In the latest roundup of South Florida real estate hiring news, firms sought to bolster their leadership in the region.
Centennial Bank hired two executives in South Florida to bulk up its lending capacity in the region, according to a news release. Frank de Ona and Sonia Suazo both join the bank as vice presidents focusing on commercial lending. De Ona was previously a vice president at Ocean Bank for more than six years. Suazo joins from TD, where she was a vice president in commercial lending for six years.
Douglas Elliman brought in Nir Perets to head sales at Naftali Group’s planned Viceroy Residences Fort Lauderdale condos, according to a release. Perets previously worked on sales in-house for PMG’s planned Sage Intracoastal Residences, also in Fort Lauderdale. Perets has closed more than $2 billion in career sales, the release shows. Naftali launched sales for the 45-story, 370-unit Viceroy project in 2024.
Jaime Sturgis’ Native Realty brought in senior commercial broker Chris Penland, a retail and car wash expert, a release shows. Penland is also the owner of Penland Properties and Pencos, and has consulted on real estate investments and developed retail franchise locations, LinkedIn shows. He was previously president and fund manager for Rocky Mountain Companies in Boise, Idaho.
Four years after launching in Orlando, Compass brought in top agent Jenni Sloan, according to a release. The Central Florida agent has closed more than $500 million in career sales, the release shows.
Commercial brokerage RIPCO Real Estate hired Austin Alves as director of its Miami office, according to a release. He joins the firm from Cohen Commercial Realty in North Palm Beach, where he was a sales and leasing agent for nearly nine years, according to LinkedIn. In his new role, Alves will focus on retail leasing and sales.
