One cannot think of the Luxury Property Development World without the name Donald Trump coming to mind. Despite Mr. Trump’s forays into other fields, such as being a TV personality and shaving people’s heads on prime time TV, his main strength is the ability to get things built, almost regardless of the obstacles.

A close brush with the bankruptcy courts back in the 1990’s caused him to either lose, or be forced to relinquish his interests in several on-going projects of the time, including a 50% interest in the Taj Mahal casino, 49% of the Trump Plaza hotel and the Trump Shuttle.

Mr. Trump also offers his name for other property developers to use and many developments bearing the Trump logo are actually not his own. This has caused a few issues and law suits in the past. For example, the Trump Tower Tampa was originally so successful that deposits were returned to the original purchasers and the prices increased. This was bad timing on their part and delays to the construction followed by the sub prime crisis bring doubts as to whether this will ever get completed. Needless to say, law suits have been filed. Mr. Trump is of the opinion that if he had been in charge, the thing would already have been built. Hard to argue with that as his track record for getting things done is excellent.

Mr. Trump has an impressive array of properties in his portfolio including several U.S golf courses and some well known Manhattan properties including the AXA Financial center and The trump Building at 40, Wall Street. Despite issues in the past, it’s hard not to be impressed with his achievements.

One recent development, the “World’s Best Golf Course,” in Scotland ran into trouble when the local authorities denied permission on the basis that the site was a designated “Site of Special Scientific Interest.” Several ecological and local groups including the RSPB, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Sustainable Aberdeenshire, opposed the project from the beginning.

Far be it for me to tell anyone how to run their business, but one might think this sort of thing would need researching before going ahead with a plan of this magnitude. Still, it’s not over yet, and if Mr. Trump can bring enough pressure to bear (money), the development may well go ahead.

If I owned a piece of property in a designated wildlife refuge that was begging for a luxury hotel condo development, I certainly know whom I’d be calling upon to get permission and promote the project.

Donald Trump’s Blog