yet. He continues to develop high-rises in Bonita Bay and luxury golf
course communities, one in Naples and another in North Carolina,
and has developed and owns shopping centers and office buildings
in the region. Lutgert also oversees the firm’s diverse holdings,
which include Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, Signature
Sotheby’s International Realty, Lutgert Insurance and Lutgert Title.
JOSE MILTON
When Jose Milton emigrated to Miami in 1963, the young Cuban
architect and builder set his sights on rebuilding the successful contracting and real estate investment business
he left behind in his homeland. He did that
and more with J. Milton & Associates. Milton
launched his Miami vision with small apartments and went on to build a real estate
empire. J. Milton & Associates has developed more than 50,000 rental units and
more than $2 billion in condos. Landmark
projects include Sands Pointe, Pinnacle,
King David, Sayan and St. Tropez. Milton
has since handed the reigns to his son,
Joseph, who serves as president and CEO of
the family business alongside his brothers, Cecil and Frank Milton.
W. ALLEN MORRIS
W. Allen Morris heads one of the largest development and office
building management firms in Florida, recently completing its 78th
office development in Coral Gables and currently building the
Ponce de Leon Towers. The chairman
and CEO of the Allen Morris Co. is a
frequent guest on Fox Business News’
Cavuto with Neil Cavuto, as well as the Fox
Business Morning Break with Charles Payne
and The Strategy Room with Eric Bolling.
Morris, a graduate of Harvard Business
School, is an officer and director at more
than 35 real estate-related companies
and president of three charitable foundations. He’s traveled extensively, working with international clients, and served
Florida on Economic Missions to Europe
and Asia. Morris has received numerous
professional distinctions including the 2009 South Florida Business
Leader of the Year Award in Real Estate and the 2011 REAL Trend
Setter Award from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.
TIMOTHY O’CONNOR
For more than 30 years, Timothy O’Connor
has been making commercial real estate
loans, both as a lender and mortgage
banker. He joined NorthMarq Capital in
2003 when it acquired the mortgage banking division of Legg Mason Real Estate
Services, which he’d served since 1993. As
senior EVP and head of production for
NorthMarq’s eastern offices, Orlando-based O’Connor continues to get deals
done as he oversees all production-related
activity and serves as the primary liaison for correspondent investors.
At LMRES, O’Connor was a member of the executive management
committee and executive staff. Before LMRES, he was the president,
chief production officer and New Jersey regional manager for
Dorman & Wilson Inc.
www.reforum.com
STEPHEN OWENS
Stephen Owens’ name is known on several
continents. A 35-year veteran of Swire
Properties, Owens has led the multinational
firm’s US development and investment operations since 1985. He headed the master
planning of Brickell Key in Downtown Miami,
a major mixed-use urban project that
included Courvoisier Centre office complex, the three-tower, 800-
unit Tequesta Point condominium; Courvoisier Courts, Courts
Brickell Key, Carbonell and ASIA luxury condos with a combined
total of 1,800 units; and the 336-condo JADE at Brickell Bay. Owens
also directed the development of the 329-room luxury Mandarin
Oriental Miami. Altogether, Owens’ work at Swire has spanned $2.8
billion in projects in Florida, Hawaii, Texas and Hong Kong.
DARRYL W. PARMENTER
Darryl Parmenter had a sterling career with the likes of Lincoln
Property Co. and CBRE. He used the experience he amassed in real
estate acquisition, development and management to launch
Parmenter Realty Partners in 1989. As chairman and CEO, he’s led
the firm in raising over $1 billion in
direct capital contributions, and
invested and managed office and residential assets across the US, including
a $500-million fund targeting distressed assets in the Southeast. During
his 10 years at Lincoln, Parmenter
directed the development, management and acquisition program for
assets valued in excess of $400 million,
including the development of 701
Brickell Ave. He is currently a governor for the Urban Land Institute.
JORGE PÉREZ
Known as the “Donald Trump of the Tropics,” Jorge Pérez is the
name behind the vision for a 24/7 Downtown Miami. Born in
Argentina to Cuban parents and raised
in Colombia before moving to Miami in
1968, he is also the picture of multicul-turalism—but he had humble beginnings. Before founding the Related Cos.
in 1979, Pérez was an economic development director with the City of Miami. He
built his fortune by developing and operating low-income apartments across
Miami, then branched off into rentals
before becoming one of the most prolific
high-rise condo builders in the Southeast.
Pérez has owned 50 condo towers in various stages of completion in South
Florida, Fort Myers and Las Vegas. The Related Cos. had $2.1 billion
in revenue in 2004, putting Pérez at the top of the Hispanic Business
500 that year, and Time magazine has named him as one of the Most
Influential Hispanics in America.
CRAIG ROBINS
Craig Robins’ name is nearly synonymous with creative communities that integrate art and design. The president and CEO of Dacra,
he’s the mastermind behind some of the most transformative commercial, residential and mixed-use projects in Miami history.
Robins founded Dacra in 2007 and played an integral role in the
APRIL 2012 REAL ESTATE FORUM 33
