demand is in a tiny market.

Among the 64 transactions that topped $10 million is a deal involving legendary guitarist Carlos Santana. He purchased an 8,173-square-foot mansion on the island of Kauai for $20.5 million. Beall’s firm represented both Santana and the seller. 

Big Island ultra-luxe sales see largest gains

Hale Makana Ola is an oceanside property in Maui that recently sold for $12.5 million.

Travis Rowan

Across the state’s eight major islands, most of the growth in ultra-luxury sales came from the Big Island, which saw a 1,582{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} change in sales volume over 2020. That gain was followed by Maui, which saw a rise of 644{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} in sales volume, and Kauai, which was up 640{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9}.

In the first three quarters, the Big Island accounted for $393 million in sales volume, or 37{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} of the state’s total in the ultra-luxury category.

This $18.5 million compound recently sold on the Big Island. It’s comprised of seven tropical pavilions that house areas for dining, gathering, sleeping, guests and more.

Spaces808.com

Beall’s company represented Capital Group portfolio manager Claudia Huntington, who sold her 6,674-square-foot residence on the Big Island. The home is comprised of seven pavilions overlooking Kauna’oa Bay. It sold for $18.53 million, or about $2,776 per square foot.

“I’m actually weirdly bullish about value. … One thing I know about Hawaii as compared to say, Florida or New York … we are like literally a speck of sand, surrounded by 2,000 miles, it is a tiny, tiny market,” Beall said, adding that the market has a dwindling inventory.

This private residence perched above Kauna’oa Bay on the Big Island recently sold for $18.5 million.

Spaces808.com

“If you look at any inventory chart, it’s like, down and to the right, and flatline. Prices are being pushed up by a lack of supply,” he said.

High-profile sales have also brought attention and interest to the tropical market. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan reportedly purchased 600 more acres of land in Kauai for $53 million in March, bringing their total ownership stake on the islands to about 1,300 acres. 

Inside Carlos Santana’s new home

Here’s a closer look at Carlos Santana’s new island home on Kauai.

The exterior view of Santana’s four bedroom four and a half bath residence in Kauai.

PanaViz

According to the listing, Santana’s compound is made up of three main buildings, or pods, connected by a common outdoor living area.

Bay and mountain views from the estate’s infinity pool.

PanaViz

The home has expansive views of lush, green mountains and Hanalei Bay. 

A retractable rooftop and open architecture blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor.

PanaViz

The central area can be used for dining al fresco.

A glass retractable roof opens to the sky above a glowing onyx bar top.

PanaViz

It features a glowing onyx bar and barbecue that sits underneath a retractable glass roof.

Open-air lounge with wood-stained vaulted ceiling.

PanaViz

There is a lanai-style lounge under vaulted stained-wood ceilings.

A view of the kitchen.

PanaViz

The main pod spans 3,738 square feet including a kitchen with two stainless steel Wolf ovens, two sinks, custom wood cabinetry and a stone-covered island at its center.

The formal dining and living area.

PanaViz

The largest pod includes a living room and a formal dining area.

A view of the lanai’s dining area.

PanaViz

The interconnected architecture is designed to frame the island’s breathtaking scenery.

A second pod includes a 1,275-square-foot owner’s suite, plus a study.

The outdoor shower is surrounded by lush foliage.

PanaViz

An outdoor shower is tucked behind a stone wall and surrounded by lush gardens.

A view from one of the home’s four bedrooms.

PanaViz

The estate’s third pod houses two of the home’s four en suite bedrooms.

An infinity-edge pool and hot tub overlook Hanalei Bay.

PanaViz

The rooms are steps away from a saltwater infinity-edge pool with a hot tub and shallow-water sun ledge with seating for two.

There is seating for two on the pool’s sun ledge.

PanaViz

The home sits on a 0.81-acre lot. Real estate taxes last year were $44,776, the listing said.

Changing of the guard at Sotheby’s Santa Fe | Business

Changing of the guard at Sotheby’s Santa Fe | Business

People bought homes in Santa Fe in 2011. Many more people are buying homes now.

Gregg Antonsen ushered in the internet age at Sotheby’s International Realty Santa Fe during his 10 years as senior vice president and qualifying broker.

Drew Lamprich will foster the video element in January as he becomes the new vice president and qualifying broker for Sotheby’s local operation. Antonsen will retire to Hawaii, where he established his luxury real estate career and lived in his young-adult years.

Video has become a crucial element in home sales as a growing number of people are buying homes in Santa Fe without even coming to Santa Fe — but they are not committing sight unseen. They are “touring” and “inspecting” homes via live video.

Lamprich, 41, and his business partner, Penelope Vasquez, 73, happen to be video pioneers at Sotheby’s, where Lamprich was a rookie broker as recently as five years ago when he signed on at Sotheby’s for his first real estate job at age 35. They were among the first Sotheby’s agents in Santa Fe to appear in front of the camera.

“I really hope to encourage our folks to be in the videos,” Lamprich said. “You break down barriers [with homebuyers]. You are approachable. They get to know you. It keeps that relationship warm and personable.”

Antonsen, 68, sees value in these newfangled ways.

“It brings the home alive,” Antonsen said. “Otherwise, you are just seeing empty homes.”

Vasquez recruited Lamprich to her team when they were two of seven Santa Fe Sotheby’s agents at a Denver real estate conference. Lampich said it was two days after he received his real estate license. She watched him work the room, and she didn’t want a business partner in her age group.

“I wanted someone in tune with today’s technological changes,” Vasquez said.

Vasquez and Lamprich teamed up for nearly $100 million in real estate sales since 2016. At the same time, Lamprich was establishing himself within Sotheby’s and the Santa Fe real estate community. He joined the Santa Fe Association of Realtors board of directors in 2019. He serves as first vice president and will be president-elect in 2022 and SFAR’s president in 2023.

None of this surprises Vasquez.

“He has integrated himself in the community very quickly and effectively,” Vasquez said. “I think Drew came mature. He had managed a lot of people.”

Lamprich had managed a Lowe’s home improvement center during his 11 years in Austin, Texas, before moving to Santa Fe — and he had renovated the house he owned there, part of his longtime ambition to get into real estate when the time was right. It was right when he was 35, and it was the right time to leave Austin.

“It’s a college town, it’s the capital, it became a metropolis in that time,” Lamprich said. “I sold my first house that I renovated. That allowed me to do this. I wanted to buy a large parcel of land, which I did in Glorieta.”

He reached out to Sotheby’s on his first day in Santa Fe and was referred to Antonsen.

“I was interested in meeting with him,” Antonsen recalled. “There were things that stood out. He managed a major store in Austin. I saw he was very organized. He had leadership skills. [Later] I saw him interact very well with our clientele. I could see this guy is going to be dedicated.”

Antonsen wanted to retire in 2020 but wanted to see the pandemic through at least the return to relatively normal commerce during the course of this year.

Antonsen grew up and lived in Minnesota through law school, and in 1979 moved to Hawaii, where his parents had a second home. He opened his own luxury real estate office but sold it and returned to Minnesota in 1993.

Christie’s, the London auction house, acquired Santa Fe-based Great Estates in 1995 to create Chirstie’s International Realty, keeping the headquarters in Santa Fe.

Antonsen had been a Great Estates affiliate in Hawaii and Christie’s contacted him to become its senior vice president of business development in North America in 2003, bringing him to Santa Fe.

“When the headquarters moved to New York [in 2011], I didn’t want to move to New York,” Antonsen said.

The other legendary London auction house, Sotheby’s, just then had an opening for a senior vice president at its real estate operation in Santa Fe and brought on Antonsen. But Hawaii has always been on his radar.

“Ever since I left,” Antonsen said. “Going back made me recognize winter is not for me the older I get.”

Lamprich sees himself as a long-term successor to Antonsen, not a two-years-and-out sort.

“I’d say it’s a career,” Lamprich said. “Relationships take time. To do it justice to the role, you need to stay the course.”

Lamprich bounced around the country, originally from Oklahoma, but living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area from age 6 to 18.

He attended New York University for three years before heading back to Oklahoma to spend time with his grandparents, finishing his bachelor’s degree in sociology at the University of Tulsa.

Next stop was San Diego for three years, where he worked for United Cerebral Palsy as a program assistant, instructor and client advocacy coordinator; as a vocational counselor at Goodwill Industries; and doing in-house support services for San Diego County.

Later, as Austin massively grew, Lamprich looked for his next career, the one that had been in his mind for more than a decade: real estate.

“I wanted to go somewhere wonderfully connected to nature with deep culture and history and beautiful architecture,” Lamprich said. “There are so many elements I love. The fact you can live next door from someone who is 10th generation local and someone from another part of the world. I love that.”

When To Buy Your First Rental Property

When To Buy Your First Rental Property

Deciding to invest in your very first piece of rental real estate is the first step toward generating a passive income and creating long-term wealth. The journey to building wealth can be quite difficult and should not be taken lightly. Before investing your hard-earned cash into a rental property, a wise investor needs to have a plan. Having a well-mapped-out plan will help mitigate some of the risk.

Continue to read below to learn what elements should be included in your plan!

Identify the type of rental property you want to own 

The world of rental real estate is vast; there are a variety of properties that are up for grabs. From apartment buildings to trailer homes, investors have a wide range of choices when it comes to the types of properties that can be acquired. Given this fact, before diving into the wonderful world of rental real estate, it’s a must to know what type of property you want to acquire.

Couple embracing one another while looking at property.

Source: Getty Images

Pursue knowledge of the industry

Once a definite decision has been made about what type of property you want, the next step is to gain as much knowledge about that particular sector of the rental real estate industry. If you’re wondering what type of content to start consuming, this article might be a good place to start. Regardless of the type of rental property owner you decide to become, knowledge of the industry is a must!

Create a budget

Once you’ve gained some industry knowledge, the next step is to create a budget. The great thing about hopping into the rental real estate market is that your budget does not have to be big. When it comes to buying a rental property, you don’t have to buy the next feature for Netflix’s World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals. It’s fine to start small, like with a trailer or even a condo. 

Get preapproved for a loan for your investment property

After creating a budget, the next step of the plan is to try to get preapproved for an investment loan. Getting loan preapproval for your investment property may come with a bit more legwork, but the good news is that investors can explore several loan options. Investors can get conventional loans, hard money loans, private loans, or home equity loans. There are many options to explore, but don’t miss out on the important step of preapproval; it will help guide your purchasing decision. 

Start researching properties online

After being preapproved for a loan, the next step is to conduct an online search for properties within the investment budget. The search should be consistent with the goals of the first step of the plan.

Learn how to analyze a real estate deal

Additionally, learning how to analyze a real estate deal will help you on your real estate journey. Learning this skill will help you determine the difference between an expensive property and a valuable property. For investors, your eyes should always be laser focused on value — and learning how to analyze a real estate deal can help with that.

Analyzing a real estate deal can be quite a lengthy process, but the good news is you do not need to be a math wizard to figure out the steps. The process can also be quite lengthy, and you will find different versions of this process on the web. The version will also differ by property, so I will give you the short and general version here.

  1. The first step is to select a location and compile property information.
  2. Next, you will need to analyze the appreciation rates, a rental strategy, and target tenants within the chosen location.
  3. Then you will need to run a financial analysis and determine the net operating income.
  4. Analyze the return on investment.
  5. Determine the capitalization rate. 
  6. Run a comparative market analysis (CMA).

Like I said, this process can be quite lengthy. If you need support, Zillow has a free public database that investors can use to estimate the value of a home based on similar and recent sales in the market.

Ready to buy!

Once an analysis has been conducted, now may be a good time to contact a real estate agent because you are in good shape to purchase your first rental real estate property.

While following a roadmap may seem like a bit of a hassle, it will help guide you on the journey to owning your first piece of rental real estate. As the saying goes, if you don’t make a plan, you’re planning to fail!

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the “official” recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. We’re motley! Questioning an investing thesis — even one of our own — helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

Deck the Halls with Safety: Avoid house fires from holiday decorations

Deck the Halls with Safety: Avoid house fires from holiday decorations

Six crucial tips to keep you, your family, and your home safe.

Posted:

Updated:

Tree On Fire

KENNEWICK, Wash. — December, January, and February are the most dangerous months for home fires as they occur more in winter than any other season, according to a Facebook post from the Walla Walla Fire Department. The U.S. Fire Administration said that cooking is the leading cause all year round, but during the winter season holiday decorations are also to blame. 

Nearly one in five Christmas tree fires were started by decorative lights, according to National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). In December, candles were also the cause of 45{d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9} of home decoration fires. (NFPA).

RELATED: Send in your Holiday Decorations for a chance to appear on KAPP KVEW

Here are the top 6 tips to follow to keep you, your family, and your home safe this holiday while enjoying your decorations. 

  1. Add water to your live tree daily (FEMA). The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), said a dried-out Christmas tree could simultaneously ignite in a flashover in less than one minute compared to a well-watered tree that burns much slower.
  2. Make sure your tree is at least three feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, vents, space heaters, etc.. (FEMA).
  3. Keep Candles at least 12 inches away from anything that burns (FEMA) or use battery-operated flameless candles. The NFPA said, that three out of every five candle fires started because the flame was too close to a flammable object like furniture, bedding, curtains, or other decor.
  4. Replace any lights or string of lights that are worn down, broken, or loose (NFPA). It’s always important to read the manufacturer’s instructions and check the maximum wattage, especially when connecting multiple strings of lights together or in an extension cord. A good rule of thumb from the CPSC is, “do not use more than three three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord.”
  5. Always turn off Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to bed (American Red Cross).
  6. Don’t light the fireplace if you have stockings or decorations hanging on the mantel. (American Red Cross).

“Electrical distribution or lighting equipment was involved in almost half of home Christmas tree fires.” –NFPA

Consumer Product Safety Commission also recommends that the holidays are a good time to review an emergency plan with your family if there is a fire in your home. Don’t forget to double-check all your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors as well. It’s always a good reminder for parents to keep lighters, candles, matches, breakable decorations, or any potential dangerous decorations away from children and pets. For additional holiday safety tips visit, click here.

ADDITIONAL HOLIDAY STORIES ON YAKTRINEW.COM

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GARDEN COLUMN: Putting the garden to bed for winter | Home & Garden

GARDEN COLUMN: Putting the garden to bed for winter | Home & Garden

The phrase ‘putting the garden to bed for winter’ always struck me as unrealistic as there is always something happening in the garden all year round, particularly in the south.

For those of us in Orangeburg County, the soil temperature is perfect for planting spring bulbs as well as hardy flower seeds that need cold temperatures before they germinate next spring. Dormant trees can also be planted as our ground rarely freezes so hard that you cannot dig in it.

Primarily though, the main chore is to tidy the garden up which does not mean mowing or trimming everything above the ground. Many annual flowers will set seed around themselves which, like the seeds that you purposely sow, wait until next year before they germinate and if you remove the seed heads, you will not get the self-sown seedlings next spring. Many perennials as well as annuals also have seeds that birds need to sustain them through the worst of winter weather. There are some flowers though that do need to be tidied up such as chrysanthemums, which look messy if not trimmed. If you are not a tidy gardener, even trimming chrysanthemums be done anytime before new growth emerges next year – so you have plenty of time.

Leaves, particularly fallen leaves from deciduous trees and magnolias, can create a thick mass on a lawn which, if left for several weeks, can kill the turf underneath. Mow these leave to chop them into fine pieces, then use to mulch some shrubs to protect the roots. Chopped leaves generally do not form such a mass of wet, impenetrable mat over an area. Pine needles of course are great for strawberries and many other areas of the garden, but it does take time to sort out the cones from the needles before you spread them over the strawberry bed.

In my garden, I focus more on indoor events such as family visits and trips, so between Thanksgiving and New Year, I virtually ignore the garden and turn my thoughts to it again in January when I trim back the perennials particularly those that have been knocked over by wind and storms. Which brings us to another reason to leave some top growth on your perennials – and that is to remind you next spring that a plant is there and you don’t dig it up in the spring garden preparation.

So feel free to plant some hardy seeds, plant bulbs and then ignore the garden until the festivities are over – the garden, and weeds, will still be there to tend in January.

Kate Copsey is a garden author, writer and speaker now living in eastern Orangeburg County. Her book “The Downsized Veggie Garden” is available from bookstores everywhere as well as her webpage www.katecopsey.com.