By Kelly Humphrey
At an age when many folks are enjoying a well-deserved retirement, the 87-year-old has as much energy as three 29-year-olds. Between overseeing his multiple business operations and staying active in his community, Herden stays fit and mentally sharp. While he has no intention of slowing down, after spending more than half of his business life in Northwest Florida, the principal developer of the Bluewater Bay community has headed home to his native Germany.
“I want to be able to spend some time with our grandchildren while I still can enjoy them,” Herden said with a smile. “Not that I’m getting older, but they are.”
Born in 1933, Herden was already a successful businessman in Germany when he began to explore investment opportunities in North America in the early 1970s. His decision to invest in the property that is now known as Bluewater Bay would change the course of his life.
A ‘special place’
Over the next four and a half decades, Herden devoted his life to carving out a world-class community from 2,000 acres of piney woods. Construction of new homes and amenities like golf courses and tennis courts attracted new residents to the area, which in turn attracted commercial development and new jobs. And while he might have been satisfied with limiting his involvement to the business side of the development, Herden decided to make Bluewater Bay – and the communities that surrounded it – his new home.
“I fell in love with this area,” he said. “When I first came here in May of 1975, I stayed at the old Hawaii Kai hotel on Okaloosa Island. It had a revolving restaurant on the top floor, and back then you could see the building from miles away. I had never seen beaches like that before. I knew that this area was a special place.”
Creating a community
Over the years, Herden has endeavored to make the area even more special through his community involvement. A longtime member of the service organization Rotary International, he quickly joined the Rotary Club of Niceville and helped establish a new chapter in the Bluewater Bay area. His businesses have sponsored a wide array of charitable organizations, all with the goal of improving his adopted community.
Tricia Brunson, the president and CEO of the Niceville Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, credits Herden with helping to make the greater Niceville/Bluewater Bay area the kind of community that people want to call home.
“The development of Bluewater Bay was a catalyst of great things to come in Northwest Florida,” Brunson said. “Mr. Herden’s vision kicked off a steady growth for the Niceville area that continues today. He was able to plan and design a thriving residential and business community while enhancing the natural beauty of the site.”
Making music & memories
Jeffrey Rink, who served as the music director of the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2018, points to Herden’s significant financial support and invaluable advice as key components of the orchestra’s success over the years.
“I would argue that there might not even be a Mattie Kelly Arts Center (at Northwest Florida State College) without the development of Bluewater Bay and the support that Raimund and the many businesses that he has inspired have provided over a 20- to 30-year period,” Rink said. “There wouldn’t be the kind of audience for our programs without it.”
Herden’s love for classical music and opera inspired him to help bring several distinguished German artists to the Mattie Kelly Arts Center stage, including violinist Tobias Steymans, soprano Vera Schoenenberg, and saxophonist Philipp Staudlin.
“During the 2017-2018 orchestra season, we put on a fully staged production of La Traviata,” Rink recalled. “We couldn’t have done it without Raimund’s support. He took particular pleasure in the fact that the production featured a German soprano.”
Over the years, Herden served as a concert sponsor for at least four different productions.
“That requires a very generous level of financial support,” Rink said. “But he didn’t just write a check. Raimund gave me great advice when it came to marketing and fundraising. He’s just a great person and a great friend.
“He’s always looking for needs in the community that he can help fulfill,” Rink added. “The latest example is the American House, a $20 million-plus senior living facility. It’s just a beautiful development, and there was such a need for it. It’s now serving as a resource for the whole community.”
The Marathon Man
Herden’s charitable contributions didn’t end with the symphony, however. In 2018, he raised more than $10,000 for the American Cancer Society by participating in the organization’s annual Relay for Life. A cancer survivor himself, Herden solicited donations based on how many quarter-mile laps he would walk in the event. He surprised everyone by walking a total of 26 and a quarter miles, earning the nickname “Marathon Man.”
In addition to his love for opera and classical music, Herden has another hobby that he is passionate about: golf. He has had the privilege to play at some of the world’s most famous golf courses, including Augusta National, Pebble Beach, Cyprus Point, Pine Valley, St. Andrews, and many more on four continents. He’s played with many international business leaders and celebrities, including the late comedian Bob Hope, who joined Herden for a round at Bluewater Bay a few days after the Bay/Lake course opened.
One of the highlights of Herden’s golfing experiences was playing on the highest golf course in the world in the Himalayas with Austrian Heinrich Harrer, a famous mountaineer, explorer, best-selling author, and teacher/tutor to the Dalia Lama.
“It was such a unique experience,” Herden said with a smile. “I will never forget it.”
From 1981 to 2000, Herden organized the Emerald Coast International Invitational Golf Tournament to establish Bluewater Bay as a brand name. Played each year in October on three different local courses, it soon became the largest amateur golf event in Florida, with a field of 144 players (about 100 international and 40 American.) A great marketing success, the event helped bring international attention and investment to Bluewater Bay, with prestigious international companies like Audi, Rolex, Mercedes, Bank of America, American Express, BOSS, and Adidas signing on as sponsors.
“Invitations were based more on congeniality than on golfing skills,” said Herden, who as president of the Bluewater Bay Golf Club controlled the guest list. “We wanted to assure that we would have a group of fun-loving golfers.”
In recognition of his contributions to Northwest Florida, Herden was inducted into the Niceville-Valparaiso Civic Hall of Fame. He also received a special recognition from the U.S. Congress for his outstanding and invaluable service to the community.
‘First of all a family man’
Nathan Sparks, the executive director of the Okaloosa County Development Council, has worked with Herden on multiple occasions and has come away a high level of respect for the man who has impacted so many aspects of the local economy.
“He’s such a world class gentleman,” said Sparks. “It shouldn’t surprise anyone to know that he has built a world class community.”
While his community is important to him, Herden insists that he is first of all a family man. He and his wife, Margot, have three adult children: Raimund, Jr., who followed in his father’s footsteps and is an investment banker in Germany; Katrin, who owns an architectural and interior design company in Milan, Italy; and Christina, who lives in the Bluewater Bay area and has served as his secretary and office manager for more than 20 years.
“Christina has always been a great help to me and has run my businesses with dedication and enthusiasm,” Herden said. “I’m leaving my office in good hands.”
Herden calls Margot, his wife of 57 years, “my most important private and business partner.”
“She is my beacon and my soulmate,” he said. “She is organized and detail-oriented. I am not. Without her, I would have never been able to follow my dreams and be successful. She always believed in me.”
