Robert M. Vance Lecture Series

The Robert M. Vance Lecture Series will take place on Thursday, January 26th in Edmunds Hall at 6:30 p.m. This year’s lecture series speaker will be Mr. Charles Brewer, the founder of MindSpring Enterprises, Green Street Properties, and Las Catalinas resort Town, Costa Rica. His bio summary is listed below.

The Robert M. Vance Lecture Series on Business Ethics is funded by a generous gift from the Bailey Foundation and is named after the late Clinton, S.C. businessman.

Robert M. Vance considered ethics, honesty and integrity to be extremely important and lived these qualities as a business leader in Clinton, S.C. The Robert M. Vance Lecture Series on Business Ethics serves as an opportunity for business leaders to speak with PC students about how to run a successful business that maintains a moral code in which employees can take pride and use as a guide for day-to-day activities.

The program is a tribute to Mr. Vance’s legacy and his numerous contributions to the Clinton community. Each year, CEOs, presidents and other top managers address the topic of business ethics.

  • 2023 Robert M. Vance Lecture Series Speaker: Charles Brewer

    Charles Brewer is a successful entrepreneur who founded three highly acclaimed companies in two very different industries. His first company was Mindspring Enterprises, which became one of the largest internet service providers in the United States, winning many awards, and consistently rated #1 in customer satisfaction. Charles founded Mindspring with a stated purpose of changing the way the world does business by demonstrating what a company based on respect for the individual and honesty and integrity could accomplish. In Charles’ opinion, the primary reason for Mindspring’s success was an intense focus on its core values and beliefs (cv&bs).

    Next, built once again on the foundation of his cv&bs, Charles created Green Street Properties, whose primary accomplishment was the creation of Glenwood Park, a charming neighborhood-scale development which reclaimed a brownfield site located in the city of Atlanta, transforming blight into delight. Glenwood Park has received a multitude of awards and continues to be a beloved, thriving community.

    Charles’ current endeavor is the breathtakingly beautiful town of Las Catalinas, Costa Rica. As the founder and managing partner of Las Catalinas holding company, Charles and his team have created a new beach town on the Guanacaste Coast of Costa Rica. Its purpose is to create a way of life that is healthy, sustainable, fulfilling, and fun. Las Catalinas consists of houses, shops, restaurants, small hotels and inns, plazas, parks, and recreational facilities.

    Charles is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Amherst College with a degree in economics, and he received his MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Charles was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and currently lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children.

    Learn more about Charles Brewer.

  • Past Vance Lecture Series Speakers