By Kathleen Vereen Dayton, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Sep. 1--Greg Martin is about to step into the position of general manager for the Grand Strand's newest mega-retailer, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World.
The mammoth outdoor retailer, which features an 11,000-gallon saltwater aquarium and restaurant, holds its grand opening tomorrow.
For Martin, a 14-year employee of Wal-Mart, the position is a dream job and a chance to come home.
Martin grew up hunting and fishing in Georgetown County, where his father, Milton Martin, ran a hunting lodge for International Paper Co.
'It was just a part of life for me. That's how I grew up,' Martin said. 'It was school, church, ball practice and the outdoors. It prepared me for what I do now.'
Martin's experience with Wal-Mart and his background as a hunter and fisherman in the Grand Strand-Pee Dee region helps him to look at his new job both as a retailer and a sports man, he said.
'I'm able to bring the culture and vision of Bass Pro and combine it with retail experience,' Martin said.
As a child, Martin worked alongside his father, Milton Martin, on Waddell Ranch, now called Black River Plantation.
At the time, the wildlife preserve was used by International Paper Co.
Martin helped on the plantation by washing out dog pens, and he and his father fished and hunted for quail and deer.
'I had a wonderful upbringing and childhood,' Martin said. 'The experiences I had out there with him are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.'
After graduating from Winyah High School, Martin took classes at Coastal Carolina University and began working in construction for his uncle. He later worked for extra money at Wal-Mart by putting bicycles together.
'I just pursued it, and it grew into a career,' Martin said.
Martin and his family have spent the past twelve years living in Savannah, Ga., where they visited Bass Pro Shops for the first time.
'My wife said, 'Greg, you've got to work here.' She kind of broke the ice, ' Martin said.
The couple both have family in Georgetown.
'It was a great opportunity to move back home. That was the sealer on the deal,' Martin said.
His challenge in Myrtle Beach, he said, will be keeping things new and exciting within the store and making the store a destination not only for tourists, but for locals.
'Along with our visitors, it's important that local folks know we're here,' Martin said. 'It's a fairly new retail company.'
The Grand Strand's nearly 13 million annual tourists means he will also have new customers nearly every week.
'That gives us a great opportunity in merchandising and introducing people to the outdoors,' Martin said. 'It's like taking a kid fishing.'
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