Future of Retail in Vice City

Pola Bunster is the Director of Storytelling at Prism Creative Group, a creative agency of community builders dead set on re-identifying Miami and making culture accessible. A Miami native and University of Miami Theater and English alumna, Pola is a leading voice for the community, celebrating the stories that make Miami unique, inspire change, and generate thoughtful impact for years to come.

Mike Sarasti is the City of Miami’s Chief Innovation Officer, a new position charged with driving innovation, process improvement, collaboration, and customer service across municipal government. Throughout his career serving Miami’s residents, Mr. Sarasti has been instrumental in the advancement of civic services, 311 technology, and open data. He has more than a decade of government experience evaluating government processes, analyzing performance metrics, understanding user needs and improving the usability of resident services. Over the years, he has built relationships with key partners such as Code for America, the White House’s United States Digital Service (USDS), the Knight Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, various local universities, and others throughout Miami’s civic tech community. On his personal time, he also writes, produces, and performs in the electro-experimental-rock duo Raker.

Jonathon manages all activities at East End, along with co-founder David Peretz. For Jonathon, each day represents an opportunity to further establish East End as an institutionally governed best-in-class real estate investment firm. Prior to founding East End, Jonathon was a Managing Principal at both Ruben Companies and Broadway Partners. On a combined basis, he acquired, repositioned, and managed an office portfolio exceeding 15 million square feet located throughout the U.S., as well as 1,000 residential units within New York City and Boston. Jonathon has extensive capital market knowledge, having sourced and structured billions of dollars of equity and debt. He also has broad platform-building experience, having started and grown various real estate related businesses. Earlier in his career, he was a real estate attorney at Fried Frank and Pryor Cashman, handling acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, financings, and REIT mergers. A graduate of Colby College and Fordham Law School, Jonathon sits on the Board of Directors for the Wynwood Business Improvement District and was a long-time board member of both the UJA-Federation of New York and The Children’s Hearing Institute.

Jessica Goldman Srebnick, Co-Chair of Goldman Properties, is a second generation leader of the company founded by her late father, visionary real estate developer, Tony Goldman. Founded in 1968, the award- winning company is a creative real estate firm with a storied history in developing thriving global destinations across the United States. Marrying real estate and public art to build community, Goldman Properties is known for recognizing the value in depressed urban areas and transforming them into iconic neighborhoods such as SoHo in New York City, Center City Philadelphia, Miami Beach, and Wynwood, site of the acclaimed Wynwood Walls, winner of the 2016 “Global Award of Excellence”- Urban Land Institute. In August 2018, Goldman Srebnick was recognized as one of Forbes Icons of Impact for her continued work and leadership. She oversees a diverse portfolio of restaurants, office buildings, galleries, commercial and retail properties and large-scale public art projects including the iconic Houston Bowery wall. In July 2015, Goldman Srebnick founded Goldman Global Arts (GGA), a Miami based creative collective with co-founder, artist Peter Tunney. For its inaugural project, in 2015, the Miami Dolphins NFL franchise commissioned GGA to infuse a global art aesthetic into the newly renovated Hard Rock Stadium. In 2019, Goldman Srebnick authored Walls of Change: The Story of The Wynwood Walls. The book is a retrospective published by Assouline, showcasing Wynwood’s most celebrated murals, by street art’s most iconic figures. GGA continues to produce thought provoking large scale, creative projects for a variety of organizations, including the Miami Heat, Citibank, When We All Vote, and Wynn Hotels. In 2020, GGA was hired by the NFL to infuse street art into Super Bowl LIV in Miami. As a result, and in partnership with the NFL, GGA curated several works by five world-renowned artists including the face of the game day ticket and commemorative program. She also most recently curated a national art campaign for Michelle Obama’s organization When We All Vote to amplify the importance of voting. Goldman Srebnick is an active member of the prestigious Young Presidents Organization (YPO). She graduated from the YPO/Harvard Business School Presidents Leadership Program. She was the Miami- Dade County Co-Chair for the Miami 2020 Super Bowl Host Committee and currently serves as Chair of the Town Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (TSNDC) Board. In 2019, she was awarded the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Alvah H. Chapman, Jr. Young Leader Award of Excellence. In 2021, she was selected as one of the Knight’s Foundation Arts Champions, for her community leadership in helping to enrich arts and culture in South Florida. She is a passionate supporter of the Memorial Sloan Kettering's Cycle for Survival charity. Goldman Srebnick currently resides in Miami with her husband Scott Srebnick, CEO of Goldman Properties and are the proud parents of their 3 sons.

Ilene K. Kobert is a shareholder in the Real Estate Department of the firm's Miami office. Ilene concentrates her practice in various areas of commercial real estate law, representing both landlords and tenants, buyers and sellers, borrowers and lenders in connection with the acquisition, disposition, and development of numerous types of real property in Florida and nationwide. She advises borrowers in connection with secured financings, including acquisition loans, construction loans, and refinances. Ilene has wide-ranging experience counseling national retailers on the acquisition and development of shopping center pads, including the negotiation of ground leases, REAs and other matters affecting title. Ilene’s wide-ranging experience includes counseling clients on retail and restaurant deals, including international QSR companies, fine dining establishments and national retailers. Before joining Greenberg Traurig, Kobert was in-house counsel at Burger King Corporation.

Michael Comras is President and CEO of The Comras Company of Florida, a Miami Beach- based full-service real estate brokerage company founded in 1992. Comras specializes in the leasing and sale of urban and suburban retail properties across South Florida. As a principal in various development entities, Michael also has been involved in the construction, leasing and sale of properties that have evolved into some of the region’s top retail and entertainment destinations. Michael’s talent for seeing transactions from the perspectives of both owners and tenants has generated phenomenal success for once-languishing urban cores. He is extremely active in Miami’s emerging neighborhoods, including the burgeoning Wynwood Arts District, Coconut Grove, Design District and Downtown Miami. His influence also stretches beyond Miami’s urban core through various leasing assignments in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. Clients represented by or located in a Comras property include Polo Ralph Lauren, Sephora, Nike, Forever 21, Apple, Le Pain Quotidian, Capital One Bank, BCBG, J Crew, Madewell, Sephora, Suit Supply, Lucky Strike, Bonobos, Sugarcane, and Tesla to name a few. On Miami’s mainland, Comras recently spearheaded the investor groups’ acquisitions of the lifestyle centers CocoWalk in Coconut Grove and Shops at Sunset Place in South Miami. His latest venture, BLVD at Lenox, a 200,000 square foot, multi-story retail development, features Target’s long-awaited debut on South Beach. Among the firm’s renown redevelopment achievements are the conception of Miami Beach’s Collins Avenue Fashion District and the renaissance of the historic Lincoln Road promenade. These achievements have culminated in Comras’ $370 million sale of an entire Lincoln Road blockfront, the largest sale of a retail property in Miami-Dade County history. New York-born, Comras holds a BA from the University of Miami and an MBA in banking and finance from Pace University. A licensed real estate broker in the state of Florida, he is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers and the Realtor Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches. Comras participates in several business improvement districts and civic committees. He serves on the University of Miami Real Estate Advisory Board and is a sought-after panelist for real estate programs organized by ICSC and a variety of commercial real estate news providers. A former chairman of The Lincoln Road Marketing Association, he has also served on the Miami Beach Mayor’s Blue-Ribbon Task Force on Tourism-Retail- Nightlife/Dining. Charitable activities include The AIR Society of National Jewish Health (founding member), Women of Tomorrow, Bass Museum, Mount Sinai Medical Center and Miami Children’s Hospital.

Josh Gelfman joined Terranova as the Director of Development in October 2014, bringing over a decade of planning, and development experience. Most notably, he has been responsible for developing the firm’s two new buildings in the heart of the emerging NoLi District which is forming at the main thoroughfare to Lincoln Road along Meridian Avenue and North Lincoln Lane. Previously, he had served Mayor Carlos Gimenez of Miami-Dade County as the Deputy Director of the Regulatory and Economic Resources Department. Before moving back to Miami, he was Senior Vice President at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, focusing on public/private real estate transactions. While at NYCEDC he worked on projects that will result in billions of dollars of private investment throughout New York City, including the development of a 500,000 square foot hotel and condominium project in Brooklyn Bridge Park, the development of the world's largest observation wheel and New York City's first luxury outlet mall on 15 acres of surface parking lots in Staten Island, and the redevelopment of a failed mall into the lynchpin development of the revitalization of Downtown Brooklyn. Josh received his undergraduate degree from Brown University, a Master's Degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, and a MBA in real estate and finance from Columbia University. He lives in Miami with his wife and two sons.

Danny Diaz is a Senior Associate at CBRE who focuses on providing brokerage services to retail property owners, landlords and tenants throughout South Florida. Over the course of his decade-long career, he has completed more than 100 retail transactions with an aggregate value of over $80 million. His assignments vary in scope and complexity, and include small shop inline space leasing, big box retail stores and lifestyle centers. With partners Senior Vice President Paco Diaz, a 30-year veteran in South Florida’s retail market, and brother Patxi Diaz, Mr. Diaz is part of a bicultural and bilingual family team that is uniquely equipped to understand all the different nationalities that make Miami – and South Florida – a diverse and dynamic region. Significant assignments for Mr. Diaz include leasing a one-million-square-foot retail portfolio in Miami and Broward counties on behalf of Kimco Realty. On behalf of developer Related Group, he also achieved 85% occupancy in 18 months in the pre-leasing of a new 23,000-square-foot mixed-use center in Ft. Lauderdale’s Flagler Village district. Other notable clients include Benenson Capital, USAA Real Estate Company, Mill Creek Residential Trust, EdR Trust and MMG Equity Partners. Prior to joining CBRE in 2012, Mr. Diaz was responsible for leasing a portfolio of approximately 500,000 square feet with a local retail property management and leasing firm. During this time, Mr. Diaz re-tenanted a 100,000-square-foot- Hialeah shopping center, bringing the property from 82% to 97% in an 18-month period. Mr. Diaz, who has been named CoStar Broker of the Year, has reputation in the industry as a driven professional with a passion for service excellence and successful retail leasing experience. His role covers client reporting, prospecting, lease tracking, negotiation, market and financial analysis.

Throughout his career, Mr. Matus has been involved in thousands of transactions valued at more than $3 billion with expertise spanning across retail, multifamily, hospitality, office, industrial, and land. Prior to joining Franklin Street, Mr. Matus ran Marcus and Millichap’s Fort Lauderdale office as the Vice President/Regional Manager of the company’s Real Estate Investment Services division. He was with Marcus and Millichap for more than 11 years progressing from Sales Associate to Senior Associate, Vice President/Regional Manager of Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, First Vice President of Investments, and as a Director of both the company’s National Retail Group and National Multi Housing Group. Throughout his career, he has acted as a mentor, manager, and trainer for hundreds of agents. Naturally driven, Mr. Matus has received several awards for his accomplishments including being named a 50 Under 40 professional by Real Estate Forum in 2014 and a 40 Under 40 professional in 2010 by the South Florida Business Journal. He received Franklin Street’s Sales Achievement Award in 2015 and is a repeat recipient of Marcus and Millichap’s National Achievement Award, a Top Ten Agent in Ft. Lauderdale, and Rookie of the Year. Highly active in the commercial real estate community, he serves as a member of the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties (NAIOP), Urban Land Institute (ULI), and International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). He is also a dedicated member of his community, volunteering and donating to the non-profits Push America and the Jorge Nation Foundation. Mr. Matus received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Florida and is a licensed real estate broker in the state of Florida.

Brad Meltzer is a Partner and President of Two Roads Development. In this role, he oversees real estate development activities from design through construction and supports the team in identifying new opportunities. Meltzer has facilitated the growth of numerous regional business units scaling some from start up to more than 250 employees. Specializing in delivering high-end projects, Meltzer has led award-winning projects from inception to completion across various asset classes, including condominium, multifamily, hospitality, office, and retail. A sampling of such projects includes Biscayne Beach, The One Thousand Museum Tower, the 4 Tower Paraiso Complex, the Ritz Carlton Residences Miami Beach, The Marquis, Millicento, W Hotel South Beach, One Hotel and Homes, Icon Bay, Carillon Miami Beach (aka Canyon Ranch), Town Center One at Dadeland, Aventura Mall Expansion, Westshore Marina Pointe, Mandarin Oriental Miami. Meltzer led the construction of 15 buildings in excess of 35 stories and 2 in excess of 60 stories. He holds a Masters's in Architecture from Tulane University and has more than 30 years of construction experience, having headed a top national construction firm as its CEO. Meltzer also sits on the Advisory Board of the University of Miami MRED+U and Construction Management programs, Tulane University School of Architecture Advisory Board, Gulliver Prep Board of Trustees, and Voices for Children Board of Directors.

Paul D. Puma joined Kimco Realty in February 2005 and currently serves as the President of the Southern Region. Mr. Puma oversees a combined portfolio of 112 shopping centers, approximately 2019 million square feet, located throughout seven Southeastern states and Puerto Rico. In this capacity, Mr. Puma is responsible for the strategic planning and execution of a comprehensive plan for the Southern Region’s portfolios which include leasing, property management, NOI growth, redevelopment, acquisitions and dispositions, asset management, property finance and accounting, construction, legal and ancillary income. Mr. Puma has over 30 years of shopping center experience and prior to joining Kimco, served as Vice President of Peripheral Development for The Mills Corporation and Sales / Leasing Director for The Rouse Company. Mr. Puma received a Bachelor of Science degree from West Chester State University in 1978.

David Ramos is the Vice President for Hotwire Communications Fision Enterprise Division. As Vice President, his responsibilities include business development, community relations, account management, and consumer sales for new and existing businesses, creating cutting-edge, convenient solutions for all their IT needs in office and commercial properties. He is a proven leader with extensive experience building and leading high performing teams that focus on changing the landscape of our industry within the Commercial Market. David began his cable career at Atlantic Broadband as a door-to-door sales rep, and was then given the opportunity to use his sales, management and innovation skills to improve business performance by leading the Florida region as their Sales Manager. Previously, he served as Vice President of Sales for Advanced Enterprises, one of the largest sales; call centers, and installation vendors for DIRECTV. Prior to that, he was a Director of Sales for Comcast overseeing residential sales, indirect retail, and special markets in South Florida. A graduate of Trinity International University, David holds a B.A. in Organizational Leadership, and a Master of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Miami-Dade College School of Business and is a Certified Business Counselor with the SBA's SCORE program. David’s aim is to continue to drive innovation for Fision customers by introducing products, and services, that fit their technology driven business needs.