How one local entrepreneur built an unparalleled resort experience.
David Pursell had a great business idea to create a resort experience on his family’s 3,200-acre farm south of Birmingham in Sylacauga. Pursell Farms had been home to a successful fertilizer business that he’d sold in 2006, so he had some money going into the new venture.
Additionally, there was already a guest lodge on the farm, as well as Farm Links Golf Club, the world’s only research and demonstration golf course, which has been ranked the number one public access golf course in Alabama.
But while his business vision had a lot going for it, securing the financing he needed wouldn’t be easy. The banks he spoke to didn’t feel comfortable financing a hospitality venture with no financial and operational track record. Then Pursell met with West Alabama Bank.
The West Alabama Difference
The bankers there took the time to get to know Pursell, learn more of his business and educational background, and listen to his plan to develop a resort experience steeped in Southern hospitality. The two formed a relationship, and the bank put their trust and support in Pursell.
“We just built a relationship with them and worked it out,” Pursell recalls. “They’ve been our bank all along.”
The relational side of banking is what makes West Alabama Bank stand out from the others, says Pursell, “The relationship is when somebody will take a chance on us, and when some banks would not consider it, West Alabama Bank did.”
Today Pursell Farms is a popular outdoor leisure resort featuring luxury cabin guestrooms and stately, historic homes, spa services, fine dining, golf, and shooting grounds. It’s a venue for weddings, corporate retreats, weekend vacations, and personal escapes.
“We are doing extremely well,” Pursell says. “West Alabama Bank was just great to work with. They saw the opportunity. They were willing to link up with us when others would not.”
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