"It might

have been called Thompsonville," he laughed. "I couldn't wait

to get away when I finished high school in 1966, and now I'm looking forward

to the day when I can retire back there. I never realized how simple life

was in those days."

To honor his

home and keep its name alive, Thompson named his new Fayetteville development

Bay Branch Condominiums. Continuing the theme, he also named the various

floor plans after other small communities in Screven County.

The three-bedroom,

two-and-a-half-bath townhouse plan is the Millhaven, after Millhaven Plantation.

The two-bedroom, two-bath lower flat is the Woodcliff, a community only

three miles from Bay Branch. The three-bedroom, two-bath upper level flat

is the Hiltonia, while the two-bedroom, two-bath upper level flat is the

Dover.

"I looked

at some of the names builders use for floor plans, and they all seemed

to be named after places from the northeastern United States or from England,"

he said. "I decided the names from Screven County were just as charming,

and they gave me some extra pride in ensuring that our condos are of excellent

quality and of maximum beauty, utility and practicality."

Diane Reeves,

who is in charge of sales and has contact with all potential buyers at

Bay Branch, says that at various times during the past few months, three

different people have recognized the names and asked if the development

was connected to Screven County.

"Until

the first one asked the question, I didn't know of the connection myself,"

she said. "Then Alex told me the story."

Thompson has

lived in Fayette County since 1978, and he founded Thompson & Company

in Fayetteville in 1984 to do business in real estate and real estate

finance. He began developing and building in 1993.

He is a past

chairman of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and has been involved

through the years in other local civic activities.

Thompson is

married to his former high school classmate Susan Tebeau, a "city

girl" from Sylvania, and they have five children Trey Thompson, Ty

Thompson, Cameron Thompson, Meg McKinney, and Jay McKinney.