This article is continued from the January 2010 CarolinaLiving.com eBrief.
For a free subscription, please email info@carolinaliving.com.

Who’s Who? Who’s Where?
A Celebration of Innovators and Their Ideas.

Ann Helms Almond, long time visitor destination marketing pro for the Rutherford County (Lake Lure) Tourism Authority in Forest City, NC, is now available and interested in continuing her career. She understands the linkage between aggressive tourism marketing and the economic impact when a “Turbo-Tourist” relocates and brings big wealth and entrepreneurial talent. Find Ann at: 828.289.5475 or aa.almond@gmail.com.

Miriam Atria, celebrated destination marketing pro, won the 2009 SC Governors Cup Award for Excellence. Kudos to Miriam at:  803.920.2069 or miriam@lakemurraycountry.com.

Charlie Ball, Texan developer of 450-acre, green & sustainable Whisper Mountain near Asheville, has been selected twice by Southern Living to participate in national marketing programs. The 2009 Getaway Giveaway Cottage promotion generated 1,000 visitors, 5.5 million online hits, 226,000 online registrations and 25,000 leads. Whew! We need more Carolina exposure like that! Connect with Charlie at: 828.337.5955 or charlie@whispernc.com.

Veronica Brown, Tourism Marketing expert for Currituck County, NC, reports that visitor counts and occupancy tax for 2009 are off slightly. Sales tax is way down but Currituck picked up two Platinum Awards from the Destination Marketing Association of North Carolina for expert marketing. They will continue to spend heavily online to maintain market share. Reach Veronica at: 252.435.2938 or vbrown@visitcurrituck.com.

Wayne Cunningham, the career marketing guru to the Carolina & Georgia developer stars for 40 years, is onto a brilliant new project to offer expert modular building packages to residential community developers that need first class vertical and absorption, fast. He has the manufactures in line and a marketing program to fit most destinations. And, of course, it’s green. Talk with Wayne at: 404.550.4695 or ctpadv@bellsouth.net. Worth investigating.

Alana Davidson and her sister/partner Tana Boerger, owners of Carolina Trace Golf/Lake Community, in Sanford, NC, are brave and bright. They just funded and built a new clubhouse and their marketing executive, Sara O’Leary, has established a successful marketing program that’s enrolled 28 local firms as Corporate Members. Their enterprise is selling property and also dominates resales. Reach Alana at: 202.997.4324 or adavidson@carolinatrace.com.

Carol Douis, recognized career residential marketing expert, most recently with John Wieland, joined Lake Carolina Properties in Columbia, SC, as President BIC. They are reporting 207 gross home and retail lot transactions (171 net) for 2009. And Carol just launched a re-sales program in the fall.  Contact her at: 803.260.0564 or  cdouis@lakecarolina.com.

Clinch Heyward, President of Sterling Homes on the SC Grand Strand is, again, doing an Extreme Home Makeover this month. A FAST rebuild collaboration with dozens of subs that will be documented on ABC. For details on how to participate and/or replicate this worthy cause with its huge national exposure, contact Clinch at 843.222.8588 and check out the details at www.extremehorry.com.

Robert Miller, an old associate going back to our mid 80s days at US Capital Corporation, now operates My Land Solutions in Charleston, after a decade with Marriott Interval, time with Accord Hotels in the Pacific, Beach Company, and then the Ginn Organization. My Land Solutions offers strategic research from incubation to finished product. Contact Bob at: 843.670.1949 or  rmiller@mylandsolutions.com.

South Carolina real estate executive Edmund H. Monteith, Jr. has joined the award-winning Saluda River Club as Vice President, Sales and Marketing. SRC principals Walter Taylor, Bill Theus and Andy White announced the appointment. A past president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia and its Sales and Marketing Council, Monteith will serve as President of the Central Carolina REALTORS Association in 2010. Congratulate him at: 803.358.3969 or emonteith@saludariverclub.com.

John Myers, most recently top executive at Wakefield Development (Sandler Bros.) has formed JPM Development in Raleigh. Connect with John at: 919.306.3330 or  john@jomsouth.com.

The inventive and bold community developer, John Reed, also celebrates significant upturn in 2009 transactions at Hampton Lake, his 900-acre lakefront community in Bluffton, SC. The buyer enthusiasm is pegged to introduction of the LifeSmart™ home series, a green, sustainable, flex-space, age-in-place design … what I call “small palaces” … priced from the low $300s. Being peer-voted by the HBA as “Best New Community in America” also helps. Congrats to John at: 843.815.8400 or jreed@reeddevelopment.com.

Kirk Smith, DOM of Savannah Lakes Village gets a salute from the CarolinaLiving.com team as our longest continuous marketing partner, going back to when John Cooper Communities launched sales of this 4,200 acre golf/lake residential destination in 1990. With thousands of inquiries and hundreds of buyers generated from CarolinaLiving, SLV thrives. Thanks! Congrats to Kirk: 864.378.5816 or ksmith@slvpoa.net.

Bob Turner, successful TND pioneer (New Point in Beaufort, SC) measures 2009 regional market share dominance for sales and vertical at the venerable brand Habersham. Connect with Bob at: 843.321.0913 or rturner@habershamsc.com.