Matthew ‘Matt’ Beaver

Your Rowan Favorites

Place to Eat: LaCava, Sweet Meadows Cafe​
Outdoor Activity: Dan Nicholas Park, Bell Tower Green Park
Event or Festival: OctoberTour, Salisbury PRIDE

Matthew ‘Matt’ Beaver

Senior Manager/ Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Council (DIB) Chair, CapTech Consulting

Native of Rowan County

Industry: Information Technology Consulting

Matt Beaver, a tech consultant for CapTech, found broadband access in Salisbury faster than Charlotte when he moved to Salisbury in December from uptown Charlotte.

“That’s great with my work,” says Matt, who worked out the Charlotte CapTech office before having the opportunity to work remotely. The company is a national award-winning technology consulting firm providing services to many industries, including financial, energy, and retail sectors. 

Home turned out to be the 1838 Greek Revival Torrence House, located in Salisbury’s West Square Historic District. His love of historic homes and architecture led to the purchase, as well as the opportunity to be near friends and family. His mother, Shirley McNeil, lives in the same neighborhood.

Salisbury’s broadband services include Fision/Hotwire, a 100 percent fiber optic network providing the fastest city-wide internet — up to 10 gigabits per second (GBPS).

“I knew I would come back here eventually,” says Matt, who has lived in Asheville, Durham, and Washington, D.C., as his career advanced. He has found the cost of living here much less than Charlotte.

Salisbury provides a good work-life balance, he says, with arts and culture, the Symphony, plays, new restaurants, and interesting people. “People who want an excellent work-life balance while having all the benefits of a strong community are discovering this area,” he says. “They are getting priced out in Concord and Kannapolis.”

He is excited about the Empire Hotel renovation, as well as other downtown renovations such as the White Rabbit Cocktail Parlor, while seeing these projects as “an investment to keep Salisbury on an upward turn.”

“I try to shop locally as much as I can and get to know the small business owners,” he says. “It’s important to continue bringing back to downtown Salisbury to keep the culture, arts, and atmosphere alive.

“The people here have true grit and a positive can-do attitude,” says Matt. “I’ve lived in large cities and traveled over the world, and found that some of the most fun, charismatic, and interesting people I’ve had the honor to call my friends are here… there is always something interesting and exciting to do.” 

Matt describes himself as an outdoor enthusiast, arts aficionado, a dog dad, and a private pilot. Having easy access to Rowan County’s many parks, High Rock Lake, the second largest in the state; and the Rowan County Airport are other pluses. It’s also easy to get to international airports for direct flights to Europe, he says.

For newcomers to Rowan County, he would recommend touring the Historic Districts to observe the architecture. 

LaCava and Sweet Meadows Café are his favorite local restaurants for good food and Sunday brunch with family. In addition to his mother in Salisbury, his dad, Ron Beaver, and sister, Chrissy Blackwell and family, live in China Grove. “It’s great to spend more time with family,” he says.

Bell Tower Green Park is his favorite outdoor space in Salisbury — a great place for walking his dogs close to his house. Dan Nicholas Park is his favorite outdoor space in Rowan County. He grew up a half mile from Dan Nicholas.

The Salisbury PRIDE parade and festival is one favorite yearly event because of its progressiveness and inclusiveness. In keeping with his love of the historic, OctoberTour, the annual tour of historic homes, is also a favorite event.

Matt went to Morgan Elementary, Erwin Junior High, and East Rowan High before moving to Salisbury and graduating from Salisbury High, where he was on the swim team. He attended Western Carolina University before graduating from UNC-Charlotte. He worked in IT at Duke University Medical Center for five years and in Federal defense consulting in Washington, D.C., for 13 years before moving to the CapTech position in Charlotte three and a half years ago. 

“Salisbury-Rowan is a great place to live geographically… close to large metropolitan areas like Charlotte and the Triad areas, but in a small-town environment that is progressive,” he says. “The Salisbury Historic District is a wonderful place to live with amazing landmark homes and great neighbors. Everyone seems to look out for each other. It’s great to be back and have a wonderful and supportive community.”

He would want people interested in Salisbury-Rowan to know that “we ‘punch above our weight’.  

“People move here from all over the country when they realize the culture, community, arts, and history are rich and abundant,” he says. “Come check it out and spend the weekend, sit on a neighbor’s porch with a cocktail, go to a concert, wine shop, restaurant, pub, park, or theatre… you’ll be glad you did.”

Your Rowan Favorites

Place to Eat: LaCava, Sweet Meadows Cafe​
Outdoor Activity: Dan Nicholas Park, Bell Tower Green Park
Event or Festival: OctoberTour, Salisbury PRIDE