When you discuss real estate brokerage in Miami and the Doral area in particular it is inevitable that the name WestVest Associates, Inc. comes up--they simply have a wealth of experience in Doral that few others can match.

WestVest President Tony DeRosa

For example, President Tony DeRosa has been working in Doral since 1984 and he started WestVest itself in 1993.

DeRosa explained, "I've built my career here--seeing and feeling this area grow up has been such an exciting experience."

And if you examine the deals that they have participated in, there is just no disputing that WestVest has positioned itself directly in the midst of that growth.

Because WestVest has not only a brokerage section that deals in office, industrial, and retail sites in the Doral area, but also has a development and an investment (including property management) arms, they have utilized their experience in a number of ways.

Currently there are three projects in which WestVest are developmental partners: The Shoppes at Doral, and the warehouse/condominium projects at Miami International Commerce Center and the Ryder Headquarters.

WestVest has also already developed the Universal Plaza and brokered the deal for the 180,000 square foot Miami International Forwarders facility. They even sold the land and were involved in planning the deal for the 120,000 square foot Circle Air Freight facility.

And WestVest isn't limited to large-scale transactions either--they recently sold the land next to Applebee's restaurant on NW 41 St., an 8.35-acre parcel.

All of this has relied heavily on the experience at WestVest--without an intimate knowledge of the area and an intuitive sense of what any potential client might require, they couldn't have realized the success they have, explained DeRosa.

The demand for their services continues to rise--their staff has expanded to eight full-time associates and another four or five part-time.

To accommodate this growth they recently moved into a new 4,000 square foot facility themselves at 2500 NW 79 St., suite 207. It was a site perfectly suited to attend to the focal point of their business.

"Our main focus," explained DeRosa, "our core business, is in Miami, the Airport West area, Medley, and the Doral industrial area."

He continued, "Doral in particular has become the west-side (of Miami), international, banking center, become a real center for commerce, and this has helped lure people out this way as opposed to downtown."

But WestVest is not limited in its dealings to the western Miami-Dade area--they also recently purchased the Village Square South Shopping Center in Cutler Ridge and brokered the deal for the Sunny Isles Shopping Center several months ago.

Additionally, WestVest now has its own architecture, construction, and marketing services available in house. The marketing segment has been particularly busy getting the word out about the variety of services that WestVest offers.

Vice President Mimi Chao has played a crucial role in WestVest's continued success and her hard work earned herself membership in the Society of Industrial Office Retailers (SIOR).

It was quite an honor for Chao (who is incidentally the only female SIOR member in Miami-Dade) because SIOR membership requires that you've been in the business for at least seven years and have recorded a certain amount of sales.

Chao is not surprisingly an enthusiastic supporter of Doral and sees limitless potential for the area.
She said, "It's in the middle of Dade County and in close proximity to not only to things like the airport and seaport but also just a short distance from important residential and commercial areas like South Miami and Miami Lakes."

But both Chao and DeRosa agreed that without caring, involved community leadership Doral's current success most likely wouldn't have been possible.

DeRosa said, "Jesse Jones, Morgan Levy, and the rest of the West Dade Federation (of Homeowners Associations), not to mention the Community Council, have been so astute in monitoring the development of this area. They have been very successful in creating a real sense of community out here."

In fact DeRosa has become so enamored with the area that he, his wife Rosie, a pharmaceutical sales representative, and his daughter Sophia recently moved to Doral Estates.

To contact WestVest you can call them at 305 717 5401, visit their offices, or check out their web site at www.westvest.com. You can e-mail Tony directly at tony@westvest.com.