Stars to Watch 2015: Nitin Motwani

Managing Principal, Miami Worldcenter Associates

What Others Say About Him: “In business today, people want to deal with people who they can count on, who will follow through on what they say. Nitin is very good at hearing all sides of a project, not just the developer side. Having a partnership with government and the constituents who might oppose a project requires that ability to listen, talking through all sides and coming to a consensus. Nitin does a great job of that,” said Art Falcone, founding principal of Falcone Group, who hired Motwani as an associate in 2006.

Most Proud Of: In addition to Worldcenter and Paramount Fort Lauderdale, being able to establish a first-time fund during a recession. “We just closed our third fund, which speaks to the quality of our team and the results that we’ve established. It hasn’t been an easy environment to raise capital, especially for new funds, but we’ve raised $1 billion in assets across the three funds.”

Greatest Challenges: “There are much easier ways to make money, but I believe you need to be passionate about what you do. I could have stayed at Goldman and lived a very different life. Right or wrong, my family taught me that I could be crazy enough to change the world.”

Background Influence: “We lived and worked in these smaller hotels. I saw how hard my parents worked as entrepreneurs, rolling up their sleeves and live-working in the same place. After my father’s passing, my mother continued to carry the torch in helping to improve not only the image but the aesthetics of Fort Lauderdale Beach. It was incredible to grow up around that level of enthusiasm, passion and ownership.”

Advice to Others: “Find good mentors, be passionate about what you do, look at bumps along the road as opportunities, and always play the long game.”

—Leah Etling

CPE selected 17 individuals and teams as the 2015 Stars to Watch. Details on their accomplishments appear in the February 2015 issue.