Miami's Expanding Urban Core

Since 2013, Jay Parker has been the Chief Executive Officer of Douglas Elliman Florida Brokerage where he has capitalized on his extensive brokerage relationships and realtor contacts to grow Douglas Elliman’s presence in Miami, Miami Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Aventura, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Palm Beach and Jupiter. Jay has shown a propensity for leadership throughout his career. His fundamental role in handling over $300 million in mergers and acquisitions at the Law Firm of Gunster Yoakley Valdez Fauli & Stewart in the Miami and Palm Beach Real Estate Departments ultimately led his client to an IPO. Then, as General Counsel for LandTel Communications in New York, he oversaw the implementation of a Pan-European fixed wireless market. In this role, he raised over $375 million from numerous private equity firms and restructured the company’s assets after recognizing a funding gap at a time when the industry was in distress, thereby avoiding bankruptcy. In late 2001, Jay returned to Miami Beach to form Clear Title Group, LLC a boutique real estate title insurance company focused on offering closing services to luxury condominium and home buyers. After strengthening his brokerage roots in South Florida while also representing Titan Capital as the company’s local counsel, Jay sought a joint venture, founding Titan Capital Florida, LLC in 2006. Jay continues to serve as Managing Partner of Titan Capital Florida, a Direct Lender with offices in New York, Connecticut and Miami. In its first year of operations, Titan Capital Florida closed on over $100 million in transactions. In 2010, Jay formed Beloff Parker which grew to Beloff Parker Jacobs, a real estate and transactional law firm based in Miami Beach. Building off Parker and Beloff’s long- standing relationships in the Miami market, Clear Title Group quickly distinguished itself as one of the largest and most successful real estate law firms in the area, representing many of Miami Beach’s most respected developers, landlords and tenants, as well as handling some of their most significant real estate transactions. Jay received a Bachleor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario located in London Ontario Canada. During this time, he spent a year studying abroad in Tel Aviv. Jay completed his studies at the University of Miami, School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctorate in 1998. Today, Jay lives with his twin boys in Miami where he is a member of the Florida Bar Association and serves on the Board of Governors for the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. Jay is also President of the Executive Board of Mt. Sinai Medical Center Foundation and sits on the Miami Association of Realtors Leadership Board.

Lissette Calderon is founder and CEO of Neology Life Development Group, a lifestyle- driven residential and commercial real estate firm that specializes in the transformation of undervalued communities into sought-after neighborhoods. Calderon’s rapid rise in South Florida’s highly competitive real estate industry began with her ability to see the potential in overlooked waterfront land along the Miami River. In 2000, with the introduction of her pioneering and trend setting loft-style residential building NeoLofts, and her subsequent building concepts Neo Vertika and Wind by Neo, Calderon is credited with transforming the Miami River District into one of the city’s hippest, most sought-after neighborhoods. With her most recent flagship project on the Miami River, the 199-unit Pier 19 Residences & Marina, Calderon solidified her reputation as one of South Florida’s most visionary developers. Today, Calderon is spearheading the revival of another historic Miami neighborhood: Allapattah. Neology completed the 192-unit No. 17 Residences Allapattah in 2021 (nominated for a Structure Award by the South Florida Business Journal) and is breaking ground on two more residential projects nearby later this year. Neology’s portfolio consists of 1,200 apartments under ownership that have been recently built or under development in Miami’s urban core, with a pipeline of over 500 more units planned in South Florida and beyond, along with 1,500 condo units previously built and sold representing nearly $1 billion. A second-generation Cuban-American, Calderon was born and raised in Miami and earned a bachelor’s degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She launched her career in real estate at the Related Group, and later became the firm’s first female president, serving in that role from 2014 to 2016. She is involved in numerous community organizations including Amigos for Kids, a nonprofit organization serving the needs of South Florida’s abused, abandoned and neglected children. Most recently, Calderon was appointed to The University of Miami’s Master of Real Estate Development + Urbanism Advisory Board. She and her husband live in Coral Gables and have three daughters and three dogs.

Robert Finvarb is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1993. Following his graduation from law school, he practiced law at Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A. in Miami. In 2003, he founded Robert Finvarb Companies (RFC) and currently serves as its CEO. Under Robert’s leadership, RFC has become an industry leader in developing, owning and operating mixed-use hotel projects throughout the United States. RFC has developed projects in excess of $1bn of market value, containing more than 3,000 hotel rooms and over 200,000 square feet of retail space throughout the U.S. and the company’s projects have been recognized for excellence by several organizations and municipalities, including, the American Lodging Investment Summit (best hotel project in 2017), Marriott International (Outstanding Contribution), the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD) and the City of Miami Beach. Robert is a Founder of Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, a Diamond Society Member of the Miami Children’s Hospital and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Miami Country Day Sc

Gary Ressler holds a BA in Communications & Theatre Arts from Whittier College in Los Angeles, CA. Prior to joining TILIA, Mr. Ressler worked in Studio City, CA in the Creative Affairs Department of Walt Disney Feature Animation (WDFA). Mr. Ressler moved to Miami, Florida in 2001 to assume operations of TILIA REAL ESTATE (formerly ABC Management Services, Inc.), a family-owned and operated commercial real estate management and development firm responsible for a portfolio with combined values of over $100-Million. Mr. Ressler launched the first TILIA Lifestyle Companies, THE HISTORIC ALFRED I. DUPONT BUILDING Special Events Venue – an award-winning event venue in the heart of downtown Miami catering to a particularly high-end clientele – and TILIA EVENTS, a full service Event Production Company in 2002. THE TILIA FAMILY OF COMPANIES expanded again in 2011, adding TILIA TRUST COMPANY, a South-Dakota- based Private Family Trust Company (PFTC), and TILIA MANAGEMENT, LLC, a specialized firm providing customer-focused, detail-oriented back-office support services to professional and financial firms in both regulated and unregulated industries. Mr. Ressler serves on the Boards of Directors of The Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA), The Kronish Foundation of Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach and as President of the Board of Directors of The Downtown Miami Partnership (DMP), a 510(c)6 non-profit organization whose mission it is to serve as Downtown Miami’s private sector voice and advocate to promote a prosperous, livable and dynamic downtown.

Brian Gale is Vice Chairman of Cushman and Wakefield of Florida. Through his 27 year career, Brian has overseen the signing of leases totalling 12 million square feet, with a value of over $2 billion. His team currently represents almost 7 million square feet of office space in South Florida, with buildings in Downtown Miami, Brickell, Coral Gables, South Miami, Coconut Grove, Wynwood, Airport West and has clients which include Metlife, Nuveen, Related, AEW, Prudential, OKO Group, Cain International, IP Capital, CIM, L&B, Banyan and Crocker Partners. From 1993 to 1999, Brian was a broker in the Miami office of CB Richard Ellis and from there he spent the next 18 years as a broker and Principal of Taylor and Mathis before joining Cushman and Wakefield in 2016. Brian is a 2 time “Broker of the Year” winner for Miami-Dade County.

Peter Tuffo is the President for Suffolk’s Southeast Region which maintains office locations in West Palm Beach, Miami, Tampa, and Estero, Florida. He is responsible for driving operational efficiency with all of Suffolk’s project teams and overseeing the successful execution of the region’s business strategy. He serves as a point of contact to ensure client satisfaction with a focus on resource allocation to meet each project’s unique needs. Pete began his career in project management and has since served as Senior Project Manager, Project Executive, and Vice President/Division Manager. During his industry tenure, he has built strong relationships with clients, architects, trade partners, local agencies, and community leaders. His service-focused approach has allowed Pete to serve an integral role in Suffolk’s growth and diversification throughout the southeast region. Pete is active within the construction industry and has held board positions with the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools and Collier County Education Foundation. He supports multiple community causes such as the American Heart Association and the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation. He has also been on the board for the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins charity golf tournament. Pete is an active board member for The Giving Circle – a grassroots fundraising group led by Suffolk employees to support individuals faced with a life-altering tragedy. Under Pete’s leadership, The Giving Circle raised over $200,000 during their annual charitable golf tournament. These funds go back to support the Suffolk family which extends to our friends and partners within the industry. Pete is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management. He remains a Florida resident with his wife and four children.

Andy along with his Co-Principal at UrbanX, Coralee Penabad, are the developers behind the River Landing Shops & Residences, an 8.14-acre-mixed use development under construction on the Miami River and the catalyst for development in the neighboring Allapattah community. River Landing is a modern urban lifestyle center bringing national retailers, shops, restaurants, office, entertainment and a waterfront linear park to Miami’s riverfront for residents and visitors. River Landing is creating a waterfront shopping and dining destination to serve rising neighboring communities such as the Miami Health District -- which enjoys one of the largest day-time populations in Florida--, downtown Miami, Allapattah, Little Havana and more. It will consist of approx. 345,000 square feet of retail/commercial space, 135,000 square feet of office, 528 market-rate apartments, more than 2,000 parking spaces and a landscaped Riverwalk. Future tenants include Publix Super Markets, Burlington Stores, TJ Maxx, West Marine, Ross Dress For Less, AT&T, Old Navy, Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby. Andrew can speak to the state of the construction, retail, lending and CRE industry during the Coronavirus crisis. He can compare - up to a certain point - the impact of the current financial crisis versus the economic crisis of 2008-2011. Back then, he did a lot of work disposing distressed assets for other developers.

At UAG Construction Nick oversees the financial, and legal roles of the company. He assures that the processes are adhered to throughout the company and oversees owner rep services for development clients. Prior to UAG Nick spent the early years of his career as a Development Manager for New York based Rockefeller Group where he structured and managed several local and state projects. His studies took him to the University of Florida where he graduated with a Bachelors degree in Industrial Engineering. He then went on to graduate with honors from University of Florida Law School, specializing in Real Estate. He lives in Coconut Grove with his wife Rashelle and daughter Stassi.

Andrew provides design leadership and expertise to our Stantec Miami office. Honed by over 20 years of experience and a wide variety of complex projects, clients, and teams - he always strives to deliver an experience which is uniquely crafted for the community which it will ultimately serve. His passion for Architecture is always evident as he guides our firm’s creative vision through collaboration, rigorous attention to detail, and willingness to dream. Firmly holding the belief that high design should be profitable, buildable, and beautiful - Andrew enjoys creating lasting professional relationships and is always searching for ways to add value, inspire our communities, and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.