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- [S106] The Mountain Press, 21 Mar 2007.
Ogle recognized by hall of fame
From Submitted Reports
March 21, 2007
David Ogle of Gatlinburg will be recognized as a Laureate during the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame for his long connection to the organization.
Ogle's grandmother received the honor in 1997. Honorees will be inducted into the 19th Junior Achievement of East Tennessee Business Hall of Fame March 27 in Knoxville.
Since 1989, the East Tennessee Business Hall of Fame has annually recognized business leaders in East Tennessee. An independent Hall of Fame Selection Committee, made up of former winners and area business leaders, selects each year's honorees.
An eighth-generation Tennessean, David Ogle's family was Gatlinburg's first. Martha Jane Huskey Ogle moved to the foothills area, which would later become Gatlinburg, over 200 years ago. David Ogle has been a leader in business and community affairs in Sevier County for the past 30 years. He has been part of his family's real estate partnership, Five Oaks Development Group, which is are now Sevier County's largest property taxpayer.
Among his accomplishments was his role in the development of what is today Tanger Five Oaks. First built in 1991 with an original area of 55,000 square feet, today the shopping center has been expanded seven times with over 100 retailers and 10 times the original area.
Ogle graduated from East Tennessee State University with a degree in real estate and later from Clemson with a master's in construction. His construction company has built over $125 million in projects over the past 15 years in Sevier and Knox counties. In addition to Five Oaks, his projects have included Riverplace in Sevierville, Bearskin Lodge and Parkside, and Montvue and Broadway centers in Knoxville. His latest project is Cherokee Lodge, a $24 million condominium project in Pigeon Forge.
This past year, Ogle joined in the development of SmartBank. He and the group raised $20 million in three weeks to start the bank. Ogle also owns Star Cars in Gatlinburg, which features movie cars.
Ogle represented Gatlinburg for three terms on the Sevier County Commission, chairing the Industrial Committee, which created the Sevier County Economic Council. He served for five years on the Tennessee Real Estate Commission, serving as chairman for two of those years. When elected, he was one of the youngest chairmen ever to serve the agency. Presently, he serves as vice chairman of the Board of Trustees for Carson-Newman College.
Ogle and his wife of 22 years, Melinda, live in Gatlinburg with their two sons, Jake, a freshman at Furman, and Taylor, a sophomore at Gatlinburg-Pittman. They are members of First Baptist Church of Gatlinburg.
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 30 Aug 2009.
The Smoky Mountains: From farming to franchising
When Smokies became a national park, tourism followed — and hasn't stopped growing since
* By Carly Harrington
* Posted August 30, 2009 at midnight
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The Smoky Mountains: From farming to franchising
Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess
Fans try to get a glimpse of Dolly Parton at Dollywood in June. The success of the theme park largely has been driven by visitors to the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Smokies' natural beauty and its designation as a national park 75 years ago set the stage for what would become the area's No. 1 industry: tourism.
Even before it became a national park in 1934, folks from around the region would visit the Smoky Mountains, making it their summer playground.
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Each month through September, the News Sentinel is publishing a special report about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which officially turns 75 in 2009. We'll highlight unique aspects of the Smokies, from the challenges of preserving park plant and animal life to its turbulent human history to its profound economic impact on East Tennessee to its uncertain future.
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Next month, our final segment, will look at factors that threaten and challenge the park in the future, such as human encroachment and species preservation.
Hiking, camping and frolicking in the streams were pastimes that an estimated 9 million visitors now enjoy each year and have spurred an economy of unparalleled proportions.
"It's always been the backbone, the prime attraction, to the millions of folks who come," David Ogle of Five Oaks Development said of the mountains.
The Smokies' natural beauty and its designation as a national park 75 years ago set the stage for what would become the area's No. 1 industry: tourism.
The park's impact on economic development and business is evident from Exit 407 at Interstate 40 along Winfield Dunn Parkway through Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and western North Carolina.
Generations of local entrepreneurs were created and national chains entered the market, building hotels, restaurants, entertainment venues and souvenir shops that dominate the landscape around the park.
"It changed a lot of farmers into motel and restaurant operators," Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Gary Wade said. "There is some light industry left, but we are no longer a farming community like it was when I was growing up."
The extraordinary growth has brought forth its share of challenges, including traffic and air-quality issues, but longtime natives are proud of how the area has developed and are looking ahead to continued prosperity.
"I think it's one of the great tourism stories that so many people have enjoyed over the years," Ogle said. "I don't think anyone could have perceived the breadth of tourism development."
A changing landscape
Ogle, 51, grew up on Five Oaks Farm, now Tanger Five Oaks Outlet Mall, in Sevierville, which he said was a lot like other rural towns in Tennessee - like Loudon, Morristown and Jefferson City.
"We had tourism traffic then but not nearly on the same scale as today. I can remember riding my bicycle on Highway 441 in the late '60s. I don't think you'd want to do that today," he said.
Land along the Parkway once consisted of a number of farms that were linked together. As landowners died, state auctions were held and property that fronted U.S. Highway 441 was divided into 100-foot tracts, Ogle said.
The area was developed in a linear fashion. Slender hotels were built, configured to the size of the tracts.
"You'll see a higher density in the middle of Pigeon Forge and lower density between Sevierville and Pigeon Forge," he said. "There were larger developments just like our farm in Sevierville. We still own it - 200 acres in size that didn't fall under the auction hammer."
With its decidely regional lure, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for years were seasonal destinations, all but closed during the off-season winter months.
But one seminal event helped turn Sevier County into a virtual year-round tourist playground.
According to locals, the area got its first notable introduction during the 1982 World's Fair in nearby Knoxville.
Visitors would stay in the mountains and bus down to the World's Fair during the day, said R.B. Summitt, president of Sevier County Bank.
The Sevierville Events Center at Bridgemont is shown in 2007.
Photo by Chad Greene
The Sevierville Events Center at Bridgemont is shown in 2007.
"It exposed Sevier County, and the mountains in particular, to group travel. It took us to a new level," he said.
Immediately after the World's Fair, Pigeon Forge officials put together the town's first advertising campaign. That budget has grown over the years to $8 million for direct mail and advertising, Pigeon Forge City Manager Earlene Teaster said.
"That's more than most CVBs (Convention and Visitors Bureaus) across the state and a lot of states have budgeted," she said.
Then came Dollywood.
"Other than the establishment of the national park, that single idea probably did more for Sevier County development than any one announcement that has ever been done. That led to a lot of this other stuff," said Allen Newton, executive director of the Sevier County Economic Development Council.
With singer-songwriter Dolly Parton a partner in what was once Silver Dollar City, land in Pigeon Forge doubled in value overnight and has continued to increase since.
At the time, the Parkway was a two-lane road with a few scattered mom-and-pop hotels.
"There were a few attractions, but that's about all. It was very much a sleepy town," said Dollywood spokesman Pete Owens. "We became Dollywood in 1985 at the close of the season. In 1986, attendance nearly doubled and continues to grow."
Today, Dollywood and adjoining sister theme park Splash Country attract 3 million guests every year.
About the time Dollywood opened, so did the county's first outlet mall. Known to many as the "Red Roof Mall," Factory Merchants Mall was among the first of its kind in the country. Between 1986 and 1990, 1 million square feet of development in Sevier County came out of the ground, including Factory Merchants, Belz Factory Outlet and a small Tanger Outlet Center, Ogle said.
Today, Dollywood and adjoining sister theme park Splash Country attract 3 million guests every year.
In 1990, Ogle and his siblings turned the family farm into Five Oaks Mall, a 200,000-square-foot retail outlet that was sold to Tanger in 1997. It has grown to 500,000 square feet of retail.
"We felt there was a need to have more high-profile tenants in the marketplace like Ralph Lauren, Lennox, Tommy Hilfiger, Brooks Brothers," Ogle said. "We saw an opportunity to do more upscale."
How much is too much?
Over the years, a number of local families who owned and operated businesses sold their ventures to become solely property owners, leasing land to big-name companies.
"We have all the national chains represented. You have to look hard to find those things that are different, but they're jewels when you do," Wade said.
Family businesses that dominated for years have gone by the wayside, including Open Hearth Restaurant in Gatlinburg and Ogle's Water Park in Pigeon Forge.
Larger, out-of-town companies are investing in the area, bringing, some say, a certain level of sophistication.
Most of Sevier County's development has occurred over the last 10 years. Sales tax collections jumped 70 percent to $189 million in 2007 from $111 million in 2000.
"It was borderline out of control," Summitt said. "Our county still struggles with zoning and what is fair to the landowners. It's hard, especially when you're dealing with land that's been part of a family for generations."
Efforts are under way to try to balance development rights and safety, environmental and aesthetic concerns.
Gatlinburg has started an architectural review initiative. A number of beautification efforts are under way. The city and county have taken up ridgetop and hillside development. Sevierville started a Central Business Improvement District, which stretches from downtown Sevierville along state Highway 66 to Interstate 40.
"We do have to be good stewards. There has been a lot happening in Sevier County, especially in the last decade, that points to a greater responsibility of the land," Ogle said.
Not all areas along the park have sparked the same level of development.
Smoky Mountain gateways in Blount and Cocke counties have seen less economic development, while Cherokee, N.C., has only in the last decade begun to attract more visitors.
"Many prefer it that way. I enjoy it both ways," said Wade, 61, whose family has invested in hotels and restaurants.
When Wade was in the seventh grade in 1960, his teacher told the class Tennessee was 46th out of 48 states in per capita income. Sevier County was 93rd out of 95 counties.
"It never dawned on me that we were poor. We've come a long way and still have a long way to go. The economy has changed from agrarian to tourism. There's prosperity but with a price," said Wade, who served as mayor of Sevierville from 1997-1987.
Government leaders grapple with providing adequate infrastructure, which places an increasing demand on the local tax base. Despite competing for tourism dollars, city and county officials sit down monthly to work together on bigger issues like water, sewer and roads.
"We still have problems, but they have anticipated many and resolved most that comes with growth," Wade said.
Continuing to grow
Bass Pro Shops followed Smokies Stadium at the Interstate 40 interchange at Exit 407 in Kodak.
Photo by Briana Scroggins
Bass Pro Shops followed Smokies Stadium at the Interstate 40 interchange at Exit 407 in Kodak.
Construction is under way to widen state Highway 66 from four to six lanes.
"We're so very fortunate. Someone was complaining about the barrels on 66. I'm thrilled to death. We're a small county with a population less than 85,000, and we have a $30 million project on 66 and $20 million on 407. That's $50 million in a 10-mile stretch. It's needed," Summitt said.
Ten years ago, the county built a baseball stadium at Exit 407 after recruiting Knoxville's minor league baseball team to the popular interchange. Bass Pro Shops soon followed, as well as a handful of hotels.
"It really established another beginning point for the Smoky Mountain corridor," Wade said.
"We built a stadium over there and got all the infrastructure in place in hopes of developing that interchange," Newton said. "That has financially come to fruition after 10 years."
After watching the steady stream of auto traffic ebb and flow between I-40 and Sevier County's tourist destinations for years, real estate developers realized undeveloped land along Highway 66, also known as Winfield Dunn Parkway, was a hidden treasure.
Once development began, property prices escalated to, in some cases, $1.3 million or more an acre and $10,000 a square foot for land fronting the Parkway.
And an estimated $1 billion worth of development from Sevierville to Interstate 40 is on the drawing board, Newton noted.
"I talk with national retailers all the time. There's considerable interest in the county from national retailers and alike. It will be interesting to watch development there. Obviously, this recovery will play a large part in how quickly it will develop," Ogle said.
Last month, Walmart signed a purchase agreement to buy some 20 acres at Dumplin Creek, a project launched a couple of years ago by developers behind Knoxville's wildly successful Turkey Creek retail complex. Construction of a Walmart store is expected to begin next spring at the Exit 407 location.
Ed Rubio takes a photograph of Ryan and Rachel Peistrup of Chicago in front of a player cutout before the Tennessee Smokies’ baseball home opener at Smokies Park in April.
Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess
Ed Rubio takes a photograph of Ryan and Rachel Peistrup of Chicago in front of a player cutout before the Tennessee Smokies’ baseball home opener at Smokies Park in April.
The Wilderness at the Smokies resort and water park, the first venture outside of Wisconsin for a family-owned business, opened on the Parkway recently to much fanfare.
Since the beginning of the year, it has rented more than 90,000 hotel rooms and has had 300,000 guests. In the first seven months, it generated $15 million in revenue, Wilderness General Manager Dave McGregor said.
The $850 million partially completed Wilderness complex in Sevierville along Highway 66 has spawned a large convention and exhibition center for Sevier's county seat, and there are plans for retail development.
"We're definitely meeting our goals," McGregor said. "There was some concern with the economy, but we've been able to overcome that. We're a new addition in town to add to what is already here."
Between 10 percent and 15 percent of Wilderness visitors are new to the market, representing an additional 30,000 folks who have never come to the area before, he said.
"The investors are excited about the fact we have been successful. They see so much potential that can continue with growth in this area," he said.
Some speculate the next area to develop will be along Veterans Boulevard, a new multilane road that now serves as the main entrance into Dollywood and Splash Country.
"Other than the downturn in the economy during the past year, there's no end in sight," Wade said.
Business writer Carly Harrington may be reached at 865-342-6317.
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