Mine craft

The world's largest supplier of phosphate and potash, Mosaic, has a challenge that, in an unusual move for the mining giant, is happening above the ground.

The project is Streamsong Resort. It's a luxury golf resort and spa built on retired phosphate mines near Fort Meade, a small, rural Polk County town 55 miles southeast of Tampa. The Fortune 500 company reclaimed some 16,000 acres when executives believed all the necessary components of a golf course were there. The golf courses opened in 2012, and the resort followed in 2013.

But even after some rave industry reviews of the golf courses and accommodations, the hurdles remain similar to opening day: getting people out there, and keeping them coming back. “Without question,” says Jim Bullock, director of sales and marketing at Streamsong, “this was a bold endeavor on the part of Mosaic.”