ALLEN C. DE OLAZARRA
CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Allen C. de Olazarra is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SPECIAL SITUATIONS, LLC a vertically integrated private real estate investment company, headquartered in Miami and operating in major markets throughout the Sunbelt and Mountain West.
Prior to founding SPECIAL SITUATIONS, LLC, Mr. de Olazarra was the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of America’s Capital Partners, a fully integrated private real estate investment and operating company active throughout the southeast and mid Atlantic regions of the United States. Between 1998 and 2013, America’s Capital Partners acquired and realized on over $3 Billion in real estate investment and development transactions.
Prior to founding America’s Capital Partners, Mr. de Olazarra was the President of Associated Capital Properties, Inc. one of the leading real estate operating and investment companies in Florida. Between 1993 and 1997, Associated Capital Properties acquired over 80 office properties throughout the state of Florida aggregating over 6,500,000 square feet. On October 1st, 1997 Associated Capital Properties merged with Highwoods Properties, a real estate investment trust, in a transaction valued at $622 million. Mr. de Olazarra remained with Highwoods for eight month after the merger with responsibility for acquisitions and development in Florida and the integration of the two companies.
Mr. de Olazarra started his real estate career at Cushman and Wakefield in 1982 serving as Senior Director until 1993. While at C&W Mr. de Olazarra focused on office leasing, investment sales and workouts and twice earned Cushman and Wakefield’s prestigious “Deal of the Year” award.
Mr. de Olazarra received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Virginia in 1981 and has remained active in the University community. Mr. de Olazarra currently serves as a Trustee of the Foundation for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia, is a Founding Fellow of the University of Virginia Real Estate Institute and is the Executive in Residence at the Center for Growth Enterprises. Mr. de Olazarra also serves on the Real Estate Advisory Board at Florida State University and is an occasional lecturer at FSU, Columbia and NYU. Mr. de Olazarra is a member of the Urban Land Institute and the Real Estate Roundtable.
Together with his wife Diane, the de Olazarra’s have focused their philanthropic efforts on matters that involve advocacy and educational opportunities for children, the Arts and the environment. Diane and Allen reside in Coconut Grove, Florida and Charlottesville, Virginia. They have three daughters.
BRETT W. HARRIS, CPM®, CCIM
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF ASSET MANAGEMENT
Mr. Brett Harris is the Executive Vice President of Asset Management for SPECIAL SITUATIONS, LLC. He is a recognized, performance-driven senior executive with over twenty years of comprehensive achievements in commercial real estate investments and organizational leadership. As a commercial real estate innovator, Mr. Harris focuses on the company’s efficiency, team building, growth, profit, and value, which is backed by his career experience guiding the successful restoration, redevelopment, and repositioning of diverse projects including REO properties, trophy assets, multi-family assets, office, retail, and industrial projects, both nationally and internationally, comprising over 50 million square feet of real estate.
Prior to SPECIAL SITUATIONS, LLC, Mr. Harris was the Executive Vice President of Operations of CenterStar, a privately held investor/development company operating in Northeastern markets and Florida. His design, implementation, and management of progressive operations resulted in significantly increased cash flow and property values by double-digit percentages. The portfolio he repositioned to achieve this result consisted of grocery-anchored shopping centers, office, industrial and multifamily properties in NY, NJ and FL, and development projects in FL and NJ with a value of $150M to $200M.
Prior to CenterStar, Mr. Harris was the Executive Vice President of Operations of South Florida’s Adler Group, where he directed the growth and regional expansion of diversified assets encompassing over 20 million square feet, over two investment cycles, resulting in IRR/equity multiples of 20%/3.90. He expanded the company’s Florida presence while expanding geographically into the entire Southwest, Southeast, and Mid Atlantic US regions. Mr. Harris also served as Director of Operations of the real estate services division of Adler during his tenure. In this capacity, he directed the management, leasing, marketing, investment sales, and reporting (for both company and fund owned assets, as well as third-party properties) of the real estate company, consisting of 152 team members throughout the Southeast.
Mr. Harris’s real estate career began at Cushman & Wakefield where he directed South Florida management operations including asset management, leasing, and marketing. He had full operational and financial accountability for a significant portfolio of Class A office buildings, high-end retail projects, and industrial properties. He has experience with iconic buildings in Coral Gables and Palm Beach. During this time, he was also involved in the management of international joint venture initiatives in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Mexico.
Mr. Harris has a Master of Arts Degree in Real Estate & Urban Land Studies with a minor in Urban & Regional Planning from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government with a minor in Communications from Wofford College. He is a Recipient of the Dr. Alfred A. Ring National Real Estate Scholar Award and is currently an Adjunct Real Estate Professor at H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University.