Local Business

Melody Erez admits that she often takes her work home with her. Like others in her profession, the speech therapist notes that she thinks about her patients’ cases after meeting with them—how she can try something different to help them improve. But she doesn’t mind. “I always wanted to help people, and I feel like

In search of a better life, Venezuelan chocolatiers Susana and Isabel Garcia Nevett immigrated to Miami in 2012. Having worked in the chocolate business in their native country, they dreamed of opening their own chocolate shop in their new home, creating a place where they could spread love and comfort through handcrafted bonbons and jars

Some kids believe that monsters live under their beds. When Stacey Lewis’ three children were little, and their rooms were messy, they affectionately referred to her as the “monster” in plain sight. “They’d say, ‘Hurry up and clean your room, or the ‘purge monster’ is going to get it,’ ” Lewis remembers with a laugh.

Photos by Eduardo Schneider   In 1982, Larry J. Buck was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. The New Jersey native had just graduated from Syracuse University and was looking for a career. Around the same time, the casino business was booming in Atlantic City. New Jersey became the

Images courtesy of PS Photography & Films   As evidenced by Janderyn Makris’ rise in the industry, not every recipe for baking success starts in the kitchen. Unlike pastry specialists whose aspirations begin the moment they can reach the strings of mom’s apron, the founder of West Palm Beach-based Earth & Sugar didn’t begin experimenting

Figurella, one of the largest women’s fitness centers and spas in the world, doesn’t have anything personal against men. It’s just that the Italian-based concept with seven South Florida locations understands that the fitness training and health coaching it offers doesn’t apply to the opposite sex. “Figurella requires a lot of heart,” says Chiara Migani,

More than half a million people aged 60 and up live in Miami-Dade County, according to the Miami-Dade Age-Friendly Initiative, and most of these older adults are living on low and fixed incomes, says Carlos Martinez, president and CEO of United HomeCare, a nonprofit home health and community care organization based in Miami. “Through our

With more than 50 years of real estate experience between them, it’s no wonder that mother-and-son team Hazel and Evan Goldman, of Goldman Residential Group, totaled $50 million in sales in 2018. The Pinecrest residents set themselves apart from other professionals not only with their experience but also with their ancillary skills. Evan, who lives

A $78.89 million listing for the 19,000-square-foot Walgreens store on the ground floor of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on South Beach indicates eye popping prices aren’t over for Lincoln Road. This listing is especially interesting because it’s a long-term leasehold interest with over 100 years remaining on the ground lease. The buyer also shouldn’t expect Walgreens

Photos by Eduardo Schneider As an airline pilot, Wolfgang Mattern had seen every corner of the globe. Lisa, his wife, was a flight attendant for the same German airline, LTU International. She, too, had traveled the world. They met almost 30 years ago, many times flying the same routes together. Until recently, and for the

City Furniture has a reputation for innovation, including a green delivery fleet and same day delivery. Recently, it was in the news for bringing back water beds. Now, it’s doubling down on its already extensive charitable activities. The company is pledging to donate at least 5 percent of profits back to the community during 2019.

Keith Koenig could have any mattress he wants, but he continues to sleep on a waterbed. “Steel springs eventually compress, as does all foam,” he says. “But water never changes.” The CEO of City Furniture and his wife, Kelly, used their last waterbed for 18 years despite Koenig’s company not even selling them anymore. That