Cover Story Ytech International

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YTECH INTERNATIONAL

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Ytech International expands portfolio, acquires Special To Miami Empresarial Magazine

When we talk about companies that have forged their own legacies, especially when they start small and successfully undertake a national expansion, we wonder: What are the keys to their success? What have they done to get to where they are today?

What are their secrets?

Generally, there are not many secrets; instead, there is a lot of hard

developed and redeveloped more than 7,000 residential units in the Southeastern United States. The company has invested over $1 billion over the years, and its current real estate portfolio makes it one of the largest privately held companies in Miami in terms of aggregate asset value.

This portfolio consists of 3,300 multifamily apartments and develop-

Over the past decade, Ytech has developed and redeveloped more than 7,000 residential units in the Southeastern United States, investing over $1 billion during this time. work, a great intuition for business, detailed strategic plans and a strong sense of passion, dedication and perseverance.

These are some characteristics of Ytech International, one of the most successful and rapidly growing companies in South Florida.

Over the past decade, Ytech has

ment parcels in urban cores and high barrier to entry markets such as Miami Beach and Downtown Miami.

Additionally, Ytech owns singlefamily home subdivisions, retail assets, class A and B office space and employs 150 people across its properties and subsidiary companies.

Under Yamal Yidios’ leadership,

the company’s founder and CEO, Ytech International was chosen as Best Real Estate Developer in 2013 by readers of the Daily Business Review, South Florida’s leading law and real estate publication. Two years later, Daily Business Review readers named Ytech International the Best Multifamily Real Estate Developer of 2015, sharing the honorable distinction with respected companies like the Related Group and Terra Group.

a visionary at the helm It’s not easy nor common to find a person who holds excellent professional qualities, is disciplined, prudent and reflective, with an extensive education, a strong character and relentless determination.

A visionary by nature, Yidios is a calculated risk-taker who is deeply committed to his business endeavors.

When founding Ytech International, he designed a meticulous business plan and committed himself to systematically reinvest all present and future profits into growing his company in the long term.

“Creating a winning team and a self-sustaining culture takes hard work and dedication.

There is no substitute.”

—Yamal Yidios, founder and CEO His keen intelligence, strategic thinking and winning mentality have made this distinguished young Colombian one of Miami’s most brilliant and visionary entrepreneurs in recent years.

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prime brickell avenue real estate

Miami’s Brickell district, once known as South Florida’s major financial center and a force majeur in international banking, is now also a vibrant residential and commercial hub.

q&a with yamal yidios How was the experience of creating and growing a company during the recession and what was the key for Ytech International to benefit from it?

Yamal Yidios: I developed a roadmap for Ytech amidst financial instability —the real estate, mortgage and economic crisis in the U.S. lasted for almost five years, encouraging us to place greater importance on strategic planning and constant prospective analysis of investment and risk scenarios, in order to anticipate change and position ourselves competitively in the market.

With clear goals in mind, the entire Ytech team agreed to work with strong resolve and developed a winning corporate mentality.

Today, while our capabilities have expanded and our objectives have evolved, our commitment to our business principles remain constant.

What is Ytech International’s most recent accomplishment?

YY: We recently acquired the Bank United Office Building located at 1428 Brickell Avenue; in my opinion, one of the most desirable development properties remaining in Miaplease turn to the next page >

“Transactions like these (acquiring 1428 Brickell Avenue) require total immersion. We had to make strategic business decisions, one after another, and at a very fast pace.”

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tory cover story cover story cover story cover story cover story cover story cove ve mi's Brickell financial district.

The property consists of a 50,000square foot site on Brickell Avenue, which is zoned for a mixed-use project of up to 80 stories and 825,000 square feet of construction, and is presently home to the 100,762-square foot BankUnited office building.

This was a very challenging yet rewarding business undertaking as the property had been entangled in high-profile litigation for many years, making the asset difficult to develop or transact. In fact, the property was on the brink of a summary judgment foreclosure hearing when Ytech was asked to become involved.

Buying the mortgage and postponing the foreclosure action was just the first step in the eventual purchase. In a series of separate transactions and agreements, which involved real estate and non-real estate matters, our legal team and I negotiated to bring an end to years of litigation that included claims by neighboring property owners, lenders and other investors.

Given the risk involved in this transaction, how did Ytech approach the acquisition and what were the necessary steps for a successful closing?

YY: We were convinced that at the end of the day, the dispute would be resolved by settlement or in court in a way that would allow Ytech to perform under its contract with the property owners.

“With a dynamic management style, great optimism and a resilient spirit, we have continually achieved our ambitious acquisition and expansion goals, and have excelled in this increasingly competitive sector.”

Admittedly, it took some confidence to spend a significant amount of money pursuing this deal behind litigation involving a specific performance claim. But we analyzed the situation and deemed it to be a cal-

culated business risk worth taking.

Transactions like these require total immersion. We had to make strategic business decisions, one after another, and at a very fast pace as we had to work through buying the mortgage, postponing a foreclosure, settling numerous litigations and finally, acquiring the property.

I am grateful for the insight, patience and trust from the various parties that allowed me to craft a definitive solution to the very complex matter. My team’s underlying tenacity and perseverance, led by Stuart Kapp and Andrew Levy, overcame all setbacks and challenges. We were relentlessly determined to get all the parties across the finish line.

So it could be said that Ytech International has been successful as a result of its bold visions?

YY: That may be a common denominator with respect to the success of other companies. However, in our case, I believe the secret to our success

RECENT AWARDS RECEIVED BY YAMAL YIDIOS AND YTECH INTERNATIONAL • In January 2017, Yidios was named one of ENR US Southeast's Top Young Professionals.

• In November 2016, Yidios was named a finalist in the Dealmaker of the Year category of South Florida Business Journal's inaugural Structures Award.

• In November 2016, Yidios was named The US Top Hispanic Entrepreneur of 2016 from Negocios Magazine.

• In October 2016, Ytech International was named South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's Company of the Year.

• In November 2015, Ytech International was voted Best MultiFamily Developer of 2015 by Daily Business Review readers.

• In June 2015, the South Florida Business & Wealth Magazine recognized Yidios as the top real estate leader in Miami-Dade County.

• In May 2015, Yidios was listed as one of the Top 100 Power Leaders in South Florida by the South Florida Business Journal.

• In October 2014, Yidios was named one of 22 up-and-coming national real estate leaders in “Tomorrow's Leaders – Southeast” by Real Estate Forum Magazine.

• In June 2014, Yidios was named one of South Florida Business 8 MiamiEmpresarial

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Journal's 40 under 40, which recognizes South Florida's best and brightest young professionals for their success and community involvement.

In May 2014, Yidios was named a Power Leader in Commercial Real Estate in the South Florida Business Journal, a yearly review of movers and shakers in commercial real estate in South Florida.

In the May 2014 issue of Florida Trend Magazine, Yidios was named an All-Star under the age of 40, acknowledging the growth of his business, career achievements and entrepreneurial spirit.

In March 2014, Yidios received the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce HYPE Award in the Entrepreneur category, which honors rising stars in Miami-Dade County who have individually demonstrated outstanding achievement and innovation.

Under Yidios' leadership, Ytech was voted the 2013 Best Real Estate Developer by readers of the Daily Business Review, South Florida's premier legal and real estate publication.

In June 2013, Yidios was named the “Best New Face” in the real estate industry by Miami Today in its annual Best of Miami issue.

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BRICKELL AT A GLANCE One of the features that makes Ytech International’s new acquisition an extremely desirable development property is the impressive view of the surrounding area and of Biscayne Bay from the1400 block of Brickell Avenue. lies in our ability to work effectively as a team. With a dynamic management style, great optimism and a resilient spirit, we have continually achieved our ambitious acquisition and expansion goals, and have excelled in this increasingly competitive sector.

Eventually, it all comes down to people. Creating a winning team and a self-sustaining culture takes hard work and dedication - there is no substitute. We have succeeded as a team because we are disciplined, execute consistently with urgency and skill, have a passion to succeed, and more importantly, share a common goal and vision.

Now that Ytech International is a wellestablished and successful company, as Ytech’s founder, what are you proudest of?

YY: We are honored to have generated a positive social influence for 20,000 local residents and more than

5,000 families by providing contemporary housing and office space, redefining neighborhoods, creating more than 1,000 new jobs and generating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact across 25 submarkets in the Southeastern United States.

“We recently acquired the BankUnited Office Building at 1428 Brickell Avenue; in my opinion, one of the most desirable development properties remaining in Miami’s financial district.”

The strengths that are embedded in Ytech International —the knowledge and cohesiveness of our people, our longstanding relationship and a well-established regional presence— have been the cornerstone of our success. More importantly, the strength of our company has allowed us to always be there for our commu-

aka Manhattan of the South, Wall Street South Area (sp mi) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.19 Population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,975 Population Density (per sq mi) Brickell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,058 Annual Population Growth Rate . . . . . . . 4.8% 2021 Population Projection . . . . . . . . . 38,172 Median Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Households (est. 2016) . . . . . . . . . . . . 19,053 Median Household Income . . . . . . . $102,130 Housing Growth Trends Under Construction (units) . . . . . . . . . 3,346 Proposed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,952 Office Space Inventory (sq ft) . . . . . 6,785,874 Overall Vacancy Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.3% Average Office Rent (sq. ft) . . . . . . . . . $45.72 Office Space Growth Trends Under Construction (sq ft) . . . . . . . . 18,000 Sources: Downtown Development Authority; Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat Office Snapshot Q2 2016

nities, and this commitment enables us to continually invest in building our business for the future.

Finally, our company’s success can be attributed to my team’s leadership skills and hard work. It has been an exceptional 10 years for me personally, as well as a privilege and an honor to work alongside all Ytech’s team members. Their resolve and resilience, in the face of challenges and in the pursuit of opportunities, has been truly inspiring to me. My pride in our company is greater than ever.

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