From hustling watermelons to buying motor coaches

<p>Fabulous Coach Lines owner Ray Land wasn't even old enough to drive when he bought his first motor coach.</p><p>Land began his business in high school at age 17 out of Branford — a town along the Suwannee River comprised of a flashing light, a grocery store, a Hardees and a Dollar General, said Laura Fowler, the director of business development at Fabulous Coach Lines.</p><p>As a former girlfriend, Fowler said, she thought Land was a little crazy when he said he was going to put a $5,000 down payment on a motor coach.</p><p>"He said, ‘Laura, I'm thinking about buying a motor coach,' and I said, ‘Well, that's great, Ray, because I'm thinking about buying an airplane.' "</p><p>A leader in clubs such as Future Farmers of America and Future Business Leaders, Land said he rented coaches for club events in school that broke down and had unprofessional drivers.</p><p>"I thought, I can probably do better than that," he said.</p><p>His company started out as just a fun way to make some money, Fowler said.</p><p>She said kids in school used to poke fun at Land when he would put on dances and fundraisers at school because he would go all out.</p><p>She said they would always say, "This is a Ray Land production, for sure."</p><p>"Starting then and even now, everything that he does is a complete production," she said.</p><p>Now in its seventh year, Fabulous Coach Lines has been used to shuttle fans and spectators at the Olympics, three Super Bowls, the Daytona 500 and, starting Saturday, at University of Florida football games.</p><p>Land began developing his business mind by the time he could walk and talk by selling watermelons at a roadside stand.</p><p>His parents are watermelon farmers in Branford, and his family has been working in the watermelon business for more than 70 years.</p><p>"That's where his sales ability came in no doubt," Fowler said.</p><p>"From about 4 years old, he was steady hustling watermelon," she said.</p>