Slapshot lands developer in the green.

• Position: Real estate developer Mike Kelley

Did Winston-Salem developer Mike Kelley learn his in-your-face style from members of his Wheeling, W.Va., minor-league hockey team?

"I think sometimes our biggest enemy is ourselves and the fear of failing," says the man who did a $15 million real-estate deal with Kmart Chairman and CEO Joseph Antonini in 30 minutes at last year's Kmart Greater Greensboro Open golf tournament. "You can't be afraid to crash and burn."

Kelley, who is one of five partners in the Wheeling Thunderbirds, wasn't shy about crashing Kmart's fenced-off party tent. That's because he was determined to let Antonini know about 23 acres his company, American KB Properties, had an option on in northwestern Winston-Salem. It was a perfect site, he thought, for a SuperKmart, the company's new "hypermarket" stores that include a full grocery along with the usual Kmart merchandise. So he, partner Glenn "Woody" Bunting and a Wachovia banker parked themselves outside the tent until they spotted Antonini.

"Mr. Antonini," he screamed, "my name is Mike Kelley, and I just finished building a Kmart." Antonini walked over and graced the trio with a few encouraging words.

When he turned...