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Still Shining through Florida’s Clouds
by Garry Emmons
Developer David Lucas (MBA '71) has won a reputation as a generous philanthropist.
Photo by Brian Tietz
Along with homeowners, developers in Florida’s Gulf Coast real-estate market have been hit hard by the recession. David Lucas (MBA ’71) has been riding out the storm as chairman of the Bonita Bay Group, a premier developer of planned communities in the Ft. Myers-Naples area. Despite tough going for his firm, “Lucas’s reputation in business circles remains untarnished” and “few people are as influential” in southwest Florida, according to the Gulf Coast Business Review (January 7, 2011).
With the award-winning Bonita Bay Group known for its “collaborative approach with environmentalists and its attention to quality and detail,” the Review reported, “Lucas personally has won a reputation as a generous philanthropist and tireless fundraiser for community causes, such as public parks and organizations like the United Way. “I’m a Christian,” says Lucas, “and the Bible teaches us that we are to love our neighbor. One way to do that is to help your neighbor when he is in need.”
Recalling his days at HBS, Lucas says a principal lesson learned was how to make sound and successful decisions, specifically by digging for a problem’s root causes in order to properly identify it, followed by a willingness to consider unconventional alternatives to achieving one’s objectives. “Professor Walter Salmon got me interested in retailing, my first career,” says Lucas. “He was a big influence. But my most memorable professor was unquestionably C. Roland Christensen, the best teacher I ever had.”
