Most family businesses don’t survive their second generation of leadership. The Beach Company, Charleston, S. C., is proof that ancestral enterprises can prosper.
Led by President and CEO John C. L. Darby, grandson of founder John Charles “J. C.” Long, the 72-year-old firm has built an impressive legacy as a real estate broker, developer, and property manager throughout South Carolina. With 308 employees, The Beach Company has a growing presence in the Southeast U.S.
Long, who captained the football team at the University of South Carolina, was a prominent personal injury lawyer in Charleston (he brought the state’s first asbestos case) and political figure (he served as a state senator and city alderman). Long formed the company in 1945, shortly after purchasing 1,300 acres on what he later named the Isle of Palms, a barrier island on the South Carolina coast. Inspired by the scenic locale, he chose “The Beach Company” as the business entity’s name.
Long started out developing the island to house soldiers returning from World War II. He kept expanding his real estate holdings, eventually becoming the largest property owner in Charleston County.
John C. L. Darby and Charles S. Way, Jr., pore over blueprints, about 1990.
In the 1970s, illness prompted Long to pass the baton to his son-in-law, real estate lawyer Charles S. Way, Jr. Way led The Beach Company until 1999, when he tapped Darby as his successor. Way continues to be actively involved in the firm as Chairman of the Board.
Since taking the reins, Darby has restructured the company’s Board of Directors to where the majority are not family members. “We’re a family company, but we operate much like a public company—very disciplined and focused,” he says.
A few fourth-generation family members currently work at The Beach Company, but they’ve had to earn their positions like everyone else. “It’s probably more difficult for a family member to get hired than it is for a nonfamily member,” Darby says.
DOUBLING DOWN ON MULTIFAMILY
Over the years, The Beach Company built up a diverse portfolio that encompassed office, retail, mixed-use, and other commercial real estate endeavors. “I used to say, we own everything in real estate—from cemeteries to fishing piers,” says the 79-year-old Way. “Well, we sold the fishing pier, but we still own a few cemeteries.”
In the past decade, the company has tuned its focus to its core multifamily business, notably apartment communities and mixed-use developments. From this foundation, The Beach Company is charting a measured, steady expansion into other mid-size growth markets in the Southeast—Columbia and elsewhere in South Carolina, and Chattanooga and Nashville, Tenn.
In the Music City, two new Beach Company multifamily developments are under construction. In the booming SoBro neighborhood, the Sixth & Lea project will feature 250 rental units and 5,400 sf of commercial space. In West Nashville, the 402-unit Bells Bluff apartment complex is situated on the banks of the scenic Cumberland River.
Alberta Long serves coffee to her husband, J. C., in one of the early custom-made “mobile offices” the company used for site visits to remote projects.
The distinctive design of each property is a Beach Company hallmark. “We don’t repeat the same design from one project to the next,” says Daniel J. Doyle, Senior Vice President of Development. “Everything is customized to its site and community.”
This policy fits in with The Beach Company’s philosophy to take the long view of development. “Our attitude is that once a project is built, it’s a public asset,” says Darby. “People live there, work there, and shop there. That’s something we never lose sight of.”
OVERCOMING ITS SHARE OF OBSTACLES
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for The Beach Company. In the course of seven decades, the company has had to struggle through numerous economic downturns and recessions. Yet the firm has never defaulted on a mortgage. Nor has it ever failed to deliver at least a reasonable return on investment to its joint venture partners. “Not many folks can say that,” says Darby.
The company has also had to negotiate with various contingents of Charleston citizens who, in their zeal to preserve the city’s charm and historic provenance, have opposed some of the firm’s plans.
For years, The Beach Company has faced opposition to its plan to redevelop the Sergeant Jasper apartment building—the company’s first mixed-use residential development, completed in 1950.
When Charleston’s Board of Architectural Review denied The Beach Company’s redevelopment proposal, in 2015, the company pursued—and ultimately won—a legal appeal that paved the way for The Jasper to finally get going later this year. Positioned on four acres at the entry to Charleston’s historic district, the new 12-story building will offer 218 residential units, 75,000 sf of Class AA A office space, and a mix of retail and dining options.
Doyle says the company remains committed to responsible development that preserves the city’s history while supporting Charleston’s explosive population growth—about 15,000 a year. Economists project that more than 20,000 new jobs will be created in the region over the next two years.
“People will continue to move here, and we need to accommodate that growth and make sure Charleston remains a livable city that will continue to prosper,” Doyle says.
EMBRACING THE COMMUNITY
The Beach Company’s positive impact on the community extends far beyond its real estate enterprises. Many of Charleston’s most treasured community assets were established by family members.
Darby’s father, pediatrician Charles P. Darby, Jr., MD, founded the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital. Darby’s sister, Ann Darby Parker, established the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry. Way, who served as the Palmetto State’s Secretary of Commerce from 1999 to 2002, is Chairman of the Board of Trustees at South Carolina State University, a historically black college.
McMillan Pazdan Smith (architect) and Seamon Whiteside (CE, landscape architect) led the design of Main and Stone, in downtown Greenville, S. C., a mixed-use development of 292 apartment units and 20,800 sf of retail/commercial space. The new “urban epicenter” connects three of Greenville’s Historic District neighborhoods in the fashionable North Main area. Greenville, once known as the Textile Capital of the World, is home to the North American headquarters of Michelin.
“One of the things passed on from generation to generation is the idea of serving your community—whether it’s healthcare, education, the arts, or economic development,” says Darby. “We’re known as much for those activities as we are for our development work.”
Darby and his fellow third-generation family members (known as “the G3s”) are committed to ensuring that the family’s history and legacy are embraced by all staff members. It’s a responsibility he believes is crucial to The Beach Company’s enduring success—and a fitting tribute to founder J. C. Long, who died in 1984.
“I think J. C. would be very pleased that family members are so proud of their affiliation with the company,” Darby says.
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2010
Residences bring students, faculty together in the Middle East
A new residence complex is in design for United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, UAE, near Abu Dhabi. Plans for the 120-acre mixed-use development include 710 clustered townhomes and apartments for students and faculty and common areas for community activities.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community center under way in NYC seeks LEED Platinum
A curving, 550-foot-long glass arcade dubbed the “Wall of Light” is the standout architectural and sustainable feature of the Battery Park City Community Center, a 60,000-sf complex located in a two-tower residential Lower Manhattan complex. Hanrahan Meyers Architects designed the glass arcade to act as a passive energy system, bringing natural light into all interior spaces.
| Oct 12, 2010
The Watch Factory, Waltham, Mass.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards — Gold Award. When the Boston Watch Company opened its factory in 1854 on the banks of the Charles River in Waltham, Mass., the area was far enough away from the dust, dirt, and grime of Boston to safely assemble delicate watch parts.
| Sep 13, 2010
Richmond living/learning complex targets LEED Silver
The 162,000-sf living/learning complex includes a residence hall with 122 units for 459 students with a study center on the ground level and communal and study spaces on each of the residential levels. The project is targeting LEED Silver.
| Sep 13, 2010
Committed to the Core
How a forward-looking city government, a growth-minded university, a developer with vision, and a determined Building Team are breathing life into downtown Phoenix.
| Aug 11, 2010
Brown Craig Turner opens senior living studio
Baltimore-based architecture and design firm Brown Craig Turner has significantly expanded its housing design capabilities and expertise with the launch of its new senior living studio.
| Aug 11, 2010
CTBUH changes height criteria; Burj Dubai height increases, others decrease
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)—the international body that arbitrates on tall building height and determines the title of “The World’s Tallest Building”—has announced a change to its height criteria, as a reflection of recent developments with several super-tall buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Morphosis builds 'floating' house for Brad Pitt's Make It Right New Orleans foundation
Morphosis Architects, under the direction of renowned architect and UCLA professor Thom Mayne, has completed the first floating house permitted in the U.S. for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans.The FLOAT House is a new model for flood-safe, affordable, and sustainable housing that is designed to float securely with rising water levels.
| Aug 11, 2010
Bovis Lend Lease, Webcor among nation's largest multifamily contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Multifamily Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants