'Helping bring my city back to life': Gary businessman is renovating homes and creating a small business district
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Indiana man has made his dream of revitalizing his hometown into a reality.
He's not only renovating homes, but commercial real estate, too. One of his buildings will soon be the first of its kind in Gary. CBS 2's Asal Rezaei tells us more about how his hard work will transform the community.
With his roots in Gary, Indiana, Cory Armand wants nothing more than to make his community better.
"When I see the properties, most people see an obstacle because of its being left vacant and torn apart," Armand said. "But I see nothing but opportunity and a blank canvas."
Armand has been making real estate investments in his hometown for over 10 years now, buying and renovating homes with the main focus of adding more affordable housing to the community.
"I try to keep my construction costs low as I can, labor costs low as I can," Armand said. "So that once it's fixed up, it can be affordable for someone to be able to rent it out."
Now also taking on commercial real estate, Armand plans for the building to be the first of its kind in Gary: A small business district. It'll transform into shared office spaces, with podcast studios and even a small restaurant up front.
With ongoing residential and commercial projects, Armand is now doing this full-time, recently quitting his corporate job, and dedicating all his energy to what inspires him most.
"Me taking a property, one by one, and helping bring my city back to life to where it used to be," Armand said.
It's a passion he's willing to give his all to, knowing it's something that will make his city thrive. His latest construction project, the business district, will be completed in about five months.