The Help Wanted sign is out at Magnolia Greens and Compass Pointe.
Amenity upgrades at the two Brunswick County planned communities will require additional staffing. Officials hope a
job fair this Friday and Saturday will net about 75 hires for part-time entry level food and beverage positions.
The communities are linked through developer Bobby Harrelson, who last summer
purchased the Magnolia Greens Golf Course, and who now owns Compass Pointe and is developing the new Rick Robbins-designed golf course there.
A major expansion of the Magnolia Grille will call for more kitchen and serving staff, said the property’s spokeswoman Nicole Stone.
“We’re doubling the space,” she said Tuesday. “The menu used to be mainly burgers and breakfast, but now the restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s geared to the community, and will be open to the public as well as Magnolia Greens residents.”
A new name for the restaurant will probably accompany the new concept, Stone added, but there has been no final decision. The eatery is expected to open in early April.
The job fair is also expected to yield staff for Compass Pointe’s two new restaurants, whose openings are pegged to the opening of Compass Pointe Golf Course, Stone said.
“The Latitude will be the golf course restaurant and Oasis will be a café – more casual than The Latitude,” she said. “We’re looking for hosts, dishwashers, line cooks, servers and bar staff.”
If all goes well, said Rick Ferrell, director of golf for Magnolia Greens and Compass Pointe, the new course should open in May. Initially the course will be public, but over time it may evolve into a semi-private course, he said.
"It's got a range in length from 5,000 to 7,100 yards - very player-friendly," Ferrell said Tuesday. "There are some elevation changes not common in this area."
Compass Pointe, a 2,200-acre development off U.S. 74 – about six miles from Magnolia Greens – first began development nine years ago, as the housing bubble burst as part of the Great Recession. A steadily improving housing market in the past couple of years has given new life to the community, which
created a new master plan last year.
Although there are numerous other golf courses in the vicinity, the new facility is a draw, according to Ferrell.
"[The course] was built to help sell property. The development is doing extremely well, and I'm confident that it's because there is a new golf course as part of it."