Capital Markets & Foreign Investment

Jason Shapiro, a Managing Director of Aztec Group, Inc. and principal of Mayan Capital LLC and Mayan Properties LLC (both affiliates of Aztec), brings over 15 years of experience in commercial real estate investment banking, and leads all capital markets activities for the firm. Shapiro’s primary focus is arranging all forms of debt including permanent, bridge, construction, mezzanine and participating loans, as well as equity and joint venture placements for the firm’s own account and on behalf of the firm’s extensive client base. Shapiro has been involved in and closed transactions spanning all commercial and residential real estate asset types totaling over $2 billion, and encompassing in excess of 50 million square feet. Prior to joining Aztec, Shapiro spent seven years as Vice President of Thomas D. Wood & Company’s Coral Gables, Florida office. Shapiro was responsible for the origination and placement of long-term, income property loans on behalf of domestic life insurance companies. During his tenure at Thomas D. Wood & Company, Shapiro closed over 100 commercial real estate financing transactions. Shapiro graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Miami in 1992 and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Miami in 1994. Both degrees were earned with a specialty in Finance.

Co-Founder, and Principal of FM Capital, since FM Capital’s inception in 2007. Currently, responsible for portfolio decision making; overseeing the sourcing acquisition, management of portfolio assets; and managing FM Capital’s commercial loan origination division. FM Capital manages over $1 billion in assets. We have handled the acquisition of more than $1 billion in assets, and have originated well over $3 billion dollars in commercial loans. Began my real estate career as a Property Manager at Crescent Heights of America in 2000. Licensed mortgage loan originator in Florida and New York.

David Duckworth is an award winning commercial real estate advisor with over 15 years of experience selling investment properties throughout South Florida. He has built an impressive client list and a vast database of investors which allows him to achieve the best possible results for his clients. He has a proven track record of success; he executes innovative marketing strategies for each property, maximizing final price and terms for his sellers, and ensuring competitive and timely transactions. Mr. Duckworth has provided his clients with the highest level of service in the sale of over $500 million worth of commercial property since 2001. He has experience selling office, industrial, retail and development opportunities.

Scott Primeau is a Senior Vice President and Office Manager for the South Florida Commercial Real Estate office of Wells Fargo. Scott has worked for Wells Fargo for 9 years and previously was a commercial real estate appraiser for 7 years with Walter Duke & Partners. Scott’s team originates and manages construction, value-add and permanent loans for South Florida-based clients and has financed all types of commercial real estate including multifamily, office, retail, industrial and condominiums. Wells Fargo is the largest real estate lender in the country and CRE teams located throughout the United States, as well as the UK and Canada. Scott received a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Master’s in Real Estate from the University of Florida.

Christian Lee is one of the nation’s leaders in putting together large, complex real estate deals. He and his partners run a nine-person team that advises many of the largest U.S. real estate investors on the planning and execution of their investment, disposition and capitalization strategies. During the course of his 20-year career, Mr. Lee and his team have closed more than $14.47 billion in transactions, including several landmark office and sizeable industrial properties in Florida. Mr. Lee joined CBRE in August 2002 as a Senior Vice President and Associate Member of the Institutional Group and was promoted to Vice Chairman in 2007. He previously held real estate investment banking positions with Aztec Group, Inc., Grubb & Ellis Company and Trammell Crow Company.

Rivergate Companies is a vertically integrated real estate investment & development firm with the goal of delivering outsized returns in varying product types, geographies and market cycles to our stakeholders. The firm is presently engaged in several strategic ventures including: urban in-fill self-storage development, multifamily development & investment, multifamily property management and upscale automotive storage. Rivergate invests its own capital alongside the firm's relationships with high net worth, foreign, family office and institutional investors. Rivergate embraces technology with active participation in the commercial real estate technology sector with Emerge Americas and CRE Tech. Jay Massirman serves as founder and managing principal of Rivergate Companies. Jay has over 30 years' real estate experience and has participated in over a billion in principal transactions. He was formerly a Vice Chairman with CBRE global real estate, where he participated in over 10 billion in advisory transactions over a stellar 20 year career.

Carlos Rosso is the Founder of Rosso Development, a fully integrated development firm focused on high-end boutique development opportunities. Rosso is set to oversee multiple upcoming awe-inspiring projects in key markets in South Florida and Latin America—with the first ever The Standard Residences in Midtown Miami as his debut project. Rosso founded Rosso Development in 2020 after nearly 20 years with The Related Group, where he was a driving force behind the company’s condominium operations. As the president of the condominium and international development divisions, he oversaw all facets of condominium development domestically and internationally. Over the course of his career, Rosso developed well 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 successfully delivered iconic projects including the 1,600 unit Paraiso District in Miami; Residences by ARMANI/CASA designed by César Pelli; Hyde Beach House; Park Grove by OMA/Rem Koolhaas; Auberge Beach Residences and Spa in Fort Lauderdale; SLS Cancun & Residences in Mexico; and V:HOUSE in Brazil. Prior to his time at Related, Rosso held a number of positions across global development firms, having served as Vice President of Real Estate Development for Investment Properties Ltd. in Boston; and ten years as Project Director for Besix International, overseeing the development and construction of over ten million square feet of multi-family, hotel and office buildings in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 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 (MIT). www.rossodev.com

Alex Zylberglait is a Senior Managing Director Investments in the Miami office of Marcus & Millichap. In the past fifteen years, Mr. Zylberglait has been involved in more than $2 billion in real estate transactions and has been recognized as the top agent in the Miami office since its inception with more than $550 million in transactions since 2004. As a seasoned senior investment specialist, Zylberglait has represented owners and investors in numerous local and national transactions, including the Region’s Bank Building in Coral Gables and the United Teachers of Dade Building in Miami Florida. As a member of Marcus & Millichap’s National Office and Industrial Properties Group, Zylberglait has ranks as a top agent nationally and ranked as the top agent nationwide in 2009 and 2014. He has also transacted the most number of office building sales in Miami -Dade County over the last ten years as reported by The Costar Group. In addition to publishing several articles on real estate and investment strategies, Zylberglait has also participated in numerous panels, seminars and real estate roundtables in the region. He is also sought after by media outlets and has been featured on CNN, the Wall Street Journal and The Miami Herald among others. Backed by a network of more than 1,800 investment professionals nationwide, Zylberglait and his team of commercial real estate specialists provide detailed market analysis, underwriting and investment services for an array of clients around the country and abroad. Zylberglait has earned the designation of Certified Commercial Investment Member and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois with a concentration in finance and real estate. He is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Florida and is the top investments sales broker in Miami-Dade County in the last 10 years as reported by The CoStar Group. In addition, Zylberglait was presented with the 2012 Top 50 Entrepreneur Award by Business Leader magazine for South Florida. In 2007, Alex received the Building our Community Awards in Real Estate from the March of Dimes. He was also a an Up and Comer in Real Estate as well as a Heavy Hitter in Real Estate as published in the South Florida Business Journal. He has recently been selected as one of the “40 under 40” by the South Florida Business Journal. Most recently, Alex was recognized in the Wall Street Journal as a top agent nationwide in Marcus & Millichap. Zylberglait is very active in the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, where he organized Sunset over Miami, the largest event of its kind for the organization’s real estate division and has served as co-chair of the Network, the young adult division of the Federation. He is also actively involved with the American Jewish Committee and formerly chaired the Latin American Task Force for the Miami/Broward chapter. Zylberglait is also a member of SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors) as well as the Association of Hispanic Leaders, an organization sponsored by the Government of Spain. Zylberglait serves on the board of Junior Achievement and supports Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, as well as several other charitable groups in the region.

Rodrigo Azpurua is President and CEO of Riviera Point Development Group based in Miramar. A real estate developer with special focus on suburban Class A office and hotel properties, Rodrigo has been responsible for the acquisition, design, governmental approvals and construction of over 1.2 million square feet of commercial properties throughout Florida. The properties were financed with various capital structures, including domestic and international equity investment, bank loans and private funds. Over the last decade, Riviera Point has become a leader in raising international funds through different programs and it has injected more than $60 million in foreign capital in communities across Florida since 2012. Rodrigo, a lawyer by trade in Venezuela, founded Riviera Point in 2008. He is considered a pioneer using the EB-5 Visa Program to fund construction of office buildings and hotels. He is the author of the book “Real Estate Development and EB-5 Visas” published by Amazon and available in Apple’s iBook store, and is also a regular speaker and consultant on the subject. He has spoken to a wide range of audiences at locations including Caracas, Buenos Aires, Quito, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and many others. Rodrigo is often interviewed by media outlets such as CNN, Fox News, TN24, South Florida Bisnow, the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Forbes, AmericaEconomia, Nuevo Herald and many others.