Episode 95: Aaron Cooper, Cooper Ford

Aaron Cooper is a familiar name in Moore County. This month, he and his team at Cooper Ford will celebrate their 10th anniversary of serving Carthage and customers in Moore County and beyond. Also, this month, Aaron has joined forces with Visit Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen to create what promises to be an amazing concert featuring country music star Dustin Lynch and his DJ CLUB SET at the Gilliam McConnell Airfield in Carthage on Saturday, Sept. 26. The concert will also feature Tigirlily Gold and rising Nashville star and Moore County native Julia Golden.In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Cooper talks about growing up in rural Texas, his love of the Texas A&M Aggies, how he grew his dealership business and the key factors that made him a successful businessman and respected leader in the Sandhills.

For Renee Felter, being named the new executive director of the Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities is a dream job. With a nonprofit background, most recently at the Carolina Horse Park, Felter has always admired the work at Weymouth since her arrival in the Sandhills in 2020.In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Felter talks about her vision for Weymouth and how it will continue to be a community asset for residents and visitors to Moore County.

The Ross Resorts empire is growing! With iconic Ross designs including Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club, Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club and Southern Pines Golf Club, the club owners are in the midst of adding 72 more holes with the acquisition of the Country Club of Whispering Pines and Foxfire to their portfolio.Kelly Miller, president of Ross Resorts, has enlisted the assistance of a familiar friend and renowned golf course architect Kyle Franz to redesign all 72 holes. In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Miller and Franz talk about the current projects, when the courses plan to open and why they chose to expand their golf footprint in the Sandhills.

Julia Pine grew up wanting to be a Sportscenter anchor on ESPN. While that didn't come to fruition, her love for sports and wanting to be a part of it in some way has always been a passion. Her career path led her to the Southern California Golf Association, where her strong work ethic, dedication, and perseverance gave her the shot to work for the United States Golf Association (USGA). She now leads a communications team that tells the stories surrounding some of our greatest national championships.In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Pine talks about her role with the USGA, rubbing elbows with the game's best male and female players and the respect she's earned from them, the media and her colleagues.

James Walker Tufts founded Pinehurst Resort in 1895. For more than 130 years, the Tufts name has had an active role in the history and shaping of our globally recognized destination. Rick Tufts is part of that family lineage and was born and raised in Pinehurst, where he still lives. In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Tufts talks about his family legacy, growing up in Pinehurst and how he perceives the growth and change that we are seeing inside the Home of American Golf.

All Richard Mandell has ever wanted to do is be a golf course architect. Among names like Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw, Gil Hanse and Tom Doak, Mandell has been working since 1992 to find his own niche and name among those creating courses for all of us to enjoy the game.In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Mandell talks about his love for Donald Ross designs, his passion for golf course architecture and his local project in Cameron, N.C. for the new home of First Tee of the Sandhills.

For as long as she can remember, Julia Golden has known that she wanted to be a singer and a songwriter. Now, at the age of 19, her years of performing have taken her from small Moore County venues to the stages of Nashville, and most recently to network TV, where she appeared on the latest edition of NBC's "The Voice."In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Golden talks about her journey growing up on a small farm in Goldston, N.C., her focus on the creative process and how she is driven to make it in the competitive world of musical entertainment.

If it weren't for Starworks, the annual Pinecone Pathways Program in Moore County would not exist. But Starworks is much, much more than glass pinecones and North Carolina's biggest scavenger hunt. It is a nonprofit organization that promotes community and economic development by providing outstanding artistic educational programs. Joe Grant is Starworks' new executive director and he has a vision for how this thriving artist community will continue to grow.In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Grant talks about the future of Starworks and a special event coming up for the so-called "coneheads" so they can dive deeper into enjoying the Pinecone Pathways Program.

William Mangum knew what he wanted to do with his life when he was 8 years old. Admittedly, not the best student, Mangum found peace and prosperity with the graceful strokes of a paintbrush. Decades later, he is recognized as arguably one of the finest landscape artists in his home state of North Carolina. Born in Pinehurst, Mangum's love of the Tarheel State is evident in his paintings, which depict scenes from the Outer Banks to the Blue Ridge Mountains, and even his timeless hometown.In this episode of Paradise in the Pines, Mangum talks about his work, his golf game, and his love for giving back to the community.

Cricket Gentry was raised at the feet of a legend. Her father, John Derr, was a famous broadcaster and was head of CBS TV and CBS Sports. Derr also covered 62 of the first 66 Masters golf tournaments, most from his perch above the 15th green at Augusta National. Gentry grew up around a who's who of celebrities from stage, screen and sports. Now, as a long-time resident of Pinehurst, Gentry loves to recount stories that shaped her as a person. Be sure to check out this very fun and lively episode of Paradise in the Pines.