The Future of Downtown and Miami's Urban Core

Jon was a founding principal of ADD Inc Miami, an architecture and interior design practice which grew from two employees to over 100 before they joined Stantec in 2015. With the addition of a structural and civil engineering team, Jon now oversees 130 employees. He also co-develops the overall strategy, business development, and marketing of our growing Commercial Sector practice nationwide. Our Miami office has realized exponential growth under Jon’s client-focused leadership, designing hundreds of high-profile development projects and towers from the city’s urban core to the shoreline, helping to reshape the South Florida skyline. Recently, Jon has also proudly spearheaded the restoration of seven historic Art Deco hotels along the iconic Collins Avenue, merging each hotel’s timeless qualities with new, modern aesthetics. As a senior principal and seasoned architect, Jon specializes in commercial building design and project economics, analyzing the overall objectives which developers, public agencies, and neighborhoods envision. He uses that information to uncover additional development cost savings, ongoing operational efficiencies, and marketing benefits for high-profile, large-scale projects. Drawing from over 20 years of planning and design expertise, Jon organizes building forms, building uses, and sustainable design techniques to create dynamic, multi-faceted spaces which promote enjoyment, wellness, and productivity.

Christian Glauser Benz is the Managing Partner of Swiss based Leman Holdings, a boutique real estate investment and advisory platform with offices in Switzerland and the US. The group recently announced expansion plans for North America with a new $1.5 billion investment in luxury hospitality and mixed-use projects across the US, Mexico and the Caribbean. www.lemanholdings.com

Andrew is a real estate developer and zoning lawyer with more than 15 years of experience, and a past winner of the ULI Southeast Florida Young Leader of the Year. He is founder and principal of Tecela, through which he serves as sole sponsor and guarantor of small real estate development projects with a focus on urban neighborhoods. Andrew is also Director of Development, overseeing a team of development managers, at Fortis Design + Build, which serves as fee developer for larger urban projects of various uses, including multifamily, office, retail, and hotel. Prior to Tecela and Fortis, Andrew was development manager of more than 1,200 apartments at CC Residential, and zoning lawyer for several million square feet of development at Akerman and Gunster. He is an occasional adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Architecture, where he won the Faculty Award. His volunteer activities include serving as a Governor’s appointee on the Governing Board of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, and vice-chair for policy of the ULI Southeast Florida. He formerly served as founder and executive director of Townhouse Center; founder and executive director of Dawn Town, for which he won the Knight Arts Challenge; and chair of the Chapman Partnership Next Gen Committee.

Following an internship with the Chief Judge for the Southern District of Florida, Jerome Hollo obtained a Juris Doctorate in 1993. Jerome practiced for three years with the law firm of Rosenthal, Rosenthal, and Rasco, where he established a leading transactional practice. In 1994, he was recognized by his peers and was elected to the Board of Directors of the Miami-Dade County Bar Association, where he served for three years. In 1995, Jerome joined FECR as Vice President and General Counsel to the company. Since joining the company, Jerome has become intimately involved in all facets of the business—from the acquisition and development of the Hobe Shops retail center in 1995, to the design and approvals of Bay Parc Plaza, a 471-unit residential apartment building located in Downtown Miami. During this time, he has directed the closely-held company, Quantum Development Group, which has been developing land and building single-family homes in the Orlando area since 1995. Jerome also spearheaded marketing, sales, and construction of the Townhomes of Quayside. Additionally, Jerome has been directing FECR’s projects in the New York area, including the completion of the Element Condominium on Manhattan’s West Side, 20 East End on the Upper East Side, and Brynwood Golf & Country Club in Armonk, New York. Currently, Jerome is directing project development for Panorama Tower (which is under construction) and predevelopment for The Towers by Foster + Partners. Jerome has been directly involved and routinely liaisons with municipal, community, and civic organizations. In 2002, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA), which oversees the growth and development of Miami’s core district. In addition, he has been inducted as a Founder of Mt. Sinai Hospital, and in May 2011, he was recognized by the business community and Business Leader Magazine as a Business Leader of the Year for Commercial Development. Throughout his time at FECR, Jerome has and will continue to be an integral part of the continuing success of the company and a conscientious supporter of the community of which he is a part.

For nearly three decades, real estate industry veteran Louis Birdman has taken a leadership role in the development of over 70 residential projects, comprising more than 18,000 residential units nationwide.   Mr. Birdman has a significant background in property acquisitions, dispositions, entitlements, financing, planning, design, construction, sales and marketing. Mr. Birdman has been a principal investor and developer in numerous real estate developments projects throughout Florida and nationwide, including Las Vegas, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. He is also the founder and principal of Louis Birdman Architect, an architectural consulting practice that provides consulting services to developers of real estate in both related and unrelated entities. He has been a registered architect licensed in Florida since 1989 and has held architectural licenses in multiple jurisdictions in the United States, including Chicago, New York and Nevada. Mr. Birdman is currently the Co-Developer of One Thousand Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects, a 62-story, ultra-luxury high-rise condominium Tower in Miami, FL with 83 half-floor and full-floor residences. One Thousand Museum is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in mid-2018, slated to be Miami’s most iconic tower and the centerpiece of Miami’s Museum Park. Mr. Birdman is also the Co- Developer of The Diplomat Golf & Tennis Club, an iconic 130-acre, 1950’s Golf Resort in Hallandale Beach, FL that is currently being entitled for redevelopment. The redevelopment plans will include a redesign of the golf course, the renovation of the existing 60-room hotel, club, and banquet facilities with the planned construction of four new towers with a total 1,200 new hotel-condo units and residential condominium units. Mr. Birdman has most recently launched a unique commercial condominium concept, AutoHouse, a unique auto-centric development and private members-only social club that provides luxury storage and display for high-end and collectable vehicles.

Nitin Motwani has been the managing principal of Miami Worldcenter since 2006. He is responsible for everything from land acquisition, zoning, and entitlements to financing, joint ventures, and development. Mr. Motwani is also a managing director of Encore Capital Management, which currently has over $1 billion of investments across the country, including holdings in Florida, California, Texas, and Arizona. Earlier in his career, Mr. Motwani was the president of Merrimac Ventures. Mr. Motwani is also actively involved in building the Miami community, through his roles as the chair of the Economic Development and Technology/Marketing and Communications Committees of Miami's Downtown Development Authority. Mr. Motwani is also a member of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and the Beacon Council. He is also a co-chair of the nonprofit Operation Hope for Haiti, which has helped Haiti position itself for a sustainable, long-term recovery tied to economic development, education, and health.

Suzanne M. Amaducci-Adams, Real Estate Practice Group Leader, has extensive experience in handling all aspects of commercial real estate and finance transactions, including acquisitions, mixed-use development, leasing, public private partnerships, commercial mortgage backed securities, and loan restructurings. Suzanne is very active in the areas of marina and hotel acquisition, finance and development, and leads the firm's Hospitality Group.

Reinaldo Borges has a Masters Degree in Architecture with a focus on Mixed-Use and Hybrid urban projects and urban design. With over 25 years of Professional experience, he has won numerous international design competitions awards. His work has been published in national and international architectural publications and ranges from design collaboration of the New American Airlines Arena in Miami, to the Royal Palm Crowne Plaza Resort Hotel in South Miami Beach, to a New Carillon Canyon Ranch Resort in Miami Beach, to Community Centers and Fire Stations in Sunrise Florida. He is a Florida and Maryland registered architect, a certified member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and an active member of the American Institute of Architects and the US Green Building Council. Reinaldo has developed a well-rounded background in the field of architecture, in projects ranging from luxury high-rise multi-family residences to resort/urban hotels and complex mixed-use facilities to Fire Stations and Building renovations. Moderate to Luxury condominium high-rise design and hospitality projects are his strongest design specialties. Reinaldo uses responsive creative problem solving from concept to final detailed execution of the work, with an enthusiastic team oriented approach. He has successfully collaborated with national design teams in design collaborations numerous times. During the design of the new American Airlines Arena where Mr. Borges as the design leader, directed a team of over 20 design professional ranging from Sports Architects to Structural and Mechanical Engineers. Rigorous design oriented and balanced with a strong technical background is the Borges leadership approach to the profession of architecture and engineering systems. PROJECT EXPERIENCE • 888 Brickell Corporate Tower, LEED Building, Miami FL • Palm Center Residential Mixed-Use Housing, Sustainable Design, Hialeah FL • Infinity at Brickell Phase I, 60 story, Condo Tower, Miami FL • Miami Free Trade Zone, Office Building, Miami Fl • UPS Distribution Center, Miami FL • Susquehana Financial Office, LEED Building, Hagerstown, MD • Mansion on the Beach, Condo Hotel, Miami Beach Fl • Lofts at Mayfair, Coconut Grove Fl • Webster Hotel Boutique, Miami Beach Fl • E-suites Business Hotel Prototype, 150 Key- 300 Locations USA • Beach Club in Marco Island, Restaurant and Club, marco Island Fl • Royal Palm Resort Hotel, 424 room, 2 17 story Towes, Historic Preservation MB • Carillon Swisshotel, 650 rooms in 2 towers with Convention Facilities, MB • American Airlines Arena, 20,000 Basketball seating, mullet- use Arena, Miami Fl • Community Village Beach Club, Sunrise Fl • Fire Station No 83, Police Substation, Sunrise FL