Finally, Robert and Bonnie Herrings, owners of Century21 Realty and JR Rentals and Property Management were able to celebrate having their new Building located on their own property. This has been a wish of the Herrings for many years and Thursday, Dec 19th at 10:00am, they officially broke ground on this dream.
Their properties located at 102 and 104 Easy St. will be the New Home of a 3,400 sq. ft., two-story commercial office building with 30 parking spaces to consolidate their two companies.
Bonnie Herrings welcomed everyone to the ceremony, attended by the Herrings’ staff, city officials and several city council members as well as Copperas Cove mayor Bradi Diaz and of course, Star Group Veterans Helping Veterans members.
Bonnie Herrings first thanked their staff at JR Rentals and Property Management and Realtors of Century21 Premier Real Estate, saying they are like family.
She stated, You see us day in, day out, Monday through Friday, 10-12 hours a day, you’ve seen the good, the bad, the ugly, and the ugliest. If you stay after all that, you really love us and we love you too.
She also thanked Copperas Cove City Planner Robert Lewis, and Tamara Gast, the city development liaison, for giving her guidance and help, as well as City Manager Ryan Haverlah, Kevin Keller, and particularly the three Planning & Zoning & Commissioners, Robert Endter, Howard Hawk, and Kenneth Thomas.
She expressed her appreciation for the city council members who heard the project and researched this project to ensure the best possible way to accommodate not only them, but their surrounding neighbors. I truly believe this project is a win-win not only for my husband and I, but also our neighbors. Where the city council is concerned, Herrings thanked Place 1 council member Joann Courtland. She was the first responder to my email, she came out and walked the ground with me. She also thanked councilmen Dan Yancey, Marc Payne, and Jay Manning, with the newest councilman, Jack Smith, whom she said was very helpful behind the scenes. When you’re building things in the community, you have to have help, and when people help you, you want to say thank you. She particularly thanked former councilman Kirby Lack, who was not present on Thursday. From the very beginning in 2014, he was there for us, and he voted for us today in this present time. I will find him for our ribbon cutting, because he has to be part of our celebration.
She also thanked the Leader-Press for its first article “Easy Street Not so Easy ” in 2014 when the request to build was rejected. But the Herrings were determined and knew God had ordained their vision and therefore they continued to pursue their Dream. It’s a different story today, and they’ve been there from the beginning, they’ve covered the story, they’ve been detailed.
Herrings also thanked Jeremiah Lizama, one of their agents and photographer, Mike Kriegel with Mitchell and Associates, Makeen Tech Corporation, Cook Residential and Commercial Design, and Star Group – Veterans Helping Veterans. She thanked Ms. Timmons and Mr. Haywood for all their hard work with and support the Ceremony. She also thanked Mr. Davis for the Event Sound System
She thanked John Bowen, the builder and he gave a few words. I have a longstanding relationship with the Herrings, and it’s been a good one. I have great respect for them. They are an asset to not just Copperas Cove, but the Fort Hood area. Along the way, there were quite a few roadblocks and I thought the project was dead but Bonnie does not understated what a roadblock is.
Mayor Bradi Diaz said a few words as well about the project and the Herrings. They did everything they could to make this come about and they did it in the best possible way. They did it positively, and they did it by talking to whoever they needed to talk to, to make it happen, and they did it in a collaborative way to make their project work, and to work with their neighbors and their community, and that’s the best possible outcome for the citizens of Copperas Cove and the City of Copperas Cove. Anytime a new business is coming, it’s better for all of us.”
Robert Herrings Jr., the designated broker of Century21 Premier and the property manager, spoke last prior to the groundbreaking. He first thanked his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and said he was both “honored and humbled” to get the nod to move forward with the new location. I wasn’t born here, but as soon as I finished my 24 years of military service, I came here, I love this community. For a small-town Georgia boy straight from the tobacco farms and fields back home, this town puts me in the mind of the town I grew up in. He said he looks forward to continuing to provide quality service to the greater Fort Hood area, where it comes to sales and rentals.
The Herrings were able to secure a rezoning of the property in August of 2019.
