
The Greenbrier Hotel is seen on Sept. 12, 2024, at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier County.
CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE | HD MediaAfter a summer of financial uncertainty, the Greenbrier Resort is safe from auction. On Wednesday Gov. Jim Justice looked toward the future. ƵItƵs taken care of, and the Greenbrier will flourish in a lot of different ways now,Ƶ Justice said during his weekly virtual media briefing. ƵBut this has hurt our business and caused a lot of grief, and a lot of sleepless nights because this one came as far out of leftfield as you can possibly get.Ƶ The Greenbrier Resort Ƶ a 60.5-acre property in White Sulphur Springs that Justice says employs about 2,000 people Ƶ had been slated for foreclosure. It is a key asset for the Justice family, whose financial woes have added up amid the governorƵs run for a U.S. Senate seat on the Republican ticket. On Wednesday, the governor maintained his belief that the recent situation involving the potential auction of the Greenbrier was politically motivated. JusticeƵs family said in a news release sent late Tuesday that all debts on the historic Greenbrier Resort have been satisfied with Beltway Capital, which was set to auction the properties on Oct. 25. The news release, sent by a Michigan-based law firm, says the auction has been canceled, and it was confirmed on Wednesday by J. Patrick Jones, substitute trustee who posted the Oct. 10 public notice of auction. ƵThis significant achievement comes as part of the familyƵs ongoing commitment to ensure the long-term stability and prosperity of their holdings, including The Greenbrier Resort, AmericaƵs Premier Resort,Ƶ the news release says, in part.

Furniture in the Trellis Room, featuring the bold colors and designs championed by designer Dorothy Draper, is shown, on Sept. 11, 2024, at the Greenbrier Hotel and Resort in White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier County. The table, at center, also shows signs of age and wear.
- CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE | Gazette-Mail

ƵDining Room Waiters and Staff, The Greenbrier Hotel, 1890sƵ is one of the featured photos in Janice CooleyƵs exhibit ƵInvisible Roots and Legends: A Photographic View of African American History in the Greenbrier Valley, West Virginia.Ƶ
- Photo courtesy of the GREENBRIER HISTORICAL SOCIETY





Timeline of events The Oct. 25 auction, reported in an Oct. 10 public notice in the West Virginia Daily News, was the second scheduled auction of the property. The first was averted on Aug. 22, when JusticeƵs family reached an agreement with Beltway Capital to stop the sale of the familyƵs Greenbrier assets, including the historic Greenbrier Hotel, according to a news release issued that day. A legal advertisement, also in the West Virginia Daily News, associated with the potential auction in August, reported that there has been a default under the terms and conditions of a deed of trust that took effect in 2014, executed by the Justice family-controlled Greenbrier Hotel Corp. The trust deed listed Justice as the borrower of a $142 million promissory note dated March 2014, with New York-based JPMorgan Chase Bank listed as the beneficiary. In public remarks, the governor said that note had been paid down to $9.4 million. In an Oct. 10 media briefing, when asked about the legal advertisement for the Oct. 25 auction, and the most recent financial agreement with Beltway Capital, Justice said two payments had been made on the total balance of $24 million, leaving an approximate balance of $22.3 million due on Oct. 24, Ƶand thatƵs what will be paid.Ƶ At the time, a statement from a Greenbrier representative also described the running of the Oct. 10 legal advertisement as Ƶmerely a procedural matter.Ƶ ƵWe are excited to have successfully paid in full our obligations to Beltway Capital and look forward to the future of The Greenbrier and Glade Springs,Ƶ said Dr. Jill Justice and Jay Justice, who are Gov. JusticeƵs children, in TuesdayƵs news release. ƵThis will allow us to invest further in our operations and enhance the experiences we provide to our guests. We appreciate the continued support from our partners, the patience of our valued team members, for whom we know this was a stressful period, and we look forward to welcoming visitors for many years to come.Ƶ

The Trellis Room, featuring the bold color and designs championed by designer Dorothy Draper, is shown, on Sept. 12, 2024, at the Greenbrier Hotel and Resort in White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier County.
CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE | HD MediaThe Greenbrier is privately owned by the Justice family, and therefore the governor is not obligated to talk about its business dealings, but he has revealed some financial details. At WednesdayƵs media briefing, Justice took questions concerning the deal. Ƶ MetroNews reported that Fortress Investment Group was involved in the financing to satisfy the debt with Beltway Capital. The governor was asked by the Gazette-Mail if he could provide more details on how the public auction was averted and asked specifically about any involvement by Fortress Investment Group regarding the Greenbrier by West Virginia Public Broadcasting. ƵIƵm under a level of confidentiality and I donƵt know that I can disclose that Ƶ but we have had several conversations and weƵve got a lot of stuff thatƵs cooking and working with Fortress,Ƶ the governor said. Energy and environment reporter Mike Tony contributed to this report.

A bellhop (at left) and a guest (at right) are shown, on Sept. 11, 2024, at the Greenbrier Hotel and Resort in White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier County.
CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE | Gazette-Mail