"I was only 10 years old at the time," said David Frye, now president of Downing-Frye Realty Inc. "Maybe there were 600 or so people in the city."

"My brothers and I were always complaining about having nothing to do and wanted to go back to Ohio," said Frye. "I remember my Dad saying we wouldn't recognize Naples in 10 years. He was right - we didn't."

David Frye also credits his dad with the foresight and vision in 1963, to pick up his family and bring them to Naples - which he thought was "paradise." Earl Frye, a Realtor in Cincinnati, had known the Downing family in Ohio. After attending a convention in Miami, Frye came to Naples to look up Wesley Downing who had been in the real estate business in Naples since 1956. That visit was the beginning of a 30-year partnership.

Real estate was the farthest thing from David Frye's mind when he went off to Gainesville to study business at the University of Florida. "My dad never pushed any of his sons into real estate - we didn't even talk about it as a career for me," said Frye.

In his sophomore year at the university, the "bug" bit, and Frye moved to Jacksonville to learn the real estate business. "I was familiar with the area, it was a big city, and I had a 5- year plan to stay in Jacksonville to learn the real estate business, and then decide what next?" he said.

A year later, the, Wilderness Golf Course community in Naples was one of the most active developments in South Florida, Frye said. "There went my 5-year plan in Jacksonville. I packed up and moved back to Naples. I have been here ever since."

In 1977, Frye's father said Naples was seeing just the tip of the iceberg in the real estate boom. Again, he was right.

"People were calling us 'nuts' to build our offices so far north on the Trail," said Frye. "Of course, you have to remember there wasn't a Pelican Bay then, or a Philharmonic. The 3400 block of U.S. 41, where the Downing-Frye Realty building is located, is now the anchor of Real Estate Row."

"I think we are on an upward curve in the real estate cycle," said Frye. "With low interest rates, and real estate finally beginning to sell up North, more people, now divested of their property, are buying in the Naples."

According to Frye, the "100 percent" concept is another trend of the future. The firm's real estate associates pay their own expenses, and in return, receive 100 percent commission on their sales.

Downing-Frye Realty Inc. provides office space and a conference room where associates can use files, check tax records and manuals, and catch up with what Frye calls "the business pulse of the community."

"I don't want to sound 'corny' when I say I really enjoy seeing associates come to the firm and begin to blossom, both socially, and in a business sense," said Frye. "We all lead very busy, productive lives - and it's fun watching people thrive."

"In my travels to cities throughout the country, I think Naples stands out as a well-managed community," said Frye. "Even with our rapid growth, we have good zoning, good planning and a bright future. Naples is still paradise."