Staff

Johnny and Dena Ensley

Broker/Owner and Broker/Property Manager

Johnny and Dena Ensley founded Yellow Rose Realty in 1995. Their story is the stuff of the American dream. While they are both from Western North Carolina, Johnny grew up in Swain County, Dena grew up in Florida, They had to travel to Alaska to actually meet! It was love at first sight, in the Yellow Rose Restaurant in Anchorage, Alaska. Dena’s mother was working at that restaurant and Johnny was in the area working in the oil industry that summer. When Dena came out to visit her mother, she met Johnny (thanks to her mother, who set up the introduction, it’s true!) The rest is history.

The Ensleys began with a residential and commercial cleaning business, and as they took on more and more vacation rentals to clean, they realized they could manage rentals more successfully than what they were seeing and it was a good synergy with their cleaning business. Adding real estate services was the next natural extension for their company. They and all their brokers are fully licensed by the state of North Carolina.

Dena, who has a degree in Accounting from nearby Southwestern Community College, manages the financials of the business. Johnny manages the real estate and investment property side of the business. Dena is on the board of directors of the Swain County Tourism and Development Authority (TDA). Johnny is an active coach for various elementary school-age sports teams, including football, Little League baseball, and basketball. Yellow Rose is a consistent sponsor of many kids sports teams here in Swain County, including girls’ and boys’ basketball, football, Little League baseball, karate, and kids soccer. Johnny is also a Reserve Deputy Sheriff and the Safety Officer for Swain County Little League. Both Johnny and Dena are former Sunday School teachers and Youth Leaders.

Ann Styles Holden

Broker – serving since 2000

Ann was born in Bryson City and has lived in this area all her life. She has one son, Johnny Ensley. She gets a real kick out of working for her son, and loves the family business. She enjoys traveling, but love the mountains and would not want to live anywhere else. Ann has seen a lot of changes to this area throughout the years. She says that fortunately, these changes have not affected the peaceful beauty of the mountains, or the small-town appeal of the area. Her love for meeting new people and helping them find just the right property drives her passion for real estate.

Olivia King

Broker/Office Manager – serving since 2002

Olivia is a Bryson City native with family in Swain County that go back several generations. She knows the mountains well and loves to live here. Not only does she think it was a great place to grow up, but she appreciates the small town atmosphere and “perfect pace” of life in the country with amenities of major Eastern cities less than half a day’s drive away. Olivia is married to JC King, her high school sweetheart. They enjoy spending time together with their 3 Jack Russell Terriers and traveling to Gator games. In addition to being an agent for Yellow Rose, Olivia helps manage the company’s administration and marketing with Johnny and Dena. In addition to being an agent for Yellow Rose, Olivia helps manage the company’s administration, marketing and property management.

Megan Cookston

Broker/Reservationist – serving since 2004

Megan grew up here in Western North Carolina and has an extensive knowledge of the region. She really enjoys helping customers find their mountain dream property. She has a knack for working with clients who are looking for unique properties that are located off the beaten path. Prior to her career in real estate, Megan received a degree in Culinary Arts and worked as the head chef and event planner at a large historic inn. The skills that were required to run a successful restaurant have certainly carried over into her career in real estate. Megan lives in Bryson City with her husband Brian, who is a Game Warden with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Megan and Brian have one son named Covey. Megan enjoys hiking, camping, fishing, traveling, and spending time with her family.

Billy Crisp

Spa Specialist – serving since 2007

Billy is the spa technician for Yellow Rose Realty. He is a certified spa operator through the National Swimming Pool Foundation. Billy makes sure our hot tubs are all operating correctly and safely for our vacation rental guests and homeowners. He tests and treats our spas before and after every rental. Billy was born and raised here in Swain County, and loves this part of the country nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains. He appreciates the strong community of Swain County and welcomes you to come visit and stay, as long as you want.