Jul 16 2014
The Miami New Construction Show (MNCS), to be held August 29-31 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, announced today the formation of a seven-member steering committee.
The committee serves in an advisory capacity and is charged with selecting panel presentation content and keynote speakers for the three-day expo, the first-ever real estate event for buyers and investors in South Florida. MNCS selected the following members for the event’s steering committee: Reinaldo Borges, William “Bill” Heffernan, David Lyons, Silvia Sabates Coltrane, J.C. Gomez, Alexander Barthet and Dominic Pickering.
Miami New Construction Show steering committee, associates and board members gather following inaugural committee meeting Tuesday, July 1, 2014. (From left) Bill Hefferman, Alex Barthet, Dominic Pickering, Silvia Sabates Coltrane, Anita Funtek, Reinaldo Borges, Jenny Huertes, John Fakler, J.C. Gomez, David Lyons, and Peter Zalewski. (Photo by Andrea Mate)
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Reinaldo, Bill, David, Silvia, J.C., Alex and Dominic to our steering committee,” said Anita Funtek, CEO of the Miami New Construction Show. “This dynamic group brings a wide variety of executive leadership, operational experience and deep industry connections to our organization. Their knowledge and advice is a critical component as show planning moves forward and gains momentum.”
The steering committee reports directly to the MNCS Board of Directors.
Mr. Borges serves as Principal and CEO of Borges & Associates, a leading architecture, urban planning and interior design firm based in Miami with offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Jeddah. A part of the International Architects Alliance, the firm brings its award-winning portfolio of projects to leading developers of multi-family residential projects, urban mixed-use developments, hotels and resorts, corporate offices, sports arenas, health spas, private villas, retail facilities and life style centers, among others.
Mr. Heffernan serves as a director of Apollo Bank in Miami-Dade and is CEO of Jack Bends LLC, a Miami-based debt-restructuring firm. A former mayor of Miami Shores, Mr. Heffernan began his banking career in the management training program of First National Bank of Miami (later becoming Southeast Bank). In 1980 he left Southeast to become EVP of Plaza Bank of Miami in charge of loans. He became president and CEO of TotalBank when Plaza sold in 1991. While at TotalBank, he led the bank from a two-bank holding company that merged into one in 1996 to more than $2 billion in assets and 15 locations throughout Miami-Dade County.
Mr. Lyons is the former Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Business Review, a leading business daily newspaper in Miami, Florida. A veteran journalist, Mr. Lyons was an award-winning staff writer with the Miami Herald for more than 15 years. He currently works as an independent journalist and consultant.
Ms. Coltrane is CEO and General Partner of Surfside, Florida-based Transacta Developers. A condominium developer with more than three decades of experience, her South Florida portfolio includes Parc Plaza in South Beach, Azure Condominium, Prive Condominium, The Orion Resort, and Lanai, a property repositioned as a 175-room Marriott Residence Inn that will be completed Q1 of 2015. She is also the owner and Broker of Real Estate Transactions, International, a residential and commercial property sales and marketing company with affiliate companies in Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, Bolivia, Italy, France and Dubai.
Mr. Gomez serves as Foreign Relations and Sponsorship Coordinator for the Miami New Construction Show. A native of Barcelona, Spain, Mr. Gomez is founder and CEO of the Miami-based management consulting firm Acquavalor Fund LLC and Managing Partner of Luxury Fractional Investments LLC in Miami. Fluent in English, Portuguese/Brazilian, Spanish, French, Italian and Catalan, he is an international commercial business leader with over 20 years experience turning around new businesses to deliver increased profitability.
Mr. Barthet is a construction industry attorney and principal of Miami’s The Barthet Firm. Specializing in construction/lien disputes, construction prosecution and defense, and construction contract review, Mr. Barthet serves as litigation counsel to several statewide and local contractors and material suppliers. In 2013, he served as Chairman, Miami-Dade Council, Associated Builders and Contractors Florida East Coast Chapter.
Mr. Pickering is Business Development Director-Global Real Estate working out of the Orlando, Florida office of ORB International, a global public relations and media services firm headquartered in London. With more than 15 years experience in the overseas property industry, Mr. Pickering has done business on six continents and in over 20 countries while working for one of the largest overseas property companies in the world. He now helps companies to develop strategies to obtain more overseas clients.
For more information about the Miami New Construction Show, or to schedule an interview with Anita Funtek, contact John Fakler at Media Logistics LLC by phone at 305.970.9709 or email at [email protected].