Meet Matt Smith!! Matt has lived in Hall County his entire life, graduated from North Hall High School and North Georgia College and State University. Matt is married to Jessica and works as a Senior Associate Commercial Appraiser with J. Lawson & Associates. He also is an active past president of the Gainesville Jaycees and the Chairman of the Hall County GOP.
We want to thank Matt for recently sharing more about his life and Hall County with us.
Question: What inspired you or led you to your current career?
Answer: “Real estate markets have always fascinated me. Seeing how and why values move is interesting. That being said, I’ve always thought it was awesome to be able to help others (both lenders and individuals) make good decisions about purchasing or not purchasing property.  Also, the ability to drive my own schedule and set my own paycheck has always been a huge plus to me.  It is awesome that I don’t have to miss things because of work.”
Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County, and what do you love there?
A: “El Gritton. The best Mexican food around. I like to mix and match tacos there – the steak and bacon taco is legit.”
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met in Hall County and why?
A: “Hands down, the answer is my wife, Jessica.  She is so interesting, that I asked her to marry me so that I could spend all my days learning more about her.”
Q: What is your favorite childhood memory?
A: “Watching the Braves with my dad and listening to Skip Carey call a game. My dad and I both still tear up a bit when we hear Skip’s call of Sid Bream’s slide in the 1992 NCLS against the Pirates to send the Braves to the World Series.”
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
A: “Alaska.  The sights would be beautiful and it is neat to think about unexplored wilderness.”
Q: What is the first movie you remember seeing in a theater?
A: “Field of Dreams – and, it’s one of my favorite of all time.”
Q: What advice would you give a crowd of people?
A: “Growing up, my dad was a pastor. He would always say, ‘In a million years, what’s it gonna matter?’ I think this is true in your Christian walk, but and also in your day-to-day life. Focus on the important things in life and don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “See all of the major league baseball parks in person and attend a concert at Red Rocks.”
Q: What is your favorite music/ three bands you would like to see (dead or alive)?
A: “I honestly love all kinds of music, but my favorite band is Foo Fighters. Three bands I would like to see would be Johnny Cash, The Beatles, Eric Clapton.”
Q: What local business makes you the most nostalgic about Hall County and why?
A: “The Inn Between – this has to be one of the top five answers to this question, right? The Inn Between has been a staple in Hall County forever and I remember going there all the time in high school. And under the new ownership, I can get a sandwich with no mayo.  Thanks Anderson Dunlap!”
Q: Choosing anyone (past or present and a non-relative), with whom would you love to have lunch?  And where locally would you have this lunch?
A: “That is a tough question. Probably Babe Ruth. In my opinion, the greatest ball player to ever play the game. He dominated an era in his sport. We would eat at Mellow Mushroom, because pizza and beer with the Bambino just sounds like a good time.”
Q: What is your favorite thing about Hall County?
A: “Without doubt, it is the people. The people in the community care about each other. It seems like this county has to have more charitable organizations per capita than any other place that I can think of. The crazy thing is, most all of the organizations here are well supported because the people here care so much about this community.”
Q: Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years?
A: “I see myself enjoying my job and this community with my wife and hopefully children.”
Q: What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A: “I like to cook for others (either inside, baking, or on the Egg), and I think I’m pretty good at it. But I’m not very good at the cleaning part of the equation. My wife would agree…”
Q: What three words mean “Home” to you?
A: “Family, rest, happiness.”

The Faces of Hall County is a project to showcase the amazing people that live or work in our community. If you would like to nominate an interesting person to be featured please email babernathy@gonorton.com.