A true ‘southern gentleman,’ Charlotte developer Graeme Keith dies at 90

Graeme Keith Sr. and his son were walking on the beach one summer day in 1988 when the junior Keith asked his dad about joining a real estate company he was thinking of starting.

The elder Keith had spent his career up to that point in banking, most recently leading a British bank’s U.S. subsidiary, BarclaysAmerican.

The younger Keith, who goes by Greg, worked in real estate but the company he worked for in Charlotte had sold most of its portfolio. Greg had the financial freedom to start his own company, and wanted his father to join him.

That marked the beginning of The Keith Corporation, which the father-son duo grew from a small outfit in SouthPark into a full service commercial real estate firm.

Graeme Keith Sr., who died March 31 at age 90, put his fingerprints on Charlotte as the city experienced a period of high growth.

His firm helped develop the Hearst Tower with the Trammel Crow Company. The tower is now known as Truist Center, one of the Charlotte skyline’s tallest and most defining buildings.

As good friends with Charlotte-born evangelist Billy Graham, Keith and his son also developed the 60-acre campus that houses the 200,000 square foot Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Billy Graham Library. The site is the burial place for Billy Graham and his wife Ruth.

“He’s the epitome of a true southern gentleman,” Greg Keith told The Charlotte Observer. “We’ve had such a great time working together and I just have the utmost respect for him and admiration for him.”

From Davidson College to banking

Graeme McGregor Keith Sr. was born on Nov. 12, 1932, in Greenwood, South Carolina. He attended Davidson College on a full athletic scholarship, playing golf and basketball, according to his obituary.

He met his wife, Gloria Ellen Dowd, on the campus of Queens College. They married in December 1954 at Myers Park Methodist Church and were married for 63 years.

Keith’s banking career started at First Union National Bank where he worked in Durham, Greensboro and Charlotte for 17 years. He also worked for a time in Georgia.

Growing a real estate corporation

The Keith Corporation had its humble beginnings, with just three employees in a small office in SouthPark. Keith had his contacts from banking while Keith Jr. had real estate experience.

The fact they were family didn’t impact their ability to do business, the younger Keith said. There wasn’t a situation the two couldn’t solve after sitting down to talk it out.

The company has grown into almost 140 employees today, including two of Graeme Keith Jr.’s sons, Cody and Graeme Keith III. And the firm has a $4.5 billion portfolio with projects that span the United States and overseas.

At 970,000 square feet, the Truist Center in uptown remains the company’s biggest office project. But it has worked on industrial projects in North Carolina and other states that are over 1 million square feet.

The company prides itself on being faith-based, using faith in God to guide its business dealings.

Franklin Graham, Billy Graham’s son, described Keith as a great friend to them both.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association headquarters likely wouldn’t be in Charlotte if it wasn’t for Keith, Franklin Graham said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer.

Keith found the property off Billy Graham Parkway and worked to get permits and zoning.

“Mr. Keith will be missed and he will be impossible to replace,” Graham said.

Life outside development

Outside of development, Keith devoted a lot of time to church. He was an elder at Moments of Hope Church, which was started by a well-known local pastor, David Chadwick.

Chadwick and Greg Keith became good friends over their shared love of basketball.

Chadwick left his previous church, Forest Hill, in 2019 and went on to start Moments of Hope that spring. Chadwick brought on Keith to help start the church in the Providence Square Shopping Center and counsel him on governance and finance.

“I wanted people of spiritual maturity and depth as part of my leadership who would hold me accountable,” Chadwick said.

Keith also was a big fan of golf.

His grandaughter Dowd is married to professional golfer Webb Simpson. Keith was known to be a first-tee announcer at the Wells Fargo Championship and announced Simpson’s name on more than one occasion.

He also was board emeritus for Samaritan’s Purse, the Boone-based Christian aid organization headed by Franklin Graham. The Keith family has a YMCA in northeast Charlotte named after them, as well.

“Graeme’s lasting impact will be more of what he did behind the scenes that no one saw,” Chadwick said. “He was an extremely generous person.”

A celebration of life is planned for Wednesday, April 12, at Myers Park Presbyterian Church.