Empathy
Listening first, building spaces that support the people who use them.
Author · Builder · Mobilian
Investing in your hometown creates the future you want to see.
For thirty-five years, Mike Rogers has helped restore Mobile, Alabama — one building, one block, one relationship at a time. My Town is what he's learned along the way.
"To elevate leaders, transform communities, and eliminate the adversarial barriers that fragment urban development by embedding a people-first philosophy across regional growth."
The Journey
A layoff in 1989. A single building. A career that followed.
In 1989, Mike Rogers returned home to Mobile to navigate an uncertain future. A chance invitation from a college friend to help build a single building altered his trajectory and laid the groundwork for what would become Rogers & Willard. Over the next thirty-five years, he built the firm to regional prominence by staying lean, treating people as equals, and taking on the projects others avoided.
These days, Mike splits his time between Rogers & Willard, Porchlight, and writing — trading a few of the blueprints for a few more stories.
Values
Equality
Every stakeholder treated with the same dignity, from city hall to the sidewalk.
Curiosity
A lifelong student of the trade, still learning from every project.
Humanity
People matter more than the transaction — always.
The Book
My Town
A love letter to Mobile, Alabama, and a challenge to anyone who wonders if they can make a difference. From a 1989 layoff to the restoration of the Chighizola House and the Ace Theatre, Mike Rogers tells the story of a career spent learning one thing: A town is never really about its buildings. It's about the people who decide to care.
- Ch. 1 — My Town, Mobile: Growing lean and smart in the Port City
- Ch. 2 — Coming of Age: Auburn's "Animal House" … and Nashville
- Ch. 3 — Return to Mobile: Working with and for others
- Ch. 4 — Taking Wing: One person's power to make an impact
- Ch. 5 — It's Beautiful: The art of seeing the unseen
Full nine-chapter table of contents on The Book page →
The Podcast
Conversations about place.
Conversations about place, preservation, and the people who refuse to give up on a neighborhood. Mike talks with the builders, bankers, mayors, and neighbors who've helped bring their towns back to life — the same kind of conversations that fill the pages of My Town.
Case Studies
Chighizola House
One of Mobile's least-altered antebellum houses, restored rather than renovated.
Buick Building
A vacant 1926 dealership that helped bring an entire street back to life.
What's happening in your town?
These are the projects that shaped how Mike thinks about place. If something similar is stirring where you live, the book — and the stories behind it — might be a good place to start.
Working to bring your own town back to life?
Mike hears from people all over the country doing this work. If that's you, or if you'd like Mike to join a conversation, panel, or podcast of your own, reach out below.