Springfield Business Journal_2019-07-29

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The majority of the 1,500-square-foot villa-style units that include a two-car garage are set for comple- tion this fall, he said. Black Rock is managed by TLC Properties Inc., a division of Coryell Collaborative Group. Eric Stuhlsatz of ELS Construction is general contractor, with Jeff Wells of PlaceMakers Architecture LLC as project architect. Although Black Rock will be finished in the next few months, it’s not the only senior housing project for Say You Can. A couple of 55-plus community developments are the planned in Omaha, Nebraska, Byrne said, with groundbreaking expected in 2020 and 2021. It’s the second community outside of the Springfield area where the company has pursued projects – the other being Minneap- olis, Minnesota. Like Springfield, Tolliver has a connection to both out-of-state communi- ties, as he’s played three seasons during his career for the Minnesota Timberwolves, in- cluding 2018-19, and graduated in 2007 from Creighton University in Omaha. “We’ve definitely been in growth mode. It’s an interesting thing when each project you do is bigger than the last,” Byrne said, declining to disclose company revenue. He estimates the company has approximately $20 million in total assets under its management, with the majority of those projects in Springfield. Up next is a re- development for an East Cherry Street pocket neighborhood. The company has made a $1.4 million investment for six attached, single- unit residences in the Rountree neighbor- hood. Byrne said construction should start by late summer or early fall. “We’ve built up a pretty good-sized portfo- lio of residential, both single-family and mul- tifamily properties,” he said. The company name is a tribute to Tolliver’s mom, Donna Lewis, who died in 2008 prior to its formation, Byrne said. She regularly at- tended her son’s high school games, shouting, “Say you can, baby,” from the stands. Staying connected It’s been 17 years since Tolliver graduated from Kickapoo High School – a thought that gave him pause after he calculated the pas- sage of time since he last lived in Springfield. He said it’s the people, both family and friends, that keep him connected to his hometown. Aside from his partnership in Say You Can, he’s also teamed up with longtime friends Ralph Duda III and Dane Watts on separate Springfield-based ventures. With Duda, he’s a part-owner of Lil’ An- glers LLC, which focuses on childrens’ fish- ing products, such as the Kid Casters line of youth fishing kits. He’s also a co-owner with Watts, Bryan Simpson and Josh Stewart in Big Blanket Co., which raised more than $94,000 in January through a crowdfunding campaign, according to past Springfield Busi- ness Journal reporting. Nearly 600 people contributed to the campaign to fund produc- tion of 10-foot-tall by 10-foot-wide polyester and spandex blankets. The company began production of its oversized blankets in Janu- ary and sells the product via BigBlanket.com. “I just continue to try and give back any way I can. Obviously, I partner up with peo- ple I trust,” Tolliver said. “The guys on the ground doing everything like Kelly, Ralph and Dane and those guys, they’re the experts at what they do. I just try to support them from a financial standpoint.” Most of Tolliver’s investment attention re- mains in real estate, which he said he’s had an interest in for years. That business experience landed Toll- iver and Byrne in Las Vegas in July 2018, as the pair spoke on a panel about real estate at the inaugural National Basketball Players Association career summit. It was the first panel discussion the longtime friends have participated in together. But Tolliver said he frequently speaks on real estate and business ventures in general with the media and fellow NBA players. “A lot of guys like being involved in real es- tate deals,” he said. “It’s just a matter of get- ting into the right one.” As he gets ready to join his new team in Portland next month, Tolliver said he’s al- ways kept a close eye on business opportuni- ties away from the hardwood. “That’s what’s always motivated my real estate and everything else I do, is thinking about post career,” he said. “Being able to do something that I enjoy doing and do it with people I like and love. That’s the real reason I started doing real estate and all these dif- ferent other businesses, so that whenever I decide to hang up the sneakers, the transition will be smooth.” Tolliver: Say You Can manages $20M in assets Continued from page 1 provided by SAY YOU CAN LLC As former NBA player Jim Jackson listens, Kelly Byrne, center, managing member of Say You Can LLC, and business partner and NBA player Anthony Tolliver, share insight during a July 2018 real estate panel discussion in Las Vegas.