Real estate mogul DeLisa Guerrier and her husband Elde are teaming up to build an amusement park. Inspired by Fairyland, one of the first theme parks in Oakland, California, the couple is creating Storyville Gardens, the first theme park to come to Nashville since Opryland USA closed in 1997, StyleBlueprint reported.
In addition to roller coasters, live shows, interactive exhibits and international dining options, Storyville Gardens promises to offer visitors an international literary and storytelling experience.
Guerrier told Essence, “Storyville’s mission is to boost literacy while engaging children in an immersive, fun and safe environment.”
The pioneering entrepreneur said the park has been under construction for a few years now and will open in 2025. The couple decided to build the park after seeing a shortage of family-friendly places where they could take their young children for entertainment and education.
“My husband and I have three kids, and I grew up in California, where there was always something to do. There was always an adventure, something fun to look forward to. I felt like it was missing here in Nashville,” she told StyleBlueprint. “We would take our kids to the movies every weekend. We love movies, but after a while, we found ourselves driving to Chicago or St. Louis or Atlanta. I said to my husband, ‘Maybe we could replicate a park where I grew up in California.’ That’s how it all started!”
In addition to the park, Guerrier co-owns one of Nashville’s leading real estate development and investment firms with her husband and has built much-needed homes across the city in less than a decade, a remarkable feat in an industry dominated by white men. Research shows that African Americans make up 12 percent of U.S. workers, but only 6 percent of the construction workforce.
Guerrier remarked: “We are not many, but we have never paid attention to this.”
The mom-entrepreneur moved from Northern California to Nashville, where she studied biology and medicine at Fisk University. However, after meeting her now-husband, she chose to join him in running his automotive business, which he started right out of high school.
“When I met him, I was about to go to medical school, and he said, ‘Why become a doctor when I can own a hospital?’
Guerrier admitted she had never considered becoming an entrepreneur until she was asked that question.
She says, “Growing up, I thought the highest level of success was to be a doctor or a lawyer. And of course, I love it, but I never considered anything else. So, to help my husband, I chose not to go to medical school and we grew this business from about $100,000 a year to just under $10 million a year in about four and a half years. When we did that, I needed to do something I was passionate about.”
“I didn’t like anything about the car industry. It wasn’t my cup of tea. I was just there to lobby. I started selling houses. In 2011, the market was in the middle of a recession. People would come into our garage and I would talk to them about real estate. They were in a very difficult situation. I’m talking 17% interest rates – only nine dollars of their mortgage payment was going toward their equity. They needed help. A lot of them were either in foreclosure or short sales, and they didn’t have the knowledge to get out of it. So I stepped in to help them,” she told Essence.
Today, his company, Guerrier Development, has a multi-million dollar portfolio and is overseeing the construction of a $1.3 billion theme park.
Last modified by:Iboateng Update: July 23, 2024
