Ownership changing at Callaway Resort & Gardens, largest employer in Harris County
The ownership of Harris County’s largest employer is changing.
Herschend Enterprises, considered the nation’s largest family-owned themed attractions and entertainment company, has reached an agreement to buy part of Callaway Resort & Gardens from the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation, Callaway announced in a news release Wednesday.
The agreement expands Herschend’s relationship with the foundation. After managing Callaway the past two years, Herschend also will own the resort’s assets, including the lodge, spa, golf courses, beach area and conference center. Herschend will lease and manage the foundation’s Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center, Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center, Ida Cason Memorial Chapel and the gardens.
The news release didn’t disclose the sale price. It’s also unclear whether the transaction would affect Callaway’s number of employees and job positions. The Ledger-Enquirer didn’t reach Callaway’s spokeswoman for comment before publication.
Callaway has approximately 500 employees, according to the employment resource company Zippia.
“This is an exciting and important milestone for the Foundation — one that assures we can continue our philanthropic efforts in the community and continue Cason and Virginia Callaway’s vision of ‘creating a garden so beautiful that it would make visitors want to go home and lead better lives,’ for generations to come,” Fran Rogers, the foundation’s chair, said in the news release. “Herschend Enterprises’ expertise in commercial operations has already led to a significant increase in funding, with the new arrangement providing us an even greater opportunity to grow and achieve our mission of conservation, education and land stewardship.”
Herschend Enterprises CEO Andrew Wexler said in the news release, “We’re honored to carry on the Callaway legacy by bringing our more than 70 years of experience in destination marketing to further develop Callaway as Georgia’s premier resort destination. We are wholeheartedly committed to preserving and strengthening all that makes Callaway so beloved and special — and look forward to celebrating the area’s natural beauty with a focused effort on world-class events and activities that complement the surrounding landscape.”
No specifics were mentioned, but the news release says Herschend plans to invest more then $20 million in renovations and other improvements to the resort during the next five years.
Callaway comprises approximately 2,500 acres in Pine Mountain. Cason J. Callaway and his wife, Virginia Hand Callaway, created the gardens and in 1950 deeded the land that now also includes the resort to the foundation established by Fuller Callaway Sr.
Herschend Enterprises, headquartered in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, also dates back to 1950, when the Herschend family started a cave tour in Branson, Missouri, that expanded into Silver Dollar City. Herschend now owns 26 properties, including Dollywood Parks & Resorts and the Harlem Globetrotters, with more than 11,000 employees entertaining more than 14 million guests annually, according to the news release.
This story was originally published April 6, 2022 at 2:15 PM.
