Lennox Lewis
Category Athletes
Industry Boxing
What Makes Him Haute: This Heavyweight Champion not only defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999, but he also KO’d Mike Tyson just three years later to solidify his undisputed reign in the boxing ring. Since being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the British boxer born to Jamaican parents has hung up his boxing gloves. Lewis, an avid amateur chess player, funded an after-school chess program for disadvantaged youths, one of whom earned a university chess scholarship to Tennessee Tech. The champ will also be honored during the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Diane & Alan Lieberman
Category Power Couples
Company South Beach Investment Realty,
South Beach Group
Industry Real Estate, Hospitality
What Makes Them Haute: Together, Diane and Alan form a real estate powerhouse. Diane’s SBI Realty is behind the sales of some of the biggest profile listings in the region. Alan runs the show at South Beach Group, operating 10 properties, including the Catalina, SBG’s flagship property on Collins Avenue, and the new Riviera. The Lieberman’s’ hotels have been fixtures on South Beach for the past decade thanks to a business model that is based on innovation, outstanding marketing tactics, and an innate understanding of the customer. Chic designs don’t hurt either, and The South Beach Group’s portfolio is full of them, all courtesy of Alan himself who renovates his properties every three to five years.
George Lindemann
Category Billionaires
Company Southern Union Company
Industry Natural Gas
What Makes Him Haute: This Wharton grad made his first fortune from selling a contact lens company to Cooper Labs for $60 million in 1971. He then became the president of cable television pioneer Vision Cable Communications. Lindemann is also chairman and CEO of Activated Communications, Inc., a diversified communications firm headquartered in New York City. In 1983, he founded Metro Mobile, which merged with Bell Atlantic in 1992, netting Lindemann a cool $2.6 billion. In 1990, the diversified entrepreneur began his current role as the chairman of the board and CEO of Southern Union Company, which is one of the country’s largest natural gas-line companies.
Howard Lorber
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Prudential Douglas Elliman
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute: In addition to being the Chairman and a principal owner of New York real estate powerhouse Prudential Douglas Elliman, he is the chairman and CEO of Nathan’s Famous, the fast-food company that started on Coney Island in 1916 and expanded around the world. As if that wasn’t enough to keep his schedule packed, he is also the director of United Capital Corp., a real estate investment and management company with a portfolio of 150 properties throughout the U.S. On a local front, Lorber is president and CEO of the Miami-based Vector Group Ltd., a publicly held company listed on the New York Stock Exchange that makes and markets high-quality tobacco products.
Jeffrey and Julie Loria
Category Entrepreneurs/Power
Couple
Company Miami Marlins/Jeffrey H.
Loria & Co., Inc.
Industry Sports/Art
What Makes Them Haute: Jeffrey Loria is the owner of the Miami Marlins baseball team who won the 2003 World Series, and his wife, Julie Loria, is the author of Diamond Dishes: From the Kitchens of Baseball’s Biggest Stars – a book about baseball players’ favorite recipes. Jeffrey Loria graduated from Yale in 1962 and Columbia Business School in 1968. He is an avid art dealer and collector and even has a building in his name, the Jeffrey Loria Center for the History of Art at Yale. Loria also owns Jeffrey H. Loria & Co., Inc. – a private art dealing business based in New York.
Diego and Gisela Lowenstein
Category Originators
Company Lionstone Development and The
Glow System
Industry Hospitality
What Makes Them Haute: He comes from a family of generational successful entrepreneurs and is the CEO of Lionstone Development, which began acquiring an impressive portfolio of properties in South Florida about five decades ago. The group is behind signature developments in Miami like the Ritz- Carlton South Beach, and the EPIC Hotel and Residences, plus a slew of international resort properties. Diego recently partnered with Sir Richard Branson in his newest venture to bring Virgin Hotels to a global audience, beginning in cities across North America and London. She, a hospitality guru in her own right, launched a home improvement system aptly named The Glow System to aid the masses in living an organized life. Together they run a “glowing” household.
Al & Nancy Malnik
Category Entrepreneurs/Power Couple
Company The Forge Restaurant | Winebar
Industry Hospitality
What Makes Them Haute: Al and Nancy Malnik are lifetime benefactors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida and have hosted the organizations’ annual Garden Party for six consecutive years. Al Malnik received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from Washington University, went on to serve in the US Army, and finally graduated from the University of Miami of Law, receiving his JB and LLB Degrees. After 10 years of practicing law, Al went into the real estate development and finance businesses. He also opened up the second-oldest restaurant in South Florida, The Forge Restaurant. He has four kids with his first spouse and six with Nancy Malnik.
Shareef Malnik and Gabrielle Anwar
Category Power Couples
Company The Forge Restaurant
| Winebar
Industry Hospitality/Entertainment
What Makes Them Haute: He is the owner of The Forge, a Miami restaurant that has taken the culinary world by storm, creating a dining destination that is rich in style and offers world-class food, wine and entertainment. She is the star of USA’s Burn Notice and has had leading roles alongside Hollywood’s biggest names, like Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman. Together, the two are the pinnacle of skill and first-class style.
Martin Z. Margulies
Category Thinkers
Company Margulies Collection at the Warehouse
Industry Art
What Makes Him Haute: After amassing one of the most impressive collections of contemporary art in the world, Margulies began showcasing his pieces, which run the gamut from contemporary art and vintage photography, to video, sculpture, and instillations, to the public in 1999. The collection continued to expand over the last decadeplus, leading to the need for a larger home. The Margulies Collection is housed in a 45,000-square-foot renovated warehouse in the heart of Wynwood. The Martin Z. Margulies Foundation is a non-profit that is focused on presenting exhibitions and educational programs.
David and Christy Martin
Category Originators
Company Terra Group
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Them Haute: David Martin is Chief Operating Officer of Terra Group, which specializes in downtown Miami development projects such as 900 Biscayne Bay and Quantum on the Bay. These new locales started a trend, and other condo buildings began popping up just north of The Grand. With his recent acquisition of the Grand Bay hotel in Coconut Grove, David plans to create a unique residential project with the help of landscape architect Raymond Jungles, the mind behind the New World Symphony’s impressive rooftop garden. He and his wife Christy are also active players on Miami’s social and philanthropic circuit.
