Surry Business

Surry County natives Charlie and Ed Shelton will be inducted into the N.C. Business Hall of Fame on Nov. 15 in Charlotte.

The hall of fame recognizes men and women who have made a significant contribution to North Carolina’s economic development.

The Shelton brothers grew up in Mount Airy, N.C., across the street from the school they both attended from first grade through high school. Their father was a barber and their mother came from a farming family. The boys spent summers working on their grandfather’s tobacco farm.

Charlie, five years older than Ed, used money intended for his college education to build his first house when he was 18. After graduating from high school and one year at Lees-McRae College, Ed joined his brother in the homebuilding business. They borrowed $2,000 from their father to establish Fortis Homes in 1962 in Winston-Salem. In 1978, they started Shelco Inc. as a commercial development and construction company. They moved Shelco’s corporate headquarters to Charlotte in 1991. In 2003, the brothers sold the company to their management group.

In 1994, Charlie bought an old Surry County dairy farm at auction. The brothers gradually added nearby land until they had a total of 384 acres. The idea of creating a winery came to Charlie in 1998. Shelton Vineyards Inc. has become an award-winning winery. It produced about 28,000 cases of wine last year and also has become a major tourist attraction in the Yadkin Valley Viticultural Area.

The brothers’ newest venture is development of Shelton Village at Dobson, a mixed-use project on Interstate 77.

Inductees to the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame are recommended by a committee from North Carolina Chamber (formerly the North Carolina Citizens for Business & Industry). Honorees must be either retired from their business or at least 70 years old at the time of selection.

Criteria for inclusion in the NC Business Hall of Fame includes:
1) recognized by his or her organization and/or profession as having made significant contribution to its success;
2) served as a role model for others in business;
3) positively influenced the growth of subordinates; and
4) demonstrated a continuity of achievements, contrasted to a one-time effort.

Laureates also are recognized for their outstanding community contributions.

Laureates are inducted in November at the annual hall of fame dinner, the premiere business event in the state.