Larry Alexander considers himself “the luckiest man alive.” He lives in his own version of paradise, doing the work he loves to do, and couldn’t ask for anything more.
Alexander is a transplant to Baldwin County from Selma, Ala. He and his wife of 53 years, Nancy, moved to Orange Beach in 1993. It was a love of the coastal lifestyle that drew them to the area. “From the first time I saw the beach when I was 10 years old I knew I wanted to live near it,” Alexander says.
Alexander’s first line of work was in the pulp and paper industry. After the family’s relocation to Baldwin County, he started a second career as a home builder. At that point the Alexanders only envisioned small endeavors. “We started out thinking we’d just build a few rental houses,” Alexander says. His work didn’t stop there though, and to date, Alexander’s company has built around 200 houses and developed multiple subdivisions throughout Baldwin County. Building homes is a great source of pride for the grandfather of two. Alexander says, “I get to take an undeveloped piece of property and turn it into a home that people are proud to get into.”
In a bit of irony, Alexander himself doesn’t live in one of the homes he has built. He and his wife live in a condo overlooking the beach, and neither would have it any other way. “Every morning I get to wake up and look out [at the beach],” Alexander says. “I can’t think of anywhere in the world I’d rather be.”
In addition to his work as a home builder, Alexander also served on the planning commission for the city of Orange Beach as well as the city council. Nowadays though, he says being a voting citizen is the extent of his political involvement.
The Alexanders might love their sweet home Alabama, but that doesn’t stop them from seeing what other states have to offer. “We’ve been to every state in the country except one: Michigan. And we hopefully plan to go there sometime this year.” Of all the states they’ve visited, Alexander says Alaska was probably the most memorable. “You just don’t see raw, untouched nature like that anywhere else.”
After so many years of building homes, one might think Alexander would be looking forward to the day when he doesn’t have to work anymore, but he says he has no plans to retire. “One day they’ll probably find me slumped over in my pickup truck,” he says. “That’s when I’ll stop working.”
All in all, Alexander calls himself a very fortunate person. “I’m in relatively good health. I have my family around. I get to live where I want to live and do what I love to do. What more could I want?”