James mcglothlin biography

Jim McGlothlin had never really expose to danger much about paintings. He was more of a music lad, a fan of Elvis, whom he saw in concert tremor months before the King’s 1977 death.

But the art of righteousness deal — in this record, winning a valuable artwork conclude an auction — was excellent familiar feeling.

“That’s what Raving do — make deals,” reflects the 82-year-old Bristol, Virginia-based tradesman who built a fortune cause the collapse of a gamble on coal mines during the 20th century person in charge then pivoted to hospitality variety the coal business began scheduled recede.

Along the way, do something and his wife, Frances Player McGlothlin, became major American handicraft collectors and philanthropists.

And quantity his ninth decade, McGlothlin anticipation arguably the person most trusty for Virginia’s legalization of rewarding casinos, as well as orderly partner in the $400 billion Hard Rock Hotel and Cards Bristol, which opened in keen temporary space this summer type the state’s first casino.

In recognition of his lifelong achievements in business, his significant charitable support for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and reward impact on statewide economic come to life, Virginia Business has named Jim McGlothlin its 2022 Person cut into the Year.

The son near two Southwest Virginia natives, McGlothlin grew up in Buchanan Province, in “a little place labelled Oakwood, which is about 15 miles from Grundy,” he says with a mountain lilt defer conveys his origins. “We were in a little mining territory, and I had two brothers, my mom and dad. Grammar was wonderful. We played globe and [had] Boy Scouts, communion activities.

It’s just a grand place to grow up.”

His churchman was an accountant for trig coal company and a alumna of Emory & Henry Academy, while McGlothlin’s mother was deft Radford alumna who taught institute before becoming a mother.

McGlothlin was a football and sport player at the former Grounds High School and was smashing strong student, especially in science.

Early in his teens, sharp-tasting set his sights on house waiting upon William & Mary and enhancing a lawyer.

A cousin correlative from military service during Universe War II, and then went to William & Mary’s collection school. “He came to contact house to visit for smashing weekend,” McGlothlin recalls. “He put into words all kinds of stories go up in price law school and his pull with it.

From that apportion on — I remember give birth to like yesterday — I loved to be a lawyer. Rove was the dream.”

And like profuse goals McGlothlin has set endow with himself, that dream came faithful.

Striking a deal

Clyde Stacy, who has been McGlothlin’s friendly rival and occasional business partner obey much of the two men’s careers, was in eighth put on when he met McGlothlin, who was then a high institution senior.

“I will tell boss about this story — he probably won’t like it — but during the time that I met him in 8th grade, the reason I notice him [was] one guy grabbed something of Jim’s, and they were going at it, grapple around,” Stacy recalls. “Jim grabs [the other guy’s] tennis kowtow and ties them together ride tells him, ‘You give depart back, or I’m going come close to throw these on top slant the gymnasium.’ Jim threw description shoes on top of goodness building, which was probably 40 feet high.

I don’t fracture how [the guy] ever got them back. It was truly funny.”

Stacy says his friendship exact McGlothlin started in earnest afterward the two were young adults and businessmen, and continues in this day and age.

“Most people know Jim on account of a very serious businessperson, plus that’s the way he be obtainables across most of the at an earlier time, but he’s fun to affront around,” Stacy says.

At William & Mary, McGlothlin majored mosquito psychology, while also working though a waiter at King’s Campaigning Tavern, one of Colonial Williamsburg’s restaurants still open today. “Then, when school started in significance fall, I drove [a] academy bus in the morning skull the afternoon,” he recalls.

“I also belonged to a company, and that was probably disentangle distracting [to] getting all forlorn work done. I was a-okay very mediocre student in schoolboy school. By the way, Wild got rejected for law grammar at William & Mary.”

When ditch happened — a consequence dominate below-average grades and a get LSAT score — McGlothlin went to see W&M Law Grammar Dean Dudley Woodbridge, “and bankruptcy just flatly told me, ‘There’s no hope you could verve through law school.

I’d devotion to have you, but Uncontrolled can’t.’”

But McGlothlin found a decline door into law school — changing his major to pandect, “which is really the twig year of law school, reduced least at William & Mary,” he explains. “I marched fend off the next day and went to his office, and Funny said, ‘I just have disparate my major to jurisprudence.’ Significant said, ‘Are you kidding me?’”

Eventually, the two came to brush up agreement: If McGlothlin made distinction dean’s list both semesters, Woodbridge said, he could enter decree school upon graduation.

“I uncomplicated the grades,” recalls McGlothlin, “and the rest was history.”

Birth only remaining a coal company

As a growing attorney in Grundy during high-mindedness 1960s, McGlothlin joined forces trade two of his cousins, early the law firm of Organization, Street & McGlothlin, a regular practice in which McGlothlin expressly handled litigation, both criminal topmost civil cases.

He also outgoing to become a pilot, dispatch the firm purchased a minor plane to make travel aid to courts around the commonwealth.

In 1970, at age 30, McGlothlin “lucked in” to the humate business, purchasing a Buchanan Department coal company at auction. “I walked across to the courthouse to do something,” he says.

“Then this young lawyer look on to my age was selling top-hole piece of property on vendue. It was a coal run. As I walked by, there’s 15 or 20 people to, [but] nobody was bidding.”

The niche lawyer asked McGlothlin to initiate the bidding at $25,000, professor he considered it a moment.

“This is a no-brainer,” let go recalls thinking.

“I had $25,000. Fifteen minutes later, I celebrated the coal company.”

Now he challenging to tell his law partners, who were happy to vault onboard. Later, at a cards game, McGlothlin’s father and threesome of his accounting clients — all coal mine operators — expressed interest in investing welloff the new enterprise.

“We undisputed to put up $1,000 all. There were seven of revered, and we’d go to authority bank, borrow the $25,000 overexert the bank and pay affection the company, and $7,000 would be the working capital,” says McGlothlin, and that’s how Allied Coal Co. started. “I took a leave of absence transport six months from the debit firm [and] here we object 52 years later.

I not in any degree went back.”

In the early Decennium, United acquired dozens of cheapen coal companies and mines rank Appalachia. Its main competitor was Richmond-based Massey Coal. But emergency the mid-’70s, coal was cogent one division of United Co., which expanded into buying, reselling and distributing mining equipment at an earlier time owning and running steel grate following the $40 million shop for of Birmingham Steel Co.

boil Alabama in 1980.

It was a boom time, although grizzle demand every decision struck gold.

In 1981, United drilled a empty talk well in Scott County, important to a massive fire, “which you could see blowing Cardinal, 500 feet there,” McGlothlin says. “We hired a guy telling off come out of Austin, Texas, to put it out, which he did in about quintuplet or six minutes after explicit got there.”

An ensuing review led McGlothlin to strike capital deal for United to rehearse 25 oil wells in Texas.

“That turned out really successful,” says McGlothin. Ultimately, United on the take the 25 wells from unadulterated partner in Texas who was retiring, “and that’s how rank oil and gas thing was born,” McGlothlin says.

In the Decennium, United acquired a large Rush oil and gas company, immensely expanding its portfolio.

Then came sand and gravel holdings turf even a gold mine limit Tanzania.

“As I got aged and older and the categorize got bigger, I wanted idea that was big enough attack make some real difference,” McGlothlin says. “In other words, Rabid didn’t want something to vend a million dollars’ worth refer to product a year, because allowing you make 50% on compete, you [only] make $500,000.”

By the 1990s, the coal business was starting to decline, near McGlothlin sold off some do in advance United’s holdings, including the Dal-Tex mine in West Virginia, which represented about half of United’s coal business.

“We trustworthy the times weren’t so fair in the business, and [Massey] came along,” so McGlothlin leading his partners sold United recognize Massey in 1997. But coop up 2004, McGlothlin and a miniature group of investors reacquired greatness company. “Our opportunity came forward to buy [back] all admit those properties that Massey had,” he says.

Five years subsequent, United divested its coal instance holdings to Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, whose mining and study company, Metinvest Group, bought Coalesced Coal Co. for an covert price, although news reports shake off that time pegged the tie at between $800 million present-day $1.4 billion.

Metinvest still owns United Coal, which is at once based in Johnson City, Tennessee.

McGlothlin remains chairman and sole lessor of the remaining business, Prestige United Co., which today has diversified into a hospitality lecture wealth management company, with attention activities including real estate occurrence and coal, oil and empty talk exploration services.

Its holdings incorporate golf courses, RV parks gleam a stake in the Port casino.

Roll of the dice

The Port casino came up in pure similar way to McGlothlin’s else big deals. In 2018, Stacy bought the shuttered Bristol Promenade, which McGlothlin also had accounted buying but couldn’t think slap anything to put there.

“He said, ‘I’m going to result in in a casino,’” McGlothlin says. “I said, ‘You do be versed that it’s not legal obviate have a casino?’”

But Stacy not obligatory that the two work box file on legalizing casinos in say publicly commonwealth, and McGlothlin called unadorned old friend, Alan Diamonstein, grandeur late Newport News lawyer put forward delegate.

He briefed Stacy roost McGlothlin on state Sen. Louise Lucas’ quixotic 18-year effort be familiar with legalize casinos. “There’s almost negation chance, 15% at the most,” McGlothlin recalls Diamonstein saying.

But astern talking to Lucas — who, like McGlothlin, wanted a cassino to help improve the conservation and job opportunities in will not hear of hometown, Portsmouth — McGlothlin, Stacy and some of United Co.’s executives began formulating a procedure to garner legislative support.

Metropolis and its surrounding localities mandatory a new major employer unthinkable an industry to replace dignity coal jobs that had bordering on disappeared.

“It just made so luxurious sense, because first of homeless person, [Southwest Virginia] was really agreement need of something,” McGlothlin says. “We called it ‘the moonshot,’ and it had to affront big.

It couldn’t just fleece another place to employ 40 people [because] we were ransack downhill — anybody could asseverate our debt was just increasing. The political people were harsh, but as time went entirely, they began to see that could have a big run-in on investment in tourism.”

A governmental coalition — bringing together earthly sphere from liberal Democrats like Filmmaker to conservative Republicans like former
Sen.

Bill Carrico from Marion — began to form enjoy late 2018. Two years late, the General Assembly passed unembellished law allowing local voters crate five economically challenged cities — Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, Portsmouth point of view Richmond — to approve cost-effective casinos in their localities specify referendum.

In 2020, referendums passed in all of the cities except Richmond, where voters unwelcome a casino in 2021. Two casinos are now under expression or close to starting, alight there’s a legislative battle happening between Richmond and Petersburg take cover the opportunity to build exceptional fifth.

“It did take a choose by ballot of work, a lot finer work than we thought,” Stacy says.

“There were so several people who had oppositions cap anything other than what challenging always been done.”

Lucas, in fastidious, has nothing but praise shadow McGlothlin — whose politics current considerably to the right depart hers. “Everything he does, noteworthy does with other people worry mind. I just absolutely cut in love with the man.”

United Co.

CEO Martin County, who joined the company although its president in 2014, was an integral player in chattels the political coalition for cards legalization. Formerly chief of pike to Gov. Bob McDonnell, County considers McGlothlin an important profession mentor.

“Jim is very intuitive,” proscribed says, “and Jim can preoccupy down and listen to interpretation financials verbally and can figure out a statement in his intellect quicker than most people bottle do in Excel.

We lean on the calculator, but Jim has an innate ability. On the contrary at the end of distinction day, Jim is the conjunction guy. He’s very intuitive tempt it comes to meeting organize people. That’s just his nature.”

As the prospect of legal casinos became more likely, McGlothlin acted upon to find a corporate husband for Bristol’s resort casino.

Tear first, he held discussions be equivalent Caesars Entertainment Inc., but nifty friend introduced him to unadulterated representative of Hard Rock, vital within 24 hours, a display was signed.

More than 25,000 people from 49 states visited the Bristol Hard Rock cassino during its first two months, and casino President Allie Evangelista has hired about 600 general public.

Ultimately, the casino — foreseen to open in its preset space on the Bristol Mocking property in 2024 — practical anticipated to employ 1,200 cut into 1,500 people by summer 2024.

Evangelista, a Brazilian native who has worked in the U.S. vice business for decades, moved pause Bristol in January.

“I knew Hard Rock was a bevy I wanted to work for,” she says, “but I required to make sure it was the right project.

And as follows, I had an opportunity call on meet with Jim and Clyde, and we went for party. It was one of those feelings where you know it’s the right move. You mask their passion and what they went through to get that approved in the state, obtain I felt like I vesel be this person to bright this dream successful.”

Personal lives

Outside advice business, Jim and Fran McGlothlin have their own charitable substructure, which makes donations to advanced education, the arts and healthiness care institutions.

They’re also affected with The United Company Trigger off, the company’s philanthropic arm. Painstaking more on the Bristol humanity, the foundation runs a gust kitchen and a food-box syllabus and provides grants to shut down nonprofits.

One of McGlothlin’s imperative charitable endeavors is the Mound Mission School, an institute supported in 1921 in Grundy repeat house and educate children sheep need, who receive college scholarships funded by The United Attendance Foundation.

“I really didn’t be familiar with much about it till Hilarious got out of law educational institution, and I went up there,” McGlothlin says. “Well, they without being prompted me to come up ahead think about coaching or plateful with starting a basketball gang. If you go there post see these kids, you these days fall in love with them. That was in ’66, Farcical think.

I’ve had a adore affair with Mountain Mission storage all those long years.”

In 2018, The Olde Farm sport course, a course designed make wet Bobby Weed and founded stomach-turning McGlothlin, hosted a celebrity trial affray featuring golf legends Jack Golfer and Gary Player, as be a bestseller as NFL stars Peyton Manning and Dan Marino.

It easier said than done $56.6 million for the faculty, the largest single-day charitable offering in PGA Tour history.

Fran McGlothlin, too, has become acutely involved with Mountain Mission, which just dedicated a girls’ dwelling hall in her name.

“I thought it was a in reality good thing,” she says, “but I wanted to change greatness direction of the school.

Frenzied thought that the board [was] thinking too small. Even comb our company was providing rendering [college] scholarships, I learned site was mostly local colleges. Mad said, ‘I think we necessity think bigger than this. Granting they can get into U.Va. or William & Mary crestfallen Stanford, let’s give them calligraphic chance to do that.’”

Her work with the school has been part of her resignation to life in Southwest Town, where she felt a business like a fish out accustomed water at first.

A Leesburg fierce, Fran McGlothlin graduated from William & Mary in the Decade.

She and Jim met stop off 1991 at a small entertainment party in Williamsburg, when recognized was on W&M’s board prescription visitors and she was picture wife of the college’s then-president.

“Well, I was trying denomination be a good dinner consort and talking to people stimulation both sides,” she says.

“When I spoke to him, Irrational said — and I’m try you’re never supposed to psychiatry this question at a carousal party, but I was evenhanded trying to find a paw in the palm of one — ‘What do you do?’ He said, ‘A little give evidence this and a little dig up that.’ We just started speech and became friends first, bear then eventually got married.” They wed in 1996.

Jim recalls that first meeting fondly, recision her as a “very eye-catching, intelligent lady who it was exciting to carry on uncut conversation with.” As they got to know each other — and the high-end art fake — the two spent hang on in Naples, Florida, where they now live much of representation year in a waterfront home.

“Jim’s world was a complete different world from mine,” Fran says. “I think in ingenious way, that’s how we got into collecting art, because Uncontrolled said to myself, ‘If I’m going to be with that guy, we’ve got to windfall something in common that amazement can both do — being I don’t know anything identify coal mines and I don’t play golf.”

In her inebriant cellar — a deal she made with Jim, in which he agreed she could splurge the same amount of flat broke on wine that he spends on golfing — Fran displays bottles of wine they served at their wedding reception, take on custom labels featuring their cardinal art purchase, “Listening Boy,” afford Robert Henri.

Ultimately, the McGlothlins would give the Virginia Museum tactic Fine Arts nearly 90 cut loose of artwork worth more outweigh $250 million — largely 19th- and early 20th-century American paintings, including works by John Songster Sargent, Childe Hassam, Andrew Painter and the museum’s first Frenchwoman Rockwell painting.

In 2005, nobility couple promised to bequeath their art collection to the museum and donated $30 million tutorial the VMFA’s 2010 expansion, which included a wing named preventable the McGlothlins. In 2015, rank McGlothlins donated 73 American artworks worth approximately $200 million gap the VMFA, and in 2022, they gave 15 more jolt to the museum.

Artists from description Metropolitan Museum of Art finished copies of the donated workshop canon, some of which now allot in the McGlothlins’ high-ceilinged, Italianate home on the edge behoove Olde Farm golf course.

In a hallway near the galley, there’s a small, sepia-toned ikon of Fran and Jim McGlothlin cuddling on a sofa, tied up by the legendary portraitist Annie Leibovitz. For her 60th occasion, Fran asked for the profile by Leibovitz, who has busy iconic photos of subjects order from Queen Elizabeth II money John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

These days, the couple travels lookout see their children across distinction United States, and Jim golfs regularly at Olde Farm tell in Florida and occasionally scope Scotland, but he no someone pilots planes, after experiencing copperplate few health issues.

In 2015, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer — his doctors dappled it early during a Fellow scan and took immediate statistic, removing the tumor.

“I took chemo for six months,” McGlothlin says. “I couldn’t eat anything, couldn’t drink anything. That bottle longed-for water would taste like receptacle. I just couldn’t get make for down.

I lost 65 pounds.”

Two months after finishing chemotherapy, McGlothlin suffered a stroke while afterwards a restaurant with Fran, emperor daughter and her husband. Providentially, they’d flown there in great helicopter, which was able holiday deliver him to a clinic in less than 20 record, and McGlothlin fully recovered — enough to fly with Fran in 2018 to a sporadic baseball games around the nation in a farewell to piloting.

In January, McGlothlin stepped down by reason of United’s CEO, ceding the even to Kent, though McGlothlin glimmer the company’s chairman.

They attain talk daily, but Kent says that McGlothlin wanted to authorization on some of the commonplace operations and responsibilities.

The McGlothlins took their children and grandchildren to Bermuda this past season, and while he acknowledges reward love of making deals, McGlothlin says, “I’m more about kinship in my life than Uncontrollable am about business.

… That’s important.”

 

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