Christian Perez,
also known as Choco or Gattusso, is the founder and President of The Perez Organization, a retail space
development company. The Perez
Organization was founded in with the mission to develop modern and socially
engaging retail spaces that serve the needs of consumers, tenants, and
investors.
Christian’s
talent as a developer lies in his instinctual location intelligence. As a Miami native Christian is familiar with
every corner, community, and business dynamic in Miami. Combine the local intelligence with a prolific
resume in retail development that spans understanding retailer needs, city
planning, and financial feasibility, and the result is powerful.
Christian
is a graduate of The Florida State
University, where he triple majored in Real Estate, Political Science, and
International Affairs. Also minoring in
Urban and Regional Planning. Christian
learned development under the tutelage of the veteran and pioneering retail
developer, Bob Shapiro, the founder and President of Master Development. At
Master Development Christian worked closely with Bob in the development of
three million square feet of retail and mixed use space, mostly centers of
regional scope with institutional partners.
Through this process Christian build an wealth of knowledge of the
development process as well as an expansive industry network ranging from
tenants to REITs and beyond.
Additionally,
together with a group of peers, Christian founded Miami RX2, a very successful networking group for young real estate
professionals in South Florida.
Christian is a proud supporter of the FSU Real Estate program and served
as president of its Real Estate Society as an undergraduate. Christian’s work ethic and goodwill have been
recognized through numerous awards and positions including the Crossman & Company scholarship and
being elected and trusted to be president of many organizations. At The Perez Organization, Christian’s
leadership has seen it grow considerably fast.
With two projects under development, and more coming into the pipeline,
the future looks bright.
Originally
from Colombia, Christian became intrigued in real estate at an early age. His uncle, Luciano, a home builder,
introduced him to the construction process and Christian was immediately
fascinated by the creation of an enormous yet functional structure. After moving to Miami in 2000, Christian was
introduced to another side of the business through German, another uncle who
built a portfolio of retail centers some of which he developed and managed
himself. In Christian’s eyes, his
uncle’s are great examples to follow of the “Self made man.” Christian’s trusts his inspiration in the
words of his late grandfather who alway told him: “Querer es poder” / “Wanting
is power.”
Christian’s
nickname, Gattuso, was given by his soccer community. They named him after the legendary Italian
defender, Gennaro Gattuso, whose heart and skill in turn earned him the
nickname of ‘The Gladiator.’ Christian
stays involved in his fraternity, Phi Iota Alpha, and often visits brothers in
other countries or states. He also like
to bike long distances but is a horrible swimmer. Lastly, if you are a Cane or a Gator he urges
you not to talk to him during football season, or beware of the consequences.
