Built World Advisors Podcast: The Definitive Biography of the People Building Our Cities

By Ben Hoffman & Felipe AzenhaBusiness Entrepreneurship Education Self-Improvement

Built World Advisors Podcast: The Definitive Biography of the People Building Our Cities episodes

July 14Nicole Shiman - Managing Director, EDENS
Nicole Shiman is Managing Director and Regional Head of EDENS Florida, where she oversees one of the most important open-air retail portfolios in the state and leads all new acquisition and development activity, from Fifth & Alton on South Beach to Downtown Palm Beach Gardens.
She joined us over a Maestro Dobel 50 Cristalino Paloma, and the conversation went down just as smooth. We trace her path from growing up in Toronto to the Richard Ivey School of Business, consulting at BCG in Toronto, New York, and Miami, an MBA at Harvard, and deal-making at 13th Floor Investments before EDENS tapped her in 2016 to run Florida. Along the way we get into why everyone who wrote retail's obituary was wrong, how she picks the restaurants and brands she bets on, and what "enriching community through human engagement" actually means when you're underwriting a shopping center.
And because nobody runs a statewide portfolio alone, we close on the person behind the deals: a proud Canadian, a mom of three, and someone who still believes a great shopping center should feel like the center of a neighborhood.
Pour yourself a Paloma and settle in. This one's a fun one.
Connect with us
Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?
📧 Get in touch: Built World Advisors
🎙️ Listen & Watch: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
📱 Follow the show: LinkedIn | Instagram
Connect with the Hosts:
Felipe Azenha
Ben Hoffman
Our Partners & Sponsors
🏢 Studio Space: A special thank you to Büro coworking space for hosting us!
Proudly sponsored by:
Top of Mind PR
Vizzda
Vinya
1 hr 21 min
July 07Andy Ansin, CEO, Sunbeam Properties
Andy Ansin is the third generation of one of South Florida's most enduring families. His grandfather Sidney founded Sunbeam in 1953. His father Ed turned WSVN-Channel 7 into a Miami institution and built the Miramar Park of Commerce. Now, as CEO of Sunbeam Properties and owner of WSVN, Andy is writing the next chapter at a pace that feels a lot like the newsroom he grew up in.
Over a cocktail, we trace the whole arc: a Miami Beach kid running camera cable in the WSVN newsroom as a teenager, coming back after Brown, and stepping into the CEO seat in 2020. Then we get into what he is building now. Miramar Cove, the 125-acre lifestyle center he broke ground on this year, on land his grandfather bought for about a hundred dollars an acre. The Isle of Dreams towers rising in North Bay Village. And the family philosophy behind it, including why he builds with cash instead of debt.
This being a biography show, we also get the side most people never see, including his passion for spearfishing. Turns out the guy running two megaprojects at once finds his head clearest underwater. Grab a drink and settle in.
Connect with us
Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?
📧 Get in touch: Built World Advisors
🎙️ Listen & Watch: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
📱 Follow the show: LinkedIn | Instagram
Connect with the Hosts:
Felipe Azenha
Ben Hoffman
Our Partners & Sponsors
🏢 Studio Space: A special thank you to Büro coworking space for hosting us!
Proudly sponsored by:
Top of Mind PR
Vizzda
Vinya
1 hr 23 min
June 29Camilo Miguel Jr. - Founder & CEO, Mast Capital
Camilo Miguel Jr. is the Founder and CEO of Mast Capital, a vertically integrated real estate investment and development firm he established in 2006. He got his start in 2004 when industry acquaintances took him under their wing on his first project — an experience that instilled a strong belief in mentorship that he actively pays forward today.
Before launching Mast Capital, Miguel founded Vertica Group, a land investment and strategic development firm, and co-founded Clear Title Group, a real estate title insurance company. Those early ventures gave him first-hand exposure to every corner of the industry — from structuring bridge loans and buying distressed debt, to developing and renovating hotels, multifamily buildings, office, and retail.
Over nearly 20 years he has grown Mast Capital into one of South Florida's most prominent developers, with a portfolio worth more than $3.5 billion concentrated in high-barrier-to-entry markets. He leads a team of ~40 people entirely focused on premium residential, commercial, and hospitality properties.
Connect with us
Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?
📧 Get in touch: Built World Advisors
🎙️ Listen & Watch: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
📱 Follow the show: LinkedIn | Instagram
Connect with the Hosts:
Felipe Azenha
Ben Hoffman
Our Partners & Sponsors
🏢 Studio Space: A special thank you to Büro coworking space for hosting us!
Proudly sponsored by:
Top of Mind PR
Vizzda
Vinya
1 hr 19 min
June 17Eddy Arriola - Founder & CEO, Arriola & Co.
We sat down with Eddy Arriola at Büro over gin and tonics for a conversation about building, scaling, and trust. Eddy founded Apollo Bank during the financial crisis and grew it into one of the Southeast's most respected banks before a successful sale in 2022. He's served on boards across banking, fintech, and healthcare, and was appointed by the president and confirmed by the US Senate as chairman of the Inter-American Foundation, serving under three administrations. Today he coaches CEOs through his firm, Arriola & Co.
We dig into his new book, It's All About Relationships, which lays out the six arenas every CEO must master and a practical method for turning relationships into a strategic advantage. His core point: trust, not authority, is what holds leadership together. A great talk about navigating a bank through a crisis, the isolation of the CEO seat, and the relationships that make leadership work.
Connect with us
Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?
📧 Get in touch: Built World Advisors
🎙️ Listen & Watch: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
📱 Follow the show: LinkedIn | Instagram
Connect with the Hosts:
Felipe Azenha
Ben Hoffman
Our Partners & Sponsors
🏢 Studio Space: A special thank you to Büro coworking space for hosting us!
Proudly sponsored by:
Top of Mind PR
Vizzda
Vinya
1 hr 54 min
June 11Daniel "Danny" Diaz Leyva - Partner, Day Pitney LLP
In this episode, we are joined by a true Miami OG, Danny Leyva, partner and head of Day Pitney's Florida Real Estate practice group. Over a glass of Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia, Danny shares his unique, boots-on-the-ground perspective on the incredible evolution of the South Florida market.
From navigating complex transactional structures and land-use regulations to tracking the massive influx of commercial real estate investments driven by Latin American family offices, Danny has a front-row seat to the region's growth. We dive deep into where international capital is flowing from, which submarkets are absorbing it, and what the future holds for the Miami landscape. Whether you are a developer or investor, Danny’s insights offer an invaluable look into the legal and financial mechanisms shaping our built world.
In this episode, we discuss:
Danny’s journey and his role leading Day Pitney’s real estate group in Florida.
The mechanics of local land-use, zoning, and navigating complex transactions in a mature market.
The rise of Latin American family offices and their shifting strategies toward Miami commercial real estate.
A macro view of current capital flows and where the next wave of investment is headed.
Connect with us
Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?
📧 Get in touch: Built World Advisors
🎙️ Listen & Watch: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
📱 Follow the show: LinkedIn | Instagram
Connect with the Hosts:
Felipe Azenha
Ben Hoffman
Our Partners & Sponsors
🏢 Studio Space: A special thank you to Büro coworking space for hosting us!
Proudly sponsored by:
Top of Mind PR
Vizzda
Vinya
1 hr 36 min
June 10Carlos Lago, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig LLP.
Carlos came in with a beautiful bottle of Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia on a Friday afternoon. As a land use lawyer at Greenberg Traurig, he's spent his career navigating the intersection of development, politics, zoning, and city-building; he is one of the attorneys behind many of Miami's most impactful real estate projects. We discuss how major projects actually get approved, the evolution of neighborhoods like Wynwood and Edgewater, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the deals, negotiations, and public processes that are shaping the future of Miami.
Connect with us
Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?
📧 Get in touch: Built World Advisors
🎙️ Listen & Watch: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
📱 Follow the show: LinkedIn | Instagram
Connect with the Hosts:
Felipe Azenha
Ben Hoffman
Our Partners & Sponsors
🏢 Studio Space: A special thank you to Büro coworking space for hosting us!
Proudly sponsored by:
Top of Mind PR
Vizzda
Vinya
1 hr 43 min
May 29Frankie Ruiz - Co-Founder, Life Time Miami Marathon | Breakwater Hospitality
Frankie Ruiz helped build Miami's running culture from the ground up. In this episode, he shares the story behind founding the Miami Marathon, scaling and selling the business, leading Nike Run Club across the Southeast, and spending more than two decades shaping Miami's parks, trails, and active lifestyle community; as well as his new ventures with Breakwater Hospitality Group. It's a conversation about entrepreneurship, civic impact, and the power of not stopping.
Connect with us
Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?
📧 Get in touch: Built World Advisors
🎙️ Listen & Watch: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
📱 Follow the show: LinkedIn | Instagram
Connect with the Hosts:
Felipe Azenha
Ben Hoffman
Our Partners & Sponsors
🏢 Studio Space: A special thank you to Büro coworking space for hosting us!
Proudly sponsored by:
Top of Mind PR
Vizzda
Vinya
1 hr 50 min
May 27Raimundo Onetto - Principal & CEO, Alta Developers
Onetto has 35 years of development experience, bringing over 3,500 units to the South Florida market. An architect by trade, he began his career as the Founder & Partner of the Chilean architecture firm Archiplan. In 2002, he brought his family to Miami and partnered with Terra Group to introduce Archiplan USA. In 2010 he founded Alta Developers.

Connect with us
Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?
📧 Get in touch: Built World Advisors
🎙️ Listen & Watch: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
📱 Follow the show: LinkedIn | Instagram
Connect with the Hosts:
Felipe Azenha
Ben Hoffman
Our Partners & Sponsors
🏢 Studio Space: A special thank you to Büro coworking space for hosting us!
Proudly sponsored by:
Top of Mind PR
Vizzda
Vinya
1 hr 16 min
May 12Don Peebles - Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the Peebles Corporation
On this episode of The Built World, we sit down with legendary developer Don Peebles founder and CEO of The Peebles Corporation. Over a glass of tequila Don shares the story of building one of the largest real estate development firms in the country, from working as a congressional page at 13 to winning the Royal Palm Hotel deal on Miami Beach and developing the Bath Club.

We discuss his first development deal, public-private partnerships, billion-dollar projects, wealth, politics, succession planning, and the future of American cities in a candid conversation filled with lessons from over four decades in real estate.
Connect with us
Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?
📧 Get in touch: Built World Advisors
🎙️ Listen & Watch: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
📱 Follow the show: LinkedIn | Instagram
Connect with the Hosts:
Felipe Azenha
Ben Hoffman
Our Partners & Sponsors
🏢 Studio Space: A special thank you to Büro coworking space for hosting us!
Proudly sponsored by:
Top of Mind PR
Vizzda
Vinya
1 hr 57 min
May 06Q1 Market Update: Industrial, Impact of AI & Oil Prices on the Economy
Our quarterly sit-down with Juan Arias, National Director of U.S. Industrial Analytics at CoStar, and Anthony Graziano, CEO of Integra Realty Resources. We covered softening industrial demand, the data center capital rotation story, and the Iran war, specifically what elevated oil prices mean for the broader economy and how a sustained energy shock could ripple through CRE.
The conversation also turned to AI: Juan and Anthony walked us through how CoStar and IRR are deploying it inside their own businesses, where it is already changing analytics and valuation, and where they see it reshaping the industry over the next few years.
Connect with us
Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?
📧 Get in touch: Built World Advisors
🎙️ Listen & Watch: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
📱 Follow the show: LinkedIn | Instagram
Connect with the Hosts:
Felipe Azenha
Ben Hoffman
Our Partners & Sponsors
🏢 Studio Space: A special thank you to Büro coworking space for hosting us!
Proudly sponsored by:
Top of Mind PR
Vizzda
Vinya
1 hr 52 min

About Built World Advisors Podcast: The Definitive Biography of the People Building Our Cities

From the publisher's feed

The Built World Podcast is the premier biographical series and educational resource dedicated to the visionaries, risk-takers, and Institutional Operators shaping the landscape of…

Commercial Real Estate (CRE), Urbanism, and Property Development.

Hosted by Felipe Azenha and Ben Hoffman, active Commercial Real Estate Brokers and Co-Founders of Built World Advisors in Miami, this show is more than a market update—it is a deep-dive exploration into the life stories, personal philosophies, and investment strategies of the industry’s most influential leaders. Each episode is a professional masterclass delivered through the lens of a personal history, uncovering the "good, the bad, and the ugly" of the entrepreneur’s journey from their first deal to their most iconic project.

Conversations, Cocktails, and High-Level Banter

We believe the best insights happen when the guard comes down. Our signature "Conversations & Cocktails" format creates a relaxed, inviting atmosphere where the banter is light, the humor is sharp, and the drinks are flowing. But don't let the cocktails fool you—the dialogue is profoundly intelligent, offering a tactical look at the Capital Stack, Asset Management, and Market Economics. It’s the kind of high-stakes "shop talk" you usually only hear in a private boardroom or a closed-door partner meeting.

Virtually Every Asset Class Explored:

While Felipe and Ben are specialists in the Miami Industrial and Warehouse sector, The Built World Podcast explores the entire spectrum of the built environment. We provide high-level analysis across virtually every asset class, including:

Industrial & Logistics: From Small-Bay Industrial and Last-Mile Distribution to Flex Space and Cold Storage.
Multifamily & Residential: High-rise luxury, Workforce Housing, and Build-to-Rent (BTR).
Office & Mixed-Use: The evolution of the workplace and the rise of Live-Work-Play environments.
Retail & Hospitality: The transformation of the High Street, boutique hotels, and experiential retail.
Niche Assets: Self-storage, medical office buildings (MOB), and life sciences.

What We Explore:

If you are looking for an insider’s read on the South Florida Real Estate Market and national CRE Trends, we dive deep into:

The Miami Market: Navigating the Miami Skyline, Wynwood, Brickell, Miami Beach and beyond.
Capital Markets & Debt: Real-time perspectives on Cap Rates, interest rate impacts, GP/LP structures, and why veteran operators are moving off the sidelines.
The Operator’s Playbook: A look at the "Operator" side of the business—scaling income, professionalizing property management, and building high-performance brokerage teams.
PropTech & Innovation: How AI in Real Estate, advanced prospecting tools, and new construction technologies are redefining Placemaking.

Our Guest List:

We feature a "Who’s Who" of the built world, including: Real Estate Developers, Principals, Institutional Asset Managers, Capital Markets Brokers, Architects, Attorneys, and Urban Planners.

Who This Is For: Whether you are a seasoned Commercial Broker, an Active Investor looking for a Value-Add play, a student, or an entrepreneur obsessed with the future of our cities, this show offers a front-row seat to the minds redefining the built world.