Living History

In a plain back office-that doubles as a stockroom-at Temple Citrus Grove in Naples sits a city pioneer. John Pulling Sr., 88, tends to his business at 6500 Airport-Pulling Road-yes, he's that Pulling-where he owns a produce and general merchandise store, fruit-shipping and -packing operation, and 150 acres of colorful orange and grapefruit trees.

The grove sits inconspicuously among newer commercial developments along this busy thoroughfare. The fact that Pulling and his family operate in an understated fashion fits the mold of a man who has done so much for the community, yet doesn't share the name recognition of other Naples clans, such as the Colliers or Lutgerts. But once the witty and frank Pulling gets talking, it's clear how ingrained he is in Naples. His conversation recalls the big deals from yesteryear, the business of today and his thoughts for the future. His passion for the city is strong, as is his opinion of people who have, and still do, exercise boneheaded judgment.

During his adult life, Pulling has bought and sold hundreds of properties and thousands of acres, built roads and institutions, and counseled leaders-sometimes unsuccessfully-on land-use policy and acquisition. As Pulling advances in years-"I'm not going to be around forever," he concedes-he's preparing to sell most of his holdings, including the grove acreage he estimates to be worth more than $100 million. The community should know that it has living history in its midst.

"I admire his vision, drive and entrepreneurship to turn Collier County into what it is today," says developer Todd Gates of Gates McVey in Naples. "I hope to carry on that legacy."

Pulling's father, William, began visiting Naples about 1912, taking the train from Windsor, Ontario, to Punta Rassa, and then traveling by boat the rest of the way down. William Pulling, a lumberman who owned mills up North, came to fish. Eventually, in 1915, he and wife, Lucy, moved with their infant son John to Southwest Florida. At first, the family lived on a houseboat, cruising up and down the Southwest Florida coast. A particularly bad storm one day led William Pulling to seek refuge in Gordon Pass. The family liked the area so much that they built a home on the beach at Broad Street near the Naples Pier.

As a youngster, John Pulling spent his days hunting and fishing for food. "There were no stores in those days. We ate everything we caught and hunted," he says. That included quail, pelican and other birds, as well as porpoise, shark and game fish.

In his early 20s, during the 1940s, Pulling tried his hand at real estate. He would buy properties at prices hard to fathom in today's market, divide up lots and resell them at a profit. One-hundred-foot beachfront parcels at today's Aqualane Shores went for $2,000, property along Davis Boulevard cost $50 an acre, land on Pine Ridge Road sold for $65 an acre, and lots in Bonita Springs went for 80 cents apiece.

"I would buy 20-acre tracts along Davis and then sell 50-foot lots for $50. I would charge people $1 down and $1 a week," he says.

He didn't construct many buildings, but developed the land that they were built on. For example, he filled out the island in the Gordon River at U.S. 41 East, using leftover concrete. Today, it's home to a condo development, town homes, restaurant, marina and boat-storage facility. "I am surprised not more of the real estate people did what I did," Pulling says. "They just sat in their offices and collected commissions."

Beyond Pulling's penchant for real estate sales, he repeatedly offered Collier County officials advice. In the 1950s, Pulling tried to convince the city it needed an east-west road. "They asked, 'Why do we want roads?"' Pulling recalls. So he took his bulldozer out and carved out a line that showed the right of way. He then rented a plane and flew some Collier officials over the site. The ride convinced them. Within the next year, they collected the rights of way-many of them from Pulling, who owned the north side of what would become Pine Ridge Road.

In 1970, pulling decided to scale back on real estate development and bought the Temple Citrus Grove acreage. He put up a packing house, where workers load boxes with citrus to ship, and a store. The operation, which he runs with son John Jr., stepson Bill McCauley and daughter-in-law Michelle McCauley, employs up to 40 people during season. Pulling has been married to Carol since 1951.

The orange-hued retail store sells Pulling's oranges and grapefruits, as well as other produce. There is a curious collection of merchandise, including toys, tool sets, and shower caps. Walls in the back are hung with historic, black-and-white photos that show Naples in its early years between 1912 and 1960, when Hurricane Donna ravaged the coast.

The furniture is modest and the light isn't bright. Papers and blueprints are tucked tightly into any nook available. Photos of both presidents Bush adorn one wall.

Pulling still puts in a few hours a day, every day, at the store. Later on, he'll drive to his office on Fifth Avenue South, where he owns a couple of buildings. Aside from keeping tabs on the retail and citrus operation, and assorted properties, he's vigilant about the local business climate and how that will affect Naples' future.

One sore subject is Collier County impact fees, which have more than doubled since 1999. Pulling considered developing his grove for commercial use, but the fees would have run him $36 million, he says. Instead of developing the grove land, Pulling plans to sell it and most of his other parcels. He'll keep the Fifth Avenue buildings, though. "Small businesses won't be able to afford the impact fees," he says. Without a substantial small-business base, he says, taxes will have to go up to support the local economy. "[The high fees] are very stupid. They will bankrupt the area," he says.

Pulling also gets irked when people complain to him about the growth. "I've had people come into the store and say, 'You're an old-timer. Isn't it terrible what's happening to Naples?' And I say, 'No, you crazy bastards. I think it's wonderful we've made you all millionaires'"-because land has become valuable through development.

Pulling sees people with plenty of the same drive and ambition he had. "There's not much difference doing business now, except the wages are higher," he says. "I've done very well in business. It takes a lot of work."

His advice for the aspiring entrepreneur? "Find yourself a place like Naples."

PULLING ON HIS PAST

"We had a committee 10 of us that got together every so often to figure out what to do with the city. We formed the chamber of commerce and things like that. One of the guys [in the mid-1950s] brought up the fact we needed a hospital. Well, we said, 'How do you start?' And one of the guys said, 'Well, the first thing is you need a feasibility report from the state.' It was going to cost $20,000. We wondered how we would get that money. We figured out the way to do is go to [Port Royal developer] Glenn Sample and [oil man] Lester Norris and ask them each for $10,000. We went to Lester Norris and said, 'Glenn Sample is good for $10,000, are you?' And we went to Glenn Sample and said, 'Lester Norris is good for $10,000, are you?' And it worked. They wouldn't let each other be outdone, so they forked over the money."

"I was trying to buy all the beachfront north of Big Marco Pass, about 10,000 feet north. I went ahead and got it under contract and [oil man] Lester Norris found out about it. He came to my office and said, 'John, I've got to have that land.' I said 'Lester, you're not going to.' He said 'I'm building the new hospital but I'll withdraw my support and put in the paper [you're] the reason why. And I said, 'I'm sorry, if that's the way you want it.' I knew it was worth a fortune. I would never sell it to Lester. But I put it on the market in 100-feet lots and sold it all" to other people.