Commercial Observer’s Ranking of South Florida’s Most Important Real Estate Players
Commercial Observer's 2024 South Florida Honorees represent an elite class of developers, designers and dealmakers who have triumphed amidst what has often felt like a never-ending series of market hurdles
By Commercial Observer Press March 5, 2024 12:40 pm
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Commercial Observer, the premier media and information services company that informs and connects leaders in the commercial real estate industry, has published its 2024 Power South Florida list, ranking the most prominent investors, owners, developers, brokers, banks, lenders, architects and legislators accelerating South Florida’s real estate and economic growth.
While the national real estate market continues to weather economic challenges and shifting paradigms triggered by the upending of the industry at the start of the decade, South Florida has continued on as one of the hottest real estate markets in the U.S. “South Florida leaves a lot of the naysayers and gloom-and-doom types fumbling,” said Commercial Observer editor-in-chief Max Gross. “While a lot of other cities have faltered, Miami has been crowned as one of the strongest housing markets in the country. But it’s more than just housing — its ability to sustain this reputation year over year is largely attributed to its enduring success across all asset classes.”
Commercial Observer’s editorial team approached the 2024 list by recognizing the firms lending to South Florida’s growth by breaking ground on new projects, securing financing in today’s challenging lending landscape, and leveraging creativity and deal savvy to seek out new opportunities. The 2024 South Florida not only celebrates the teams expanding in Miami, but those who have brought their Miami-based brands to new markets like Fontainebleau’s entry in Las Vegas or Major Food Group’s successful launch of ZZ Club New York.
Miami and the South Florida region will require policy and infrastructure support to sustain the rapid growth the market is experiencing. The 2024 Power South Florida list also recognizes the private and public sector leaders demonstrating a long-term investment and commitment to climate resiliency, affordable housing and creating an inclusive business environment that offers the best the region has to offer to residents and guests alike.
Observer Media CEO James R. Freiman added, “What’s happening in Miami and across South Florida is truly special. Businesses understand and value the cultural significance of Miami as an important international hub and the result has been an economic boom propelled by innovative firms and rooted in Miami’s rich history and unparalleled arts and culture and lifestyle offerings.”
The 2024 Honorees Have Been Tenacious Catalysts for Market Growth Amidst Economic Headwinds
While South Florida seems to be coming out of the first half of the decade ahead of other markets, it is susceptible to, and must navigate the same economic headwinds as everyone else. Commercial Observer’s 2024 South Florida Honorees represent an elite class of developers, designers and dealmakers who have triumphed amidst what has often felt like a never-ending series of market hurdles.
Highlights from the honoree list include:
• Ken Griffin: Founder and CEO at Citadel
• Jeffrey Soffer and Brett Mufson: Chairman and CEO; president at Fontainebleau Development
• Dev Motwani and Nitin Motwani: Managing partners at Merrimac Ventures
• Ugo Colombo: Founder at CMC Group
• David Martin: CEO at Terra
• Laurent Morali and Nicole Kushner: CEO; president at Kushner Companies
• Jackie Soffer: Chairman and CEO at Turnberry Associates
• Warren De Haan and Tony Fineman: CEO; senior managing director and head of national originations at Acore Capital
• Greg Newman: Senior managing director at Bank OZK (OZK)
• David Grutman: Founder and CEO at Grootman Hospitality
• Jonathan Goldstein and Justin Oates: CEO; senior vice president at Cain International
• José Lobón: Vice chairman at CBRE (CBRE)’s National Partners
• Dustin Stolly, Jordan Roeschlaub and Daniel Matz: Co-presidents of debt and structured finance; senior managing director at Newmark (NMRK)
• Rod Barnes: Florida region market director at JLL (JLL)
The full 2024 Commercial Observer Power South Florida rankings can be found at: https://commercialobserver.com/power-series/2024-power-south-florida/
About Commercial Observer:
Commercial Observer is the leading commercial real estate media and information services company, delivering high-impact content, events and platforms designed to connect and inform industry participants of key trends and people defining the global real estate landscape. Commercial Observer reaches a national audience of the most active real estate owners/developers, corporate occupiers, brokers, investors, lenders, leasing professionals, tech firms, public officials, contractors, architects, attorneys, and accountants, as well other business owners and key decision-makers impacting the trajectory of the building industry. The company holds its reporting to the highest editorial standards with a strong commitment to fairness and accuracy. Commercial Observer is a unit of Observer Media, a company which informs and connects leaders in industries undergoing disruption to help them innovate, grow and make smarter decisions.
