Lodge and Legend: Volume 2 • Issue 1

THE LEGEND OF THE LODGE
too expensive or too commercial. Edmund was looking
for something off the beaten path, but not too far from
the existing address of Haywood Road. For those of you
familiar with the current Greenville commercial real estate
market, you know how difficult it has become to find
undeveloped land close to town!
In looking at various sites, they would drag along some of
their de facto board of directors, old friends and patrons
whom the Woos looked to for advice and guidance over
the years. One of these advisors was Will McCauley, owner
of Creative Builders, South Carolina’s largest homegrown
contractor, who had done the leasehold improvements of
the original Saskatoon.
After going on several such property searches and having
to tell Edmund none of them would work for all the Woos
wanted to accomplish, Will decided to introduce Edmund
to Rick Sumerel, who was running Verdae Development
which represented the vast real estate holdings (many
located in the Haywood/Woodruff Road corridor) of
Hollingsworth Funds.
Edmund sat down with Will and Rick and looked at the
map for the Verdae development, under the vision that
Rick had for the Verdae community. In addition to a vast
offering of houses, condos and apartments, Hollingsworth
Funds was developing many mixed-use buildings, and
other restaurants and shops to enrich the community.
“We were very excited about the prospect of being
involved in what Verdae was doing. So we looked at
everything they had available,” Edmund recounts. “Rick
had several of these giant property plat maps in their
corporate offices. I would go pester him and we would
stand in front of these maps and I would ask him about
this piece of land or that one. Then I would go look at
them and come back and make an offer. But we just
couldn’t seem to get together on a deal for any of them
that made sense to either of us.”
Nothing that was available was affordable or large
enough. Edmund had just about given up hope of ever
finding the right piece of land or building, when along
came Patrick Wilson.
Patrick was the retired general manager of the Embassy
Suites property in Verdae. He was also one of the Woo’s
advisors and would also go along on the various property
inspections of possible locations.
Patrick had run into Rick Sumerel (they had known each
other for a long time) and mentioned he was helping the
Woos in their property search. Patrick discussed all of
the challenges with finding the right property. Rick, in a
moment of inspiration said that there was a property that
he had not thought of previously that possibly Edmund
should go look at. He frankly didn’t think Edmund would
be interested because of all of its challenges, including
flood plains and proximity to wetlands.
However, just to mark all possibilities of the list, he gave
the address to Patrick so he could go look at it. After
taking a look, Patrick agreed with Rick that it would be
way too much of a challenge, but thought that Edmund
should be the one to say no.
So, on a hot day, Edmund went to look at the property.
“Besides the flood plains and the wet lands, it was covered
with kudzu and overgrown brush and marsh,” says
Edmund. “It was a very unattractive piece of land…but as I
was running out of options, I looked at it and thought, this
might be our only chance.”
TO BE CONTINUED
IN THE NEXT ISSUE
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