Keith Menin
Category Originators
Company Menin Hotels
Industry Hospitality / Development
What Makes Him Haute: The descendent of a long-time Miami Beach family, Menin is well entrenched in the scene. He’s a member of the Galbut family, which provided him with both the means and the know-how to open his first hotel when he was just 24. But his heritage didn’t guarantee success; that was Menin’s doing. He parlayed that venture into additional hotel projects, including the Raffaello Hotel in Chicago and the Mondrian South Beach, where he partnered with the established Morgans Hotel Group (the brand behind the Delano and Shore Club) for the company’s first residential project. Menin’s newest projects, the newly-remodeled Shelborne hotel and its American Brasserie, Vesper, have earned due acclaim.
Stuart Miller
Category Originators
Company Lennar
Industry Construction
What Makes Him Haute: Using his years of experience and entrepreneurial wisdom, Stuart Miller’s company, Lennar, the third largest homebuilder in the nation, has been able to beat Wall Street’s estimates of its growth. Miller predicted that his company would make profit even if the economy did not strengthen. His confidence is due to careful planning and strategic building, which means knowing where to build and for whom. Thanks to Miller’s business sense, the shares of his rivals have also increased in value, which in turn helps grow the economy.
Tracy and 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: To have the bragging rights to say you were Florida’s youngest-ever licensed general contractor at the ripe age of 19, is no small feat. To have co-founded a company like Seaboard Construction at 21 is even more impressive. But to be able to buy out your partners and sell said company to one of the largest builders in the world puts you on the Haute 100 list. 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. Recently, Coastal completed St. Regis Resort and Residences in Bal Harbour, which also happens to be home to the only Jean-Georges restaurant in the city.
Gary Nader
Category Thinkers
Company Gary Nader Fine Art
Industry Art
What Makes Him Haute: Avid art enthusiast and gallery owner Gary Nader has played an integral role in the formation of Miami’s growing presence in the art world. His gallery, situated in the heart of Wynwood, presents a number of solo and group exhibitions and provides extensive professional services to assist private clientele, corporations and museums with the acquisition or sale of Latin American, Modern and Contemporary art. As the largest fine art gallery in South Florida and the biggest gallery in the world with 55,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, Gary Nader Fine Art showcases an expertly curated selection of impressive works by leading artists from across the globe.
R. Donahue and Katrina 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. Peebles Corp. has teamed up with Mardi Gras Hotel and Casino and the JV, renaming themselves Mardi-Gras Inn Ltd. to develop a $2 billion hotel and resort development project in Las Vegas. His wife, Katrina serves on the board of directors of The Peebles Corporation and brings more than twenty years of experience in real estate.
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 leads South Florida as the top multi-family developer. With big projects under his belt like the ICON Brickell, and South Beach, Apogee, Murano Grande, Murano Portofino and new projects like Apogee Beach, Pérez is a detail-oriented developer, architect and avid design enthusiast in a league of his own. In addition, The University of Miami’s School of Architecture is home to the Jorge M. Pérez Architecture Center, an 8,600-square-foot building made possible by his donation. Recently, Pérez also pledged some $35 million in cash and art to the new Miami Art Museum, which will also bear his name upon opening. Pérez acts as Vice-Chairman/Partner of the Miami Dolphins.
Alicia and Mike Piazza
Category Power Couples
Company Retired from the New York Mets
Industry Baseball
What Makes Them Haute: This former Mets star and the best-hitting catcher of all time Mike Piazza and his wife Alicia are integral parts of the Miami social scene. But their contribution to the community is more impressive as the duo is actively involved in the betterment of their South of Fifth community. Mike attended the University of Miami on a full baseball scholarship, 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 and Scottie Pippen
Category Power Couples
Company Chicago Bulls
Industry NBA
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. Together, the Pippens are a model couple.
Donald and Lisa Pliner
Category Power Couples
Company Donald J. Pliner
Industry Fashion
What Makes Them Haute: Donald Pliner is a visionary designer who launched his namesake design line for luxury men’s and women’s footwear and accessories with his first retail location in Beverly Hills, California in 1967. His luxury products quickly garnered the attention of Hollywood stars, with nearly 65% of his customers working in the entertainment industry. His wife Lisa works, who works as creative director, trained at Parsons School of Design in Paris and launched her signature collection in the fall of 2010.
