PICTURE PERFECT PENTHOUSE

Trace Ventures Finds Success at the Top

Written by Gloria Houghland / Photographed by Michael Robinson

Success can be likened to a “high-rise building:” start in the basement and work your way up to the penthouse. Trace Ventures, a diversified Nashville-based firm, specializing in high-quality design-build construction and remodeling in both residential and commercial arenas, is a premier example of that reference. Literally, the perfect example.

In 1991, Art and Martha Stinson started their small company with a focus on upscale residential design-build remodeling. Mostly through word of mouth, the company grew and, in 2015, the Stinson’s sold the company to Clearbrook Holdings, which provides crucial business resources to the rapidly growing firm. Without losing focus of its core business, Trace expanded its offerings to include hand-picked commercial projects, including the new Glen Campbell Museum slated to open in January 2020.

Mark Holliday, President of Trace Ventures and a 32-year building trade veteran, moved to Nashville 14 years ago from Cleveland, Ohio, recognizing the potential in Music City, not to mention its favorable weather conditions. Holliday’s prior history of growing a company from six employees to more than 100, pegged him as highly desirable, and Trace Ventures scooped him up in a flash.

Through the years, Holliday has built his team at Trace Ventures into one of the more sought after design-build firms in Middle Tennessee. As needs arose, Holliday found the most qualified person to fill each niche. Trace Ventures now employs 15 specialists with an in-house interior designer expected to join the company in early 2020.

So, what is the secret to the success of Trace Ventures? According to Holliday, the founding principles of craftsmanship combined with exceptional service continue to be the bedrock of the organization. “Our process is simple but significant. The client is always kept in the loop financially, so they can determine whether to increase or decrease their costs at every step in real-time. This approach makes us unique and sets us apart from other builders.”

In 2016, Holliday, whose expertise is sales, approached Trace Ventures’ majority partner, Mike Shmerling (often considered one of Nashville’s most prominent entrepreneurs) seeking an introduction to high stakes real estate developer Tony Giarratana, the pioneer of Nashville’s luxury downtown living. Holliday had long been aware of the mark Giarratana was making in the community and wanted to participate in select areas of the forthcoming 505, a 45-story mixed-use skyscraper. Holliday hoped Trace Ventures might be included in certain custom buildouts, but Giarratana had other plans. He did, however, keep Trace Ventures in mind for an even more prestigious project – his very own Penthouse Suite.

“This was huge—-our premier project in all these years,” Holliday confided. “We had never worked in a high-rise, much less a penthouse, but Giarratana had confidence in us. I admit I was nervous. I didn’t want to screw up!” Holliday then turned to his most recent hire, Charlie Gingrass, who had relocated to Nashville from Milwaukee, where he had operated his own construction company for 17 years. Holliday’s initial thought was to hire Gingrass as a highly-skilled salesperson to help him grow the company. When the penthouse project presented itself, though, Holliday knew just where to turn. He surprised Gingrass by temporarily re-assigning him as Lead Project Manager for the Penthouse, knowing he would be well supported by Rick Dismukes, Trace’s well-respected Production Manager, and Mike Fly, one of Trace’s estimators with commercial experience. “It was the riskiest, and best decision I ever made,” Holliday noted.

Giarratana originally planned for the 4400-square-foot penthouse, the largest of the four, to be a model for his next project, a planned luxury residential tower 20 stories taller than the 505. It was imperative that it be first-class. Holliday and Gingrass got in touch with their best vendors and went to work transforming the penthouse into the firm’s calling card for future contracts. No expense was spared in creating a showroom, so to speak, for the most advanced concepts in technology from automated touchpads, heated floors, hidden functioning systems, full surround sound, and innovative lighting systems. Everything was top-of-the-line.

Giarratana hired Chicago-based, interior designer, Frank Ponterio, who worked closely with the team at Trace Ventures. Together, they transformed a blank space with translucent quartzite for kitchen countertops, high-gloss Italian eucalyptus kitchen cabinets, Sub-zero and Miele appliances, imported steel accents, heated hardwood, and tile flooring, metal bookcases, Tony’s c. 1400 dining room table (505’s wine room boasts a copy) and the ebony grand piano, his wife, Lisa’s prized instrument. “Ponterio specified one piece of carved limestone for the guest bathroom shower, which was de riguer, of course, but natural stone has to be transported on its edge or it breaks. Because it wouldn’t fit in the service elevator, we cut it into three pieces. The craftsmanship is so precise, you can’t even tell,” said Gingrass.

The co-ordination of a high-rise project is a tremendous task and when it is the highest penthouse in the city that makes the job even more arduous. “During the first half of the project, the 505 was still being built,” Gingrass explained. The elevator was installed, but the balcony had not been built. Hand lifts had to be used to deliver the highly specialized hardwood floors, as well as a 750-pound safe and the soaking tub in the master bath to the 2nd-floor mezzanine. As in every project, the client decides to make changes. Giarratana was no exception.

In the original plan, the living areas and kitchen were separated by a one-foot ceiling differential. He decided he wanted them all on the same level. This involved raising the HVAC ductwork and unobtrusive slot grillwork in the ceiling. He also decided to remove a wall and install glass panels to the balcony so the view would be unobstructed. “We worked together as partners. I earned his respect and he encouraged me to speak my mind. We dealt with the various details to modify the design elements and make them work,” Gingrass said

Giarratana was so delighted with the penthouse project that he decided to keep it as his personal residence, and he partnered with Trace Ventures on the two of the remaining three penthouse condos. One has already sold, one is for sale, and one in design, but Trace is proud to have been dubbed the contractor of choice for the 505.

“I am thrilled,” said Holliday. “This is the ultimate feather in our cap. But, more importantly, the relationship with our client has blossomed. Tony Giarrantana is a pleasure to work with. He respects and values each and every employee at every level. When the penthouse was complete, he hosted a party for each person involved in the project. That’s the kind of guy he is. He is loyal and he wants you to be successful. You solve problems that way, and you all become winners.”

Tony Giarratana seems to feel exactly the same way about Trace Ventures. Is it any wonder that Trace has soared into the stratosphere, that elite level in the sky where penthouses are perched?