David Grutman

David Grutman has been called the “mayor” or “secret king” of Miami, and for good reason.

The hospitality powerhouse — who counts Kim Kardashian, David Beckham and Pharrell Williams as friends — has already done plenty to help put Miami on the hospitality and entertainment maps. That includes running popular nightclub LIV inside Jeffrey Soffer’s Fontainebleau Hotel and also South Asian eatery Komodo, which was the highest-grossing independent restaurant in the country last year after pulling in $41 million in sales, according to Restaurant Business.

But the espresso-downing Grutman is far from done.

He announced plans in February to open new venues inside Goldman Properties’ Wynwood Garage; debuted a “modest” American restaurant The Key Club in the booming Coconut Grove neighborhood in March; opened a steakhouse in Brickell with popular artist Bad Bunny in August; and is rumored to soon be reopening the iconic Miami Beach spot The Forge.

And, if that wasn’t enough, Grutman was tapped by close friends the Chetrit Group last month to run the food and beverage services at Chetrit’s planned River District, a $1 billion-plus project taking shape along the Miami River. All told, River District is expected to have 1,600 residential units, a marina and 30,000 square feet of retail.

He was also able to convince Drake in early November to give a surprise lecture to Grutman’s Florida International University students days before the rapper put out his new album.

Grutman has started to expand his empire outside the Sunshine State. He’s got new projects in Dallas, Las Vegas and Qatar, and he’s planning to open his second hotel with Williams in the Bahamas.

Not bad for somebody who got his start organizing closets for Paris Hilton. —N.R.