Tarheel Realty II is the feature story this month in Statesville Living Magazine. Please visit Statesville Living to view previous issues or see locations available to pick up your next copy!

Tarheel Realty II Setting A Higher Standard in Real Estate Written by: Kristie Darling

Of all the business partners you might work with in your lifetime, one category above all the rest will have a most profound and long-lasting impact on your family and its well being: your realtor. Buying and selling a home is certainly at the very top of the list of important transactions we make. Having a realtor working for you who truly has your family's well-being foremost in her heart can make or break this critical move. When I first met Suzanne Hedrick Osborne, this lovely young woman and mother of two appeared way too young to be the backbone of one of Statesville's most successful real estate companies, but she is. She is a businesswoman with a big heart and lots of soul. The more Suzanne shared about her company's business principals, the more I realized she truly understands the value of values in business. She brings her own time-honored family values to Tarheel Realty II in everything she does, and it shows. Why would you not want to work with a company founded on strong family values when your project is all about keeping your family comfortable and happy at home? Isn't this when family values mean the most? Suzanne talked with me about her team of agents and support staff, learning how to run a business based on faith, family, and work. It is quite obvious that her leadership at Tarheel Realty sets the standard for excellence in customer service for her entire team. To Be the Best! Suzanne explained the business principles that generated Tarheel's mission statement, which is, "To be the best! To provide extraordinary customer service while practicing the highest possible standards in life and in the real estate industry." The list begins with having a good reputation, based on quality relationships, trust, fairness and skills and concludes with agents' professional accountability to the customer in all actions or inactions. In between these high standards are also listed vision, communication, enthusiasm, professionalism, integrity, profitability, service and cooperation. After getting the cook's tour of the office and meeting some of the support staff, I want to add: attention to detail, friendly faces, creative ideas, high tech support, pleasant atmosphere and positive attitude to the list. All said, Suzanne and her father and grandfather before her have laid a very strong foundation. Her business principles are impressive, and you can just hear the words of the older generation ringing true for this successful company in 2008. Suzanne learned her lessons well, and they serve her very well today. Building a Family Business The history of Tarheel Realty II is as interesting as the family that founded it. It starts with Suzanne's grandfather, Dwight Goforth, and her dad, Larry Hedrick. After high school graduation, Larry Hedrick studied shipbuilding at the Virginia School of Ship Construction in Newport News. It took him several years working in the industry as a hull structure designer before he got himself back to his home place, Statesville, NC. Dwight Goforth, Larry's father-in-law, specialized in farm machinery auctions. In March, 1967, the two started Tarheel Auction & Realty, the beginning of a family legacy in both auctions and real estate that remains strong today. Ever one to prepare himself with training, Larry first attended the Missouri School of Auctioneering. He got his real estate license that year, too, in order to include real estate sales in their auctions. Now, fast-forward about nine years and you'll find Larry and Dwight expanding their auction enterprises to include automobiles. Today the Statesville Auto Auction is an impressive Statesville landmark on the east side of I-77 at highway 21, just north of town. You can't miss it. But when the two Tarheel gentlemen revved it up in 1976, with plenty of experience in the auction business and about 23 acres of parking space, it was only a shadow of what it was to become. After 17 very successful years, and growth from five employees to over 300, in 1993 Larry sold the business to Manheim Auctions, a division of Cox Communications. Since that time, Manheim has acquired an additional 175 acres or so and established the Statesville locations as the premier auto auction in North Carolina. Like I said, you can't miss it. There were plenty of other interesting business activities keeping Hedrick's growing family busy during these years. In 1993, Larry and his wife, Sue, bought the Spartanburg Phillies, a Class A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They eventually moved the team to Kannapolis, where, in a community-wide naming contest, the team became the Piedmont Boll Weevils