Many customers like to know about the company and people behind the products or services they purchase. Here we will tell you a little about ourselves and our company.
Company History
Lake Lure Realty Company was founded in 1964 by Larry Phillips. Mr. Phillips had visited the Lake Lure area during World War II while on R&R. He liked the area so well that after leaving the Army he returned to Ohio working in the local steel mills and as a dance instructor in order to save up enough money to purchase land in the quiet little hamlet of Lake Lure. Once Mr. Phillips raised enough money, he returned to the Lake Lure area, married and began building several businesses. He started with a small ice cream shop that grew into a restaurant and dance hall. With a background in professional ballroom dance (he once won a dance contest against Fred Astair) and entertainment, the perfect name for the restaurant was El Tango. He later capitalized on his entertainment background and opened Talent Attractions and began booking bands and other entertainment into the El Tango and other venues across the southeast.
In 1964 Larry opened a real estate business just across the road from the Lake Lure Beach. Lake Lure Realty was opened before real estate licensing was required. As the years went by, Larry's wife Thelma, son Rocky and daughter Rita all obtained their real estate license. After Mr. Phillips death in 1994, the office was temporarily closed as Thelma had a convenience store to run. Rocky had moved to Charlotte many years before and Rita was in Arizona. After selling the country store, Thelma reopened the office for business. Upon the death of Thelma in 2008, all three children have stepped up with plans to modernize the business and move it into the 21st century. The business is a true family owned and family run business with Penny Gilliam as Broker-in-Charge. Rita Swanson-Robinson and her husband Ed Robinson, Rocky Phillips, and Tyrone Phillips are the Board of Directors.
We all look forward to assisting new clients and old with all of their real estate needs.
Our Business Philosophy
Our philosophy is that there is a perfect property for everyone. We believe in listening to our clients and making sure that they get the best service we can offer.
Meet Our Team
Penny Gilliam, Tyrone Phillips, Rita Swanson-Robinson,
Ed Robinson, Rocky Phillips
Penny Gilliam, Broker-in-Charge. Penny was the former owner of Penny Realty. Her initial reason for getting into real estate was at the encouragement of our founder, Larry Phillips. As his health was failing, he encouraged her to take the courses in order to work with him at Lake Lure Realty. She got her license with his encouragement but he passed away before he could install her into the business. Other circumstances caused her to open Penny Realty in the meantime. It has taken a while for things to come full circle but now she is were she was always supposed to be. Penny's has worked in a variety of fields including construction. Her construction background is a great asset to those clients looking to build. With a well rounded background in office management and organization, as well as a paralegal education, Penny's natural abilities at management made her the perfect Broker-in-Charge. Her knowledge and meticulous attention to detail means our clients will be provided a thorough understanding of the contracts involved in a real estate transaction. Penny and Tyrone have been together 18 years. With Tyrone's encouragement she continues her education by taking on-line classes in a variety of subjects. In her spare time she organizes shooting classes for ladies and charity shooting matches for a local autism charity as well as volunteering to work on fundraisers for the NRA. She has one son. Her hobbies are shooting, photography, reading, her four cats, and decorating and remodeling their home.
Rita Swanson-Robinson, Broker and Corporate Secretary
After spending 20+ years traveling and living around the country as the wife a US Marine, divorce and circumstances brought Rita home. With her diverse background in banking, she immediately went to work for a local bank where she stayed for ten years. While still working full time at the bank, she obtained her real estate license in 2004 and joined Lake Lure Realty Company to prepare
her for work in the family business. Rita retired as Vice President from the bank in late 2008 shortly after the death of her mother to devote herself to the family business. Rita, along with her husband Ed, and her brothers Tyrone and Rocky Phillips are the Board of Directors. With more than 30 years in banking, she will be a great asset in assisting our clients with finding and understanding financing. Rita has one son who is proudly serving in the United States Air Force and he and his wife Stacey have blessed her with a beautiful grand-daughter. Rita now lives in the Fruitland area with her husband Ed, their three dogs, two cats, and two African Grey Parrots. Her hobbies include auctions, traveling, dancing and collecting glassware.
Tyrone Phillips, President
Tyrone is the youngest of Larry and Thelma Phillips. A US Army veteran, he is an Eagle Scout and has been a member and scout leader of Troop 605 in Edneyville for over 40 years. While he is not a broker, he is extremely knowledgeable about the real estate market. His expertise is in his diverse knowledge of the history of Lake Lure. Having lived in Lake Lure his entire life (with the exception of the three years Uncle Sam owned him) he knows every nook and cranny and has been witness to all the changes in our area. Most recently he served on the Lake Lure Single Family/Vacation Rental Stakeholder's Committee. He is the epitome of a true mountain man. Not one for a lot of tedious office work, Tyrone is also a NC state certified Wildlife Depradation Agent. Recommended by one of our local Wildlife Enforcement Agents, his experience and knowledge of the outdoors and the habits of wildlife made him the perfect choice for this line of work. With the wide expance of undeveloped land there is a vast array of wildlife in the area. Tyrone has one son and one grand-daughter. His hobbies are competitive shooting, hunting, and scuba diving and most importantly anything to do with guns and gunsmithing. He like Penny devotes his spare time volunteering to teach ladies to shoot and working on NRA fundraisers.
Rocky Phillips, Vice President
Rocky is the oldest of the Phillips clan. Rocky is a US Army Vietnam Vet and now lives and works in Charlotte, NC. With a quick wit and a gift for gab, he has worked in public broadcasting for over thirty years. He currently holds a real estate license in the Charlotte area but due to his passion for fishing, he prefers to work outdoors in the boating industry. His hobbies are fishing in tournaments and shag dancing. He never misses an opportunity to strut his stuff on any dance floor between Charlotte, Lake Lure and Myrtle Beach. He is an active member of both the Lake Lure Shag club as well as one in Charlotte. He has two sons, two grandsons, and one grand-daughter.
Edward Robinson, Treasurer
As Rita's husband, Ed is the newest member of the family. He appears to be the quiet one of the crowd, however his keen sense of humor and quick wit quickly shows through. After working for more than 30 years in the machinist and tool field, he decided it was time to change courses. Ed has a tremendous business sense having run his own electronic security installation and monitoring firm for 11 years which he continues to do today. With the gift of a beautiful voice, he was the minister of music at his church in Florida before moving to North Carolina and currently lends his talents to his church in Hendersonville. He has two sons, one daughter, seven grandchildren and one great-grandson. His hobbies are collecting and repairing clocks, building things with his hands, singing gospel music and traveling with Rita. His unwavering faith in God helps keep us all grounded.