Moving? Expanding? Staying put? South Florida CEOs talk about their office plans

This week’s question to South Florida CEOs who are on the Miami Herald CEO Roundtable: Looking out in the next 12-24 months, if your office lease is expiring, do you plan to move? If so, what kind of space, and neighborhood, do you envision moving to?

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We have always owned all the real estate which we have occupied. This is less conventional because great sums of capital are tied up in real estate. The bright side is that we can always control our own destiny.

Armando Caceres, CEO, founder, All Florida Paper

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We actually renewed our lease a few years ago, renovated, and significantly increased the size of our space. We enjoy being on Brickell Avenue.

Kelly-Ann Cartwright, executive partner, Holland & Knight Miami chair of the firm’s Directors Committee

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Due to our continued growth, last year we moved into a much larger and well-suited facility. We do not have any plans of moving and in fact are taking steps toward making this our home for many years to come.

Ralph De La Rosa, president, CEO, Imperial Freight

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We are happy with our South Miami neighborhood and do not currently plan to move locations. In fact, we are considering expanding our office space and occupying more units within our building as our firm continues to grow.

Jalal Farooq, principal, Al-Farooq Corporation

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We rent our location and we look for locations that are quiet and not without traffic congestion.

Kaizad Hansotia, founder, CEO, Gurkha Cigars

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We’ve been strategic in selecting our locations based on market potential, convenience and cost. We’re not looking to make any changes at this time.

Javier Holtz, chairman, CEO, Marquis Bank

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We recently moved the Mast Capital office from Miami Beach to Coconut Grove, a welcomed change by our staff. People want the convenience of living closer to work as well as accessibility to dining and entertainment options. The Grove offers a strong sense of community, where people can find a more laid-back place to live, work and play amongst the bustling City of Miami; connectivity to major areas, such as the Central Business District; and built-in opportunities for work and play.

Camilo Miguel Jr., founder, CEO, Mast Capital

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We are looking for shared office space in South Miami in an attempt to minimize our commute.

Noreen Sablotsky, founder, CEO, Imalac

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The museum has a long-term lease with the City of Miami and we are very fortunate to have the support of the city as well as Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida. Our location is at the gateway of Miami and Miami Beach, which makes us very accessible for families in the tricounty area. We have no plans of moving and have invested nearly $20 million recently in making the museum more energy efficient, renovating all of our exhibits and we are planning an expansion that will be completed in 2020.

Deborah Spiegelman, CEO, Miami Children’s Museum

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Office space and location is definitely an important factor for our nearly 900 associates, and our emphasis has been on upgrading our space to create a contemporary, high energy environment that ensures we remain an employer of choice in South Florida.

Steve Upshaw, CEO, Cross Country Home Services

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Meet the new members of our CEO Roundtable

THE MIAMI HERALD CEO ROUNDTABLE IS A WEEKLY FEATURE THAT APPEARS IN BUSINESS MONDAY OF THE MIAMI HERALD. RECENT QUESTIONS HAVE INCLUDED

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