Michael Swerdlow

Managing Partner

Michael Swerdlow started investing in real estate in the 1970s through acquisitions of multifamily and office buildings in Manhattan. During that time, Michael was an early creator of net leases, which he then sold to pension funds. As a result of his expertise with leases, Michael was retained to liquidate various leaseholds in bankrupt retail entities; these include Wickes, E.J. Korvette, Food Fair, and others. These actions revolutionized the valuation of leaseholds as assets to the retail industry. 

In 1989, Michael Swerdlow acquired Hollywood Inc. with institutional investors. Swerdlow successfully developed, redeveloped, or sold off all of Hollywood Inc over a period of nine years.  

In 1999, the Company consolidated its holdings into a new entity called the Swerdlow Real Estate Group, a private REIT whose shareholders included Swerdlow, Fidelity Investments, Colony Capital, Landmark Funds, Stanford Management and Merrill Lynch. The REIT had an initial capitalization of approximately $500 million (approximately $175 million in initial equity), and had grown to approximately $1 billion in total assets. The REIT developed, owned, and operated over five million square feet of properties. 

Following the liquidation of the REIT, Michael continued to develop large-scale projects including Biscayne Landing (land development), Civica Center (retail), and Marina Grande on the Halifax (multi-family). Other projects over the past 20 years include the Dolphin Mall, Dolphin Commerce Center (f/k/a Beacon Tradeport), Great Mall of the Bay Area, and Las Olas Riverfront. Following the successful completion of these projects, Michael Swerdlow sold his interest.  

In 2003, Michael Swerdlow successfully negotiated a multi-billion-dollar ground lease with the City of North Miami that facilitated the development of Biscayne Landing, a 190-acre master-planned community that was planned to include 6,000 luxury condominium units. In addition, he acquired and obtained entitlements to construct over 2,000 condominium units in six different waterfront locations along the South Florida corridor. Michael Swerdlow partnered with Boca Developers. Pursuant to their partnership agreement, Boca Developers acquired Michael's intererest in Biscayne Landing. As a result of Boca Developers' default, Michael Swerdlow was able to reacquire two projects in 2010. After zoning and planning the development, Swerdlow sold its partnership interests to LeFrak in 2016, who continues the development today.