Building a Hotel Procurement & Design Firm Through Booms, Busts, and Global Expansion

In this episode of Beyond the Startup, Larry Carver, founder and president of Carver & Associates, shares how he entered the real estate and design field simply by needing a job after college and the Army. He’s worked with and learned from some of the industry's heavy hitters, including Jack DeBoer, John Portman, and mentor Lowell Goldman, who taught him hotel FF&E procurement. Larry opened his firm in 1983 with $500 and a rented desk, landing major hotel projects and building the business on relationships. He recounts major downturns, including the late-1980s tax changes and savings-and-loan fallout, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and COVID, describing staff reductions, perseverance, and recovery through projects in Taiwan, Korea, Las Vegas, and the Middle East. He discusses risk-taking, hiring experts for finance and design, and advises entrepreneurs to find work they genuinely like. 00:00 Hard Times Happen 00:30 Meet Larry Carver 01:08 First Break in Real Estate 04:07 Atlanta and Colony Square 05:52 Luck Meets Preparation 07:54 Portman and a Mentor 12:27 Starting Carver and Associates 16:32 Bootstrapping with Tech 18:08 Relationships Drive Business 22:16 Surviving the S&L Crash 26:06 Cutting Back to Survive 26:37 Adversity Builds Strength 27:13 Asia Expansion Wins 29:16 Culture And Logistics 31:51 Turnkey Business Pivot 33:45 Risk Taking Mindset 36:43 Know When To Quit 37:58 Money Skills And Delegation 42:50 Crises And Middle East 46:07 Covid Shock And Rebound 47:52 Entrepreneur Reflections 51:04 Advice For New Founders 52:47 Closing Thanks