Facetime with Stephen Bittel founder of Terranova Corporation

STEPHEN H. BITTEL is the Chairman and founder (1980) of Terranova Corporation, leading a team of professionals in the ownership and operation of a commercial real estate portfolio valued at nearly $1.0 billion; graduated magna cum laude from Bowdoin College, 1978; law degree from the University of Miami School of
Law, 1982; founded Petroleum Realty Investment Partners in 1999; has chaired and/or served on the ICSC Open Air Centers Conference, ICSC Capital Marketplace Program and the ICSC Florida Conference.

A Miami native, Bittel has been a member of the Florida Bar Association, the Mortgage Bankers Association, the Young Presidents Organization (past Chair of the Miami Chapter and the YPO Real Estate Round Table, and past Co-Chair of the Miami Chapter of WPO); served as Director on the Boards of the Community Partnership for the Homeless, the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority, the Jackson Memorial Hospital Foundation, and the Boards or four public companies; served as Trustee member for the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Miami-Dade and Temple Beth Am; has written numerous articles on real estate matters and spoken at professional conferences throughout the United States and Europe; in 2005 was awarded the South Florida Business Journal “Ultimate CEO” award.

Bittel is a Board member and a Vice Chairman of Development of the National Jewish Democratic Council; has led the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Washington Mission in 2009 and 2010; and is the National Finance Co-Chair of the Democratic National Committee and an At-Large member, serving on the Rules and Bylaws Committee.

Bittel currently serves on the Board of Teach for America Miami (TFA).

Ari Davis is a Partner in Tannenbaum Helpern's Real Estate, Construction and Environmental Law practice. He concentrates in enabling commercial real estate transactions, including sales and acquisitions, joint ventures, leasing and financing. Ari has counseled a diverse set of clients, from family-owned businesses and single member limited liability companies to Fortune 500 companies. He negotiates retail and office leases and subleases on behalf of landlords and tenants for spaces ranging from small offices to entire industrial buildings. Ari frequently works with developer clients that sell and purchase multifamily developments, shopping centers and office buildings throughout the U.S., and he represents lenders and borrowers in various loan structures.

Some of Ari’s work has included the following:

· representing a developer that acquired a controlling interest in a joint venture with a church, which was formed to acquire and develop the church property and multifamily units above it and

· representing a car dealership client on a construction loan that it obtained from its national franchisor

Prior to joining the firm, Ari was an associate in the Real Estate, Development and Land Use Group of Chiesa, Shahinian and Giantomasi PC (formerly known as Wolff & Samson PC), one of the largest and most respected New Jersey law firms.

Outside of work, Ari enjoys spending quality time with his family and is an ever-suffering Cleveland sports fan.