Miami has emerged as a leading US tech hub, which has become a destination for business expansion and investment, with companies like Oracle, Palantir, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise relocating from major cities like San Francisco or New York since the COVID-19 pandemic.
By MSM Staff Florida is known for its exceptional climate with abundant natural resources spread across the state. This makes the Sunshine State one of the global leaders in Renewable Energy, both in research, development and alternative fuel sources. However, after Hurricane Irma, it was clear that the issue of access to solar power was a massive problem in the State. With the power outage and the delay in restoring power supply, residents were forced to figure out how to power their households. This motivated most residents to consider switching to renewable energy by getting solar panels for their homes. Although there was an initial restriction to this, the Sunshine State has decided to take a new turn with regards to solar power by approving the lease of Solar to Floridian households. With solar power being a more sustainable alternative for long-term electricity production, a significant number of residents are already making the switch. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, Florida has the third greatest rooftop solar potential in the country. However, it ranks 14th in installed solar capacity. This new change in policy will boost the growth of both rooftops and utility solar installations in Florida. But what is even more worth noting about the solar energy concept is that it presents an intriguing new investment concept. In the US companies like Commtrade Solar Group attract clients with a Solar Tax Equity strategy which can be used (and this is just one of several positive aspects) to significantly lower or even totally eliminate your Federal income tax. Other Floridians are turning to European sources for their solar investment strategy. “ It’s remarkable how many inquiries we keep getting from American investors. They see the profitable energy market and want to use the state guarantees of the largest European economy here in Germany” said Andreas Becker, representative, Lightcore Energy. What companies like Lightcore do is to propose a very easy and transparent concept for private investors to become a solar power plant owner with sizable, predictable returns. At the same time, investors find the idea appealing that they are part of an environmentally friendly production that benefits not just them but our future generations. Having one of the highest irradiation levels and fast-growing demand, investors are beginning to see companies like this as more than a bet on energy prices. One’s investment guarantees at least 7% annual growth for 20 years – independent of price fluctuations in the energy market . As a result no one is surprised that investors are excited about solar power plants and, of course, Brickell is all over this.
By Nadja Atwal / Photography by Alessandra Fiorini Sometimes we just need an inspirational story that reassures us that the American dream is still alive. We would rather work smart than too hard, since in the end we work in order to live and – especially in a place like Miami that needs to be enjoyed all year around. Armando Soto shows us that is no problem at all and we do not have to wait until we qualify for a senior pass to get there. The 32 year old investment banker and start-up-company genius left his home country of Guatemala at age 15 to live with his American mother. He struggled with learning English and getting into college he became a plumber by trade. After refusing to let go of his dream of working in the business world he would read the Wall Street Journal out loud in front of a camera and play back the tape to improve his pronunciations; signed up for college at age 24 at The City University of New York and jumped into the finance industry. Today he handles billionaire clients and has transacted over 500 million in Leveraged Buy Outs. He currently finances and restructures client investments while building new companies like kids build sandcastles in Miami beach. A frequent guest commentator on national business TV shows, he recently started to make waves across the country as a motivational speaker in front of large audiences especially young people turning up in great numbers to hear his speeches in search of smart guidance with both IQ and EQ. NA: Your story is fascinating and unique and attracts thousands of people to events when you appear as a motivational speaker. Tell us about your early years when you arrived in the US? AS: The early years were very difficult, simply because I was starting my sophomore year in a suburban high school in the middle of nowhere New Jersey. Between the language barrier and the culture shock, school was difficult and making friends in a new country was not simple either. I was bullied by many people including my mother’s brother in law. I remember an instance where I was helping him take out a bag full of garbage and he said to me “practice your new profession”. I could not believe my ears but in hindsight I believe many people discriminate or are racist because they feel threatened in one way or another. I was fortunate enough to have my neighbor Louie who had moved into town from Brooklyn; he was new in school as well so we became good friends and his size deterred many people from bullying me in my junior year. I learned a lot from him in regards to becoming more confident and not taking any abuse from people. Academically with English as a second language it was very tough for me. I was able to learn to speak English fluently by the time I graduated High School and my prospects looked a bit dim for college. I didn’t get accepted into any Universities so I turned to the plumbing trade and went through a four year program. By the time I graduated from Plumbing school I realized it was not my passion at least I learned trigonometry in-depth. NA: Did you have anything like a big American dream? AS: As a child I would watch the movie Trading Places with Eddie Murphy. I asked my father what the World Trade Center was and why the buildings in New York City were so tall. He would tell me all the big business in the world happened there. As a child I would day dream about walking in the streets of New York and working in the trading pits, there was something about the motion creating emotion. When I moved to the United States I mentioned my dreams to friends and they would laugh at me. NA: How did the switch happen from plumbing business to the finance world? AS: When I was 22 years old I realized being an engineer by trade was not my passion and I felt that I had an untapped potential. The construction markets were starting to show signs of distress right before the great recession. I asked Phillip, a family friend who is a very successful investment banker for a dinner meeting and after eight months of coordinating with his assistant he had some time to meet with me. I had three hours to absorb as much information about investment banking as possible and I told him my plan of going back to school to break into finance. After looking back and thinking about our meeting, I really got key parts of “the recipe” that night. I started commuting to CUNY from New Jersey. It was a rough start but mentally, there was nothing that would stop me and this was just the start of climbing a mountain that would only get steeper with time. NA: Why did you decide not to finish university? AS: I began to look at everything from a finance perspective and I did not have enough money to finish school without falling very deep into debt. I was offered a great job opportunity in finance and asked my Economics professor for advice on whether to take the offer or continue school. He said to me “opportunity knocks…” I answered “once” and he said “well there you go, I wish you the best of luck. Although it seems like you don’t need it”. I base my decisions based on facts but that day it was based on intuition. NA: Tell us how exactly how you managed to lose your Spanish accent and what motivated you to do this? AS: I used a camera to record myself reading the Wall Street Journal and played the tape back to focus on my mispronunciation. Practice certainly helps. In business being clear and concise when you speak is one of the most important qualities you need to have. The motivator was to fit into America, I came to this country and from day one I