Real estate firms are staffing up in their South Florida offices.
Colliers brought in Frankie Castellanos as vice president in its Miami office, a press release shows. Castellanos joins the firm from Cushman & Wakefield, where he worked for six years, most recently as a director. In his role with Colliers, Castellanos will focus on industrial services and work alongside EVP Erin Byers and SVP Lauren Pace, the release shows.
Also in Miami, Concord Summit Capital promoted Justin Neelis to senior managing director, a press release shows. He joined the firm in 2020, and has been a managing director of capital markets for the past two and a half years, according to his LinkedIn. Neelis specializes in debt, structured finance and equity, and has closed more than $3 billion in transactions, the release shows.
Concord also hired Cherie Adams as senior vice president of talent acquisition, a press release shows. Adams joins the firm from Well&Nest Recruiting, where she worked for more than four years, LInkedIn shows. In her role with Concord, Adams will oversee the firm’s national recruiting efforts, including in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
Merri Jo Cowen, CEO of Florida and Puerto Rico’s largest MLS, announced she will be stepping down from her position at the end of the year, a press release shows. Cowen has helmed Altamonte Springs-based Stellar MLS since 2008, according to LinkedIn. She will move into a strategic advisory role for Stellar at the start of 2026, while also leading its subsidiary Universal Consulting Opportunities (UCO). She will be succeeded by Stellar’s COO, Shayne Fairley, who has been with the firm since 2005, the release shows.
The Boca Raton-based Vanbronkhorst Team, led by Daniel Vanbronkhorst, is leaving Atlantic Realty Group for the Agency, according to a press release. In addition to Vanbronkhorst, the team includes Jordan Roig, Daniel Bozza, Jonathan Brankamp and Michael DiBonifazio. The group has closed a combined $200 million in career sales, the release shows.
Belgrove Resort & Spa West Palm Beach tapped Brittany Drenth as general manager, according to a press release. Witkoff and Len Blavatnik’s Access Real Estate partnered to buy the Banyan Cay Resort & Golf Club for an estimated $100 million last year, which has since been reimagined as the Dutchman’s Pipe Golf Club and the Belgrove. Drenth joined the resort last year as its assistant general manager, according to the release. Previously, she was assistant general manager of Dolphin Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach for two years, her LinkedIn shows.
Litigator Harold “Ed” Patricoff, Jr. joined the law firm Lawson Huck Gonzalez to open its Miami office, according to a press release. The new office, on the penthouse floor of 101 Alhambra Plaza in Coral Gables, will be dedicated to litigation, corporate and real estate services, the release shows. Patricoff joins Lawson from Duane Morris, where he was a partner in the Miami office for nearly four years. Previously, he spent 30 years as a partner with Shutts & Bowen, his LinkedIn shows.
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