Like many folks on Seabrook Island, Bev and I first visited the island in the spring of 2001 upon the invitation of friends who had discovered this special place a couple years earlier. We walked on the beach, rode bikes, and played golf and immediately knew this was the place for us. We purchased our first villa a few weeks later and began our lives on the island. Ironically, we have introduced several friends who now have a place of their own on Seabrook Island. Initially, our visits were long weekends away from our home in Charlotte since obligations with work, volunteering, and the lives of our two sons limited our visits, but as Ben and Alex headed off to college, we found more time to enjoy everything Seabrook Island and Charleston have to offer.
In the spring of 2006, we built a villa thinking it would be our retirement home. Our staffing and search business had grown to several offices in the Carolinas, and community obligations kept us in Charlotte, though we found more time to build relationships on the island and enjoy the expanding facilities. Both sons are now married and have 5 grandchildren between them, and all are regular visitors to Seabrook Island. When COVID hit, everyone wanted to get away to the beach and our villa was too small to welcome the entire family. On a bike ride in August of 2020, we saw the perfect house for us and now call Seabrook Island our home.
We still own our business based in Charlotte, but one son handles the day-to-day allowing us to travel and get involved on Seabrook Island. Recent trips have taken us to Southern England and Wales, Estes Park, Colorado, and plan to visit the Galapagos Islands and Machu Pichu early next year. We both play golf regularly, walk the beaches and work out at the Lake House. Bev volunteers with Neighbors Helping Neighbors and I serve on the Club membership committee. In the past, I served as President of both Heron Point Villas and Horseshoe Cove Villas.
My professional background served me well in Charlotte and can be of value to SIPOA. With both undergraduate and law degrees from Wake Forest, I started my career as an assistant attorney general before joining the legal department at Belk Stores with a focus on commercial real estate, employment, and contract law. We turned a startup into a multi-office service company that is now over 25 years in operation. I served on the county Planning Commission, School Board and ultimately Charlotte City Council in addition to serving as president of the Mecklenburg County Bar and Charlotte Rotary Club.
Seabrook Island is a unique and special place that demands sensitive and thoughtful leadership to ensure that it continues to attract folks who want friends and family to share in the wide variety of activities, wildlife, and natural resources. We are blessed to call Seabrook Island home and are lucky to have a wide range of friends who share our sentiments.
