18 minute read
FAMILY FIRST
A MULTIGENERATIONAL MINDSET FUELS THE FRISBIE FAMILY’S DRIVE TO FOSTER AND PRESERVE THE PALM BEACHES
By Linda Marx Photography by Nick Mele
Astrong family foundation has given the Frisbie brothers (David, Robert Sr., and Rick) the freedom and inspiration to become successful real estate investors and preservationists. More than a meaningful connection and unshakable bond, working together as a family has become a way of life for the brothers and Frisbie Group, their private real estate investment company headquartered in Palm Beach.
Frisbie Group counts 13 out of its 25 staffers as family members from two generations working toward the common goal of properly revitalizing real estate assets in strategic locations to protect and preserve both Palm Beach’s current and future look and feel.
“We realize it is extremely rare to have a strong, close, and loving family dynamic such as ours,” says Dave, who began working with his brothers in 1973. The trio got their start restoring brownstones around Boston while they were students at Harvard
From left: Brothers Robert, Dave, and Rick Frisbie are the founders of Frisbie Group, a private real estate investment firm. As their family has grown, so has their business. Today, 13 members of the family are also Frisbie Group employees. Ashley B.C. Frisbie (with parasol, above) oversees communications for the firm.
From left: Robert Frisbie, Rob Frisbie, Ashley B.C. Frisbie, Thomas T. Frisbie, Robby Frisbie, Franny Frisbie Criddle, Cody Crowell, Carver Wingate Crowell, Richard Frisbie, Katie Frisbie Crowell, Kim Frisbie
University. “But we truly believe having those principles at the core of our business helps us thrive. The moral compass in Frisbie Group is a strong one, and we use it in every aspect of our business.”
They started with Palm Beach residences and soon added commercial projects to their portfolio— including the Frisbies’ recent crown jewel: a mixeduse revitalization on 1.3 acres at the east end of Royal Poinciana Way. Once home to the iconic Testa’s restaurant (which closed in 2017 after nearly a century on Palm Beach), the new space is known as Via Flagler. Frisbie Group partnered with The Breakers to build stunning retail and restaurant spaces, as well as six luxury residences above.
“We were excited to work with The Breakers team as our family values and guiding principles seamlessly align,” says Dave. “They have been extremely successful stewards of our Palm Beach community over the last 125 years, and we know they will continue to lead by example for generations to come.”
Frisbie Group is now building four approximately 10,000-square-foot townhouses at 456 South Ocean Boulevard, restoring the property’s code and conforming use by converting the land back to residential—a project that will reduce traffic, congestion, and fumes from the prior restaurant. Across the Intracoastal on West Palm Beach’s Flagler Drive, the Frisbies are revitalizing and building new residential properties on 60 acres in the area around the Norton Museum of Art and Palm Beach Atlantic University.
“Palm Beach is incredible,” says Rick. “It is hard to find another community that offers the same safety, stability, opportunity, and quality of life for such a diverse group of people. We work with community leaders, trusted officials, and local professionals to help ensure the preservation of these key attributes.”
But Palm Beach County isn’t the only place the Frisbie family is leaving its mark. They have revitalized an underused property in the Florida Keys and built a club resort on seven acres called The Islands of Islamorada, where the family likes to fish and relax together during frequent excursions. On Nantucket, where they own a home, the Frisbies created Harborview Nantucket rental cottages, offering guests the luxuries of a waterfront resort.
—FRANNY FRISBIE CRIDDLE
From left: Michaela Frisbie Facchinei, Dave Frisbie, Margot Facchinei, Suzanne Frisbie, Michael Facchinei, Philip Trapani III
With their dinner table often operating as a business conference hub, family members strategize together—including “Gen 1” founders Dave, who oversees investment and placemaking to benefit the project and surrounding community; Robert, who handles design and adaptive re-use; and Rick, who is in charge of risk assessment and investment potential. Dave’s wife, Suzanne, a 30-year real estate broker-associate, provides key input on geography, architecture, trends, and property values in and around Palm Beach through her work with Premier Estate Properties. Robert’s wife, Kim, a horticulture specialist and active member of The Garden Club of Palm Beach, guides the company in holistic landscaping and maintaining the ecosystems of their properties.
“Gen 1” owned and operated Frisbie Group alone until 2013, when Robert’s daughters, Katie Frisbie Crowell and Franny Frisbie Criddle, joined the company after cutting their teeth in the Northeastern real estate industry. They started Frisbie’s “Gen 2.”
“Our grandmother Frances, who lives in Palm Beach, used to remark daily about how lucky she was in her life, and that practice of gratitude has permeated through the subsequent generations,” says Katie. “We are incredibly fortunate to work together as a family, pursuing exciting and impactful opportunities, all within the context of this remarkable and beautiful community. I’m grateful for every day.”
In 2016, Katie’s husband, Cody Crowell, joined Frisbie Group, overseeing investment strategy and placemaking. He was followed a year later by Robert’s son Rob, who works on investment strategy value analysis and placemaking, and Rob’s wife, Ashley, who provides advertising and communications expertise. Then, Robert’s youngest son Richard, Dave’s daughter Michaela Frisbie Facchinei, and Dave’s nephew Philip Trapani III came aboard.
“Working together as a family affords us a unique degree of sustained collaboration where we build off of one another’s strengths and creativity,” says Franny. “Whether playing a role that is highly visible or more behind-the-scenes, everyone contributes with their individual skill set and original perspective.”
The family-first concept started with the brothers’ own upbringing. “Our parents were all about family,” says Robert. “We had dinner every night where our dad told us not to marry until we were 30, and that blood is always thicker than water. We were taught to take care of our brothers and do more for others than for ourselves.”
Dave remembers that his father also believed everyone in their sphere should be treated unselfishly—and that included community. “Given our multigeneration love for and commitment to Palm Beach, it’s more important than ever that our community thrives,” he says. “As our fourth generation [grandchildren] are now growing up in this fantastic place we call home, it is incumbent upon us to think about how to protect and preserve our town in everything we do.”
The Frisbie love affair with the Palm Beaches started in the early 1990s when Dave, who was a vice president of Hines Interests during the 1980s and managing major downtown revitalization projects around the country, became smitten with the Sun Belt. After looking at Texas and Florida, he predicted that in the future, the Rust Belt was going to fade and the Sun Belt would shine brighter. He left his Chicago base and moved to Palm Beach County, where he had vacationed as a child in his grandparents’ Delray Beach home.
“I thought Palm Beach was the highest quality location with finite supply, and [it] entrusts an architectural commission to protect its unique aesthetic,” he says. “I also saw much potential in West Palm Beach, so we acquired a dozen downtown properties on Clematis Street.”
He primed the thoroughfare for repositioning and rapid growth; but since it was at a critical mass of “urban renewal,” he had to enlist help from the local government, working with then-mayor Nancy Graham. He also had to attract the interest of national retailers like Tommy Bahama, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Z Gallerie, and Starbucks. And he needed to bring a significant residential component so there would be people to shop in the stores and dine in the restaurants.
“We renovated, revitalized, and brought residential above the stores as a trend to go back to the inner city because downtown West Palm Beach was ripe for development,” says Dave. Among his West Palm Beach projects was the 1 and 101 North Clematis mixed-use complex on
Rick, Dave, and Robert laugh with Suzanne Frisbie (second from left), Dave’s wife, and Kim Frisbie (right), Robert’s wife.
the water. For his efforts in the city, The Palm Beach Post included Dave on its list of the twentieth century’s 100 most influential leaders.
Dave says that for each project Frisbie Group takes on, consensus is key. “As long as we all agree, we take properties that others overlook and make them better. If even one of us disagrees—and that includes ‘Gen 2’—we don’t do the project. We never fight, and we handle differing opinions with free and open communication. We love collaboration.”
In fact, for the Flagler Drive efforts, the Frisbies will employ the same strategic methodology that they used for Clematis Street. This includes working closely with the local government and existing institutions— the Norton Museum, Palm Beach Atlantic University, and nearby churches—to expand on the effort already in place to further improve and optimize the area’s potential.
For building, they are partnering with Dave’s former company, Hines Interests. They’ve hired world-renowned Robert AM Stern Architects to create thoughtful design for the high-end, luxury residences. The project will translate to proportionately higher taxable values and greater revenues to support City of West Palm Beach initiatives like pension funding, infrastructure, first responder needs, and other improvements.
“We sit around the table and ask ourselves what can we do for the future of Flagler Drive,” says Rob. “We are reimagining the campus around the Norton and the college. We are looking at life in the twentyfirst century and thinking of driverless cars, sustainable buildings, coastal resilience, solar power, water purifiers. We care more about quality design than the bottom line.”
Through leading by example and putting others first, Frisbie Group’s collaborations help them gain new perspective. “We research to understand trends, and when we invest we look at the lifestyles we can create,” says Cody. “The secret to our business is to maintain family ethics, putting everyone else above ourselves. We have vertical integration—our projects have fingerprints from all involved.”
Such camaraderie was made even greater with the completion of Via Flagler, when Frisbie family members bought four of the six multimillion dollar residences within the stunning Italianate, Spanish Revival, and Mediterranean-style buildings. Dave and Suzanne, Robert and Kim, Rob and Ashley, and Katie and Cody each live in one of the four residences. Friends of the family have bought the other two.
The residences are linked by meandering courtyard vias, making it easy to gather for dinners—Dave and Suzanne’s table seats 18. “Grandchildren often run from one residence to another and enjoy playing on the swing hanging from a gumbo limbo tree in Kim’s native garden,” says Dave of their new homes. “We are having an awfully good time.”
For the Frisbies, constant connection helps the creative process, fuels energy, and encourages all to dream big. “Our greatest experience working in real estate investment has been the ability to evolve as a family,” says Dave. “It is exciting and fulfilling to witness the growth of the next generation and observe the positive community aspects of our efforts.” «
CULTURE &COLLECTION
With the power to educate, inspire, and even provoke, art is a language that knows NO BOUNDARIES
BY JUDY MARTEL PHOTOGRAPHY BY JERRY RABINOWITZ
If anyone understands art’s global influence and its role as a shaper of societies, it’s former U.S. diplomat Michael Greenwald. But closer to home, art has become the language of love for Michael and his wife, Nolan.
The couple’s sleek, all-white Palm Beach condo is a showplace for the colorful contemporary works they have collected together. Each wellcurated piece brings joy and a history of how and why they chose it. For them, collecting is not just an investment, it’s intensely personal. “With any
At their Palm Beach condo, Nolan and Michael Greenwald stand in front of Valium by Damien Hirst, with Keith Haring’s Flowers in the background. Their collection also includes Longing for the Future... by Robert Wynne (opposite page).
art collection, it’s important to have art you like because at the end of the day, it’s going on your walls and you want to enjoy looking at it,” says Nolan, an associate at Targeted Victory, a digital marketing firm focused on political and corporate issues.
Michael, now a director at Tiedemann Advisors, served for nearly a decade in a variety of senior roles within the U.S. Treasury, as a financial diplomat and adviser in U.S. counterterrorism, counterterrorist financing, and anti-money laundering. His career took him to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, where he established the Treasury Department’s office in Qatar and worked closely with the government of Kuwait. He was appointed to the U.S. Treasury team that crafted sanctions against Russia, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda.
Michael says his knowledge of contemporary art literally opened doors and avenues of communication in his former line of work. “As a diplomat, I can’t emphasize enough how much art helped me understand [a culture], particularly in the Mideast,” he says. With its potential to interpret political issues and reflect a cultural attitude, contemporary art possesses the ability to shape opinion. “There’s a powerful intersection between art and geopolitics,” he adds.
The couple’s own contemporary collection traces the story of their courtship and global travels. In their living room, artist Robert Wynne’s textured glass message, Longing for the Future..., seems to float above an upholstered sectional. “This is the first piece we acquired as a married couple,” Michael says. “Right before COVID, we visited the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in South Korea and toured an exhibit of Joan Mitchell, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Edward Ruscha, and Richard Prince.” Visits to museums both in South Korea and Japan inspired them to purchase Wynne’s piece. “The phrase couldn’t be more timely [during the pandemic],” he adds.
Dominating one wall of the dining area, Dinoco 2050 by Diego Medina contains phrases and words referencing the future and the past. Nolan favors art with a message. “I see art as a means of representing a time in history,” she explains. “I always look for the deeper meaning, not just the aesthetic value.” The couple purchased the piece when they were engaged, before they even knew where they would hang it, she adds. Michael met the artist in 2019 in Mexico City when he was attending the North American Meeting of the Trilateral Commission and forged a close relationship. They own two of Medina’s pieces, and Michael likens his work to that of the late graffiti, neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Another wall of the dining area is taken up by the more subtle, but no less powerful, Valium by Damien Hirst. “There’s a time and feel to this,” Michael says of the kaleidoscopic pattern of dots. “And we love the colors.”
As burgeoning collectors, Michael and Nolan, both weaned on art thanks to their savvy parents, have been forging their own path as a couple. “When Michael and I met, we had different taste in art,” says Nolan. “I like text art and I like it to be colorful.”
Above: Nolan admires Dinoco 2050 by Diego Medina, a self-taught artist and filmmaker based in Mexico. Opposite page, from top: St. Michael II lithograph by Robert Motherwell; a tray containing a photo of The Breakers by Gray Malin rests above an art book on Richard Serra.
Above: Artist Diego Medina gifted his Frank composition to the couple as a wedding present. They wed in Massachusetts in October 2020. Left: Nolan and Michael in front of Longing for the Future...
Michael grew up around 1960s contemporary art and photography, like Jasper Johns and Jackson Pollock. “But as a couple we’re discovering our own taste,” he says. They admire more established artists, including Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, Keith Haring, and Robert Rauschenberg—but also emerging artists like George Condo. Above all, they want their selections to reflect their shared aesthetic. “I liked how my parents collected together,” he adds. “They always had stories and they would work off each other.”
Nolan’s parents, Alan and Noele Wein, collected more classical art, but gravitated toward modern over time, says Nolan. Michael’s parents, Michael and Barbara Greenwald, have a private gallery of contemporary art in their home in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he and Nolan chose to hold their intimate family wedding reception during the COVID pandemic. “It was so special, as well as appropriate, to have our wedding and first dance there,” Michael says.
The two met in Palm Beach. Nolan was living in Philadelphia at the time and Michael in Washington, D.C. They began dating and moved to a contemporary loft in New York City’s West Village. A year later, Michael popped the question at The Four Seasons Hotel in Surfside.
The move from New York to Palm Beach happened quickly, aided
Right: Valium by Damien Hirst. Below: Michael brought back the Putin propaganda toilet paper rolls after working in the Ukraine for the U.S. Treasury. He and Nolan put four rolls together to create a piece entitled Putin in Maidan Square.
by a little dose of serendipity. In February, just after their engagement, the couple was having breakfast in the West Village. As the news that the COVID virus had begun to emerge, they looked at each other and said “Jet Blue,” jokes Michael, referring to nonstop flights from New York to Palm Beach International Airport. Arriving just in time to hunker down in quarantine with Nolan’s parents for more than four months, they began the search for a place of their own. “Our plan was always to be in Palm Beach, but COVID sped it up,” says Nolan. “We came to the conclusion that we could almost live a New York lifestyle in Palm Beach because we can walk to everything.”
“Nolan knew exactly where she wanted to be,” adds Michael. “She knew we wanted to be on the island and likely this building. Once we found the unit [in the Sun and Surf building] we made an offer in three days.”
Equally confident in her design for the interior, Nolan says she envisioned a “colorful and comfortable” space. She removed the existing floor-to-ceiling mirrors so they would have blank walls on which to hang art. From there, she says, “we added our own touch.” The all-white background is accented with pops of vivid colors in the furniture and art that complement or “talk to” each other, as she explains it. Adds Michael: “It has been fun to design this together. To see it all come together has been so rewarding for Nolan and me.”
The couple easily established roots in Palm Beach. Both have been coming to the area since childhood— Nolan to compete in equestrian events in Wellington and Michael to play competitive tennis and to visit his grandparents and parents on the island. They walk everywhere—especially on the Lake Trail—play tennis,
Above: Michael in front of Flowers by Keith Haring. Right: Plenitud by Diego Medina resides above artistic keepsakes and books, as well as a framed image of Michael and Nolan on their wedding day and a copy of their wedding announcement.
are members of The Society of the Four Arts Young Contemporaries, and support the Jewish Federation, Promise Fund, and Israel Tennis. Together, they enjoy prowling art fairs, galleries, and local museums. Normally world travelers, the couple didn’t mind settling into local life during the pandemic. “We’re optimistic about the future and starting our lives here,” says Michael. “It’s almost an ageless place. There are lots of young people and young families, and everyone is happy to be here.”
Michael and Nolan herald the addition of several pop-up and permanent art galleries on the island. Michael works with his Tiedemann colleagues to counsel high-net-worth clients on art gifting and estate-planning strategies and, as a fellow at the Atlantic Council and Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, he writes about the future of the art industry for Harvard Kennedy School. “The pop-ups have added vibrancy to this area,” he notes. “When I talk to my clients in New York about investing in art, they think about Palm Beach differently.”
This spring, Tiedemann hosted an event with Sotheby’s in The Royal Poinciana Plaza for families navigating the contemporary art market. Michael sees Palm Beach as an international mecca, drawing new people every day, and says he looks forward to sharing his own knowledge and passion as a way to bring people together locally. “Art has a special way of doing that.” «
