Team

Ross Sr. was born in Smithfield, VA in 1966 but has lived in Charlotte for over 45 years, never more than 3 miles from SouthPark Mall. A “Lifer” at Charlotte Country Day School and a graduate of The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill further solidify Ross’ Charlotte roots and deep ties to the community. Ross grew up on Foxcroft Rd and worked for 6 summers as a lifeguard and later as the Manager of Foxcroft Swim and Racquet Club. He was also an Eagle Scout from Troop 116, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Carmel Rd.

In 1988 Ross embarked on his 30+ years of service in the construction and real estate industry. Ross has played multiple roles including builder, broker, investor, developer, project director, partner and owner.

After a 364-day courtship, Ross married Trish Vail on the 1-year anniversary of their first date in May of 1992. Trish was a recent graduate of Queen’s University and was raised in Johnston City, Tennessee. Trish and Ross have 2 grown children, Helen and Ross Jr. Trish has served as the president of the Junior League of Charlotte and is now the president of the Relatives. Located in the heart of the Dilworth Community, the mission of The Relatives, a nonprofit, is to help youth and young adults transition from crisis to safety, stability, and happy futures. Trish and Ross live near Freedom Park with their 2 rescue dogs, Chipper and Jo Jo.

Ross’ roles with Hobson Builders includes representing the team throughout the community, developing business, long-term planning, customer relations, charitable giving and service, and being the old, grey-haired guy with decades of mistakes and successes to learn from.

Michael is originally from Dayton, Ohio, where he was born into a large and die-hard group of Ohio State Buckeye fans. Growing up in Richmond, VA from the age of five, Michael played every sport imaginable while coexisting with three younger sisters.

Following First Union’s purchase of Signet, Michael and his family relocated to Charlotte in 1998. He attended Charlotte Country Day from the seventh grade on, where he was an all-conference baseball player his sophomore through senior years. In the summers, Michael could be found golfing almost daily at Carmel Country Club.

After high school, Michael enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill, graduating with distinction with a degree from the Kenan Flagler Business School. During his time in Chapel Hill he saw the basketball team win national championships in both his freshman and senior year. He then went on to graduate school at Ohio State to study finance and accounting, receiving two merit-based scholarships during his time there.

Michael has since held numerous finance, strategy, and business development roles at multiple companies including KPMG, Nationwide, and Red Ventures. His career allowed him to live all over the country, including stops in Scottsdale, Des Moines, and Columbus before returning to Charlotte in 2016. He joined Hobson Builders in 2019 as the finance officer while also spending time in the field managing projects as needed. Michael enjoys staying active, regularly playing tennis and golf, and rooting on his two favorite teams: the Tarheels and the Buckeyes.

Ross Jr. is a Charlotte native and was born at Carolinas Medical Center. Living most of his life near Freedom Park, Ross has also lived in neighborhoods such as Cotswold and First Ward. Ross attended Smith Academy, Alexander Graham Middle School and Myers Park High School’s IB program. Ross graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2017 as both a Capstone Scholar and a McKissick Scholar. He earned a degree from Darla Moore School of Business with a Major in Global Supply Chain and Operations Management as well as a minor in French.

Ross received a Green Belt in Lean-Six Sigma while studying at USC. Ross worked for Segue Builders Inc., now Hobson Builders, on and off throughout college. He also interned with Ingersoll Rand in Columbia, SC, the parent company of Trane Systems and served as a consultant with Delta Airlines in Atlanta and Minneapolis to help improve their cargo operations efficiency. Ross Jr. joined Ross Sr. full time within a week of graduation in 2017.

During the past years, Ross has been expanding his construction knowledge through running projects, scheduling, managing finances, client relationships and being hands-on with our subcontractors. He now serves as a Principal, oversees all field operations and manages projects as well.

When Ross is not out in the field, you will most likely find him on his mountain bike. He is engaged to Hannah Starkey (soon to be Hobson), who is a CPA at Elliott Davis. They have 2 rescue dogs named Snoop and Penny. They live in the Sedgefield Neighborhood and are thrilled to be apart of the ever-changing Charlotte community.

Wade was born and raised in Hickory, NC. He and his siblings had a very “Sandlot” childhood and spent his high school years playing every sport he could get his hands on. Although, soccer and basketball were his true loves. Summers in high school were spent toiling on a 20 acre farm, proving that stacking hay and mucking horse stalls in the summer heat is where work ethic is bred.

Wade went on to graduate magna cum laude from Appalachian State with a degree in Construction Management. He then earned a 4.0 GPA and Graduate Student of the Year honors at Auburn while on his way to a Masters degree in Building Science.

Post college, Wade spent a year volunteering on a Christian mission team that travelled to 11 countries in 11 months, spending 1 month in each country serving the less fortunate, living out of tent, and meeting his eventual wife, Chrissy. Wade moved to Charlotte in 2013 and has been remodeling homes here ever since. He enjoys building relationships with clients and grateful to help bring the home of their dreams to reality.

Today, whether it’s trail running with his German Shorthaired Pointer, Echo, or exploring a new country with Chrissy, he likes to stay active and in pursuit of the next challenge. Just don't ask him to do another full Ironman. One was enough.

Along with managing projects in the field, Wade completes the estimates for the Hobson team.

Jeff Palmer was raised on the waterways of south Florida where he spent his summers on the water and playing baseball. Jeff played college baseball and to this day feeds his passion following the Atlanta Braves.

Jeff has two grown sons, Kenny and Jimmy. Kenny graduated from UNCC where he played baseball and is now a physical therapist in Charlotte. Jimmy is an aspiring chef at a local steak restaurant.

Jeff began his marble and tile career as an apprentice over 40 years ago. He stared Palmer Tile Inc. in 1994. Jeff has been working with Hobson since 2016 as both a tile specialist and a site superintendent. Jeff is a master at his trade and takes great pride in his work. He’s also a lot of fun to be around and works great with our trade partners.