Randall Goldman

Randall Goldman thrives in a realm of pivotal ideas, lofty ambitions and ground-level action. He refuses to lose sight of the small details — or the human equation.

Benevolent in impulse — who else would break down a 200-year-old wall in his office to save a trapped kitten? — and committed to public service, Goldman is a businessman who also makes it his business to contribute to the community.

For 11 years, Goldman has been managing partner of the hospitality firm Patrick Properties LLC, which, since its inception in 1997, has had as its mission the restoration and preservation of such historic Charleston properties as the American Theater, the William Aiken House, Lowndes Grove and what is now Fish restaurant.

Throughout, Goldman's philosophy has mirrored the approach he takes to one of his hobbies, gardening.

"Gardening is such an optimistic activity," says the one-time chef, a cum laude graduate of Johnson & Wales University. "One plants a seed, transplants a plant or fertilizes an organic subject. There is no immediate response. But there is a plant tomorrow. Education (works on) the same principle. But we as Americans have gotten fat and live in a society that is disposable and instant. We've lost

patience.

"During periods of economic hardship one can see more clearly the morals, ethics and principles of individuals and of companies, how they operate and treat their staff."

Goldman has been especially moved by President Barack Obama's call to service.

"It touched me very profoundly. I am a huge believer in the idea that it is the responsibility of citizens to repay the debt we owe for the privilege of living in this nation. We can't take what we have for granted."

In 2002, Goldman and Patrick Properties won the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Preservation Award, one of a shelf-full of laurels earned by him and the company's backers, Charles and Celeste Patrick, for professional and philanthropic work.

"The opportunity to learn the importance of philanthropy and of preservation was made available to me by the Patricks," says Goldman. "Understanding its critical importance has been a constant education starting with Glenn Keyes, a preservation architect and dear friend. This education continues with the help and guidance of Kitty Robinson, Robert Gurley, Cynthia Jenkins and John Hildreth and Eddie Bello, all of whom teach, consult and educate me in this field."

While serving in the Honor Guard (1987-92) of the Coast Guard, Goldman stood on the White House lawn, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. He participated in ceremonies at museums such as the Smithsonian, knowing their legacy was assured. It made quite an impression.

"What we do (on the local level) is so important in ensuring our children have a history to be proud of and to learn from," says Goldman, nominated in 2007 for the Jefferson Award for Public Service. "My reward is to say I am a part of this and that I helped to save these National Historic Landmarks. I am involved from the moment a project is mentioned to the day the building is returned to the community in viable form. We have a team of people around us starting with the contractor, Jim Rhodes, to architects, friends and organizations that all come together to make our projects a success.

"One of the things I've tried to do in utilizing these buildings is for them to be a source of information exchange. Back in the 1800s, the local newspaper was the only source of news, other than local mom-and-pop shops, all of which were really community centers. At Fish, for example, we have hosted fundraisers and a large number of nonprofit groups to help get their messages out. We wanted the restaurant to be a center for that, to let people know we're not just here for the short term."

Previously employed in food services by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. State Department, Goldman cut his teeth as the Patrick family's personal chef while still a student at Johnson & Wales. It was not a quantum leap to shepherding a company. Leadership comes as naturally to him as rendering a dish of comfort food.

"If you do not believe in yourself, your higher power and the goals you set forth, you can't lead. Leaders are achievers, motivators. They have ambition, energy and tenacity. I believe leadership is the desire to lead but not to seek power as an end in itself. A leader must have honesty, integrity, cognitive ability and knowledge of whatever you are doing."

Goldman hopes to share these precepts, and garner more, through his new blog, Backstorydotcom.blogspot.com, which he says will speak to the stories behind events that are not necessarily told. "I also hope to use it to humanize this company we have, to add a personal feel to it."

Goldman currently is president of the Local Development Corporation for the city of Charleston and vice president of the board of directors for the city's Civic Design Center. He also serves on the board of directors of both the Hospitality & Tourism Management curriculum at the College of Charleston and the Sustainable Seafood Initiative. Hands-on participation is his stock-in-trade.

Not surprisingly, the one common denominator in so many of Goldman's efforts is food. It's the platform he employs to gather people about a project, to make connections and make changes. "Food has always been the conduit to which people have gathered around since the beginning. Food fills the soul."

But the food business comes with its share of pressures.

"One thing I love about my work in hospitality is knowing that we sow the field in which the seeds are planted. Seeds that offer the opportunity for a captured moment in time in which a memory or story can be made. But we all operate, in the wedding industry particularly, under the understanding that there is a zero allowance for failure or second best. We get one shot, one chance. We live in a world where there are no dress rehearsals. And that is invigorating."

Reach Bill Thompson at bthompson@postandcourier.com or 937-5707.