Walking by the home of Scott and Meredith Hilton in Peachtree Corners, you would notice a small rock garden, a thoughtful assemblage of 38 stones of different shapes and sizes. The collection is intentional and with a story.
Scott has a goal to hike to the highest point in each state across the country. He’s already visited 38, some with his family and others with hiking buddies. At each peak, he pauses to reflect on the grandeur of our great country and pockets a rock to bring home to Georgia.
This summer, his family traveled to the northeast, visiting Mount Katahdin in Maine (5,268 feet), Mount Greylock in Massachusetts (3,491 feet), Mount Washington in New Hampshire (6,288 feet) and Mount Frissell (2,454 feet, which straddles the border of southwest Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut) and Jerimoth Hill (812 feet) in Rhode Island.
Scott and Meredith’s intrepid troop of travelers includes Trent (a sophomore at Wesleyan School who plays tennis and the tuba in the marching band), Chase (13 a seventh grader at Pinckneyville Middle School who loves baseball and basketball) and Caroline (10, a fifth grader at Wesleyan who plays lacrosse, swims and loves to sew). “We are very intentional about getting the kids out of their bubble and experiencing other cultures,” says Scott. “Our kids won’t necessarily remember big Christmas gifts, we all benefit from these big trips.” The family traveled to Europe as soon as it was safe to travel during the pandemic. “We were the only family on the plane!”
Scott is with SouthState Bank and is running for the Georgia State House District 48. Meredith owns a local law practice focused on wills and trusts. They are active members of Perimeter Church in Johns Creek. Scott serves in leadership roles for the local Fowler Family YMCA, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and Wesleyan School.
He loves what he does. “It’s not too different from Shark Tank, meeting with companies to hear ideas, brainstorm on strategies and help them achieve their dreams to create generational wealth.” Small businesses are the backbone of our community and Scott’s work, reinvesting through sponsorship and community partnerships is very rewarding. “Watching and supporting the life cycle of companies sometimes means dolling out tough love.” He rarely says no. “It’s more, ‘no…but…’”
When he’s not helping new businesses find their footing and their financing at SouthState Bank, you might find him on the pickleball court at the Y or on neighborhood courts. He’s nudged his local homeowner's association to help make this happen and he finds working with his HOA very rewarding. “One of the hardest political jobs I’ve had in my career is serving as HOA president. But, it’s also one of the more fun ones since you see the direct impacts of your work,” says Scott.
He and Meredith enjoy attending Alive in Roswell, “it’s a must-do!” and he takes meetings at Crazy Love, keeping it local. Scott also enjoys playing disc golf at East Roswell Park’s course and loads the family into their canoe to float the Chattahoochee as often as possible.