Grand Strand-based entrepreneur Terrance Butler says he is all about keeping the main thing the main thing.

In his case, the main thing is making sure that young people live up to their potential through mentorship, accountability, education, and opportunity. It’s also about being of service to the community at large.

Butler is a sports performance trainer and owner of ESA Fitness Club in Myrtle Beach’s burgeoning Arts and Innovation District.

Earlier this year, Butler interviewed former NFL cornerback Denzel Rice in front of a packed ballroom at the Marina Inn Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach.

The interview was a featured component of The Black History Leadership Ball 2024 – a black tie fundraising gala and the second such event under the auspices of the ESA Dream Foundation, a nonprofit which provides scholarships to underserved student athletes and theatrical arts students in Horry County.

The ESA Dream Foundation – or EDF – was founded two years ago by Butler and Patrice Reynolds, owner of the DreamHouse Theatre in Myrtle Beach.

Butler has a history with Rice. When they met, Rice played football at Coastal Carolina University. He was roommates with another CCU football player and eventual Baltimore Ravens running back, the late Lorenzo Taliaferro.

For a time, Butler trained both men.

But before he became a trainer and business owner, he had professional football aspirations of his own.

A Grand Strand native, Butler grew up in Burgess and caught the sports bug early on.

“Growing up, you either played football or basketball. Really nobody around me played baseball. I was playing basketball from age six at [Huckabee Recreational Complex] in Surfside or football in my uncles’ yards playing against my cousins,” Butler says. “I was pretty good at both, and ended up going to college for one of them.”

Indeed he did. After graduating from Socastee High School as a star athlete, Butler went on to Presbyterian College in Clinton on a full-ride football scholarship as a wide receiver and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology there.

He says a lot of bigger schools were looking at him, but things changed after he broke his right tibia in the second-to-last game of his senior year at Socastee.

“A lot of [schools] pulled their scholarships from me or didn’t offer what they said they were going to, but even when I was in a wheelchair, Presbyterian College came in and they just believed in me,” he says.

Although other schools came calling later, Butler stayed loyal to Presbyterian – epitomizing the famous quote from legendary college football coach Darrell Royal, Dance With Who Brung Ya.

In college, Butler participated in various pro-level workouts and training camps on invitation from the likes of the then Oakland Raiders and the New York Giants.

“The Giants’ scout said, ‘we really like you and we’re going to draft you – just keep working out.’ It was great to have the talent scout coming around, but I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t get a phone call,” Butler says.

He attended an Indianapolis Colts combine and ran a blistering 4.28 40-yard dash.

When he played in an all-star game in his senior year at Presbyterian College, Butler met and befriended now former NFL cornerback Greg Toler, who invited him to train with him in Maryland.

Toler’s personal trainer was Myron Flowers, the same man who trained NFL tight end Vernon Davis and NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

“That’s what got me into different styles of training and also introduced me to aquatics training and helped my body as well,” says Butler.

He was also picking up training methodologies that he would later use in his business and in service to others.

At a Canadian Football League workout in Florida, Butler caught the eye of Jim Popp, then the GM of the Montreal Alouettes. This resulted in a trip to a rookie camp in Montreal under Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman.

Butler was thrilled and more than ready, but in an unfortunate twist of fate he was cut from rookie camp with a group of other athletes.

“They brought in about 12 American wide receivers and they actually cut all of us,” Butler says, adding that the CFL had to keep a certain amount of Canadians on the team.

This was the first time Butler had ever been cut from anything.

“I was trying to figure out how to pivot into what to do next,” Butler says. “I could have kept trying, but I didn’t have a trainer here or the type of money it takes to train. So you have to make a decision.”

His decision was to segue into coaching and training – bringing the skills he learned to young athletes.

He hosted a speed and agility clinic at Socastee High School, where 20 kids showed up. This gave Butler the validation he needed to continue with additional clinics at Socastee and other high schools in Horry County.

He began to coach individual student athletes as well.

One of these young athletes is now- former Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, son of former Socastee High School head football coach Tim Renfrow.

Butler played football under Tim Renfrow at Socastee (and basketball under then Socastee head coach Dan D’Antoni, founder of Myrtle Beach’s long-running Beach Ball Classic).

Renfrow was supportive of Butler’s coaching and training efforts.

“He believed in me,” says Butler. “He knew that I would take care of the kids and look after them. I started training [Hunter Renfrow’s] buddies too, and people started to hear that I was training some kids and they’d come up and talk to me.”

At that time, Butler was also involved in the process of testing and applying for various law enforcement agencies, but he was taking on a sizable client roster and found himself faced with another decision.

With a thousand dollars, he was able to open a thousand-square foot facility in Socastee, just down the street from Socastee High School.

“I was like, I’m just going to take a chance on myself, open the facility and see what happens. The day I signed the lease, a law enforcement agency called and wanted to hire me,” says Butler.

He turned them down. For better or worse, Butler was all in. Thirteen years later, it’s safe to say he made the right decision.

Because of the blessings that have come his way over the years, Butler is keenly aware of the worlds that can open up for young people if given the right opportunities. For underserved students, this is doubly true.

When they founded the ESA Dream Foundation two years ago, Butler and Reynolds decided to focus on the needs of athletes and theatrical arts students – something that dovetails with their respective backgrounds.

Reynolds is a playwright, recording artist, and former owner of the now-shuttered P. Reynolds Jazz Club & Restaurant in Myrtle Beach. Her DreamHouse Theatre is a music and performing arts venue in Myrtle Beach. It’s also an outreach performing arts platform.

“DreamHouse partners with Coastal Carolina University,” Butler says. “Some of their professors come and do free workshops and acting classes. People rent out the space as well. We get to see some great jazz musicians come through.”

Currently, the Long Bay Theatre is a tenant – using the space for its productions as well.

The idea for the foundation came about as a result of a conversation between Butler and Reynolds.

“Patrice and I were having a friendly argument about how athletics gets all the money and the arts don’t get anything. We made a solution and started ESA Dream Foundation to help kids who need training and to raise money to give scholarships to the kids that come to our programs. They put the work in. We’re just a vessel to help guide them,” Butler says.

Reynolds says that for any student to be considered for an EDF scholarship, they must be involved with DreamHouse Theatre or ESA Fitness.

“The students that intern for Terrance at his gym during the summer and the kids that intern under me at DreamHouse – those are the kids that we keep our eye on, and those are the kids that end up getting the scholarships,” she says, adding that some of the funds raised go toward the workshops and classes mentioned by Butler.

“I offer them for free so that these kids can come in without excuse – and I also offer them to all adults in the Grand Strand community,” Renolds says.

For Reynolds, a standout quality about Butler is his ambition.

“He chases his dream and just does not give up. It has been a joy and a privilege to work with Terrance when it comes to this foundation,” Reynolds says. “He’s a like-minded individual like myself when it comes to serving the community – and to offer something without asking for anything.”

Two fundraising galas in, the EDF has awarded scholarships to four students – two per year shortly after each fundraising gala – and many more have benefitted from the combined programs offered by Butler and Reynolds in their respective lanes.

Butler says the galas at Marina Inn at Grande Dunes were absolutely amazing. Last year’s special guest was actor Taye Diggs, who spoke about the importance of community theatre for all – especially in underserved areas.

“This year, we had [former NFL cornerback] Denzel Rice, who played for Coach Joe Moglia [at CCU], and it was beautiful. Everybody came dressed to the tee. We raised some good money and everybody had fun,” Butler says.

When Rice was a junior at CCU, he was able to witness Butler’s efforts in training then CCU senior Taliaferro for the NFL Scouting Combine.

“I was thinking big picture about who I was going to be training with during my year of training for Pro Day – and I always kept him in mind,” says Rice of Butler. “Once that year came, I reached out to him and we hit the ground running. We just connected. I did good in my Pro Day, and from there we continued to work out and build a relationship. We worked together all the way up to my rookie training camp.”

Rice was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and went on to play for several other NFL teams over the course of his career.

The fact that Rice appeared at the 2024 EDF gala is a testament to his relationship with Butler.

“I fully support Terrance and everything he stands for,” says Rice. “He represents every athlete that is trying to take their skills to the next level – not just underprivileged athletes. I have acquired a lot of those skills from him and look up to him. He’s somebody I consider as one of my mentors, and I was more than happy to help support his cause.”

As busy as he is, Butler’s outreach efforts don’t end there. He put together a traveling football team so that underserved athletes can get a feel for different places and experiences.

“The Seven on Seven football team is a definite outlet for young men,” he says. “It’s a way to develop their skills, travel a little bit and teach them a more advanced version of the game.”

Butler’s 5,000-square-foot facility on the heart of Myrtle Beach’s Arts and Innovation District is something to be proud of – and the fact that its location is in the epicenter of change is not lost on Butler.

“We’re changing the narrative about Downtown Myrtle Beach,” Butler says of himself, fellow business owners, the Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance and the Myrtle Beach Downtown Redevelopment Corporation. “We’re all friendly because we all know how hard it is to open a business.”

Myrtle Beach Downtown Alliance CEO Jason Greene says ESA Fitness Club’s presence in Downtown Myrtle Beach is a good fit for the district.

“It’s a part of what we’re trying to create,” Greene says. “Folks can come down and understand that, ‘hey, I can work out here – I can eat here – I could do my daily living in Downtown Myrtle Beach.’ That’s a great step forward – to know that you can have the things that you need in daily life in one central place.”

He also touched on what he calls the episodic lifestyle, which is about folks being comfortable spending the day in The Arts and Innovation District.

“That’s a good part of getting visitors and local residents to see Downtown Myrtle Beach as a destination, much like the other destinations that occur on the Grand Strand.”

Greene feels that changing the narrative about Downtown Myrtle Beach is a collective effort.

“ESA Fitness and the other businesses popping up along the 9th Avenue [North] corridor and on Broadway Street – those are great opportunities to showcase a different Downtown than people expect,” he says.

What strikes Green the most about Butler is his passion for what he does.

“He wants to train people to the highest of their abilities, which I can appreciate, having been in the Marine Corps. He really pours that into everybody he works with,” Greene says.

Butler is also active with the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. He’s a graduate of the organization’s Leadership Grand Strand program, through which he says he refined his leadership skills and expanded his network. He’s also on the Chamber’s DEI Council.

“I’m trying to make a difference and give fair shots,” he says.

For the past two years, Butler has traveled to Columbia to attended the Chamber’s annual Grand Strand Legislative Reception. The event is a chance to talk to legislators about issues related to the economy of the Grand Strand.

“That’s something I like to be a part of. If you are a leader, you have to put yourself in a position to sit at the table. You’ve got to be involved, ask questions and talk to the right people,” Butler says.

At 37, Butler is as plugged in to the community as it gets – maybe more than folks twice his age. It’s not out of the question for him to consider a run at public office.

“You can’t complain about something and not try to make a difference,” he says. “I think I have made a lot of connections, so I know what’s going on. I’ve got a feel for the city and the county – and keeping the main thing the main thing, which is just helping.”

But Butler’s highlight reel doesn’t end there. One of his favorite roles in life is that of father to eight-year-old son Jonah.

“I’m just overjoyed,” he says. “He’s such a smart and savvy kid. I love that I get to take a young mind, pour into him, and help him become who he is supposed to be. God picked me to be his father, and I have some things to give him. We laugh and joke and play – and we have hard conversations. I love it all. I love it.”