Behind Albemarle Plantation stands a new ownership team with the vision, experience and capital strength to build one of the premier communities in the Carolinas. The team consists of five prominent North Carolina business leaders, each with a long record of success in real estate development, retail, finance, environmental law and numerous entrepreneurial ventures. With deep roots in Eastern North Carolina, Albemarle Plantation's new owners are committed to creating a community that's in tune with the natural environment and enhances the best the region has to offer. They include:

Walter Williams:

Walter Williams started Trade Mart with just two stores in 1984, and built it into a regional powerhouse, with over 600 stores and $375 million in revenues in 2005 when it merged with Wilco Hess. A 1951 East Carolina graduate, Williams is a devoted Pirate fan, serving on the University's Board of Trustees and earning the Lifetime Distinguished Service Award from the Alumni Association in 2000. The ECU basketball arena was named in his and wife Marie's honor in 1995.

Edwin Clark:

Edwin Clark was a co-founder of Trade Mart with father-in-law Walter Williams and was instrumental in the company's success. He serves as Executive Vice President of WilcoHess LLC, which today has over 350 stores and travel centers and $3 billion in sales. He also serves as Managing Member of Amicus Investments, a private equity firm with holdings in waterfront and commercial real estate and numerous other ventures. He is a Greenville native and 1979 ECU graduate.

Tom Taft:

Former State Sen. Tom Taft is senior partner of Taft, Taft & Haigler in Greenville and Wilmington, specializing in environmental law. A committed environmentalist, he serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Southern Environmental Law Center. He is also a commercial real estate developer and entrepreneur. He served as State Senator from 1985-1990. A graduate of Duke University and UNC Law School, he has served on the UNC Board of Governors and the UNC Law School Alumni Council.

Griff Garner:

Griff Garner is a visionary entrepreneur with a 30-year record of building and operating successful businesses. He served eight years as president of a Jiffy Lube franchise operator and 10 years as president of a personal computer reseller. He is involved in private equity investments with extensive holdings in commercial real estate, student housing and seafood processing. He is a 1979 graduate of East Carolina and earned a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard University in 1982.

Steve Stroud:

In a career spanning four decades, Steve Stroud has built a reputation as one of the nation's most astute real estate developers. He is a founder of Carolantic Realty in Raleigh, one of the Research Triangle's most successful development and management firms. He is one of only 85 North Carolina real estate professionals to have earned membership in the Society of Industrial & Office Realtors (SIOR). A lifelong supporter of NC State University, he was instrumental in the development of the RBC Center and in bringing a National Hockey League franchise to Raleigh.