David Johnson’s office at Bay Harbor in northern Michigan is situated amid an oasis of 550 luxury homes overlooking Lake Michigan; a well-appointed hotel; a yacht club; and three, nine-hole golf courses. “From Memorial Day to Labor Day, I’m at Bay Harbor 50 percent of the time,” says Johnson, chairman of Victor International in Auburn Hills.
Most of his remaining time is spent developing Turtle Lake, a luxury home community in Bloomfield Township, which is nearing completion. There are also retail developments under way in Clarkston and Lyon Township, plus he operates Oil Nut Bay — a resort community started in 2005 in the British Virgin Islands. “My philosophy is to create lifetime experiences, from fishing to boating to horseback riding,” he says. “It’s what brings people back again and again.”
Never without his BlackBerry, Johnson says his favorite communication device is his new iPad, which he keeps on his classic English walnut desk at Bay Harbor. “I use it to stay in touch with our homeowners, and I like surfing the Web for all of the connections people send me,” he says. “We always get lots of suggestions at our ownership meetings. We’re working on adding a 1,000-seat performing arts center (at Bay Harbor), which should be ready in 2012.”
Johnson says he and his wife, Pam, love to fish, though he wishes he had more time to cast a line. “Pam loves fishing more than I do, but we both fly fish together, which is a lot of fun,” he says. The bronze trout statue on his desk, which Johnson purchased at the art gallery at Bay Harbor, is a reminder to embrace and enjoy the outdoors. “I think we all wish we had more time to recreate, so the statue is a symbol for me of balancing work with pleasure.”
Johnson says he has horses wherever he travels, including a home on South Fox Island in Lake Michigan. “Since my swimming pool accident (he broke his neck), I became passionate about horseback riding because it offered me freedom of movement,” he says. The toy horse and boots on his credenza complement his collection of books from the President’s Program he attends every year at Harvard University.
The well-appointed coaster near Johnson’s phone is from a Young Presidents’ Organization conference. “It’s great to connect with other leaders to see how they conduct their business, plus you always get great [business] tips,” he says. That includes advice for a revamped shopping village at Bay Harbor. “I think people gravitate to activity. Our real estate has been surprisingly strong at Bay Harbor, as we’re part of one of the great tourism destinations in the country.”
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