Todd Avant Two of the state’s biggest opportunities in real estate listings are the Daniel Island 495 acres and the Bull Street 178 acres. Charleston’s Daniel Island parcel was once slated for a new port facility, but the S.C. Ports Authority decided on the nearby former Navy Yard. Columbia’s Bull Street property is the old insane asylum and its architectural treasures including one major building by South Carolina’s Robert Mills, all available for creative mixed use and historic readaptation.

Columbia–based NAI Avant is the exclusive marketing agent for both properties. Todd Avant, CCIM, is president of NAI Avant, a position he has held for two years. His father Dan is the chairman and CEO of NAI Avant.

Avant was born in Columbia, where his father Dan was entering the real estate business as an employee under Tom McTeer. Avant’s older brother Mark is with NBSC in Charleston, and his younger brother Kevin also works at NAI Avant.

Avant’s family moved to Camden for his middle school and high school years. They lived at the end of Brevard Place in a house almost 200 years old, which is now occupied by Columbia bankruptcy attorney Woody Cleveland and his wife Kathleen Parker, one of the highly syndicated Washington Post Writers Group.

Avant played varsity tennis, making it to No. 1 in his senior year of high school. For the summers he was an employee in his father’s development at DeBordieu, just south of Pawleys Island.

At Wofford College he majored in business economics. His social life was mostly tied with his fraternity, Kappa Alpha.

Upon entering college, Avant and his father’s business, Edens & Avant, ran into Hurricane Hugo in the fall of 1989, and then they hit President Bush’s (#41’s) recession of 1990–91. Also, the S&L crisis was in full swing.

Graduating in 1993, Avant became a property manager for Edens & Avant. He managed about 15 properties on average at any one time, including a good many grocery–store– anchored shopping centers.

Avant later moved into sales and leasing under the guidance of Columbia’s Lloyd Kapp, again at Edens & Avant, where he became a full–fledged broker.

About 10 years ago, Avant developed his first build–to–suit building. He sold the building almost immediately upon completion of construction, leaving him with enough funds to acquire an 1898 cotton mill near the intersection of South Assembly and Rosewood Drive.

The 70,000 square–foot building, originally called the Palmetto Mill, sits on Avant’s five acres, which he owns outright with the building. He has had a tenant for the past nine years, but as the surrounding area continues to improve, there may be possibilities to redevelop the whole thing. Meanwhile, such valuable property affords collateral for other opportunities.

One opportunity is The Preserve, Avant’s single family subdivision a little south of the intersection of Rosewood Drive and Garners Ferry Road.

Following the successful sellout of The Preserve, Avant and his father Dan went in 50–50 for a control- ling interest in Edens & Avant Real Estate Services, now NAI Avant, leaving the development side of the business to today’s Edens & Avant. The two Avants evolved from controlling interest to entire ownership. And NAI Avant has waited out the real estate development no–1compete time frame to the point they are free to develop again.

Avant reflects on his frenetic 16 years since college, and he comes out as an advocate for constant planning while establishing daily priorities to give him due direction.