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The Legend of the Phoenix

May 1st, 2015

How the Brett/Robinson coast reached new heights

The 1970s have just ended and Gulf Shores, Alabama is one sleepy little town. Gene Brett, meanwhile, isn't sleepy. He's just watched Jimmy Stewart in "Flight of the Phoenix," and the film's can-do spirit has added even more fuel to this man's considerably fiery work ethic. He and his partners had just completed their first condominium complex, Island Winds, and were about to break ground on another property. The site was occupied by the burned-out shell of an old beach house, and when Brett visited that site the next day, the film still on his mind, he evisioned a landmark rising from the ashes. Brett/Robinson's famously named series of condominiums was thus born at Phoenix I. The company behind the Phoenixes of yesterday--and today--understands something about value. Prior to forming Brett/Robinson, Tommy Robinson worked in construction; brothers Tillis and Gene Brett began selling real estate after pooling their resources of some $500 combined. Together, the Brett and Robinson families envisioned a Gulf Shores that was more carefully constructed than before and that would better endure storms like 1979's Hurricane Frederick. Combining their strong work ethics with backgrounds in real estate sales and construction, they built what would become the standard for beachfront accommodations and amenities. Throughout the decades, while building the coast's landmark condominium towers, Brett/Robinson has also built residential neighborhoods, churches and major commercial buildings including the company's own extensive laundry facilities on Canal Road in Gulf Shores. Today, vacationers and owners alike have come to recognize the Brett/Robinson name as an assurance of not only views and amenities, but, more importantly, peace of mind. Just as ashes gave way to the rise of the phoenix legend, the Brett and Robinson families' work ethic has been the foundation for the coast's favorite playground.