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People with Presence

HAVEN

By Donna York-Gilbert

“The neighborhoods off Las Olas are eclectic. There are

long-time residents whose families built the Isles and have

been here for generations as well as new residents from
around the globe. Our neighbors are celebrities, professional

athletes, entrepreneurs, and quite frankly some of the most

interesting people who lead fascinating lives.”

– Donna Gilbert, VP, Las Olas Isles HOA.

And we are pleased to introduce you to a few more of them!

iving on the Isles, I recall one November morning when a
tall blond woman holding a bottle of Bourbon rang my
L doorbell. “ Is this a dream?”, I wondered, given my
affinity for the brown water. No, it was Heidi Lees , our new
next door neighbor. Heidi and husband Shon Lees bought the
property next door and were about to demolish the existing
structure and build a home of their own. They decided to hand
out Hill Billy Bourbon to surrounding neighbors as a proverbial
and preemptive olive branch to help cancel out the noise from
the impending construction. The Hill Billy Bourbon was their
very own, and I later learned the story of the Hill Billy brand.
This ain’t no Hill Billy Elegy, but a Hill Billy Trilogy ranging
from apparel to beverages to liquor. Hill Billy was clearly a
brand that was born in the country and raised outdoors.
In the beginning there was a cocktail napkin, and two
childhood friends who were busy with their own corporate
careers. Shon’s childhood friend, Mike Abbeticchio sketched
a Hill Billy logo on a cocktail napkin back in 2004. Mike had
a patch making business on the side, so a doodle on a napkin
was no big deal. However, this doodle with the word Hill Billy
Shon & Heidi Lees
inside a circle morphed into tee shirts and hats. For those

20 LAS OLAS BOULEVARD & ISLES