The Legacy Lives On 53 “Sea Pines was and is a truly innovative company. It is hard to find a community development organization today that does not have a Sea Pines alumnus in top management,” Curry said. Charles Fraser’s innovation extended well beyond creating and running a successful resort; he was also famous for his amazing people skills. Glen McCaskey, former vice president of environmental and leisure services for The Sea Pines Co., relates a humorous anecdote about Charles’ inimitable style in handling two very different situations. “We had just developed Amelia Island, and we’d run into problems with a local paper mill that was dumping waste into the ocean,” McCaskey says. “We managed to get them to agree to a multi-million-dollar cleanup, but their top executives wanted to meet with us about it. Charles and I were flown to a meeting in New York, where Charles rented the largest stretch limo I’ve ever seen. We picked them up, took them out to lunch, and we just put the dog on them like there was no end to our financial resources. “Later on that same day, we were to meet with the top financiers for another project to arrange a $40 million loan. After we dropped off the paper mill executives, Charles had the limo stop a block away from the bank. “He turned to me and said, ‘There are times to put on the dog, and there are times to go into a meeting with your hat in your hand. When borrowing money, it’s the latter.’ He then plucked the top button on his shirt, mussed his hair, loosened his tie and went into that meeting looking like a man who needed money. He got his $40 million.” Not all of Sea Pines’ greatest ideas emerged from the mind of “He then plucked the top button on his shirt, mussed his hair, loosened his tie and went into that meeting looking like a man who needed money.” –Glen McCaskey on Charles Fraser Glen McCaskey– Former V.P. of Environmental & Leisure Services Sea Pines Company I t’s been said about Charles Fraser that he believed in surrounding himself with the best of the best. Whether it was an Ivy League-educated MBA, a marketing whiz kid or simply someone who shared his vision, Charles was quick to find and elevate new talent. The brilliance of this approach kept Sea Pines flowing with new blood, new ideas and constant innovation. And since nearly everyone he hired was soon able to shine on their own, Sea Pines proved to be an excellent launching pad for a career. One of Fraser’s first success stories was Phil Lader, who served as president of the resort until 1983. Lader later was executive vice president of a holding company, then president of Bond University in Queensland, Australia. He returned to the states to work in the Clinton administration, moving up the ranks to deputy chief of staff and eventually ambassador to the United Kingdom. Some Sea Pines graduates stayed a little closer to home. John Curry was named executive vice president of Sea Pines Resorts in 1973 and now continues to 52 SeaPines50thAnniversary.com | SeaPinesHomesAndVillas.com By Rebecca Walters work with Sea Pines through the Heritage Classic Foundation. He uses what he learned at the resort in his own consulting company. Curry was at Sea Pines during good, bad and occasionally unusual times. “On one occasion, Charles decided that electric cars were the wave of the future. He found a firm in Boston designing electric vehicles for the postal system and ordered dozens of them. We installed electric outlets at all Sea Pines parking areas. The first half dozen arrived and were rented. Kids drove three into the ocean, and the rest were pretty much used as bumper cars. Fortunately, the car company went broke before delivering the balance of the order,” he relates. “But then, Charles always felt that to have a great idea, you had to have lots of ideas. Most ideas were great.” Phil Lader– one of Fraser’s first success stories John Curry– named Executive V.P. of Sea Pines Resort–1973
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