South Florida CEO 2025 Kickoff

Recognized as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the nation, R. Donahue (Don) Peebles Jr. is Founder, Chairman, and CEO of The Peebles Corporation. In an era where social responsibility and inclusion are often seen as buzz-phrases, Mr. Peebles is actively influencing change and creating opportunities that positively impact communities, through Real Estate investment and development. The Peebles Corporation is among the leading privately held real estate and development companies in the United States, with a multi-billion dollar project portfolio, spanning key markets in the nation including: New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Washington D.C. Mr. Peebles and The Peebles Corporation's uniqueness is guided by the company’s own principles of Affirmative Development (TM) to empower women and minorities in closing the wealth gap – with the aim of developing not just land or buildings, but also opportunities for people. Mr. Peebles is an industry leader in large scale real estate development through Public-Private Partnerships. Through construction excellence, sustainable materials, historic preservation and innovative design, every project is strategically selected to achieve transformative results for the company and community. Mr. Peebles is an avid supporter of mentoring underprivileged youth to expose them to the value of entrepreneurship. He is the former Chairman of the Board of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, is on the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Greater New York, was a two-time former member of President Barack Obama’s National Finance Committee, and the former Chairman of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. Mr. Peebles is a frequent guest commentator on CNBC, CNN, FOX News and FOX Business Network. He has written two books entitled The Peebles Principles and The Peebles Path to Real Estate Wealth, which provide the fundamentals for individuals striving to succeed in real estate. The books articulate Mr. Peebles optimism and belief that everyone’s career goals are achievable. Growing up as a child raised by a single parent, in a middle-class home, to achieving multimillionaire status by the age 27, Mr. Peebles believes that dreams really can come true.

W. Allen Morris is Chairman and C.E.O. of The Allen Morris Company. He is a licensed Real Estate Broker, Mortgage Broker, and holds the professional designations of CPM (Certified Property Manager of the Institute of Real Estate Management) and SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors). He is a past President of the Florida CCIM Chapter (Certified Commercial Investment Member of the Realtors National Marketing Institute) as well as holding the prestigious CRE designation (Counselor of Real Estate) and FRICS, as a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. . The Allen Morris Company, in its 58 th year, is one of the largest developers and managers of office buildings in the State of Florida, completing 80 office, industrial, multi-family, mixed-use, and retail projects around Florida and Georgia. Their headquarter office project , a Mediterranean-Revival style office building in the center of Downtown Coral Gables called Alhambra Towers, has won nine awards including "The Best of South Florida -Platinum Award's", “NAIOP 2003 Project of the Year - all categories" and the “2006 Community Advancement Award for Commercial Project of the Year” in Florida from the Developers & Builders Alliance. In 2013 the company launched Allen Morris Residential, and currently has five projects under construction: the 1.3 million square foot, 58-story luxury hotel and condominium - SLS LUX Brickell - a joint venture with Related Group; the 348-unit residential multi-family, $70 million Hermitage Apartment Homes in St. Petersburg, Florida; the $68 million Maitland City Centre, creating a new mixed-use downtown for the City of Maitland, Florida, combining the new City Hall, Central Park and Festival Street with residential apartments, live-work- office suites, and a Festival Marketplace with shops and restaurants; and Star Metals, Atlanta, a $250 million mixed use project with a 409 unit luxury, multi-family residential, a 12-story, Class “A”, 185,000 square foot office building and 46,000 square feet of retail and restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Morris has appeared as a leading authority on real estate topics as a frequent guest on the Fox Business News show CAVUTO with Neil Cavuto, on the Fox Business Morning Break with Charles Payne and in the Strategy Room with Eric Bolling. In addition to being an Officer and Director of more than thirty-five different real estate-related companies and President of a charitable Foundation and art museum, Mr. Morris was also Past-Chairman and Advisory Board member of Wachovia Bank of Miami. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he received the top student in Marketing and Management studies. Mr. Morris is also very civic minded and having lived his whole life in Coral Gables feels very strongly about his City Beautiful. He is the former Chairman of the Florida Chapter YPO (Young Presidents' Organization), and currently a member of WPO (World Presidents' Organization), Executive Committee and Board member of The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Miami-Dade County (chairman of their VeritageMiami Wine and Food Festival) and a lifetime senior member of the Orange Bowl Committee. He has served on many national and local real estate boards and many local philanthropic boards. Mr. Morris has traveled extensively working with international clients, and served Florida on Economic Missions to Europe and Asia. He is also a licensed Commercial Pilot, flying himself on most of his business travel. For fun he spends time diving reefs as a certified scuba diver and is a Tae Kwon Do Master (fourth degree black belt). He has received numerous professional distinctions including the 2009 South Florida Business Leader of the Year Award in Real Estate, the 2011 REAL Trend Setter Award from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the 2014 Business Leader of the Year from the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, the 2016 Miami -Dade County Chairman of the Year Apogee Award from South Florida Business and Wealth magazine. He is a recipient of the Institute of Human Relations Award given by the American Jewish Committee and the prestigious Hickok Award from the Young Presidents’ Organization. His favorite saying sits on the edge of his desk facing visitors “How CAN it be done?”

Miki Naftali is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Naftali Group, established in 2011. With over 25 years of experience in the international real estate industry, Mr. Naftali has a track record of acquiring, developing and managing properties with a total of $9 billion in assets, across North America, Asia, Europe and Israel. Mr. Naftali has developed a vast portfolio of 18 luxury condominium buildings in New York City with a total of 1,333 residential units- among other projects including luxury rental buildings and mixed-use properties. Mr. Naftali is noted for spotting unique opportunities and launching projects that raise the bar for creative development in the domestic and international real estate industries. From an array of ground-up new development to meticulously preserving and restoring landmark buildings, Mr. Naftali’s success in development creates unparalleled demand and value. His most notable project in New York has been the $450 million restoration and reconfiguration of the iconic Plaza Hotel, preserving its beauty and history while transforming it into a successful mixed- use development, containing a five-star hotel, private residences, and celebrated shops with a world-renowned gourmet food hall. Prior to establishing Naftali Group, Mr. Naftali was the President and CEO of Elad Group and its subsidiaries, overseeing all operations in New York, Florida, Canada and Singapore. He was instrumental in launching Elad Canada’s IPO, and served as the chairman after it became public. He established and was the President and CEO of Elad Properties, the development arm of Elad Group, which acquired The Plaza Hotel among other notable properties. Miki Naftali was recognized for his development, marketing and financial activities- ranked No. 18 on the list of the Top 100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate by the New York Observer. Mr. Naftali is the former Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of DGRE, a European real estate investment firm with an impressive portfolio of holdings. Mr. Naftali is an active keynote speaker and accomplished guest lecturer. He has addressed a Private Society at Yale University, the YJP Real Estate Investment Summit, Friends of the IDF and audiences of University of Sothern California and Columbia Business School.