In August of 1994, Drew Hall jumped on a plane from Seattle and headed to Tooele, Utah to look at a piece of property. Drew’s brother had called him and said there was a perfect piece of land in Tooele with a "for sale" sign out in front. Following the counsel of his brother, Drew went to Tooele where he saw the majestic Oquirrh Mountains, miles of hilly open terrain, and the glistening of the sun on the Great Salt Lake. Drew knew this was the home for his Overlake Community. Within two months, Drew purchased nearly 3000 acres of land and began to create Overlake.

Drew was born and raised in Carnation, Washington a small town outside of Seattle. The population of Carnation was only around 325 while Drew was growing up. All of the stores and schools were in walking distance from one another. "Life was enjoyable in Carnation. Everyone knew my name and would talk to me as I walked by their house. I would walk to the Joe’s Drugstore everyday after school, sit at the counter and drink a fountain cherry coke," says Drew.

As Drew grew up and moved away, he never forgot the wonderful memories of his childhood, he even hoped one day to live in a community like Carnation. Drew headed off to college at BYU and after he graduated, he was offered a job in Seattle to work for one of the "Big Eight" accounting firms, where he quickly moved to the position of senior auditor. In 1977, Drew started his own accounting firm and began specializing in real estate development.

By the mid-eighties, Drew had learned a tremendous amount about the real estate industry and ventured into developing his first property, a group of town homes outside of Seattle. This project flourished and Drew continued to develop several other projects around Seattle and Canada. Developing property became a new passion for Drew and he eventually sold his accounting firm in 1986.

Despite prior recognition for renovation and innovative designs, Drew always dreamed of creating a community with the same values as he grew up with in Carnation. One day Drew knew he would find the perfect setting for his "ideal community." The perfect setting for his "ideal community" was Tooele, Utah.

In 1997, Drew and his wife Theresa left Seattle and moved to Salt Lake City. This was the final step for the Halls to realize the dream of Overlake was now a reality. "I always wanted to create a society where everyone was connected. Overlake is that kind of society," says Drew.

Drew has five children who live all over the world and his youngest child, Erika, who is nine years old, loves to visit Jack’s Market and socialize with all of the Overlake neighbors. Drew is finally able to share with his daughter and all of the other children in Overlake the experiences of his childhood.

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