STACY & ERIC MILON
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: Opium Group
INDUSTRY: Nightlife
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: First of all, they are both hot. Eric is a former fashion model who walked the runway for Giorgio Armani and appeared on the cover of GQ. His eye for style and beauty led to the opening of Miami Beach nightclub The Strand in 1991, followed by The Living Room, which led to the founding of The Opium Group, which operates Miami’s hautest venues. In 2008, he founded the Milon Group with hotelier Justin Callen, which will open its first boutique hotel, Milon Reserve, in Panama this year. He also has ambitious plans to launch a line of eponymous luxury goods. His wife Stacy is a staple on Miami’s social scene, and she uses those connections in her role as a realtor associate with Prudential Douglas Elliman Florida.
TRACY & ALONZO MOURNING
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: Alonzo Mourning Charities
INDUSTRY: Philanthropy
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: He announced his retirement from the NBA in 2009, and it was shortly thereafter that the Miami Heat, where he played the majority of his all-star career, proclaimed that No. 33 would be the first number retired at the American Airlines Arena. While no longer making moves on the court, he and his wife are still making a solid impact on Miami. He founded Alonzo Mourning Charities in 1997, which has since raised more than $7 million to benefit children and families, with a focus on youth enrichment centers, including the Overtown Youth Center. His wife Tracy is a mentor, designer, broadcast journalist, and motivational speaker. For the charity, she focuses on the Honey Shine Mentoring program for at-risk girls. The couple also operates Zo’s Fund for Life, which was born after Alonzo was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease during a routine pre-season physical.
TOM MURPHY JR.
CATEGORY: Originators
COMPANY: Coastal Construction Group
INDUSTRY: Construction
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: At age 19, Murphy became Florida’s youngest-ever licensed general contractor. When he was 21, he co-founded Seaboard Construction, Inc. After buying out his partners, Murphy sold Seaboard in 1989 to one of the largest builders in the world. Along with his brother, Murphy founded the Coastal family of companies, which includes Coastal Construction, Coastal Condominiums, Coastal Interiors, and Coastal Homes. In total, the company has more than $1 billion in projects in the works, and Murphy oversees it all as chairman and CEO.
GARY NADER
CATEGORY: Thinkers
COMPANY: Gary Nader Fine Art
INDUSTRY: Art
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: We called Nader “Miami’s Master” in our 2009 Art Basel edition for a reason. Gary Nader Fine Art is the largest and most important fine art gallery in South Florida, with a 55,000-square-foot space in the heart of Wynwood. This impressive stature also makes it the largest private gallery in the world. Put it in perspective: this is the same square footage as the White House. So filling the many walls with fine works would seem like a nearly impossible undertaking, yet the gallery is overflowing with the most important Modern, Contemporary and Latin American artists; works by Lam, Kahlo, Rivera, Picasso, Matisse, and Chagall are joined by the world’s largest collection of paintings, drawings, and sculptures by the most celebrated living Latin American artist—Fernando Botero.
CHAD OPPENHEIM
CATEGORY: Originators
COMPANY: Oppenheim Architecture + Design
INDUSTRY: Architecture
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: In the eight years since its inception, Oppenheim’s firm has accumulated more than $6 billion in project work and has won more than 14 American Institute of Architects awards. That’s because the firm doesn’t focus on just the exterior but rather works to create dramatic interior spaces that evoke the senses. Thanks to this approach, OAD has partnered with some of the most important hospitality companies around the world on various projects, including the new Dellis Cay, where the world’s biggest “starchitects”—including Oppenheim—were tapped to create luxury hotels and residences on an island in the Turks & Caicos. On a local front, Oppenheim is a board member at the Wolfsonian-FIU and a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
R. DONAHUE PEEBLES
CATEGORY: Originators
COMPANY: The Peebles Corporation
INDUSTRY: Real Estate
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: As the CEO and chairman of the Coral Gables-based Peebles Corporation, R. Donahue “Don” Peebles is the owner of the largest African-American real estate development firm in the country. The Peebles Corporation has a $4 billion portfolio of luxury hotels, condos, high-rises, and commercial properties in Washington D.C., Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Miami Beach. He is also a noted author and motivational speaker, which could stem from the time he spent in high school as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives. It resulted in a life-long love of politics, and there was talk this year he would run for mayor of D.C., but it didn’t come to fruition. In the meantime, he does serve on President Obama’s National Finance Committee.
JORGE PÉREZ
CATEGORY: Originators
COMPANY: Related Group
INDUSTRY: Real Estate
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: Pérez’s company has a tagline of “redefining cities and skylines,” and it lives up to that reputation. Since its inception, Related Group has built more than 55,000 apartments and condos, and currently leads South Florida as the top multi-family developer. Related Group reigns as the U.S.’s largest Hispanic-owned business, a fact that landed Pérez on Time’s list of the top 25 most influential Hispanics in the United States. He may have made a name for himself with the development of properties like the new ICON Brickell, but he got his start in the affordable housing market, selling properties in Little Havana and Homestead. He is also a noted art collector and a big proponent of art in public places, which is evident at his many Miami properties. He’s on the board for the National Endowment for the Arts and is very active with many local arts organizations as well.
ALICIA & MIKE PIAZZA
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: Retired from the New York Mets
INDUSTRY: Baseball
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: Former Mets star and the best-hitting catcher of all time Mike Piazza and his wife Alicia are staples on Miami’s scene and are actively involved in the betterment of their South of Fifth community. Mike attended the University of Miami on a full scholarship for baseball, but after one year decided college ball was not for him. Piazza transferred to Miami-Dade North, and lived around 125th Street near Bal Harbour where he spent a lot of time wandering around looking at the things he couldn’t afford. Now, years later, he is back in Miami, and the progression of his success has led him to heights he never dreamed possible.
LARSA & SCOTTIE PIPPEN
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: Chicago Bulls & Bravo
INDUSTRY: NBA & Reality Television
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: Scottie was Michael Jordan’s right-hand man on the Chicago Bulls, which won an outstanding six championships thanks to the unstoppable duo. His wife, Larsa, is a former model who married the basketball great in 1997. Not familiar with her? You will be shortly, as she is one of the cast members of Bravo’s forthcoming television show with a working title of Miami Social Club. Expect it to be like the Real Housewives but with a Miami flair.
News
April 13, 2010Keeping Up with Miami’s Culinary Scene
