Courtney Worrell
Enabling Growth in a Responsible Direction
story by MICAH PEPPERS photos by CHARLOTTE BERKELEY
Beaufort brings in expats frequently for a variety of reasons, but the family of a college friend and a chocolate lab would ultimately lead Courtney Worrell to call the Lowcountry her forever home.
Originally from Roanoke, Virginia, Courtney attended Washington and Lee University. She majored in political science and worked in Washington, DC, every summer throughout college. After graduation, she moved to Richmond, Virginia. While there, she continued working in politics and attended the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership. However, once fully immersed in the daily political life, she learned that it wasn’t the path for her. “I worked with the Governor of Virginia and continued working with him after his term in office. I ran his statewide PAC and was on his U.S. Senate election campaign team, but working in politics just wasn’t what I had hoped.”
Courtney was living in Richmond where she met her husband, Jack. “I was moving into my apartment, and my chocolate lab, Bennett, ran up to him.” Jack, a Beaufort native, had attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and relocated to Richmond for work. They married in October 1998.
But the newlyweds weren’t fulfilled by their current jobs or locations. They both wanted something different. Courtney explains, “Richmond is a great city, but it wasn’t the best for us long term.”
Courtney had been introduced to the Beaufort area while in college at Washington and Lee University. “My friend’s family had a house at Fripp Island, and I came down with her every Thanksgiving, spring break, and multiple times in the summer, and got to know the area.” With Jack being from Beaufort, it wasn’t a hard decision for the couple to head south, so after only a year of marriage, the two packed up and moved to Beaufort. At the time, their career paths were unclear, and many of their friends questioned their choice. However, with Bennett as their only dependent, they decided to take the risk.
Once the couple moved to the Lowcountry, Frank Gibson, the best friend of Jack’s father, was chatting with Courtney. Frank ran Lowcountry Insurance Services at that time and was talking to her about future career plans. Frank mentioned that a man by the name of Dick Stewart was in his Rotary Club, and since she was new to the area, he introduced the two.
During their first meeting, Dick asked Courtney, “What do you want to do for a career?” Courtney laughed, “I was a political science major from a small liberal arts school. I wasn’t equipped to do much specifically, but I knew I loved to learn, I liked to work with people, and I wanted every day to be different. That was 23 years ago, and he’s definitely provided me with everything I asked for and more.
Dick is the founder of 303 Associates, a real estate investment company in Beaufort. The company builds, owns, and manages residential, commercial, and retail properties throughout the area. “We specialize in infill redevelopment, which means we don’t have to build on undeveloped land. We focus on making underutilized lands better and creating an area for higher and better use. What I really love about what we do is we are making positive changes. It was the desire to make my community better that drove me to politics in the first place, and we are doing just that, except from the private sector rather than the public sector.”
Upon Dick’s recent retirement announcement, he named Courtney and Jonathan Sullivan co-CEOs of 303 Associates. Courtney’s responsibilities have evolved over the years, and she is grateful for the wide variety of things she is responsible for. “We do a little bit of everything. We are a small company, and we all wear many hats. If you had asked me 25 years ago to look at construction documents and understand them, it would have not been possible. Thankfully, that’s changed.” Courtney goes on to add, “I feel that 303 Associates has made a positive change in the area. I love Beaufort, and I really believe in keeping it the authentic, special place that it is. I want to enable its inevitable growth, but in a responsible way.”
Courtney doesn’t spend all her time at work. “Jack and I have a son, Jack Carter. He’s a senior in high school, and we are so proud of him. We’re excited to see where he goes next. My college friend who introduced me to Fripp Island is his godmother and jokes that I stole her dream of living in the Lowcountry, but she visits every summer. We also really love to travel now that we can again. I love to cook and be outside, either on the boat or on the beach. I love my daily devotional and family Wordle battles, and I’m a big crossword nerd. I love being with my family and our dog, Buddy. I just feel incredibly fortunate to be where I am and do what I do.”
