Why Ballantyne?
For Trip Poole, 33, it’s about exercise, dining and work proximity
By Pam Glass
During our magazine’s 20 years, Ballantyne has put itself on the map and become a place where people of all ages live, work, play and enjoy the area’s diverse lifestyle. So, what is it about this area of town that has prompted people and businesses alike to move here?
To find out, we went to the best resource of all — one of our community members — and asked him, Why Ballantyne?
Meet Wallace “Trip” Poole III. Trip, 33, is a 10-year Ballantyne resident and senior consultant with Premier, a Ballantyne-based healthcare management consulting firm.
Ballantyne Magazine: Where were you prior to Ballantyne and what brought you here?
Trip: I was in my last year of graduate school at NC State, pursuing my master’s in industrial engineering. I got into an internship program with Premier. At the time, their office was over on Tyvola. When I graduated and received their job offer, they had just moved their office to Ballantyne.
BMag: How did you feel about that?
Trip: I thought it was great, because as a kid growing up in Charlotte, our family would go to dinner here, and I really liked it.
BMag: How do you like it now?
Trip: I like it. It has a kind of relaxed city, living lifestyle. It has all the amenities of a city, without being as cramped.
BMag: How did you choose housing?
Trip: In the beginning I lived in an apartment across from the office. I have since purchased my own townhome and chose it because of its convenience to work, low maintenance and affordability.
BMag: What do you do around town for leisure?
Trip: I like the accessibility here to get out and exercise. I can be found biking at Ballantyne District Park or running on the Greenway. I belong to F3, a men’s workout group that runs bootcamps and weightlifting classes. We pick a different outdoor venue every week like Ballantyne Corporate Park, Calvary and StoneCrest. It’s always an outdoor workout, even in the winter.
BMag: Favorite dining?
Trip: My go-to places are Cabo Fish Taco and Midwood Smokehouse. I am a sampler, so I order something different every time. I also like Bradshaw Social House; it has a good mix of everything, sport TVs and occasionally live music.
BMag: What kind of sports fan are you?
Trip: I played high school football, so I love the game.
BMag: You mentioned you are running a blood drive. Tell us more.
Trip: I have organized a blood drive through F3, my workout organization. We teamed with Red Cross and will hold it on October 23. We hope to contribute 10,000 pints of blood.
BMag: Is there anything you would like to see come to Ballantyne?
Trip: I love a good craft beer, so a brewery would be great.
BMag: Cheers!