Paul W. Smith, the host of the weekday morning show on WJR-AM, writes a column in The Detroit News that generally gives readers a light take on the big news of the week, such as Michigan State's Rose Bowl victory, or an upbeat reaction to a holiday.
In this past weekend's column, Smith broadened his focus, sending big, wet, adjective-heavy kisses to two of his friends -- local businessmen who have expensive real estate to sell.
First up was Tony Soave, left, the well-known Detroit entrepreneur whose interests range from scrap to automotive to Kwame Kilpatrick.
Smith writes:
Tony long ago recognized the beauty and lifestyle Naples, Fla., has to offer and the number of Michiganians who discovered this great place to get away from our winter wonderland. Long ago he built The Dunes resort community.
His current project, the incredible and upscale Moraya Bay Beach Tower on the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico, has only six (out of 72) luxurious condominium homes left. Tony is already planning his next project in the sun.
Congratulations on another success for Soave Real Estate Group, Tony.
Next was David V. Johnson, chairman of Victor International Corp., and the developer of Bay Harbor in Petoskey, whom Smith writes is now working on "the development of his life."
In fact, Smith writes he was recently a guest on Johnson's project, at Oil Nut Bay, Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.
Johnson spent 15 years touring the world to find this perfectly located environmentally and politically sound area to build a sustainable “clean and green” family community. With Sir Richard Branson buying two islands next door, and Google’s Larry Page’s island across the way, Oil Nut Bay is a pretty good neighborhood to build in, without having to buy your own island.
With low humidity and temperatures moderated by trade winds, a drop below 77 degrees in the winter and a rise above 82 degrees in the summer is said to be a rarity. In my book, that means Johnson has found a perfect spot for his perfect Island paradise, or as he refers to it, a multigenerational luxury community.
Sweet.
A dozen readers had complaints, which they registered under the story on The News' webpage.
A commenter named Ruth Stanton summed up the reactions: "Unpaid ad on the Opinion Page. Sad state of affairs."
-- Bill McGraw
