Since 1888, Origin SC has remained one of the leading nonprofit human service organizations in providing professional financial and housing counseling services. We have successfully withstood the test of time and socio-economic changes by providing quality advocacy, counseling, and education to individuals and families in the Charleston Tri-County area, throughout South Carolina, and even nationwide. For the past 15 years, David A. Geer has been the CEO of Origin SC. He has led the organization by building the multi-million dollar programs to reach more than 10,000 clients every year in the areas of housing stability, homeownership promotion, and home preservation. After years of hard work and dedication, the time has come for David Geer to retire. As his time with Origin SC is coming to a close, we asked David to reflect on his experience with some questions.
Q. How have you seen the industry change and what elements of that change are critical to our work going forward? How should we prepare for that change?
A. The change from 2003 to 2018 has much to do with the economic escalation in the Lowcountry of SC. The positive change is that our area is experiencing terrific growth. On the negative side, our customer base that we serve as our mission dictates is 120% of average median income and the real estate prices are unreachable for our client base with no appreciable end in sight. Our challenge is to convince the metropolitan area to build affordable housing into its expansion footprint and to secure layered financing wherever possible. We still have the responsibility to educate and work with consumers who need housing regardless of the income range.
Q. If there was one piece of advice for a professional entering the community development field what would it be?
A. There is no one fix for all conditions, population bases, or demographic similarities. You must be content and excited to make small numbers of people more self-sufficient and not become discouraged that you cannot fix all the ills of the community.
Q. Please share one of your dominant beliefs, philosophies, principles or core values that have guided you through your professional career...how have they shaped you as a leader?
A. We must remember that we are a business and must have more revenue coming in than expenses we pay out and this needs to permeate the entire operation. Outcomes for individuals are why we are in business and we need to identify and measure these outcomes to insure that we are spending funds wisely and with a purpose.
Q. NeighborWorks America is celebrating our 40th year in 2018. How has being a NeighborWorks network member impacted you as a leader? And, what value has NeighborWorks brought to your organization?
A. The group of NeighborWorks organizations has a significant number of best practices that can be gleaned from their work. By connecting with the different NWOs, problems can be solved, new markets developed, and successful businesses can be grown.
Q. As you begin to transition into the next phase of your life - what are you most proud of during your tenure at Origin SC? And why?
A. I am most proud of the growth of the organization and the development of the staff along the way. We have found and nurtured many partners in a collaborative environment that has produced change in individuals and in the community. We think for the better.
Throughout his 15 years of being CEO at Origin SC, David Geer has been an exceptional leader. As he transitions into this next chapter of his life, David plans to spend his time golfing, fishing, and spending time on his boat. He also looks forward to spending time with his wife Aussie, and their three children, and four grandchildren. From the bottom of our hearts we thank David for his amazing commitment to our community, and we wish him happiness and contentment as he begins this next chapter in his life.
