Gathered at the 1913 Gasparilla Inn on Boca Grande, descendants of local legacy families discuss how they’re honoring the past while defining what comes next.
Elevating Excellence
Vivian Grimes, founder of Henri Noël and heir of Certified Jewelers, sits with Alice Van Arsdale, who leads development at Artis—Naples and whose Naples lineage dates to the 1950s; Keaton Phillips, who returned to helm his family’s Jet 1; and Philip E. McCabe, who is building on his dad’s hospitality story. All come from a Naples built on style, social memory and visionary ambition. They’re expanding the region’s sophistication with a sharper, global perspective.
VG: Like many people who grow up here, we left for places like New York and Los Angeles. We didn’t expect to come back when we did, but it was the best move we could have made.
PM: I realized Naples was still undervalued as a destination. I’d rather be a bigger fish in a small pond and be able to make impactful additions.
AVA: I loved seeing how booming the arts were when I returned. I couldn’t be here if that weren’t the case. Whether it’s Artis—Naples, Gulfshore Playhouse or the Naples Players—the arts have become a real focus. We just got moved up to Group One of the League of American Orchestras, which is the same level that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic are in.
KP: With Naples, you need to leave at some point, so when you come back, you can bring more worldly perspectives—but then put our Naples spin.
PM: We have some of the nicest people on the globe in Naples, and you can’t create a successful concept here without showing your values. You have to be genuine in your sense of hospitality, wanting to take care of people.
KP: Aviation can be a cutthroat industry, especially in big cities, but growing up here, I learned to treat people like family. That’s what I try to bring to the business: a personal touch, figuring out what people really need and helping them. As we grow, we can push that Naples perspective outward.
VG: Working in New York, L.A., Texas, it’s so fast-paced and profit is the number one driver. When I work with someone here, they value that they get to talk and work directly with me.
KP: It’s exciting to help grow private aviation and be able to do it in my hometown. When my dad started, there was one jet based in Naples; now, there are more than 100. I’m working way more being here now than ever before, but it’s nice knowing that after a 15-hour day, you can go to the beach and it’s calm and peaceful. If I left the office and went straight into a bustling city, I would lose my mind.
AVA: I was humbled really quickly when I took this job. I had worked at MoMA in New York and grew up going to the Phil, seeing the Pops. I had no idea that I was just seeing the tip of the iceberg. We do 800 programs a year and have concerts at least three nights a week.
PM: The physical infrastructure for the town is built. City planning and codes were executed really well thanks to urban planner Andrés Duany and developers like my dad and Fred Pezeshkan. With my generation, the word that comes to mind is refinement. Naples has really been born over the past 20, 30 years, which is incredibly fast. Some things may have been rushed or overlooked. My hope is that 40 years from now, our schools and medical services are the best possible and our cultural venues continue to become world destinations.
Photography by Omar Cruz
Vivian Grimes, Keaton Philips, Alice Van Arsdale and Philip E. McCabe
VG: That’s what makes Naples unique—the community comes out and supports each other. As much as my social media presence has helped, I get most of my business from the word-of-mouth Naples community.
AVA: During the pandemic, I would have perfect strangers who were donors call our offices and check in on us. Fundraising in Naples has ruined me for doing it anywhere else. People here are not only generous but also wonderful, and they really care.
PM: We’re so fortunate to have had the generosity that built so much—from hospitals to museums to theaters.
VG: Like many people who grow up here, we left for places like New York and Los Angeles. We didn’t expect to come back when we did, but it was the best move we could have made.
PM: I realized Naples was still undervalued as a destination. I’d rather be a bigger fish in a small pond and be able to make impactful additions.
AVA: I loved seeing how booming the arts were when I returned. I couldn’t be here if that weren’t the case. Whether it’s Artis—Naples, Gulfshore Playhouse or the Naples Players—the arts have become a real focus. We just got moved up to Group One of the League of American Orchestras, which is the same level that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic are in.
KP: With Naples, you need to leave at some point, so when you come back, you can bring more worldly perspectives—but then put our Naples spin.
PM: We have some of the nicest people on the globe in Naples, and you can’t create a successful concept here without showing your values. You have to be genuine in your sense of hospitality, wanting to take care of people.
KP: Aviation can be a cutthroat industry, especially in big cities, but growing up here, I learned to treat people like family. That’s what I try to bring to the business: a personal touch, figuring out what people really need and helping them. As we grow, we can push that Naples perspective outward.
VG: Working in New York, L.A., Texas, it’s so fast-paced and profit is the number one driver. When I work with someone here, they value that they get to talk and work directly with me.
KP: It’s exciting to help grow private aviation and be able to do it in my hometown. When my dad started, there was one jet based in Naples; now, there are more than 100. I’m working way more being here now than ever before, but it’s nice knowing that after a 15-hour day, you can go to the beach and it’s calm and peaceful. If I left the office and went straight into a bustling city, I would lose my mind.
AVA: I was humbled really quickly when I took this job. I had worked at MoMA in New York and grew up going to the Phil, seeing the Pops. I had no idea that I was just seeing the tip of the iceberg. We do 800 programs a year and have concerts at least three nights a week.
PM: The physical infrastructure for the town is built. City planning and codes were executed really well thanks to urban planner Andrés Duany and developers like my dad and Fred Pezeshkan. With my generation, the word that comes to mind is refinement. Naples has really been born over the past 20, 30 years, which is incredibly fast. Some things may have been rushed or overlooked. My hope is that 40 years from now, our schools and medical services are the best possible and our cultural venues continue to become world destinations.
VG: That’s what makes Naples unique—the community comes out and supports each other. As much as my social media presence has helped, I get most of my business from the word-of-mouth Naples community.
AVA: During the pandemic, I would have perfect strangers who were donors call our offices and check in on us. Fundraising in Naples has ruined me for doing it anywhere else. People here are not only generous but also wonderful, and they really care.
PM: We’re so fortunate to have had the generosity that built so much—from hospitals to museums to theaters.
The younger generation of Neapolitans is taking the baton and infusing new ideas, like Ashley Gerry chairing Naples Winter Wine Festival and Vivian joining the C’MON board. We’re going to take philanthropy to a whole other level.
VG: Naples has grown so much; there aren’t many family businesses left. But we need to protect our history and memories. We can maintain those close-knit relationships and small-town feel Naples has always been known for, and still continue to have innovation.
PM: I welcome the competition—it’s healthy for any community. Having big-box retailers pushes the independent to be better. Vivian is a great example of a local, independent business understanding the market, understanding the community, and being able to say, ‘I’m here to stay and I don’t care who comes.’
KP: The biggest thing is quality. I don’t like seeing new cookie-cutter homes going up. I like having character. With our company, I’m not just going to put out a product to make money. Unless it’s helping people, is high quality and makes sense for Naples, we don’t do it.
VG: Four Seasons is a perfect example—it’s elevating the entire area. My family lives on that street, so they were in every single meeting after the Watkins sold the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club. We saw how they made sure that the people who live around the area could still come into the hotel, enjoy sunsets, and enjoy happy hour. And they’re bringing local businesses into the resort’s store. All our parents have so many memories there. Now, the next generation is going to get to build those memories, too.
KP: Being deeply connected to this area and having people know your family has its advantages—it builds an instant connection and trust. My mom, Bonnie, has been here since she was 2. She’s like the mayor of the town. I can pretty much go anywhere and somebody knows my mom or dad. It also comes with the responsibility to uphold that legacy.
VG: I work with my dad every day. Back in the day, my family had Henricks, one of the first jewelry stores in Naples. Now, people who shopped there and are 90 are coming with their grandkids to get jewelry for them. It’s cool being able to learn from your grandparents and parents while bringing in your own fresh take.
PM: I have a lot of respect for my dad and what he did, but I don’t really look at it like ‘legacy,’ because I want to create my own path. What it really is, is waking up every day and continuing to improve—whether that’s in business, philanthropy or personal relationships. Naples is my home. Having that personal connection gives me more drive to improve the area for those around me.
KP: All of us here, it’s important to stay together, collaborate and continue to grow as a community together.
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Photography by Omar Cruz
Philip McCabe
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Photography by Omar Cruz
Alice Van Arsdale
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Photography by Omar Cruz
Keaton Philips
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Photography by Omar Cruz
Vivian Grimes
Standing Firm
Calli Johnson DuPont’s great-grandfather homesteaded Sanibel in the 1800s and founded what became Bailey’s General Store. Kelly Kirk is a fifth-generation Marco Islander, running a commercial fishery dating to the early 1950s. Though just introduced, their kinship is instant—two heirs to family businesses in industries under siege—commercial fishing and independent retail—in corners of the Gulf strained by storms and development pressures.
KK: It’s the same struggles we all face. Mother Nature, relentless growth, ever-rising costs, no staffing. But our families don’t want to get out of it. We want to preserve what we grew up with, what our parents grew up with, what is home to us.
CJD: In a modern world, how do you manage that? Don’t mistake me, I am all for running a rigorous business—that’s everyone’s right. But I would love if we could work toward solutions together.
KK: The intention was for me not to be near the seafood industry. My mom and dad could see the writing on the wall, that commercial fishing would not be around forever. But I hope I can keep it around long enough to make a good living off it and keep the fishermen alive.
CJD: There’s an undeniable legacy we both have that would be hard to turn your back on. We used to sell lottery tickets, and people would ask if I played. I’d say, ‘No, I’ve already won the lottery.’
Photography by Omar Cruz
Kelly Kirk and Calli Johnson Dupont
KK: This is all I’ve ever known. My great-great aunt Tommie Barfield established Collier County with Baron Collier. My grandparents were some of the first settlers on Goodland. The house that they brought from Caxambas still stands there—you can see it from our fish house. It has survived all the storms. We joke that hell and high water have come.
CJD: You have to prepare for things you can never even imagine. Before Hurricane Ian, we put sandbags in front of the store, not realizing the water would be so powerful it would force its way through hurricane-rated doors.
“We have the opportunity to steer a business started in 1899 toward 2099.” — Callie Johnson Dupont
KK: My dad says, ‘Talk to me about Hurricane Donna—I’ll show you what a real hurricane is.’ Every generation has a storm of the century. The hurricanes have been here a lot longer than we have, and Mother Nature always wins.
CJD: It also speaks to community. The day after Irma, folks came to the store for one or two products. They didn’t actually need anything—just to know they were OK, so they came to Bailey’s.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
The Gasparilla Inn - Sandy Stilwell
KK: We have to protect what we grew up with. You find farming all over the country. Fresh, local, wild-caught seafood, you don’t. We’re part of the stone crab industry, which is mostly in Florida. So, we have this niche to protect and share with the world.
CJD: On Sanibel-Captiva, too, we’re able to offer something that is not anywhere else in the world. It would be oversimplified to say the place feels irreplaceable, because the people are part of what makes the place. If I may use a wine nerd term, it’s the terroir.
KK: We try to be good stewards of the places we call home. We need growth, but it’s about balance. We can’t let it get so far out of control that we can’t come back from it. Unfortunately, it’s much more lucrative to build a Margaritaville than to have a fish house. And there aren’t very many young fishermen entering the industry.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
Gasparilla Inn - Sandy Stilwell
CJD: Resilience is the new official mantra around here. It’s on everyone’s mind across the islands, every single day. And, the islands are still worth it! I risk appearing naive with that statement, but the only certainty is change.
KK: When new people come into the store, we say, ‘Welcome. We’re glad you’re here.’ How many times do you hear, ‘Oh, it’s snowbird season again—they need to all go home!’? We don’t survive without them.
CJD: Instead of resenting seasonal visitors, why not show someone why they should do something a different way?
KK: Yeah, like, ‘Hey, welcome to the neighborhood. Let’s talk fertilizer.’ Approach it differently and change the narrative.
CJD: We’re quite lucky that the retail formula is limited on the island. But I worry that there are people with enough money and enough ‘smarts’ to figure out a way around that.
KK: That’s why we do things like this—to help people see that there are family-owned operations that you should support, buy local. People come from all over the world for stone crabs. Why not buy them from a family that does it all? Or, shop at the grocery store that has been around since forever.
CJD: My siblings and I see our duty as making the store into a haven for old-fashioned customer service and quality products.
KK: There’s something so special about a generational, family-run business. You know your customers by name, you know your employees’ families. It’s not just the family that owns it, but everyone who encompasses the whole business. It’s a whole big family.
CJD: We have the opportunity to steer a business started in 1899 toward 2099—it’s our duty to do so.
KK: We wanted to honor the family name, so we gave our son ‘Kirk’ as his first name. His full name is Kirk Daniel Mikelson. Customers come in and they’re like, ‘Where’s Kirk?’ We say, ‘We’re all Kirks.’
CJD: My sister’s name is Bailey, so I understand.
KK: Everything is growing so quickly that you’re treading water sometimes. But I think that if we’re still treading water in 50 years, we’re doing good. When people think of us 50 years down the road, they may be thinking, ‘The Last of the Mohicans.’
Photography by Brian Tietz
Pelican Club Log
CJD: Or, ‘At least they tried their best—they gave it a shot.’ But hopefully it’s, ‘Wow, thank goodness those people thought about the future.’
KK: Having a counterpart in Sanibel-Captiva and one down in Marco Island—we’ve probably always got each other’s backs.
CJD: A united front.
Rooted in Purpose
Cameron Massey and Oona Watkins’ roots run deep. Oona grew up in Naples, where her family ran the city’s first hotel for more than 70 years; Cameron’s Grandfather opened The Veranda in Fort Myers. Now, they work with Captains for Clean Water—Cameron as development director, Oona contributing illustrations that translate complex environmental science. The two join forces to protect the landscapes that shaped them.
OW: I left for college and worked in D.C. for six years. Moving back was supposed to be temporary, but I started to see how much of that old, local feel—the Naples I grew up with—was disappearing. One day during a red tide event, I saw a dead dolphin on the beach. It really hit home, seeing something so big taken down by tiny things in the water that we’re causing.
CM: I feel the same about Fort Myers. There’s been so much growth, and not all of it is intentional. We need to protect the treasures we have. Look at the Everglades—we once saw it as worthless, carved it up and now we’re spending billions to fix the consequences.
Photography by Omar Cruz
Oona Watkins
The good news is that there are real, science-backed solutions. With Captains, we focus on restoring Everglades flow as the key to addressing Florida’s water crisis. When Lake Okeechobee gets too high, polluted discharges are sent east and west, killing ecosystems, wildlife, tourism and the local economy as a whole.
OW: We want to see our region grow intentionally, in places less vulnerable to those impacts, without shortcuts or loopholes.
CM: Every day, I drive by abandoned buildings. Where zoning allows, are we repurposing existing infrastructure to meet current needs, like affordable workforce housing?
OW: Exactly. Let’s reduce sprawl by working off what already exists. We can also retrofit developed areas with native vegetation that needs less water and recovers faster after storms, and add natural infrastructure like bioswales and porous surfaces to manage runoff. We need a bigger-picture approach—not a patchwork of fixes.
CM: Fortunately, I’m seeing more conversation around these topics. Growing up, I spent a lot of time on the water in Pine Island Sound, but there was never any discussion with friends or family about how, if we didn’t have clean water, we wouldn’t be able to be out here enjoying all of this.
Photography by Omar Cruz
Cameron Massey
OW: It’s a little different for me. We spent almost every weekend at the family ranch in Immokalee, seeing the old, wild Florida that most people don’t think of when they hear ‘Southwest Florida.’ My mom, Ellin Goetz, is a landscape architect and helped lead Conservation Collier, which has protected nearly 5,000 acres. I grew up immersed in all of that—I thought it was normal and that everyone had the same connection to nature.
CM: We’ve had some good foundations to build from. Now our responsibility is to pick that up and continue the work. When I moved back, I started to dive into what buildings were going up, what new construction was happening, what the vision for the city was. I saw how valuable it could be for people who’ve grown up here and seen the growth firsthand, to have a voice in how the region evolves and protect what we have and what’s authentic about this place.
OW: People like us and others featured here are collaborating to make Naples, Fort Myers, and these areas that we love and cherish, places that can be carried forward.
CM: I took it for granted when I was younger, but after realizing what I have here, I don’t know that I could ever call any other place home.
Crafting Character
As a third-generation member of one of Naples’ most established building families and volunteer president of the Naples Design District, Elizabeth Kurtz Isbell occupies a unique position at the intersection of development, design and shaping a sense of place.
Growing up, Home Depot was my favorite smell. Even now, if I need to feel grounded, I go there. This industry has been in our blood since birth.
Papa Ron Kurtz and my father, Randy, moved from Iowa 43 years ago and became one of the most trusted names in luxury homebuilding. When I came back from Orlando eight years ago, my dad was developing The Collective. I realized we had a chance to help define our city’s design identity.
Over the years, there’s been a lot of copying styles from other places instead of creating something authentically local. Now, a lot of big names are looking at Naples, and it’s that balance: how do we accept growth while staying true to who we are? Through The Collective and Naples Design District, we’re trying to build a real sense of place. We’re looking at the history of the Naples Depot to root the district’s identity as we evolve.
Photography by Omar Cruz
Elizabeth Kurtz Isbell
My generation is also focused on education. Trades are losing great craftspeople, and we want to be part of the solution. We’re also embracing new building science, learning how we can make homes better and more efficient.
Resilience isn’t just a buzzword for us—it’s essential. People are getting tired of reacting to hurricanes and flooding. They want proactive solutions. Our five-year goal is to work with the city to create infrastructure that reflects Naples, from storm drainage that can handle our climate reality to landscaping with resilient plants. We want our community to show how you take wealth and really invest in your area, not just extract from it.
The Naples Design District aims to be a platform for knowledge about resilient design. We’re trying to create a place where all these well-versed, passionate people can sit at a table and share ideas. Where, at 5 o’clock, there’s a band in the alleyways, a food truck—life extending beyond business hours.
That vision keeps me committed to the district, even as our family transitions into new chapters. When Papa passed away and my dad began stepping back due to health, we faced the question every family business faces: What comes next? We’re lucky that my sister married David Gordon, who started as a laborer 15 years ago and worked his way up to become president. There’s something poetic about it—Papa was a mechanic and a home builder. My sister married the home builder, and I married the mechanic.
We made the difficult decision to sell The Collective to focus on family. But we’re only passing it along to someone we trust, who will carry it forward with care. That’s part of growing up with the Kurtz name. We don’t just think about our generations—we’re thinking about our employees’ descendants and the families who will create memories in these homes we build.
We can only hope the next generation still has Naples Botanical Garden and all these beautiful homes with history to enjoy. A community is only as great as its local history and its people. We’re trying to honor that.