Meet Matt Peevy, Buford High School graduate of 2000. Matt is the son of Mitch and Jeri Peevy and the sister of Brittney Black (31), a former teacher in Buford City Schools. Matt was born and raised in Buford, beginning his academic career in Mrs. Pullen’s Kindergarten class. From then on, Matt remembers only the best things from his experience as a student and athlete at Buford City Schools.
Matt recalls Mrs. Scales as being one of the greatest influences from his elementary school days. “I was a high energy kid and had a lot of trouble sitting in my seat in elementary school,” Matt explains. “I also had some speech issues as well and Mrs. Scales invested a lot of time and love into me to help me out. I believe her early intervention helped lead me to a lot of good habits throughout my education at Buford and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her help.” Matt also remembers his mom being very grateful for Mrs. Scales’ dedication to her sons’ early education.
In high school, Matt was an active athlete and student, participating in Baseball and Basketball. He worked diligently, studied hard, and graduated with a 3.7 GPA. While he enjoyed sports and academics at Buford, Matt fondly remembers his chorus class with Dr. Fowler. Matt participated in Bel Canto Chorale for all four years of high school and shares that he and his wife really enjoyed performing in the Variety Shows.
Ultimately, the most valuable life lesson Matt received from his education at Buford City Schools would be the importance of family within a community. “The one thing I took into my adulthood is all of the great life-long friendships and how to treat and love one another,” Matt says. “My class has had a lot of tragedy with the passing of my classmates Ricky Patterson, Ryan Daniel, John Hughes, and several others. When tragedy happens, everyone in Buford comes together for support, that is one of the many reasons that makes Buford so special.”
After graduating from Buford High School, Matt went on to attend Gainsville College for two years before transferring to the University of Georgia. At UGA, Matt had the opportunity to participate in the International Affairs program led by Dr. Han Park. This program hosted six party talks with North Korea at the University of Georgia; at the time, this event encouraged groundbreaking peace conversations with North and South Korea. Additionally, Matt was able to do research for the Nunn-Lugar Act for Nuclear Reduction between the US and Russia. Matt graduated from UGA with a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in International Affairs.
Currently, Matt works as a Mitigation Banker at Blueway, a company he and his business partner, Trey Evans, began in 2006. “Mitigation banking is a system of credits and debits devised to ensure that ecological loss to wetlands and streams resulting from various development works, is compensated for by the restoration of streams and wetlands,” Matt explains. To date, Blueway has restored over 150 miles of stream, 5,000 acres of wetlands, and permanently protected 14,000 acres of land.
Matt shares why he loves his profession, saying, “I love all of the social good that my company does. We get to restore nature and protect it for in-perpetuity. We put restrictive covenants and conservation easements on all of our land to ensure that the land is never developed. Everything that we do will be preserved for future generations and will help keep our water clean.”
Now, Matt lives in Downtown Buford with Erica, his wife of seven years, and their two children, Adaline (5) and Miller (3). Adaline is a student of Mrs. Claxton and Mrs. Atteway’s class at Buford Elementary and Miller attends Buford First Baptist Weekday Preschool. Oddly enough, their home is found on the same street his father lived on as a child.
Matt and his family are active in their community and volunteer at the preschool environment at Gwinnett Church. Matt is also on the committee for the Ryan Daniels Scholarship Fund, where they have raised over $100,000 for scholarships to students at Buford High School. Additionally. Matt serves on the Zoning Board for Gwinnett County, as well as the Development Advisory Committee, Georgia Environmental Restoration Association, and was recently elected to the Buford City School Board.
They Peevy family has a long history of service to Buford and Gwinnett County as a whole, and Matt plans on upholding this family tradition. Buford has offered Matt a hometown, an education, and an incredible community, but most importantly, it has provided him with a lifelong place to call home. Once a Wolf, always a Wolf!
— By Regan Saunders
