South Florida Development and Construction

Javier Cuadros is the Senior Vice President of Development at Newgard Development Group. In his role, he oversees the development of Newgard’s lifestyle residential projects across the Southeast U.S. Immediately prior to joining Newgard, Cuadros spent more than 10 years as Vice President of Development at The Related Group. He oversaw all aspects of pre-development and development activities including entitlement and zoning approvals, design and construction, sales and marketing, financial analysis and budgeting. Many of the projects he oversaw included both a residential and hotel component, such as the SLS LUX Brickell Hotel & Residences, Hyde Midtown and SLS Cancun. Cuadros also worked as a Project Manager for Dacra Development in Miami and a Development Manager for Diursa Development Group, a development company based in Spain. Cuadros holds two bachelor’s degrees --one in Architecture and one in Environmental Design-- from Ball State University. He worked as an architect for six years out of college.

Avra Jain, a Purdue University industrial engineer graduate, has a reputation for developing projects around her favorite pursuits: art and architecture. The recipient of three Sundance Film Awards, Ms. Jain has directed boutique projects that range from converting a warehouse into luxury loft condominiums to the remake of The Vagabond Motel on Biscayne. She is a board member of the MiMo Biscayne Association.

Christian Glauser Benz is the Head of Development for the Americas for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. Based in Miami, Christian leads all development and investment initiatives for the group in the region, focusing on the US, Canada, Latin America and Caribbean. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is an award-winning owner and operator of some of the world’s most luxurious hotels, resorts and residences. Having grown from its Asian roots 60 years ago into a global brand, the Group now operates a portfolio of 50 luxury hotels and residences in 25 countries and territories. Mandarin Oriental’s strong focus in fine dining and wellness has garnered a record 29 Michelin stars and 21 Forbes Spa Awards. Mandarin Oriental is a subsidiary of the Jardine Matheson Group, one of Asia’s largest multinational conglomerates.

Michael is a seasoned construction attorney, who represents owners and developers in the design, construction, and development of a wide array of projects across Florida, including apartments, luxury high-rise condominiums, hotels, industrial, affordable housing, commercial, and mixed-used projects. He handles the negotiation and preparation of construction agreements, professional design agreements, and developer agreements, and assists clients with project administration to identify and achieve early resolution of potential disputes. He also possesses extensive experience representing owners and developers in disputes arising from design and construction agreements, including construction defect and delay claims, insurance coverage, and warranty claims.

Alex Witkoff is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Witkoff’s development activities. He is currently overseeing the West Hollywood EDITION project, which is comprised of a 190-key hotel and 20 branded residences in Los Angeles, California, as well as Drew Las Vegas, a 4,000-room integrated resort adjacent to the expanded Las Vegas Convention Center. Mr. Witkoff has garnered a track record of consistently executing creative strategies across diverse asset classes. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Witkoff honed his expertise in real estate and private equity as a real estate investing analyst at Morgan Stanley. He also gained experience in the industry working with Eastdil Secured, Highgate Hotels, and The Trump Organization. Mr. Witkoff graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where he received a B.S. in Economics with a concentration in Finance and Real Estate.

David Snow is the current Chief of Urban Design for the City of Miami Planning Department and has been with the City since 2007 (11 yrs). Currently he is responsible for coordinating Urban Design efforts within the Department and has overseen high-profile projects such as the Neighborhood Revitalization District (NRD-1) for the Wynwood Neighborhood, Mana Wynwood and Miami Design District Special Area Plans, Regatta Park Design and Virginia Key Master Plan Implementation and Miami 21 Sign Code. David has a Bachelor of Science in Planning and Urban Development from Arizona State University. Served as Chair of the Planners Technical Committee of Miami-Dade County from 2013 – 2014 and currently serves as Vice Chair on the Miami Shores Village Planning and Zoning Board. David continues to work towards making the City of Miami a successful metropolitan center by addressing planning issues related to emerging urban development trends and future adaptation to sea-level rise challenges.

Daniel R. Sheehan is President of Vista Bank, a commercial bank headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with approximately $2 billion in total assets. Based in Palm Beach County, Florida, Dan is responsible for supporting existing Vista Bank markets, overseeing the expansion into Florida, and executing on specific bank-wide initiatives. He is also a member of the Bank’s board of directors. Previously, Mr. Sheehan was Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Professional Bank, which he co-founded in 2008 in Coral Gables, Florida. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Professional Holding Corp (NASDAQ: PFHD) since its inception in 2014, he was responsible for the development and execution of its growth, capital, and leadership plans. Under his leadership, Professional Bank grew its balance sheet approximately 14x before selling to Seacoast Bank in 2022. Professional Bank was recognized as a “Top Place to Work” by the Sun Sentinel in 2021 and received the “Best Places to Work” designation by the South Florida Business Journal for the fourth consecutive year in 2021, placing first among all financial institutions. In 2020 Mr. Sheehan was invited to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington D.C. to discuss the rollout, benefits, and challenges of the newly instituted Paycheck Protection Program. Earlier that year, he was interviewed live on the Fox Business program, “Mornings with Maria,” to discuss the banking industry and the dynamics of the Florida economy following his IPO of Professional Holding Corp. Mr. Sheehan led his team in ringing the bell at NASDAQ’s global headquarters in Times Square to open the trading day on February 14, 2020. From 2016 until 2019, Mr. Sheehan was a real estate investment banker with Walker & Dunlop, Inc. and held a similar position with Cohen Financial from 2005 through 2016. Starting his career at Bear Stearns, he has invested and deployed over $10 billion of institutional real estate capital throughout the U.S. while holding various positions at national real estate investment banks and financial intermediaries. Recognized for his achievements in finance, banking, real estate, and deal-making by South Florida CEO magazine as the “Six Million Dollar Man,” Sheehan was named “Heavy Hitter in Commercial Real Estate Finance” by South Florida Business Journal. He has appeared numerous times as the Daily Business Review’s “Top Dealmaker” in Finance, South Florida Business Journal’s “Power Leaders” for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021, received South Florida Business & Wealth’s “Apogee Award” in 2019, and its Finance Award in 2021, and was included in Palm Beach Magazine’s “Palm Beach 100,” as one of Palm Beach County’s most influential business leaders in 2020 and 2021. An active Young Presidents Organization (YPO) member, Mr. Sheehan has participated in lecture series with the Milken Institute and several other industry interest groups. He has served as an adjunct speaker and lecturer at the University of Miami School of Law on Real Estate Finance and Capital Markets, National Association of Office and Industrial Properties: “How to Survive in a Down Market,” Urban Land Institute’s 2009 South Florida Economic and Development Outlook: “Global Finance and the Money Markets,” and Urban Land Institute’s 2014 South Florida Economic and Development Outlook: “The Money Chase .”He currently serves on the investment advisory board for Alterna Equity Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm, and an operating partner at Interplay, a New York City-based venture capital firm. He is a member of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County. Mr. Sheehan was an economics major and varsity football letterman at Duke University before receiving his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida and his M.B.A. from the University of Miami.

Michael J. Thomas is Co-Chair of the National Construction Law Practice at Greenberg Traurig, P.A. Based in the firm’s Miami office, Michael is a go-to litigator and construction attorney for complex construction litigation and real estate-focused commercial disputes. An accomplished litigator with significant courtroom experience, he works with his clients to find practical and effective, out-of-court resolutions whenever possible. He has represented many of the largest development companies in Florida and counsels his developer clients in all aspects of the design, development and construction of residential, commercial and mixed-use real estate projects, including construction contract negotiation, design services contract negotiation, construction financing, insurance, contract administration, risk management, suretyship, mechanic’s lien law, construction and design defect litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. He is board certified by The Florida Bar in construction law and has received numerous awards and honors, including being named to City & State Florida’s “Construction Power 100” list and Law360’s 2023 list of Construction MVPs.

As General Manager of Suffolk’s East Coast of Florida Region, Tom is responsible for overseeing project teams from the earliest preconstruction efforts through project closeout and beyond. His leadership and operational skills are critical to providing effective guidance for the project team. Tom has over 30 years of industry experience. Prior to his new role at Suffolk, he was Senior Vice President of Florida at a Top 10 US General Contractor according to ENR Top 400, overseeing the Florida Business Unit. Previously, Tom worked on building the Mitsubishi North American Headquarters which is land-leased from the Georgia Port Authority. With a diverse array of projects across Florida, including the Fidelity Information Services (FIS) Headquarters in Jacksonville, Venice Sarasota Memorial Hospital, and Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples, Tom brings a substantial wealth of knowledge to his role at Suffolk. A Purdue University graduate, Tom holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering and Management. He is currently based in South Florida, where he resides with his wife and children.