Annie Bryant
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Annie Bryant Peterson, founder and co-owner of Bryant Real Estate, started the company sometime around 1952. Timing is not exact because licenses
were not required and she helped friends through the years locate properties to rent when visiting Wrightsville Beach.
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She, along with Joe Stone, a local building contractor at the time, had an office on Causeway Drive, next to where The Landing is today. They built a quadruplex
on the corner of Salisbury and Lumina, which Annie acquired from Joe in 1954 and moved Bryant Real Estate to that location where it has been ever since.
Through the 50's and 60's, Annie was a unique businesswoman for the times. Willing to take risks and purchasing houses, duplexes and triplexes for $1,000 to $2,000
down and renting them out to make their payments. She has accumulated several properties in Wrightsville Beach through the years. In the mid-60's she had the idea that she would
like to get all of her units under one roof and in 1971 opened the Silver Gull Motel, a 32-room motel with kitchenettes and dinette facilities - the first of its kind anywhere.
Bryant Real Estate was primarily a property management based company, but also did a considerable amount of sales including Shell Island where the large lots are located just north of the Holiday Inn.
In 1978, Bob Bryant, Annie's nephew, joined the company as a sales agent. His background included a degree in Math and Math Education with minors in Computer Science and Physics from Florida State
University, teaching, and sales for IBM. He relocated to the area in 1978 with his wife Joanne. However new to the area, he was very familiar with Wrightsville Beach from vacationing here every summer as a child,
doing odd jobs, including maintenance, painting and even house cleaning at times for the company if necessary.
Bob Bryant
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From 1978 through 1983, Bob's primary role was in sales. From 1983 to 1986 he worked with a development company to whom he sold Shell Island on the north end, primarily Cordgrass Bay, Duneridge Estates and Duneridge
Condominiums. In 1986 he came back to Bryant Real Estate as a partner in the business.
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During this time he was extremely active with the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors serving on most all committees and as President in 1987. He founded and was President of the Wilmington Realtors Foundation,
an organization designed to give back to the community.
In 1990-91 he was Regional Vice President of the North Carolina Association of Realtors and headed up the Professional Standards Committee for the state.
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