Miami is home to some of the most influential people in the world. Our annual Haute 100 list celebrates the biggest names in the city, including philanthropists, entrepreneurs, power couples, developers, creatives, athletes, hospitality power players and more. These business titans make Miami one of the greatest cities in the world. 

ATHLETES

David Beckham

Photo Credit: Shuuterstock

Industry: Sports, Philanthropy

One of the world’s most-recognized sports stars, David Beckham OBE is one of England’s most successful football players. After retiring from playing 20 years with some of the world’s most successful clubs, Beckham established himself as a philanthropist and successful entrepreneur. In 2015, The David Beckham UNICEF Fund: 7 launched to protect millions of children around the world from danger. In January 2018, Beckham fulfilled a lifelong ambition to be an owner of a football club when his group was awarded the MLS franchise for the city of Miami. In May 2018, Beckham was appointed Ambassadorial President of British Fashion Council. He is married to Victoria Beckham, and they have four children: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper.

Derek Jeter

Photo Credit: Nick Garcia

 

Company: Miami Marlins, Players Tribune

Industry: Sports, Philanthropy, Media 

After retiring from a historic 20-year baseball career, Derek Jeter has remained tied to the game he loves while maintaining his commitment to the community and exploring new business ventures. As part-owner and CEO of the Miami Marlins, he oversees the business and baseball operations for the team and is the first African-American to serve in this role for any Major League Baseball team. His Turn 2 Foundation continues to support young people through initiatives that promote academic excellence, leadership and social change, and has awarded more than $30 million in grants. He has also explored his entrepreneurial side, founding The Players’ Tribune, a groundbreaking multimedia company, and partnering with Simon & Schuster to create the Jeter Publishing imprint.

Jimmy Butler

Photo Credit: Darryl Omar

Industry: Sports

Company: Miami Heat 

Jimmy Butler is the Miami Heat’s great new hope. After being swayed by NBA legend and close friend Dwyane Wade that he, too, could find greatness in the Magic City, he signed with the Heat this summer via a sign-and-trade with his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers. The majority of the 30-year-old shooting guard/small forward’s now nine-year career has been spent playing for the Chicago Bulls, which selected him as the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Butler also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Butler, who counts country music, travel, wine and paddle ball among his interests, is a four-time NBA All-Star, a four-time NBA All-Defensive Team honoree and a two-time All-NBA selection. We’re excited to see what Jimmy can do to bring the heat to Miami in the 2019-2020 NBA season.

Justise Winslow

Photo Credit: Bobby Metelus/Getty Images

Industry: Sports

Company: Miami Heat

Justise Winslow is entering his fifth season with the Miami Heat. During the 2018-19 season, Winslow averaged 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. In 2015, he was drafted 10th overall by the Heat. Winslow was an NBA All-Rookie honoree during his first season. The Houston native and former McDonald’s All-American attended Duke and led the Blue Devils to their fifth national championship in 2015. Winslow and his family founded the Robin’s House Family Foundation to encourage and guide the next generation to discover their highest potential through education, recreation and community outreach.

CREATIVES

Entertainment:

Karolina Kurkova & Archie Drury 

Photo Credit: Michael Stewart

Industry: Modeling
, Film

Karolina Kurkova is a supermodel and businesswoman who has graced hundreds of prestigious magazine covers worldwide and been in campaigns including IWC, Giuseppe Zanotti, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Chanel and Victoria’s Secret. She is co-founder of Gryph & IvyRose, a line of herbal elixirs, probiotic powers and bath and body products for kids. She recently collaborated with CYBEX Strollers to create an eco-friendly yet stylish line of children’s mobility products. Kurkova is married to Voices of Iraq film producer, real estate investor and entrepreneur Archie Drury. He is a former Marine and a founder of the nonprofit Fisher Island Medical Clinic. They have two children.

Nick Rivera Caminero (Nicky Jam)

Photo Credit: Hublot

Industry: Entertainment

Nicky Jam is an American singer and songwriter, most notably known for his hit reggaeton songs including “Travesuras,” “Te Busco,” “El Perdón” and “El Amante.” The musician has collaborated with Daddy Yankee, Enrique Iglesias, Magnate & Valentino and more. In 2018, he was named luxury Swiss watchmaker Hublot’s first Latin Music Ambassador. He traveled with the brand to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Moscow, Russia, and performed the official World Cup song, “Live it Up,” with rapper Will Smith and singer Era Istrefi at the closing ceremony. In 2020, he will make an appearance in the newest rendition of Bad Boys – Bad Boys for Life, alongside stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.

Alejandro Sánchez Pizarro (Alejandro Sanz)

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Industry: Entertainment

Alejandro Sanz is a Spanish singer-songwriter hailing from Madrid. He has won 17 Latin Grammy Awards and three Grammy Awards for his work. He’s collaborated with Shakira, Juanes, Alicia Keys and more. His collaboration with Shakira in 2005 in the single “La Tortura” reached the No. 1 song on charts worldwide. He also won Latin Grammy Album of the Year three times, exceeding that of any other artist. He was honored as the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year in November 2017 and is currently working on an upcoming album. On the philanthropic side, Sanz has been recognized for his involvement in nongovernmental organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children and Greenpeace. This year, he has been on his “La Gira” tour promoting his latest album, #ElDisco, and he’s entering the upcoming Latin Grammy Awards with an astounding eight nominations, including album of the year, record of the year and song of the year.

Luis Fonsi

Photo Credit: Omar Cruz

Industry: Entertainment 

Luis Fonsi is an award-winning global artist from Puerto Rico, serving as one of the leading Latin Music figures of his generation with over 20 years of a successful artistic career. From his debut album, Comenzaré, (1998) to his latest studio album, Vida (2019), Fonsi has continuously broken sales records while leading the charts. He’s been awarded with multiple gold and platinum records as well as some of the most prestigious awards, including three Grammy nominations, five Latin Grammys, 12 Latin Billboard Awards, five Billboard Awards, 17 Premios Juventud awards, two American Music Awards and two Teen Choice Awards, to name a few. He’s currently touring the world with his sold-out Vida World Tour, which kicked off in Europe and will continue in the United States, Argentina and Chile. For the last 15 years, he has served as the spokesperson for St. Jude’s campaign “Thanks and Giving,” raising awareness and funds to end childhood diseases.

Pharrell Williams 

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Company: THE NEPTUNES/I AM OTHER

Industry: Music, Fashion

Pharrell Williams is a rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, performance artist and fashion designer. In 2014, his song “Happy” was a No. 1 hit in 75 countries around the world, earning him an Oscar nomination and four Grammy wins. He also has his own record label, i am OTHER, which has showcased local Miami music sensations Cris Cab and Frank Ocean. In 2013, Williams married model and designer Helen Lasichanh, with whom he has a son, Rocket Ayer. In 2018, he partnered with Miami-based hospitality king David Grutman to open Swan/Bar Bevy in the Miami Design District. Earlier in the year, he put together Something in the Water Music Festival in Virginia Beach, Va. Most recently, he’s had various fashion collaborations with brands including adidas and Chanel. 

Joe Cartagena (Fat Joe) 

Photo Credit: TIDAL

Industry: Music 

Hailing from the birthplace of hip-hop, the South Bronx, Fat Joe was destined for greatness. As a teenager, he mentored and highly influenced fellow Latino rapper Big Pun. Fat Joe has been nominated for many mainstream awards ranging from the Grammys, BET Awards, MTV Video Awards, ASCAP, Billboard Latin, iHeart Radio and more. His single “What’s Luv” featuring Ashanti was nominated for the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, 2003 Grammy Awards and the 2005 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. In 2004, the cultural hit “Lean Back” was released, remaining on the Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks. This record became RIAA certified gold in 2005. His 2016 hit record “All The Way Up” peaked at No. 9 on Billboard’s U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and No. 31 on Billboard’s U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. On December 6th, 2016, Fat Joe and Remy Ma’s “All the Way Up” was nominated for two 2017 Grammy Awards: best rap performance and best rap song. Recently, the RIAA confirmed that “All the Way Up” was certified double platinum with nearly 2 million in U.S. units. He and Remy Ma were both nominated for the 2017 BET Awards for best group. Fat Joe has been acting, as well. He is in season 1 and 2 of She’s Gotta Have It on Netflix. Fat Joe made his feature-film debut in Night School starring Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish. The film went No. 1 at the box office in its opening weekend.

Myles Shear

Photo Credit: Johannes Lovund

Industry: Music

Company: Palm Tree Records 

Over the last six years, Myles Shear has guided Kygo on his ascent to the ranks of a global superstar. With such a storybook partnership between the two, it’s only fitting that Shear and Kygo decided to flip the script and run their business together as co-owners of the “Palm Tree Crew.” Together, they launched Palm Tree Records, a joint venture with RCA records. Shear moved his business to Los Angeles and continued to expand his management division with signings such as Two Feet, Dreamlab, Valerie Broussard and Hogland, among many others. Shear and Kygo continue to expand their clothing and lifestyle brands.

Art:

Romero Britto

Photo Credit: Romero Britto

 

Company: Romero Britto

Industry: Art

Romero Britto is an international artist that uses vibrant, bold and colorful patterns to reflect his optimistic view of the world around him. Britto’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums in over 100 countries, including the Salon de la SocieteNationale des Beaux Arts exhibition at the Carrousel du Louvre in 2008 and 2010. In 2013, Maria Elena and Carlos Slim Domit invited Romero to be the first living artist to exhibit at MuseoSoumaya. He’s created public art installations for the 02 Dome in Berlin, N.Y.’s John F. Kennedy Airport, Cirque Du Soleil at Super Bowl XLI, and he’s credited with the largest monumental sculpture in London’s Hyde Park history. Britto served as an official artist for the 2010 World Cup, Ambassador to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and invited to be an honorary torch bearer for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Britto has donated time, art, and resources to more than 250 charitable organizations and was a selected speaker for the arts at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Britto is an Inaugural Founding Benefactor of the Harvard International Negotiation Program. He holds a seat on several boards such as Best Buddies International, and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Gary Nader 

Photo Credit: Haute Living/Nicholas Piñeiro

Company: Gary Nader Art Centre, Nader Art Museum Latin America (NAMLA)

Industry: Art

For more than 40 years, Gary Nader has been regarded as one of the most successful gallery owners in the world, playing one of the most integral roles in Miami’s growing presence in the art world. He’s not only established himself as a Latin-American art expert, but he has successfully disseminated information about Latin-American art, expanding horizons for his artists and collectors. The Gary Nader Art Centre showcases an extensive number of exhibitions with works by well-known Modern and Contemporary artists with an incredible permanent inventory of masterpieces by Basquiat, Calder, Chagall, KAWS, Lichtenstein, Matisse, Picasso and Stella to name a few of the 3,000 pieces of the 55,000-square-foot gallery. Nader is also the founder of the Nader Art Museum Latin America (NAMLA) that showcases myriad acclaimed art that fosters knowledge through a continuous process of appreciation and reinterpretation of Modern and Contemporary art from Latin America and its diaspora.

Rubell Family

Company: Rubell Hotels/Rubell Family Collection Industry Art

Industry: Hospitality, Art

Donald Rubell and his wife, Mera, led Miami’s art scene by opening the Rubell Family Collection in 1993. Today, it is one of the world’s largest privately-owned contemporary art museums, and now their son, Jason, has put the family name on yet another successful enterprise by founding Rubell Hotels, all while operating the nonprofit Contemporary Arts Foundation with his sister, Jennifer. Two noteworthy Miami families became one when he married wife Michelle, part of the Simkins family, in 1999.

Franklin Sirmans

Photo Credit: Franklin Sirmans

Company: Pérez Art Museum Miami

Industry: Art

Franklin Sirmans has been the Director of the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) since fall 2015. Since coming to PAMM, he has overseen the acquisition of more than a thousand works of art by donation or purchase. As Director, Sirmans has pursued his vision of PAMM as “the people’s museum,” representing a Miami lens by strengthening existing affiliate groups such as the PAMM Fund for African American Art and creating the International Women’s Committee and the Latin American and Latinx Art Fund. Sirmans has organized Toba Khedoori (2017) and he was co-curator of The World’s Game: Fútbol and Contemporary Art (2018). Prior to his appointment, he was the department head and curator of Contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) from 2010 until 2015. At LACMA, Sirmans organized Toba Khedoori; Noah Purifoy: Junk Dada; Variations: Conversations in and around Abstract Painting; Fútbol: The Beautiful Game; and Ends and Exits: Contemporary Art from the Collections of LACMA and The Broad Art Foundation. From 2006 to 2010, he was curator of Modern and Contemporary art at The Menil Collection in Houston, where he organized several exhibitions including NeoHooDoo: Art for a Forgotten Faith; Maurizio Cattelan: Is There Life Before Death?; and Vija Celmins: Television and Disaster, 1964–1966. From 2005 to 2006, Sirmans was a curatorial advisory committee member at MoMA/PS1. He was the Artistic Director of Prospect.3 New Orleans from 2012 until 2014. He was awarded the 2007 David C. Driskell Prize, administered by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.

Design:

Barbara Becker 

Photo Credit: Instagram: @barbarabecker

 

Industry: Design, Acting/Modeling, Fitness

Barbara Becker is a German-American actress, model, designer and businesswoman who has made a name for herself in many different industries from fitness training to jewelry, fashion and interior design. Hailing from Heidelberg, Germany, Becker launched her career as a model and actress, but ventured into multiple areas of the design industry after moving to Fisher Island in 2000. She has been designing jewelry for 12 years, with her most recent collection launch in 2012, and has released her first interior-design collection in 2011 with six thematic design creations, including a designer rug collection. Becker is also considered Germany’s “First Fitness Lady” and has released several versions of her DVD, Mein Pilates Training, which sold more than 1 million copies in 2005.

POWER COUPLES

Ray & Shannon Allen 

Photo Credit: April Belle Photos

Company: Grown

Industry: Basketball, Food

Ray, retired Miami Heat guard (10-time NBA All-Star, Team USA 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist) starred in He Got Game and played for the Heat, Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics and Milwaukee Bucks during his 18-year career. Ray helped the Heat win an NBA Championship in 2013, sits on the UConn board, The Ray of Hope Foundation, has a presidential appointment on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum board of directors and is released his memoirs this spring (From the Outside: My Journey Through Life and the Game I Love). His wife, Shannon (The Pre-Game Meal), is the creator of Grown, “real food, cooked slow, for fast people™,” a USDA organic-certified fast-food concept based in Miami that has disrupted the industry and grown exponentially to include five locations in captive-audience spaces in under a year. Grown’s mission is to change the world one organic-certified fast food meal at a time, providing convenience without compromise and inspiring busy people to eat better and live healthier. Shannon and Ray, along with their five children, have raised millions toward a cure for Type 1 diabetes in honor of their son Walker, diagnosed with T1D at 17 months old.

Micky & Madeleine Arison

Company: Carnival Corporation, Miami Heat

Industry: Cruise
 Lines, Sports

Micky Arison weighs in as Florida’s wealthiest resident with an estimated worth of $7.7 billion (Forbes 2019). He serves as chairman of Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise ship operator. He is also managing general partner of the Miami Heat. In 2014, Arison reached a deal with the city of Miami keeping the Heat in the American Airlines Arena through 2035.

Marc & Jennifer Bell 

Photo Credit: Marc Bell

Company: Marc Bell Capital, BellBeachwear.com 

Industry: Finance/Technology/Theater

Marc is the consummate entrepreneur whose career started in the ’90s with his first company, Globix: The Global Internet Exchange, which owned 28,000 miles of fiber globally. Today, his firm has investments in more than 160 companies including fashion-watch sensation KYBOE!, nanosatellite pioneer Terran Orbital and mortgage powerhouse ARMOUR Residential REIT, which has more than $14 billion in assets. Marc is also one of Broadway’s most successful producers, where he has won two Tony Awards: one for Best Musical, Jersey Boys, and Best Play, August: Osage County. Marc sits on the board of New York University, NYU Langone Health and SOS Children’s Villages Florida. Jennifer is CEO of BellBeachwear.com, an online marketplace for women-owned businesses.

Jeff & Yolanda Berkowitz 

Company: Berkowitz Development Group

Industry: Retail Development


He is president and founder of Berkowitz Development Group, one of the premier retail development companies in South Florida, lauded for constructing award-winning buildings. He is currently working on SkyRise Miami, an iconic 1,000-foot entertainment/amusement tower that promises to be a Miami landmark. His wife, Yolanda, is known for her community involvement as a board member for organizations including Voices For Children Foundation, United Way of Miami-Dade and Miami Children’s Museum, where Jeff serves as chairman of the museum’s board. Yolanda is founder of Friends of Miami Animals Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on saving and improving the lives of homeless pets in Miami-Dade County through education, advocacy, financial support and increased awareness. 

Louis & Angela Birdman 

Photo Credit: Romain Maurice

Company: Birdman Real Estate Development

Industry: Philanthropy, Real Estate

Transforming Miami’s Skyline and remodeling the community, Angela and Louis Birdman focus on building up the world around them. Louis is the co-developer of One Thousand Museum Residences, Zaha Hadid’s first and final residential skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.  Just recently completed, the ultra-lux tower has already received numerous prestigious design awards and has quickly become one of Miami’s most iconic buildings. In addition to their professional endeavors, the Birdmans are active members of the Miami community and serve as co-chairs of The Humane Society of Greater Miami Brunch. Angela is the Miami Rescue Partner for Big Dog Ranch Rescue, founded Walk In Style for the Animals held annually at Neiman Marcus in Bal Harbour Shops, is a chair of the Benefactor Circle at National YoungArts, serves as a board member of The Miami Summer Music Festival and is a decades-long godparent at JAFCO.

Chris and Adrienne Bosh

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

Industry: Sports, Philanthropy, Fashion

Chris Bosh helped lead the Heat to two consecutive NBA championships in 2012 and 2013. His honors include 11-time NBA All-Star, All-NBA Second Team Honors, All-Rookie First Team Honor, and a 2008 Olympic Gold Medal. In March of 2018, Chris had his jersey retired by the Miami Heat, and he will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2020. Chris and his wife, Adrienne, oversee a nonprofit organization, Team Tomorrow Inc., which focuses on Miami-based initiatives to better the community. The couple has five children, and the family calls both Austin, Texas, and Miami home. While Chris no longer spends time on the court, he continues to pursue passions for travel, music, philanthropy and fatherhood. Adrienne is a passionate entrepreneur who recently launched AdrienneBosh.com, a lifestyle-driven website with a mission to empower and align women on a global scale. Additionally, she has worked with some of the top fashion brands in the world.

David and Leila Centner

Photo Credit: Nick Garcia

Company: Centner Academy, David and Leila Centner Culinary Center

Industry: Technology, Philanthropy

David and Leila Centner are serial technology entrepreneurs with multiple successful exits and founders of the Centner Academy, the first “happiness” school in the U.S. Equally committed to happiness and emotional intelligence as academics and leadership, The Centner Academy teaches math and reading alongside mindfulness and meditation. The curriculum was designed to “serve it forward” by offering an educational template to public schools in low-income city neighborhoods nationwide. The Centners are passionate humanitarians and philanthropists dedicated to giving back to the community through their namesake foundation. Through partnerships with various organizations, the Centners have aided thousands of underprivileged, poverty-stricken children and families around the world. Last year, the Centners launched a culinary center at the Lotus House women’s shelter thanks to a multiyear, multimillion-dollar pledge. In addition to training women for jobs in the restaurant industry, The David and Leila Centner Culinary Center serves 350,000+ nutritious meals annually.  

Ugo & Sara Colombo 

Company: CMC Group/Nest

Industry: Real Estate
/Fashion

Veteran real estate developer Ugo Colombo has played a pioneering role in the transformation of Downtown Miami’s skyline over the last 20 years. Ugo and his firm, CMC Group, have developed some of the most iconic luxury properties in South Florida–including Brickell Flatiron, the firm’s latest condominium tower on the rise in the Downtown Brickell Financial District. His wife, Sara’s interior design shop, Nest, specializes in high-style products for the home presented with a European flair that is reflective of her innate sense of style.

Christian De Berdouare & Jennifer Valoppi

Company: Chicken Kitchen, Women of Tomorrow

Industry: Hospitality, Philanthropy

Christian has made the Chop-Chop a cult favorite at the popular chain of Chicken Kitchen restaurants he owns, while Jennifer, a veteran television journalist from Miami, New York and L.A., is working on the sequel to her first novel, Certain Cure. When she’s not writing or working on television projects, Jennifer works tirelessly to uplift the lives of thousands of at-risk girls in South Florida, Detroit and Philadelphia through the Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program she founded, which has awarded over $7 million in college scholarships. Together, they built an award-winning waterfront home on North Bay Road, designed by Christian, who is now working to develop another waterfront property famous for once belonging to drug lord Pablo Escobar, while continuing to expand the Chicken Kitchen concept.

Edgardo & Ana Cristina Defortuna 

Company: Fortune International Group

Industry: Real Estate


Fortune International Group Founder and President Edgardo Defortuna founded the company in 1983, and in 1998 he and his wife, Ana Cristina, launched their luxury-development arm. Fortune is a leader in high-end luxury real estate in Miami, with global reach through its international broker network and exclusive partnership with Savills. The firm is shaping Miami’s international real estate landscape into what it is today with stellar projects like Jade Signature, The Ritz-Carlton Residences Sunny Isles Beach, Auberge Beach Residences & Spa Fort Lauderdale and Hyde Resort & Residences.

Gloria & Emilio Estefan 

Photo Credit: BJ Formento

Company: Estefan Enterprises

Industry: Entertainment & Hospitality

She’s an international superstar, has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and together with her husband, Emilio, have won 26 Grammy awards. Inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame, they were honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the first time in history the honor was bestowed upon a couple. Most recently they were honored by the Library of Congress with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Gloria was the first Cuban-American singer-songwriter to receive The Kennedy Center Honors. The duo is also actively involved in the betterment of their community through the Gloria Estefan Foundation. Emilio is a musician and producer credited with skyrocketing the success of many famed music artists. They are also best-selling authors, entrepreneurs and the subjects and producers of the Tony-nominated musical  On Your Feet!, based on their life stories. Later this year, they will open Estefan Kitchen at the Margaritaville Resort Orlando, adding to their hospitality portfolio that includes Estefan Kitchen in the Miami Design District; Larios on the Beach and the Cardozo Hotel, both on Ocean Drive and Costa d’ Este Resort and Spa in Vero Beach, Fla.

Luis Garcia-Fanjul & Judith Kamps-Garcia

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

Company: Grupo IUSA, S.A.

Industry: Manufacturing


Luis Garcia-Fanjul is the COO of Grupo IUSA, S.A., a worldwide company boasting more than $8 billion in annual revenues and employing over 25,000 people. They specialize in the electrical manufacturing sector, fabricating more than 6,000 different products. The company is also a worldwide leader in the development and manufacturing of smart/intelligent electrical, water and gas metering systems. His wife, Judith Kamps-Garcia, devotes her time to her family’s foundation, Brot gegen Not, a global foundation in more than 15 countries with a mission to provide a future for children and adolescents everywhere where hunger, destitution and unemployment obstruct their future. Last year, she is excited to announce that she is bringing her foundation to the U.S., right here in Miami.    

Eddie & Kinga Lampert

Photo Credit: Kinga Lampert

Company: Sears

Industry: Finance, Retail

Eddie is the founder, Chairman and CEO of ESL Investments, a private investment company started in 1988. Over the past 31 years, he has been the largest shareholder and a member of the board of directors of several industry-leading companies including AutoNation and AutoZone. He is credited with saving Kmart from bankruptcy in 2003 and merging it with Sears Roebuck in 2005 to form Sears Holdings. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Seritage Growth Properties, which is redeveloping the former Sears property at Aventura Mall into a mixed-use, open-air Esplanade. Kinga serves as Co-Chair of the Board of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), the largest nongovernmental funder of breast cancer research worldwide. She also sits on the board of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami and is committed to numerous organizations in Miami, including the charter school network KIPP, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Breakthrough Miami, ICA, the Bass Museum and Miami City Ballet.

Oscar & Ellen Feldenkreis 

Company: Perry Ellis International

Industry: Fashion


Oscar is involved in numerous local and national civic causes, including United Way Tocqueville Society, Israel Bonds, Temple Menorah and the YPO/WPO Organization. He currently sits on the board of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), president of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Miami chapter, on the advisory board of the Miami Fashion Institute at Miami Dade College, member of the Leadership Council of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and is an advisory member for the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business Retail. Oscar is happily married to his wife, Ellen, for 38 years, and the couple currently resides in Miami Beach. They have three beautiful daughters and six grandchildren. Oscar is a tennis enthusiast, takes pleasure in boating and cycling, and when not on the road can be found hard at work at the company’s Miami headquarters or home enjoying time with his family and their dog, Sushi. 

Phillip & Patricia Frost 

Company: OPKO Health, Inc., Frost Museum of Science

Industry: Pharmaceuticals, Philanthropy

Dr. Phillip and Patricia Frost are generous supporters of education, science and the arts, and are renowned collectors. They endowed the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and were the lead donors for the Frost Art Museum at Florida International University. They also serve as the lead donors of the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Downtown Miami’s Museum Park. As a result of a transformative $100 million gift, the Frost Institute of Chemistry and Molecular Science (FICMS) is the first one within a group of synergistic research institutes to be coordinated under the umbrella of the Frost Institutes for Science and Engineering at the University of Miami.

Lisa and Dr. Leonard Hochstein

Photo Credit: Lisa Hochstein 

Company: Hochstein MedSpa

Industry: Plastic Surgery

Lenny Hochstein is a world-renowned plastic surgeon in Miami. The luxe Hochstein MedSpa is the premier destination for work on the body, breast and face, offering new and inventive techniques and procedures. The acclaimed surgeon boasts Miami’s most elite clientele. Lisa starred on Bravo’s hit reality television series The Real Housewives of Miami. Just over four years ago, the pair welcomed their beautiful son named Logan, whom they refer to as their “miracle baby.” And most recently, they welcomed a baby girl, Elle Marie Hochstein, who was born on September 16th, 2019. The couple is very involved in philanthropic endeavors throughout the city, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and they recently hosted the Little Lighthouse Hearts & Stars Gala at their gorgeous private home.

Loren & JR Ridinger

Photo Credit: Market America

 

Company: Market America, SHOP.COM

Industry: Internet Shopping


Founders JR and Loren Ridinger are currently celebrating their 27th anniversary with Market America | SHOP.COM. Market America | SHOP.COM is a product brokerage and internet marketing company that specializes in one-to-one marketing. Market America’s mission is to provide a robust business system for entrepreneurs while providing consumers a better way to shop and has generated over $9.1 billion in accumulated retail sales. Market America employs nearly 1,000 people globally with operations in the United States, Canada and seven other countries. Through the company’s primary shopping website, SHOP.COM, consumers have access to over 60 million products. Market America’s revolutionary Shopping Annuity™ program, which helps smart shoppers convert their existing spending into earning, is an extraordinary and financially meaningful benefit of the business. Internet Retailer has ranked SHOP.COM #65 in the 2018 Internet Retailer Top 1000, the #43 largest global online marketplace, #96 in the Internet Retailer Asia 500 and the 18th fastest-growing Internet Mobile Retailer. The company is also a two-time winner of the Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. By combining Market America’s entrepreneurial business model with SHOP.COM’s robust shopping experience, the company has become the ultimate online shopping destination.

Stephen & Kara Ross

Company: Related, Miami Dolphins

Industry: Real Estate, Football

Stephen Ross’ Related Companies has been a force in the industry since its inception, with trophy developments across the nation. In 2009, Ross became 95-percent owner of the Miami Dolphins and funded the $390 million renovations to revitalize Sun Life Stadium. Ross’ mobile technology company, FanVision, makes handheld devices that stream live stadium feeds for sports fans at games and has inked a five-year deal with NASCAR. Kara launched Diamonds Unleashed, a fine-jewelry collection that focuses on women’s empowerment. The company aims to turn profits into dollars for women and girls around the globe.

Craig Robins & Jackie Soffer 

Photo Credit: Romain Maurice

Company: Dacra Development and Turnberry Associates

Industry: Real Estate Development 

With six children between them, one of the most successful shopping malls in the world, a trailblazing urban center that combines commerce and culture, luxury properties from Nashville to Aventura and a world-renowned design fair, Miami power couple Jackie Soffer and Craig Robins have perfected the art of multitasking. Soffer, the Chairman and CEO of Turnberry Associates, is developing a luxury hotel adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center and was the visionary behind Aventura Mall’s successful three-level expansion wing. She is also working to bring SoLé Mia Miami to life in North Miami, which will feature 1.4 million square feet of retail, 37 acres of parks and 4,390 residences. Robins, the CEO and President of Dacra Development, is the visionary behind the 18-block Miami Design District, with top-tier luxury retail tenants like Cartier, Creed, Dior, Fendi, Gucci, Harry Winston, Hermès, Hublot, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Tom Ford and Valentino. He is also the co-founder and co-owner of Design Miami/, the prestigious design fair during Art Basel in both Miami and Basel, Switzerland. Both are avid art collectors and integrate culture into their projects.

Michael & Nikki Simkins 

Photo Credit: Nicole and Michael Simkins

Company: Lion Associates/Leon J. Simkins Charitable Foundation

Industry: Real Estate, Philanthropy


Nicole and her family own Charles Kaufman Enterprises, an 80-year-old diamond company located in Downtown Miami. Michael is president of Lion Associates, a company with interests in paper manufacturing, lending and real estate development. Its signature project, the 7-million-square-foot Miami Innovation District, will transform an underutilized property in Downtown Miami into a 24-hour, thriving, global and connected “live-work-play” ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship. Michael is also the president of the Miami Beach Jewish Community Center. Together, they are continuing their families’ philanthropic interests through the Leon J. Simkins Charitable Foundation, as well as with diabetes research, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Women of Tomorrow, Lehrman Community Day School and the Love and Hope Ball. 

Jules & Stephanie Trump

Photo Credit: Acqualina Resort & Spa

Company: The Trump Group

Industry: Real Estate, Philanthropy  

Jules Trump, along with his brother, Eddie Trump, is Co-Chairman of several companies collectively known as The Trump Group, which covers a broad spectrum of industries. The Trump brothers are best known for their development of Williams Island, Acqualina Resort, The Mansions at Acqualina and the upcoming The Estates at Acqualina. Jules and his wife, Stephanie’s, philanthropic endeavors and those of The Trump Group include the founding and operation of the “I Have a Dream” Foundation chapter in Miami and the founding and operation of the Beit Issie Shapiro home for children with disabilities in Israel. Born in South Africa, and with no relation to Donald Trump, Jules and Stephanie currently reside in Sunny Isles Beach. 

Caroline Wozniacki & David Lee 

Photo Credit: Romain Maurice

Industry: Sports

Caroline Wozniacki is a former world No. 1-ranked female tennis player in the world and a resident of Miami’s Fisher Island, Monaco and NYC. She had 30 WTA titles at the age of 29 and has appeared on the covers of ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue and World Fame 100. Caroline is married to NBA champion David Lee, while being ranked by Forbes among the most influential women in sports and one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world. She is annually one of the top-grossing female tennis players on the tour and frequently lands on Sports Illustrated’s “Fashionable 50” list and its Swimsuit issue, plus Maxim’s Hot 100 and People’s Most Beautiful issue. One of Caroline’s biggest off-court accomplishments was completing the 2014 New York City Marathon in support of the children’s charity Team for Kids. David Lee is a former NBA star, who won a championship in 2015 with the Golden State Warriors. He’s a two-time All-Star, having played college basketball for the Florida Gators before being drafted 30th overall by the New York Knicks in the 2005 NBA draft. David splits his time in the U.S. between New York and Miami’s Fisher Island. David and wife, tennis pro-Caroline Wozniacki, married on June 15, 2019 in Tuscany Italy.

Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union

Photo Credit: Bob Metelus

Industry: Sports, Entertainment, Fashion, Philanthropy

Company: 59th & Prairie, Wade Cellars, 800° Woodfired Kitchen, PKWY, Li-Ning

Wade, a Chicago native, came to Miami in 2003 and went on to lead the Heat to its first NBA World Championship in 2006, got crowned MVP, then led Team USA to a gold medal in the Olympics. Wade also helped guide the Heat to win the NBA Championship in 2012 and 2013. Equally impressive off the court, he married actress Gabrielle Union and has earned respect for his community efforts and activism. He also become an Executive Fellow at the prestigious Harvard Business School and recently was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Board of Trustees. His business portfolio includes partnerships with PKWY, Li-Ning Way of Wade, 800° Woodfired Kitchen, Gatorade, MISSION, BallerTV, Spades Royale and THE COLLECTION. He even has Wade Cellars, fine California wine. Wade retired from the NBA after 16 years following his 2018-19 season. His memoir, 3 Dimensional, will be released in 2020, and his production company, 59th & Prairie, along with Imagine Documentaries will release a documentary next year on ESPN about his NBA career and life off the court.  Union published her memoir, We’re Going to Need More Wine, in October 2017 and starred in and produced the thriller Breaking In in 2018. On the philanthropic side, Union serves as an activist for women’s health and violence against women.

PHILANTHROPISTS

Phil & Orianne Collins

Photo Credit: Mitchell Zachs Photography

Company: Little Dreams Foundation/Orianne Collins Jewelry

Industry: Philanthropy, Fashion, Music

Phil and Orianne Collins are the king and queen of philanthropy, having launched the Little Dreams Foundation (LDF) in 2000 to help fulfill the dreams of young talent without the financial means, all the while expanding the global nonprofit organization with a presence in South Florida. The award-winning singer-songwriter even staged a comeback performance last year to raise awareness in support of LDF. This year, Phil has been taking his “Not Dead Yet” tour around the U.S., named after his autobiography. Orianne serves as the President of the Orianne and Phil Collins Little Dreams Foundation. Phil and Orianne are enjoying Miami’s culture with a high-fashion boutique in the Design District, OC Jewellery. The couple is also amplifying their son, Nic Collins’ music career with his band, Fifty Eight Hundred, which released its debut album last year. 

Michael Capponi

Company: Global Empowerment Mission, Luna Group

Industry: Philanthropy, Real Estate, Technology

Michael Capponi is one of Miami’s great humanitarians, businessmen and real estate developers. In 2011, he founded Global Empowerment Mission, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization devoted to helping those hard-hit by natural disasters. In 2019, Michael made significant sacrifices in his life by walking away from his developments to dedicate most of his time to his charity. Today, Global Empowerment Mission has become one of the country’s most important disaster-relief foundations partnering with Bethenny Frankel and her BStrong program. In 2017, the foundation raised over $17 million in cash and in-kind donations. The charity is now spearheading the Hurricane Dorian relief initiatives for the Bahamas. They already amassed over $15 million in supplies being sent by ships on a weekly basis. The organization maintains a philosophy of keeping corporate overhead under 5% annually. Capponi is also the co-founder and shareholder of the InList app, which is launching a completely revamped model that will allow users to find and book their favorite things to do around the world.

DJ Irie 

Photo Credit: Irie

Company: Irie Music, Corp., Irie Foundation

Industry: Entertainment, Philanthropy

Dominating any venue and infusing every party with his seemingly infinite energy, DJ Irie has captivated the entire music industry. Miami’s hometown DJ serves as the official DJ of the three-time NBA World Champion Miami Heat, Carnival Cruise Lines and superstar Jamie Foxx. Currently serving as the official DJ of Carnival Cruise Lines, Irie’s partnerships range among a “who’s who” of blue-chip companies and brands. The St. Croix native is also the man behind Irie Music, Corp., co-owner of Loose Anchor Clothing Co., Pucci’s Pizza and Venture Projects, LLC investment firm. He’s the No. 1 choice for countless celebrities and high-profile events everywhere from South Beach to Singapore, and he has performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, including the American Music Awards, MTV VMAs, FIFA World Cup, International Premier Tennis League, Daytona 500, the Super Bowl and NBA All-Star Game. He has also performed at corporate events for Louis Vuitton, Google, Red Bull, Hublot and General Motors, to name a few.

Al & Nancy Malnik 

Photo Credit: Romain Maurice

Company: The Forge

Industry: Hospitality

Throughout his career, Al Malnik has been called a “visionary” and a “Renaissance man” for very good reasons. From humble beginnings, he began his road to success as an attorney and evolved into a creative entrepreneur with success as a developer, financier, investor, restaurateur (founder of The Forge restaurant) and hotelier, just to name a few. As Lifetime Benefactors, Al and Nancy Malnik have been involved with Make-A-Wish® for 25 years and have made an indelible mark on the Foundation and the lives of thousands of children with life-threatening illnesses. In addition, their contributions to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston through the Al and Nancy Malnik Family AML Research Fund have made significant breakthroughs possible in reducing acute myelogenous leukemia.

Dan Marino

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Company: Dan Marino Foundation 

Industry: Philanthropy 

Dan Marino is a former NFL quarterback and football legend, who played all 17 seasons of his career with the Miami Dolphins. He holds dozens of NFL records, and although he was never on a Super Bowl-winning team, he is still considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. Outside of his football career, Marino established his personal charity, The Dan Marino Foundation, which was created in 1992 by him and his wife after their son was diagnosed with autism. The Foundation has devoted time and funding for $22 million worth of research and programs toward children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. In light of the upcoming 2020 Super Bowl LIV, Marino will join On Location Experiences—the official hospitality partner of the NFL—throughout the Super Bowl LIV weekend.

Alonzo Mourning 

Photo Credit: AJ Shorter

 

Company: Alonzo Mourning Charities, Overtown Youth Center 

Industry: Philanthropy

Alonzo Mourning is the Founder of the Mourning Family Foundation and Overtown Youth Center, two not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organizations created to raise funds and deliver high programs for youths across South Florida through advocacy, education and enrichment services. Since 1997, Mourning has raised more than $40 million for various programs designed to bridge educational, social and emotional gaps for youths and families in economically distressed communities. Mourning also supports the Honey Shine Mentoring Program, with its mission to encourage the balance of mind, body and soul, as well as to provide girls with life-changing opportunities to shine as women. Mourning has received numerous awards, such as the Florida Blue Foundation’s Sapphire Award in 2019; the Miami-Dade County Public School District’s Outstanding Community Service Award in 2017;   the NBA’s Community Assist Award in 2006; the National Urban League’s Outstanding Community Service Award in 2003; the Silver Medallion Community Service Award by the National Conference for Community and Justice in 2003; the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Sportsmanship Award in 2002; and The Children’s Trust Excellence Award for Public Policy in 2007, to name a few. After a very successful 15-year career as a key member of the Charlotte Hornets, New Jersey Nets and Miami Heat, Mourning was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. Recently, Mourning launched a $15 million Capital Campaign project to build the Overtown Youth Center, a state-of-the-art community resource center. It will serve as an economic-empowerment center providing a holistic approach that serves to narrow the gaps of poverty and achievement for youths and their families; expand programmatic services to over 5,000 youths and families throughout  economically disadvantaged communities; and strategically expand youth and family services in the areas of employment services, vocational-training opportunities, alternative educational solutions, collaborative programming and innovative family service solutions. 

Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard 

Photo Credit: Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard

Company: Bal Harbour Shops/Whitman Family Development 

Supports The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis/The Buoniconti Fund

Industry: Philanthropy


Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard keeps going and going and going! A native of Miami, Steph covers the social, celebrity, sports, fashion and charity scene in South Florida for her “Steph Sez” (@StephSez) column every Sunday in the Miami Herald and writes the Philanthropy Page in Indulge magazine. Steph is the Collaborative Innovator General for Whitman Family Development and Bal Harbour Shops. Get ready for many exciting programs, events and more to come. Steph is passionate for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and The Buoniconti Fund, the world’s most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center. Steph produced the high-profile fundraisers including the Great Sports Legends Dinner in New York City,  the Buoniconti Fund Celebrity Golf Invitational with Jack Nicklaus at The Bear’s Club, and created the star-studded fashion and concert event Destination Fashion at Bal Harbour Shops, which brought together icons in the worlds of philanthropy, sports, entertainment and fashion for her cause. She has received numerous awards for her devotion to the South Florida community. Steph is married to her husband, Morten, and is a proud mom to her two amazing sons, Anders and Austin.

Anthony Shriver 

Photo Credit: Best Buddies International

Company: Best Buddies International & Shriver Art


Industry: Philanthropy, Art Licensing


Thirty years ago, Anthony Kennedy Shriver founded Best Buddies International, a global nonprofit with the mission of creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Since that time, the organization has grown to nearly 2,900 chapters around the world, impacting more than 1.25 million lives annually for persons with and without IDD. In celebration of its 30th Anniversary this year, Best Buddies launched its fourth mission pillar—Inclusive Living. This program fosters an integrated experience for people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities to become active, contributing citizens who live independently in a dynamic environment where they can learn, grow and thrive. The flagship Best Buddies Living residence is located in Los Angeles, Calif., in partnership with UCLA. As the program expands, Best Buddies Living residences will continue to be near college campuses, cultivating mutually transformative relationships and growth opportunities for people of all abilities. This year, the organization will also launch Best Buddies X Rosetta, The Italian Bakery, an equal partnership between the two entities that will create employment and internship opportunities for people with disabilities, as well as serve as a profit center for Best Buddies through a storefront bakery/coffee shop. The first Best Buddies X Rosetta store is located in the Brickell area of South Florida, and is projected to open late 2019, with the goal to expand this model globally.  

ENTREPRENEURS

Wayne Boich

Photo Credit: Wayne Boich

Company: Boich Companies

Industry: Private Equity

Wayne Michael Boich is the Chairman and CEO of the Boich Family Office. He joined the company in 1999 and has been Chairman and CEO since 2005.

In his role as CEO and Chairman, Mr. Boich leads all investment strategies in a wide variety of industries including real estate, mining, telecommunications, financial services and food & beverage. This nationwide portfolio of investments is managed from offices in Miami, Florida, and Columbus, Ohio. Wayne and his wife, Cynthia, are extremely active in their philanthropic endeavors, continuously supporting charities locally and nationally including the University of Miami, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Women of Tomorrow, Ohio State University, After-School All-Stars, The Make-A-Wish Foundation and many more. Mr. Boich graduated cum laude from the University of Miami in 1999. Mr. Boich and his wife live in Miami Beach with their two children.

Wayne & Arlene Chaplin 

Company: Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of America/YogArt (Darlee Productions)

Industry: Liquor & Wine Distribution


Wayne Chaplin serves as CEO of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of America. Chaplin is also active in the social and philanthropic circuits, volunteering in various leadership activities at his alma mater where he currently serves on the University of Miami board of trustees. He is also  the immediate past Chairman of the Voard of Mount Sinai Medical Center of Miami Beach. His wife, Arlene, is also involved in the development of community-bettering initiatives such as YogArt and Buddhas and Bellinis. To date, YogArt has grown and is producing monthly events in the newly opened Downtown Miami Design District called YogArt Rocks. She also sits on the Pérez Art Museum’s board of trustees.

Sean “Diddy” Combs 

Photo Credit: Combs Enterprises

Company: Bad Boy Entertainment

Industry: Entertainment

Sean “Diddy” Combs, started his career at Uptown Records, and went on to become the Founder of the iconic Bad Boy Records where he was integral in launching the careers of Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Lil’ Kim and the Notorious B.I.G. Over the course of his career, he has earned three Grammy Awards, an NAACP Award for Best Actor; and executive-produced the Oscar-winning documentary Undefeated. In 2007, Sean partnered with Diageo for a groundbreaking strategic alliance to oversee and manage all lifestyle branding and marketing initiatives for CÎROC™ Vodka. He continues to apply the same drive and entrepreneurial spirit to his philanthropic work and political activism with his school in Harlem, Capital Prep Charter School. Most recently, Combs has expanded the scope of his music digital cable network, Revolt, by creating the Revolt Hip Hop Summit with AT&T.

Cesar Conde + Pamela Silva Conde

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

 

Company: NBC Universal International Group, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, Univision Network 

Industry: Media, Philanthropy/Education

Cesar Conde serves as the Chairman of NBCUniversal International Group and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. The media executive has been awarded the 2012 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader; 2011 Corporate Leader Award from the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute; Eugene M. Lang Achievement Award from the “I Have A Dream” Foundation; and more recognitions throughout his career. He works tirelessly to bring awareness to the Hispanic community’s access to education through numerous foundations including the Futuro Program in 2005, the “Es El Momento” campaign with Univision, and he was appointed to the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in 2011. He is a key member of Endeavor Miami, serving as early backer of Endeavor’s expansion into the United States and a firm believer in Miami as the best place for the organization’s first U.S. affiliate. This year, he will be honored with the Endeavor Miami Impact Award. Pamela Silva Conde is a six-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, serving as the co-anchor of the Univision Network’s weekday newsmagazine, Primer Impacto. In 2013, she established the Pamela Silva Conde Scholarship, benefitting first-generation, low-income college students. She serves on the board of directors of Amigos For Kids, and she is a national volunteer and spokesperson for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

Brett David 

Photo Credit: Mary Beth Koeth

Company: Prestige Imports – Lamborghini Miami

Industry: Automobile


Brett David, CEO of Prestige Imports – Lamborghini Miami, has grown the company to new heights since his father’s passing in 2007, maintaining its annual status as the largest-volume Lamborghini dealer worldwide. Brett acquired the Pagani franchise in 2012 and sold Prestige Audi in 2015 for the largest Audi sale in U.S. history, after years of unprecedented success. In October of 2017, to celebrate Prestige Imports’ 40-year anniversary, David further heightened the business, debuting Prestige Imports 2.0, a 17,000-square-foot supercar showroom. Along with Lamborghini and Pagani, Brett is also the exclusive South Florida dealer for Karma Automotive and Lotus. Celebrating luxury by land, sea and air, Prestige also offers Midnight Express Tecnomar, Iguana and VanDutch luxury yachts, in addition to the ICON A5 light-sport aircraft. Most recently, Prestige announced the fall opening of Prestige Auto Spa, a 17,000-square-foot campus on Biscayne Boulevard that will bring an innovative luxury auto-care experience. Brett is also co-founder of Ride2Revive, a foundation that provides children affected by life-threatening diseases with a memorable, adrenaline-filled driving experience to revitalize their senses and distract them from their health-related struggles.

William Dean

Photo Credit: M.C. Dean

 

Company: M.C. Dean, Inc.

Industry: Tech

He is the CEO of M.C. Dean Inc., one of the largest privately held engineering and systems-integration firms in the nation. With offices worldwide, M.C. Dean specializes in complex infrastructure such as rail, health care, utilities and data centers. Projects include the new Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, SOUTHCOM headquarters in Doral, Miami Convention Center, Miami FBI field office, Port Miami tunnel, the Pentagon and the Boeing Dreamliner factory. He restored and improved the historic S.S. Kresge estate on Pinetree Drive in Miami Beach, and the estate boasts 700 feet of Indian Creek waterfront. Mr. Dean opens the doors in support of numerous great causes, recently hosting The Little Lighthouse Foundation, Global Empowerment Mission and Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

Rick De La Croix 

Company: Myconian Luxury Group

Industry: Watches

Rick De La Croix serves as the Chairman and Founder of Myconian Luxury Group (MLG), which is an international retail and wholesale group focusing on the distribution of luxury timepieces and jewelry such as Hublot, Zenith, TAG Heuer, Bovet, Gucci, Greubel Forsey, MBF, Djula and L’Epee Clocks as well as the ownership and distribution of its own house brand, Bomberg. MLG has billings in excess of $130 million with offices in Neuchâtel, Switzerland; Miami; Mexico City; and Bogota. De La Croix was one of the original distribution partners of Hublot since 2004, joining chairman Jean-Claude Biver and CEO Ricardo Guadalupe. He has played an active, operational role in the brand’s sports and music sponsorships with the Miami Heat, Dallas Cowboys, Manchester United and Depeche Mode. He is highly involved with Hublot’s entrance to the WBC, bringing the brand together with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, and garnering global exposure to Hublot. A former board member of Tottenham Hotspur football club in London, he is an ardent sports fan and has brought many of his relationships in the world of soccer to Hublot in its domination of this sport. MLG operates offices in the Americas with head offices in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He is on the board of Zo’s Fund for Life and also supports Best Buddies and the Lennox Lewis Foundation. 

Mayi & Daniel De La Vega

Photo Credit: One Sotheby’s

Company: ONE Sotheby’s International Realty

Industry: Real Estate

This mother-son power duo is dominating the Miami real estate market. Since its inception in 2008, ONE Sotheby’s International Realty has recruited an expansive team of more than 900 agents spanning 18 offices from South Miami to Brevard County. The direct affiliation with Sotheby’s and Sotheby’s International Realty has offered the company unparalleled global reach to a network of more than 22,700 associates in more than 72 countries and territories. In addition to its luxury-brokerage division, the firm also boasts a development sales division representing some of South Florida’s most successful and prestigious condo developments with a total inventory of more than $3.1 billion. Together, Mayi and Daniel have turned the South Florida market into the universal capital it is today. With a strong commitment to the community, they support several local organizations including United Way and the Miami Heat Charitable Fund.

Jill Hertzberg & Jill Eber 

Photo Credit: The Jills

Company: Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate

Industry: Real Estate

TWO POWERHOUSES. NOW ONE FORCE. The Jills Zeder Group is comprised of two major players in the luxury residential real estate business: The Jills® and The Zeder Team. The Jills Zeder Group is the No. 1 Real Estate Team in Miami and have closed a combined total of more than $5 billion in real estate sales, specializing in high-end, multimillion-dollar luxury properties in South Florida’s most elite enclaves, representing celebrities, Fortune 500 executives and a diverse international clientele. The Jills team family members are founders Jill Hertzberg and Jill Eber; Eber’s sister, Felise Eber; and Hertzberg’s children, Danny Hertzberg and Hillary Hertzberg. The Zeder Team is comprised of Judy Zeder and her children, Nathan Zeder and Kara Zeder Rosen. URL: JillsZeder.com

Miguel “Mike” Fernandez

Photo Credit: MBF Healthcare Partners

Company: MBF Healthcare Partners  

Industry: Health care, private equity, philanthropy   

Miguel “Mike” Fernandez is the founder of the Coral Gables-based MBF Healthcare Partners, a private equity group that “brings transformative expertise to the healthcare business,” according to its website. He serves as the Chairman & CEO of the firm. MBF invests in and operates more than 20 mid-market health-care companies, including Physicians Healthcare Plans, CAC Medical Centers, Prescribit Rx, CarePlus Health Plans, Navarro Pharmacies, Medical Specialties Distributors, Hospitalists of America, NutriForce and Simply Healthcare Plans. He’s received numerous accolades, including the Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, by St. Thomas University and Loyola University Maryland, which recognizes outstanding achievements as a humanitarian, business leader and philanthropist. Additionally, Fernandez has contributed generously to the Republican party, serving as one of the state’s most significant donors. He is also a great patron of philanthropy and has completed a 508-mile walk from France to Spain numerous times to raise money for children’s causes. Throughout the past 20 years, he’s donated more than $100 million. Most recently, he made headlines for flipping his Miami penthouse in Coconut Grove’s newest development, Park Grove, for more than $142,000 than he originally paid.

DJ Khaled

Photo Credit: Michael Raveney 

Company: We the Best

Industry: Entertainment

A force in the entertainment industry, mogul, music executive, Grammy-nominated mega producer and New York Times best-selling author DJ Khaled has made dozens of chart-topping hit records featuring Jay-Z, Kanye West, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Future, John Legend, Nicki Minaj and more. Khaled famously captivated millions of fans globally by the use of social media and has been coined the “King of Snapchat” while selling over 18 million singles in his career. In 2006, he launched innovative label deals and started We the Best Music Group. His 2010 hit song “All I Do is Win” went three times platinum, and his first seven albums from 2006 through 2017 peaked within the Top 5 of Billboard‘s Rap Chart. He’s earned Grammy nominations for his hit single “I’m On One” (2012) and for his now-certified platinum album, Major Key (2016). Khaled’s certified platinum album, Grateful, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. He won Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Song for the six-times platinum single “I’m the One” (2017) at the 2017 American Music Awards and Hip-Hop Artist of the Year at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Hit singles  “Wild Thoughts” is four-times platinum, “To the Max,” earned a gold certification, along with “Top Off,” which was nominated for “Best Collaboration” at the 2018 BET Awards. In 2019, he released Father of Asahd, which featured hits like Beyoncé & Jay-Z’s “Top Off” and his Nipsey Hussle tribute song with John Legend, “Higher.” At the 2019 BET Awards, he won “Best Producer.” DJ Khaled is also committed to pro-social initiatives and is the first social media ambassador of Bono’s project (RED) and the national spokesperson for Get Schooled, and its “Major Keys” campaign went viral in 2016. Khaled’s business book, The Keys, shared his mastered philosophy to success and broke down his inspirational catchphrases. He’s appeared in fan-favorite movies and TV shows such as Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) and sat as a main judge on Fox’s The Four. In 2020, he is set to appear inWill Smith and Martin Lawrence’s Bad Boys for Life. He and his wife, Nicole, recently announced that they are expecting their second baby boy, following the birth of Asahd Khaled in 2016.

Tommy Kato 

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

Company: Merchant Hub, Rock 13 Tequila, Kato Reserve

Industry: Tech, Spirits 

Benevolent businessman, developer, International polo player and humble humanitarian: These are just some of the many hats Tommy Kato wears. Fueled by dreams and determination, the Miami Beach resident and Harvard alum is a modern-day Renaissance man. From developing commercial properties for Fortune 100 companies to becoming the founder and CEO of global credit card processing company Merchant Hub, to playing worldwide polo and backing various charities, the accomplished entrepreneur and chronic jet setter is constantly rubbing elbows with celebrities and royalty like Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Kato’s philanthropic contributions include After-School All-Stars with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Miami Children’s Health Foundation and Miami Children’s Hospital. He’s also an advocate to the United Nations, The Buoniconti Fund and The Black Gala, supporting and mentoring at-risk youth.

Marc Leder

Company: Sun Capital Partners Inc.

Industry: Finance

As the co-founder and co-CEO of Sun Capital Partners Inc., Marc Leder has overseen the investment and management of over 365 companies since 1995. Under his guidance, Sun Capital has become a leading global private investment firm with approximately $12 billion of cumulative capital commitments. As a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, Mr. Leder is actively involved in all of the firm’s global investment activities and capital commitments; he also oversees the firm’s operations jointly with his business partner of 25 years, Rodger Krouse. He’s also an active philanthropist who supports a wide number of causes, both personally and through the Sun Capital Foundation, including Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, the Boca Raton Police Foundation, Boca Helping Hands, the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation and more. He is a member of the International Council for the Museum Berggruen, and he sits on the board of the Institute of Contemporary Arts at the University of Pennsylvania, where he endowed the Marc J. Leder Director of Curatorial Affairs. He also established the Marc J. Leder Behavior Change for Good Term Fund at the School of Arts and Sciences at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Howard M. Lorber

Company: Douglas Elliman

Industry: Real Estate

In addition to being the Chairman and a principal owner of real estate powerhouse Douglas Elliman (with offices in New York, South Florida, Los Angeles, Aspen, Colo., and Greenwich, Conn.), Howard Lorber is the Executive Chairman of Nathan’s Famous Inc. Lorber is also President and CEO of the Miami-based Vector Group Ltd., a publicly held company listed on the New York Stock Exchange that is in the manufacturing and real estate investment business.

Greg Norman

Photo Credit: Nick Garcia

Company: The Greg Norman Company 

Industry: Sports, Real Estate, Investment, Design, Wine & Spirits, Fashion 

Arguably the most successful athlete-turned-businessman in the world, Greg Norman is known as much for his entrepreneurial spirit in the boardroom as his dominance on the golf course. The internationally renowned “Great White Shark” won more than 90 tournaments worldwide, including two Open Championships, and he holds the distinction of defending his No. 1 position in the World Golf Rankings for 331 weeks. His astounding career culminated in 2001 when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame with a higher percentage of votes than any other inductee in history. Norman now boasts over a dozen companies around the world bearing his name and the iconic shark logo as part of the Greg Norman Company, which he leads as Chairman & CEO. His internationally recognized brand boasts more than 100 golf course designs across six continents, a global real estate collection, award-winning wine, golf-inspired lifestyle apparel and a diverse investment division. Across all facets of business, the Greg Norman brand consistently delivers the quality that his name is synonymous with and continues to inspire people to attack life.

Jay Phillip Parker 

Photo Credit: Douglas Elliman

Company: Douglas Elliman

Industry: Real Estate

Real estate industry leader and veteran Jay Phillip Parker has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Douglas Elliman’s Florida Brokerage since 2013. Responsible for the advancement of a leading provider of luxury real estate services across South Florida, he has successfully grown Douglas Elliman’s presence in markets from Miami to Jupiter, Palm Beach and St. Petersburg with a total of 22 offices and more than 1,100 agents. Under Jay’s leadership, Douglas Elliman Florida marked a banner year in 2018 with $4.7 billion in total sales volume, which was up 30% over the prior year. Parker has been a key figure in the growth of the brand, which is now represented in luxury real estate markets in 60 countries and six continents through its partnership with London-based Knight Frank Residential. A member of the Florida Bar Association, Jay serves on the Board of Governors for the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce, as President of the Executive Board of Mt. Sinai Medical Center Foundation and a member of the Miami Association of Realtors Leadership Board.

Sergey Petrossov

Photo Credit: Sergey Petrossov

Company: Vista Global 

Industry: Private Aviation

Awarded Forbes’ “30 Under 30 in Consumer Technology” and “South Florida’s Top Working Professional” by the Sun-Sentinel, Sergey Petrossov is a serial entrepreneur always seeking ways to innovate industries. Petrossov is most known for founding JetSmarter, a technology company that made shared and private flights accessible. When he flew private for the first time, he immediately identified challenges with the antiquated, brick-and-mortar approach to booking charter flights. Mobile marketplaces were on the rise, and he felt certain that the cumbersome private-aviation booking process could be solved with technology.—thus, the idea for JetSmarter was born. Since its formation, JetSmarter has transported over 200,000 passengers and democratized private aviation by making it more affordable and accessible, and all the while creating a new lifestyle for people. In early 2019, JetSmarter was acquired by Vista Global to take this concept and scale it significantly around the world.

Drew Rosenhaus

Photo Credit: Romain Maurice  Company: Rosenhaus Sports

Industry: Sports

Drew Rosenhaus is the sports industry’s highest-grossing agent, running his Miami-based sports agency, Rosenhaus Sports. Rosenhaus has negotiated over $7 billion of NFL contracts from the start of his career at 22 years old to the present day. He was the first sports agent to grace the cover of the iconic Sports Illustrated magazine at the start of his career, becoming the youngest registered agent in the industry—and one of the most powerful. His character was depicted by Tom Cruise in the famous Jerry Maguire film—and he even made a cameo in the movie. Currently, Rosenhaus resides in Miami Beach with his wife and two daughters. He spearheads multiple philanthropic endeavors throughout South Florida with his Drew Rosenhaus Youth Football and Fitness Camp.

Jeff Ransdell & Nabyl Charania

Photo Credit: Jock Fistick

Company: Rokk3r Fuel, Rokk3r Inc.

Industry: Technology, Venture Capital 

Jeff Ransdell is the Managing Director of the $200 million venture capital fund, Rokk3r Fuel. Based in Wynwood and founded in 2017, Jeff and Rokk3r Fuel are building a portfolio of exponential technology companies such as AdMobilize, Bolt, Taxfyle, SoStereo, Unitea, Eyrus and more.  Heis regularly called upon to share his insights on the global economy with outlets such as CNBC, CBS and American City Business Journals. Nabyl Charania is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Rokk3r Inc., (OTC: ROKK), where he oversees the global execution of the company’s massive transformative purpose of “harnessing the global collective genius to cobuild companies that change the world.” He is also a board member at machine learning company AdMobilize, and The Idea Center at Miami Dade College. He is a globally seasoned serial entrepreneur often called upon by organizations to teach and address audiences on the future of technology.

Marc Roberts 

Photo Credit: Worldwide Entertainment and Sports Corporation

Company: Worldwide Entertainment and Sports Corporation

Industry: Real Estate, Sports

Marc Roberts began his sports and entertainment career at age 19 as the youngest person to promote a professional boxing match.—a distinction he holds to this day. By 21, he had his first world champion, Donald Curry. He went on to manage two Heavyweight world champions, “Merciless” Ray Mercer, Shannon Briggs, and other world champions. Between his late 20s and early 30s, Marc became the first person to ever take a sports management company public on the national NASDAQ, with Triple Threat Enterprises. He took a second sports management company, Worldwide Entertainment and Sports, public a few years later. The combined raise was over $100 million. Next, Mr. Roberts turned his focus to real estate. In just a few years, he completed over $1 billion in condominium conversions and was a partner in one of the top three condominium conversion companies in the U.S. Roberts then focused on assembling prime commercial properties in Miami and co-founded Miami Worldcenter, the second-largest mixed-use development planned in the U.S. Today, the Roberts’ family portfolio includes a 13+ acre assemblage adjacent to Miami Worldcenter, and he is the co-founder and owner of club E11EVEN and the land on which it sits. In true entrepreneurial style, Roberts is involved in a range of projects and wrote the acclaimed 1998 book Roberts Rules!: Success Secrets from America’s Most Trusted Sports Agent.  Roberts is also noted for his charitable work: In Alabama, June 5 is “Marc Roberts Day” in recognition of the largest single donation to Alabama’s Special Camp for Children and Adults; Mr. Roberts was named Man of the Year by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, (Florida Chapter); he sponsored the Maccabi Youth Games for MetroWest New Jersey; and has been admitted into the New Jersey Jewish Hall of Fame.

Barry Skolnick 

Company: BLS Asset Management Corp., BLS Realty

Industry: Real Estate

As President of BLS Asset Management Corp. and managing member of BLS Realty, Barry Skolnick is involved in investing, acquiring and developing residential, commercial and industrial real estate. Barry is the trustee of the Skolnick Family Charitable Trust, the foundation that supports many endeavors, educational, scientific, health care and literary goals. He serves on the board of trustees for Mount Sinai Medical Center (Miami) and the board of trustees of the Make-A-Wish Foundation (South Florida Chapter). He is a founding member and Co-Chairman of the Greater Miami/Miami Beach Police Foundation and New York City’s Police Foundation. He has a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Oneonta. He is engaged and has two grown sons. Barry is an avid collector of fine art and cars. He enjoys racing and is a founding member of the Monticello Motor Club. He enjoys all sports and exercise. This year, he debuted one of his greatest philanthropic projects—the brand-new, seven-story, $275 million Skolnick Surgical Tower at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach. He also is preparing to open his collectible, exotic-car showroom, Ikonick Motors.

Jean-Francois Sberro

Photo Credit: Hublot 

Company: Hublot

Industry: Watches

For the last five years, Jean-Francois Sberro has been President of Hublot North America, playing a key role in positioning his brand as one of the 10 biggest watch companies, all price points combined. Born and raised in the South of France, Sberro earned a Master of Science in Management from EM Lyon Business School in France, before joining LVMH and the watch industry in 2004. He first started working at TAG Heuer headquarters in Switzerland and subsequently joined Hublot head offices in 2009, working closely with mentors Jean-Claude Biver and Ricardo Guadalupe. He was then relocated to the U.S. in 2012 and has been living in Miami with his family ever since, ultimately being promoted to Hublot NA President in 2015. Besides timepieces, his interests revolve around culture at large (movies, literature and the arts). Sports are also a major part of his life: After completing a full Ironman, Sberro is currently training for his eighth marathon (Dallas in December 2019), his goal being to run his 10th marathon on the Great Wall of China, for his 40th birthday in 2021.

Riccardo Silva

Photo Credit: Riccardo Silva

Company: Silva International Investments, The Miami FC

Industry: Sports/Modeling/Hospitality

Entrepreneur Riccardo Silva is the owner of Silva International Investments, an investment company that manages and invests in assets across multiple sectors including media, technology, entertainment, sports, real estate and the arts. Its portfolio includes The Miami FC, The Miami FC Youth Soccer Academy, Select Model Management, Mast Capital, Muzik, SportBusiness Group, Globe Soccer and The Silva Family Collection of Art. He has previously owned and founded successful businesses within the sports media rights sector. Riccardo is a committed philanthropist and has made significant donations to projects in Europe, Africa and the U.S. including Play for Change, the Bass Museum of Art, amfAR, Mount Sinai Medical Center and the New World Symphony.

Sean & Ana Wolfington 

Photo Credit: Wolfington Companies

 

Company: The Wolfington Companies

Industry: Technology, Real Estate, Film

Chairman and CEO of The Wolfington Companies, Sean Wolfington is a serial entrepreneur in technology, auto, marketing and film. He built and sold five digital platform companies for nearly a half-billion dollars. Wolfington was recognized as “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young and HL, and he received the Legacy Award from the National Council for Adoption in 2007, the President’s Service Award in 2008 and the Tony Bennett Exploring the Arts Award in 2012. In addition, The Wolfington Charitable Foundation enables bright futures for at-risk children through sports and the arts.

Amar’e Stoudemire

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Industry: Sports, Philanthropy, Fashion, Wine

Amar’e Stoudemire was a six-time NBA All-Star, as well as an actor, author, producer, motivational speaker and philanthropist. Stoudemire began his career on the Phoenix Suns in 2002, where he remained until 2010, then with the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat. He came out of retirement to end his professional basketball career with Hapoel Jerusalem, where he played for the 2018-19 season. In 2004, he received the bronze medal with the U.S. national basketball team at the Olympic games. Stoudemire started his own clothing brand in 2011, which launched at Macy’s. He additionally started his own record label named Hypocalypto. He has written middle-grade chapter books titled STAT: Standing Tall and Talented in partnership with Scholastic. Stoudemire also has a deep passion for his religion and Israeli culture, and he became a major shareholder of Hapoel Jerusalem in 2003. In 2018, he launched a kosher, Israeli wine label called Stoudemire Cellars.  He’s made film and television debuts, including a role in Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck, where he played himself. He’s contributed to multiple charity organizations, including his own Each 1, Teach 1 Foundation, as well as PETA, Boys and Girls Club and more. Most recently, it’s been announced that he has partnered with FIU’s Hillel to launch Diversity University, a program that connects Jewish and black students through innovative programming.

Robert Zarco

Photo Credit: Michelle Lawson Photography

Company: Zarco Einhorn Salkowski & Brito, P.A.


Industry: Law

Robert Zarco, founding partner of the law firm Zarco, Einhorn, Salkowski & Brito, P.A., has earned international recognition for being at the forefront in protecting the legal rights of clients, handling complex legal business and commercial matters and litigation in federal and state courts, as well as arbitration and mediation. Zarco has been awarded distinctions including “Lawyer of the Year” in Franchise, “Top Dealmakers of the Year” for Real Estate, “Legal Eagle” and “South Florida’s Top Lawyers.” The firm is repeatedly listed in U.S. News & World Report among “Best Law Firms” in areas including franchise, hospitality, dealership, distributorship, trademark, commercial and real estate disputes and transactions. Zarco developed an extensive background in business, accounting and finance, commencing at 7 years old with a landscape business he later sold to buy his first rental property during college.  He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Harvard University, then entered management at General Motors in New York as a financial analyst, while simultaneously attending Pace University’s Graduate School of Business. He later graduated from the University of Miami School of Law. Robert is a recognized expert in franchise law by federal and state courts, and various state legislatures.  He is an avid yachtsman, amateur chef, philanthropist, and community leader.

David A. Tepper

Industry: Finance

Company: Appaloosa Management

Company: Appaloosa Management

David Tepper has the distinction of being one of the most successful hedge fund managers in history. Tepper moved to Miami Beach from New Jersey and brought Appaloosa Management, his $18 billion hedge fund, with him. The fund did especially well in the wake of the financial crisis, making him an investing legend. He is the owner of the Carolina Panthers of the NFL. Tepper has made very generous philanthropic gifts to Carnegie Mellon University, including a $55 million gift for the David A. Tepper School of Business in 2003, and a $67 million gift in 2013 to sponsor the David Tepper Quadrangle, a building that aimed to create a collaborative learning environment. He started a PAC with educational aims called Better Education For Kids, and has helped victims of Hurricane Sandy.

DEVELOPERS

Kieran Bowers

Photo Credit: Swire Properties

Company: Swire Properties Inc. 

Industry: Real Estate   

As President of Swire Properties Inc., Kieran Bowers leads the 200-year-old-plus international conglomerate’s U.S. development and investment operations, including Brickell Key and, the company’s most ambitious project to date, Brickell City Centre. The sprawling, state-of-the-art 4.9-million-square-foot, mixed-use project located in the heart of Brickell is comprised of retail shops, residential condos (Reach and Rise) and a five-star hotel, EAST, Miami, as well as two class-A office towers, Two and Three BCC. Outside of business endeavors, Bowers also serves on the board of directors of Friends of The Underline, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is transforming the underutilized land below Miami’s Metrorail into a 10-mile linear park, urban trail and canvas for artistic expression; Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science; ULI Florida advisory board; and University of Miami Master of Real Estate Development + Urbanism Program. Born and raised in Stafford, England, Bowers studied at Oxford University, where he studied Japanese history and language. His work with Swire Properties has moved him around the world from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands. 

Michael Comras 

Company: The Comras Company of Florida, Inc.

Industry: Retail Development and Leasing

Michael Comras, President and CEO of the Comras Company, has been involved in the acquisition, development, leasing and sale of some of South Florida’s premier retail properties. His latest ventures include The BLVD at Lenox, featuring South Beach’s new Target store and the redevelopment of Coconut Grove’s iconic CocoWalk into a 250,000sf mixed-use destination set to open in the spring of 2020. Comras’s $370 million sale of an entire block on Lincoln Road (Apple, Nike, Gap) remains at of top retail sales in the State of Florida. The Comras Company’s brokerage division represents cutting edge retailers and innovative developers throughout South Florida’s hottest neighborhoods. The firm has been retained to spearhead the leasing of the transformational Miami Worldcenter project, a 28-acre, 10 block development in heart of Miami’s “new downtown”. The Comras Company is extremely active throughout the tri-county area, with a focus in the Design District, Wynwood, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Aventura, Miami Beach, Los Olas Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue in Delray.

Gil Dezer 

Photo Credit: TAMZ

Company: Dezer Development

Industry: Real Estate

Dezer Development encompasses unique and strategic holdings in New York, Las Vegas and Florida, and is the largest owner of oceanfront property in Sunny Isles Beach with just over 27 acres. Credited as major players in the rebirth of Sunny Isles beach, it has developed nine luxury high-rise residential and condo-hotel developments through unique partnerships with some of the world’s leading marquee lifestyle brands, including six Trump-branded towers, the newly opened Porsche Design Tower and Residences by Armani/Casa.

Donahue & Katrina Peebles 

Photo Credit: Averie Cole

 

Company: The Peebles Corporation

Industry: Real Estate

Don Peebles is Founder, Chairman and CEO of The Peebles Corporation, one of the country’s few privately held national real estate investment and development companies. Peebles’ multibillion-dollar portfolio includes projects across top U.S. markets. With his latest endeavor, The Bath Club, he became the first African-American member and went on to later owning, currently undergoing a major revamp to become Miami’s “exclusively inclusive” membership club. Katrina L. Peebles is responsible for the creative vision and direction of The Peebles Corporation’s design and marketing. For over 25 years, she has led the company’s efforts in the areas of real estate, interior design, historic preservation, community involvement and political fundraising.

Russell Galbut 

Photo Credit: Crescent Heights

Company: Crescent Heights

Industry: Real Estate

Russell Galbut is the Managing Principal of Crescent Heights, a company heralded as the leader in high-end residential developments across the country. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), an S&P 500 company and the third-largest cruise line in the world. Crescent Heights is among the nation’s largest residential companies with property developments throughout the United States, with an emphasis in L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago and Boston. Crescent currently has $2.5 billion in ground-up construction projects in various stages of development. Its Ten Thousand Santa Monica project in Los Angeles changed high-rise living in L.A., with over 67,000 square feet of pure amenities coupled with outstanding architecture and bespoke art. The Crescent Heights NEMA brand is changing lifestyles in the residential world with NEMAs now open in San Francisco, Chicago and Boston. Russell’s first love has always been the hospitality industry, and thus Crescent Heights real estate holdings like the cruise ships themselves are all about hospitality. He and his family reside in South Florida, where Crescent Heights and NCL headquarters are located. Galbut serves on the boards of numerous charitable organizations and is a firm believer in giving back to the community.

Joey Goldman & Jessica Goldman Srebnick

Company: Goldman Properties

Industry: Real Estate

Goldman Properties, founded by visionary Tony Goldman, is responsible for transforming SoHo in New York, the Art Deco District in Miami Beach and now Wynwood in Miami from overlooked and lifeless areas into vital, thriving global destinations. Jessica Goldman Srebnick is carrying on the family business as CEO and continues to drive the company’s innovative developments, growth trajectory and artistic collaborations. Early on, Joey Goldman, along with his father, Tony, recognized Wynwood’s potential as Miami’s next new neighborhood and began purchasing properties, helping kick-start the Wynwood renaissance and opening Joey’s Italian Cafe, the first restaurant in what has become one of Miami’s most important culinary destinations.

Avra Jain 

Photo Credit: Pepe

Company: The Vagabond Group

Industry: Real Estate Development

With a career that began on Wall Street to developing properties along Miami’s trendiest streets, Avra has a reputation for identifying the next it neighborhood. The recipient of three Sundance Film Awards, the Purdue industrial engineer graduate develops projects around her favorite pursuits: art and architecture. The vision has resulted in boutique projects that range from converting a warehouse to luxury loft condominiums in Manhattan to the remake of The Vagabond Motel on Biscayne Boulevard.

Daniel Kodsi

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

Company: Paramount Ventures

Industry: Real Estate

As the developer behind one of Miami’s most anticipated and high-profile luxury residential projects, Paramount Miami Worldcenter―a soaring 60-story tower in the heart of Downtown set to offer the most amenities anywhere in the world―Daniel Kodsi has been at the forefront of shaping South Florida’s skyline for more than 27 years. With a proven track record of developing over $2.5 billion, he is known for defining new neighborhoods and changing city landscapes with his gleaming glass high-rise towers. Kodsi’s projects have been lauded for their progressive designs that focus on the future of how people live and seamlessly intertwine into the fabric of communities. Attracting buyers from more than 55 different countries throughout the world, some of Kodsi’s most notable developments include West Palm Beach’s Esplanade Grande; the luxurious Paramount Bay in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood; and his most recent completed project, the sophisticated, oceanfront Paramount Fort Lauderdale Beach.

David & Christy Martin

Photo Credit: Romain Maurice 

Company: Terra Group

Industry: Real Estate

Christina and David Martin’s passion for making a difference in their native South Florida has delivered an impact in both the corporate and philanthropic sectors. As President of Terra Group, one of South Florida’s leading real estate development companies, David and his firm are known for reshaping neighborhoods from Coconut Grove and Miami Beach along the coast, to Weston and Doral in the suburbs―all while enlisting some of the world’s top architects to design his projects, including Bjarke Ingels (Grove at Grand Bay), Rem Koolhaas/OMA (Park Grove), Renzo Piano (Eighty Seven Park) and Chad Oppenheim (Botaniko), among others. Christina and David’s strong commitment to South Florida is underscored by the couple’s active role in the community. With a unique interest in education, the arts and health foundations, they support several organizations with philanthropic contributions.

Stuart Miller

Photo Credit: Romain Maurice

Company: Lennar

Industry: Construction

Using his years of experience and entrepreneurial wisdom, Stuart Miller’s company, Lennar, the second-largest homebuilder (via Builder 100) in the nation, has been able to beat Wall Street’s estimates of its growth. Miller predicted that his company would make a 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 the economy grow.

Jorge Pérez 

Photo Credit: Nick Garcia

Company: Related Group

Industry: Real Estate, Philanthropy 

Jorge Pérez, Chairman and CEO of The Related Group, remains committed to building a better South Florida and spearheading the area’s complex urban evolution. For over 40 years, his ability to identify emerging trends to create vibrant, urban communities has made him one of the most trusted and influential names in real estate, with a pipeline of over 100,000 units. Pérez has partnered with influential names in architecture and design to produce neighborhood-defining projects and integral landmarks of Miami’s evolving cityscape. A lover of art and avid collector, Pérez also infuses each development with carefully curated collections, featuring pieces from both master and emerging artists. Pérez is deeply involved in supporting Miami’s ongoing cultural renaissance, sponsoring various organizations including The National YoungArts Foundation and, most notably, the Pérez Art Museum Miami. To continue his mission, Pérez is also set to open his own experimental art space, El Espacio 23, in Miami’s emerging Allapattah neighborhood. He is passionate in supporting all facets of the community’s growth, so he established corporate and personal foundations–the Related Philanthropic Foundation and The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation at The Miami Foundation–dedicated to the advancement of an equitable, thriving South Florida. 

Carlos Rosso

Photo Credit: Related Group

Company: Related Group

Industry: Real Estate Development

Carlos Rosso, President of condominium and international development divisions for the Related Group, has been a driving force behind their condominium operations for almost two decades. He oversees all facets of condominium development in the U.S. and internationally in countries like Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and more. Rosso has developed over 16,000 units, and in the process mastered diverse development disciplines including construction, project financing, land acquisition and sales and marketing. Under his leadership, Related has successfully delivered iconic projects including the Paraiso District in Miami, Auberge Beach Residences &Spa in Fort Lauderdale, SLS Cancun & Residences in Mexico, and V:House in Brazil, to name a few. Prior to joining Related, Rosso held various positions across global development firms. Most recently, he served as VP of Real Estate Development for Investment Properties Ltd. in Boston as well as Project Director for Besix International, where he oversaw the development and construction of multifamily, hotel and office buildings across the Eastern Hemisphere. Rosso graduated summa cum laude from the Universidad de Buenos Aires with a master’s degree in architecture. He also earned a master’s degree in real estate development and finance, with the highest honors, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Art Falcone 

Photo Credit: Mario Munoz

Company: Encore Capital Management and Rescore Property Corp. 

Industry: Real Estate 

Arthur J. Falcone is the co-founding, Managing Principal of Encore Capital Management and Rescore Property Corp., which includes master-planned communities, apartment complexes, retail centers, condominiums, townhomes and hotels across the USA. Falcone is the CEO responsible for the business and sits on the Investment Committee. He is also the founder and Managing Principal of Miami Worldcenter, spanning more than 30 acres across nine blocks in the heart of Downtown Miami. The project has more than 15 million square feet of mixed-use in excess of $5 billion of development, including retail, restaurant and entertainment, hotel, residential and office. As Chief Executive Officer and Chairman from 2004 to the present of Falcone Group, a vertically integrated real estate and land-development organization,  Falcone successfully established the company as an internationally recognized real estate corporation. In 1988, he formed the home building and land-development company Transeastern Properties Inc. In 2005 Falcone sold Transeastern to Technical Olympic USA (“TOUSA”) for a total consideration of $1.6 billion, one of the largest private transactions in the history of home building and land sales. He has been serving on the board of trustees for Nova Southeastern University since 2006. Falcone has been a benefactor to various foundations and charities, including Crohn’s & Colitis National Foundation, SOS Children’s Village and Junior Achievement BizTown in Coconut Creek.

Michael Shvo

Photo Credit: SHVO

Company: SHVO 

Industry: Real Estate 

Michael Shvo is a globally recognized leader in the real estate industry who is known for visionary concepts that move markets forward.  Michael and his development firm, SHVO, are known for creating extreme value through unique concepts and iconic properties in the world’s most sought after locations. He has pioneered breakthroughs that become industry standards, including the marriage of fashion and real estate and high-impact public art installations. As the CEO of SHVO, Michael leads a team of investors and real estate professionals, and a portfolio of over $4 billion. It includes historic and new properties in premier locations, from Manhattan office buildings to iconic Miami Beach hotels and brand new luxury development in the heart of Beverly Hills. Michael, alongside a team of respected international investors, has an unparalleled reputation for quality, creativity, and value.

Jeff Soffer

Photo Credit: Gio Alma 

Company: Turnberry Associates

Industry: Real Estate

Jeffrey Soffer is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fontainebleau Development, one of the country’s premier real estate development groups specializing in large-scale lifestyle developments within the hospitality, retail, residential and commercial sectors. He has been dedicated to Fontainebleau Development’s growth for more than 25 years. His vision and influence can be seen in the development of numerous award-winning projects in South Florida and abroad. Soffer led the $1 billion expansion and renovation of the company’s landmark Fontainebleau Miami Beach. The company’s portfolio also includes JW Marriott Turnberry Resort & Spa, Hilton Nashville Downtown and the new JW Marriott Nashville. Soffer has also created numerous South Florida residential landmarks, including Turnberry Ocean Colony, Porto Vita, Fontainebleau II and Fontainebleau III, Turnberry Village, SoLé Mia and more.

Matthew Whitman Lazenby 

Photo Credit: Romain Maurice

Company: Whitman Family Development

Industry: Real Estate 

As the President and CEO of Whitman Family Development, Matthew Whitman Lazenby is the third generation to operate Bal Harbour Shops, which were created by his grandfather, Stanley Whitman, in 1965. He is also the fourth generation involved in local commercial real estate, as his great-grandfather, William Whitman, developed Española Way on Miami Beach and owned stores on Lincoln Road in the 1920s. This innovation in retail continued with Brickell City Centre, the $1 billion-plus mixed-use property in the heart of Miami. The Whitman family was in charge of the retail component, with tenants like Saks Fifth Avenue, Vilebrequin, Apple, Richard Mille, Sephora and Giuseppe Zanotti. They’re also in the process of expanding 450,000 square feet of Bal Harbour Shops, with an additional 340,000 square feet of space.

HOSPITALITY POWER PLAYERS

Philip Goldfarb

Company: Fontainebleau

Industry: Hospitality

As President and Chief Operating Officer of Fontainebleau Development Hospitality Division, Philip Goldfarb has oversight of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa, JW Marriott Nashville, Hilton Nashville Downtown and Fontainebleau Aviation. Goldfarb will continue to lead the team at Fontainebleau Miami Beach in his role as President and COOr. Goldfarb brings over three decades of hospitality experience to his role at the iconic resort and to Fontainebleau Development’s growing portfolio of hotels and resorts. He has been instrumental in numerous projects, including introducing new restaurant concepts and multimillion-dollar renovations to the various assets. As a distinguished graduate of Florida International University’s (FIU) Chaplin School of Hospitality, Goldfarb held the esteemed position of Chair of the Dean’s Council. He remains an influential alumnus and has been awarded FIU’s prestigious “FIU Medallion” as well as the hotel school’s “Torchbearer Award.”  He was also recognized by the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce with the “Excellence in Tourism Award.”

David & Isabela Grutman 

Photo Credit: Nick Garcia

Company: Groot Hospitality

Industry: Hospitality

David Grutman is responsible for several of the most successful and world-renowned brands Miami has to offer. In 2018, Grutman formed Groot Hospitality, bringing all of his distinct trademark hospitality ventures under one umbrella. Groot Hospitality’s portfolio currently includes LIV (2008), STORY (2012), Komodo (2015), OTL (2017), Planta South Beach (2018), Swan – Bar Bevy (2018) and most recently Papi Steak (2019). His “buzz”-style tactics, larger-than-life personality and natural ability to steal the spotlight have catapulted him into continued success and fame. With new projects on the horizon, Groot Hospitality’s footprint is ever expanding—both in Florida and beyond. Isabela Rangel Grutman is a Brazilian model and philanthropic citizen who sits on the board of the local non-profit organization, Style Saves. She is also the mother of their two beautiful girls, Kaia and Vida.

John Kunkel

Photo Credit: 50 Eggs Hospitality

Company: 50 Eggs 

Industry: Hospitality 

John Kunkel, Founder and CEO of acclaimed hospitality group 50 Eggs, is regarded within the restaurant industry for his innovation in concept development and operational excellence. The 50 Eggs empire hatched in Miami and operates existing locations across the country and globally with an impressive portfolio of brands including Yardbird Southern Table & Bar, CHICA by Chef Lorena Garcia and more. Kunkel’s business achievements have been widely recognized from Bon Appetit’s “50 Best New Restaurants in the U.S.” award to receiving an honorary doctorate from Johnson &Wales University and winning the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Diego & Gisela Lowenstein 

Company: Lionstone Development and The Glow System


Industry: Hospitality

Diego and Gisela Lowenstein’s mission is to invigorate and help advance Miami as a world-class destination and place to live in. The Lowensteins have left their mark in hospitality with their family company, Lionstone Development, best known for The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach and The Ritz-Carlton, Bal Harbour, as well as signature developments including the EPIC Hotel & Residences. Additionally, Diego teamed up with Virgin Group to develop the lifestyle brand Virgin Hotels. Gisela is an ELI-MP certified professional life coach assisting clients in South Florida and abroad. The couple’s philanthropic endeavors also extend to Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. In their free time, Diego and Gisela enjoy discovering the world with their three adult children. Diego (aka Divídalo, his alter ego) also sidelines as a Latin rock musician and is in the midst of releasing his second album, Atrapado Con Salida.

Shareef Malnik & Gabrielle Anwar 

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

Company: The Forge, Nextwave Funding

Industry: Hospitality, Finance

As owner of The Forge, Shareef Malnik has kept the 50-year-old restaurant at top of virtually every list. He is Chairman of the Board of Nextwave Funding, a finance company funding small and mid-size businesses across the country. He is also the Chairman of the Board Emeritus of Make-A-Wish and Chairman of the InterContinental® Miami Make-A-Wish Ball for 15 years running. He is also a longtime board member of The Police Athletic League and the Police Foundation for Greater Miami & Miami Beach. Malnik hosts the InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball with his actor/writer/filmmaker wife, Gabrielle Anwar. After starring in dozens of films, Gabrielle has the following in various stages of development: Bordello, a female-centric dive into how the West was really won; …And the Sea, an autobiographical feature; My Own Piece of Sky, a biopic film on the extraordinary life of Dr. Emmi Pikler; Outrageous Love, a 10 volume phenomenology; Timepiece, an unrequited love story; and Burned, Pikled & Plated, a memoir. Anwar sits on the boards of the Pikler Foundation and The Center for Integral Wisdom.

Mathieu Massa 

Photo Credit: MR Hospitality

Company: Massa Investment Group

Industry: Hospitality

Born on the glittering shores of the French Riviera, Mathieu Massa studied at the prestigious school HEC Paris and received his MBA from Babson College in Boston. In 2009, Massa founded the Massa Investment Group in Miami, a fully integrated private equity firm specializing in real estate development, real estate construction and hospitality. Under the umbrella of parent company Massa Construction Group is a high-end construction firm that provides clients with design, construction and management services. In addition, Massa founded Mr. Hospitality Group in 2010, a hospitality group that conceptualizes, owns and operates restaurants and nightlife destinations in Miami and Miami Beach.

Keith & Evelyn Menin 

Photo Credit: Menin Hospitality

Company: Menin Hospitality

Industry: Hospitality

As Principal of Menin Hospitality, Keith Menin is recognized as a leader in the new generation of hospitality entrepreneurs. Menin’s expanding portfolio of hotels, restaurants and nightlife destinations pioneers the modern-day preservation of historic properties, providing travelers with new, distinctive experiences. With roots in Florida’s hotel industry, Miami-born Keith began to learn the fundamentals of a hotelier in his teens tending the front desk of Shelborne South Beach, then owned by his uncle and mentor, Russell Galbut. Following graduation from Cornell University, he joined forces with his cousin, Jared Galbut, to form Menin Hospitality. Menin Hospitality’s current portfolio spans throughout South Florida and Chicago, offering boutique lifestyle hotels, food & beverage concepts and nightlife venues including Bodega Taqueria y Tequila, Gale South Beach, Mondrian South Beach and Drumbar Chicago, among others. In 2019/2020, Menin Hospitality will be expanding both their Gale and Bodega concepts with new locations.

Lee Brian Schrager 

Company: Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, LLC.

Industry: Beverage

Lee Brian Schrager is the Senior Vice President, Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, LLC. He is widely recognized for his creation of both the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach and New York City Wine & Food Festivals, which together have raised more than $42 million to date for charity. He is the author of three cookbooks, the most recent of which, America’s Best Breakfasts (Clarkson Potter), was released in April 2016. He is a regular contributor for Ocean Drive magazine and serves on the board of trustees for the Pérez Art Museum Miami and board of directors for Food Bank For New York City.  

Sam Nazarian 

Photo Credit: sbe

Company: sbe

Industry: Hospitality

Sam Nazarian has been revolutionizing lifestyle hospitality since founding sbe in 2002. His award-winning hotels, residences, restaurants and lounges represent some of the most sought-after lifestyle brands including SLS Hotel and Residences, Katsuya, The House of Originals and Hyde Hotels, Resorts & Residences, to mention a few. As a result of the acquisition of Morgans Hotel Group in December 2016, the pioneer of boutique lifestyle hotels, followed by a 50/50 partnership with Accor in October 2018, sbe has an unparalleled global portfolio that will see 29 hotels and over 180 global world-renowned culinary, nightlife and entertainment venues, as well as iconic hotel brands Delano and Mondrian by the end of the year. Nazarian’s career began when he co-founded a wireless company, which he later sold after leading its rapid growth and record sales.

Romain Zago 

Photo Credit: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com

 

Company: Mynt

Industry: Nightlife

Romain Zago is a French-born, Brazilian-raised model-turned-hospitality mogul who leads with introspection while keeping his clientele’s needs at the forefront in order to create outlandishly successful venues. The renowned entrepreneur is responsible for Mynt Lounge, which he bought in 2006 and transformed it into the iconic nightclub brand it is today. In 2018, Romain opened Myn-Tu, an intimate French-Japanese resto-lounge experience that brings together the striking elements of club culture, architecture, design and fine dining. Celebrity clientele has included Tyra Banks, Olivia Culpo, Paris Hilton, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Dwyane Wade and more.