We Opened the Doors

There's a moment, after years of planning and construction and sheer will, when a building stops being a vision and becomes a place. For us, that moment was November 7, 2024 — the day we finally opened the doors of Revelance to the world.

Over 400 people showed up. That number still stops me when I say it out loud. Four hundred people, walking the floors we'd obsessed over, experiencing the spaces we'd dreamed about, sharing in something that — for a long time — only existed in our heads and in architectural drawings on a conference room table.

I want to write about that day. Not just what happened, but what it meant. Because a grand opening isn't really about a building — it's about the people who believed in it long before there was anything to see.

Four Years in the Making

Joe Clark and I didn't find Revelance — we built it. And I mean that literally. At the end of 2020, we acquired the property at 8460 Duke Blvd with a vision for what a private business club could look like in Mason, Ohio. What followed was nearly four years of work that tested every version of our patience, our resolve, and our belief that this thing was worth doing.

The design phase alone was extensive. We partnered with M+A Architects — a Columbus-based architecture and design firm — to translate the vision into a real building. Every room, every ceiling height, every utility run, every hallway and threshold was deliberate. There were no compromises hidden inside the walls. The plans reflected exactly what we wanted to build, and that took time to get right.

Construction began with Bunnell Hill Construction, a division of The Schueler Group out of Lebanon, Ohio — one of Southwest Ohio's most experienced commercial builders, with decades of work across the region, including right here in Mason. The build took nearly 13 months. Thirteen months of coordinating trades, solving problems that only reveal themselves mid-construction, and keeping an eye on a thousand moving pieces at once. To every subcontractor, every tradesperson, every crew member who put their hands on this building — thank you. You built something that will stand for a very long time, and the craftsmanship shows in every room.

By the time November 7th arrived, our management team had been working around the clock for months to make sure every detail was ready. The spaces were finished. The systems were running. The staff was trained. We were ready to share what we'd built.

The Ribbon Cutting

Around 3:30 in the afternoon, we gathered outside the front entrance at 8460 Duke Blvd. More than 100 people were already there — members, partners, chamber representatives, city council members, media from Local 12 and the Cincinnati Business Courier, and friends who had cheered us on through every phase of this project.

The MADE Chamber — Mason-Deerfield Chamber — was there with their ribbon and their big red scissors. And when the moment came, it wasn't formal or stiff. It was loud. It was emotional. It was exactly what it should have been.

The ribbon cutting with the MADE Chamber — Mason-Deerfield Chamber of Commerce

I looked around at the faces in that crowd and felt something I can only describe as gratitude mixed with disbelief. Not disbelief that we'd done it — we always believed we would — but disbelief at how many people had shown up to share the moment with us.

The Evening

The doors opened at 4:00 and didn't slow down until 8:00. People toured the Revel Room, lingered at the Taphouse, explored the C-Suite Lounge, played a round on the golf simulator, grabbed a RoboJo coffee, and just — experienced the space. The energy was unlike anything I've felt in a long time.

The lobby — full from the first hour

By the time the evening was over, more than 400 people had walked through those doors. They came from across the greater Cincinnati area. They came as strangers and left understanding what Revelance is and what it's meant to be from the very beginning.

After the ribbon fell — surrounded by the people who helped make it happen

A Quiet Moment Above It All

Somewhere in the middle of that evening, Joe and I slipped away to the C-Suite Lounge.

We lit cigars. Just the two of us. And we stood there at the overlook, looking down at the Taphouse — watching people fill the bar, fill the space, fill the building we had spent nearly four years willing into existence. Laughing, drinking, connecting. The room buzzing with exactly the kind of energy we had imagined, and sketched out, and argued over, and lost sleep over since 2020.

Behind us, the bourbon lockers. In front of us, a building full of people doing exactly what we built it for.

That was ours. Two guys with cigars, bourbon lockers at their backs, watching their building do exactly what it was built to do.

Revel.

The view from inside — 400 people, one building, one night we'll never forget

To Everyone Who Made It Possible

There's no version of Revelance that exists without the people who helped build it — not just the contractors and the trades who put the building together, but the partners, the community, and the families who carried this project through nearly four years of late nights and hard decisions.

To our families — this one is personal. A project of this scale doesn't happen in a vacuum. It follows you home. It sits across the dinner table. It fills the weekends and the early mornings and the moments that were supposed to be about something else. To our wives, our kids, and the people closest to us who gave their patience, their grace, and their unwavering support through every phase of this — thank you. We could not have done this without you. Not even close. Your belief in us, even when this was still just a dream on paper, is woven into every square foot of this building.

To our investors — thank you for trusting us with something this big. Every decision we made, we made with your confidence in mind. We hope what you saw on November 7th told you it was worth it.

To Sonder Brewing — for bringing your craft beer program and your people into a building that's better because you're in it. The Taphouse is something special, and that's because of what you bring to it.

To the MADE Chamber and the Mason-Deerfield community — for embracing a vision that asked a lot of your support before it could ask anything of itself. Mason is a remarkable business community and we're proud to be part of it.

To the city council members and local officials who showed up on November 7th — your presence meant more than you know. Revelance is built in the belief that this region deserves a world-class facility, and having that belief reflected back by the people who lead this community was genuinely moving.

To every vendor, contractor, partner, and advisor who put their name on this project — thank you. You're part of what's standing at 8460 Duke Blvd today.

And to everyone who showed up that evening — thank you for coming. For walking the floors. For celebrating with us. For making a dream feel real.

The moment after the ribbon was cut. Everything we'd worked for, in one photograph.

What Comes Next

The grand opening was the beginning, not the destination. Revelance exists to serve the professionals, companies, and communities of Mason and greater Cincinnati — every day, not just on November 7th.

We're just getting started. And we're glad you're here.