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"The whole world's attention is focused on
Miami," says Ron Shuffield, president of Esslinger- Wooten
-Maxwell, one of Miami- Dade's largest and most respected real estate
firms. He expects Miami-Dade County to continue attracting major
multi-national corporations that wish to take advantage of this area's
strategic location and the numerous other benefits it offers as the
site for international activities.
Ron Shuffield
"A number of years ago," he said,
"Harvard University identified three cities that would most
benefit from the growing trend of 'globalization' in business. They
were Honolulu, Paris and Coral Gables. Today there are more than 400
multi-national companies in Miami-Dade with over 150 of them located
in Coral Gables alone.
"Greater Miami has become a prototype of the
international cities of the future. Diversity is our greatest asset.
There are 352,000 students in Dade County Schools who were born in 148
different countries and speak one of 90 languages as their first
language," he said.
According to Shuffield, new technologies have also
made a major impact on the area. He called the recently completed
Global Conference/ E Commerce Center in Coral Gables an important
stimulus for international commerce and growth. The Center, a joint
effort of IBM, the City of Coral Gables, the Biltmore Hotel, the
University of Miami, the University of Florida and Monterey Tech of
Mexico, draws top executives from all over the world to develop
business plans and devise ways to participate in e commerce.
The interest in Miami-Dade is so great, says Shuffield,
that more than 800,000 square feet of new office space is under
construction or will be started shortly in Coral Gables alone. Last
year, in addition to numerous well-established firms, such as IBM,
Volkswagen and The Gap, many start-up firms elected to open offices
here, including 15 "Dot Coms" on Miami Beach.
"We haven't even begun to scratch the
surface," he said. "Miami has become the place to be for
people of all backgrounds. South Beach added a major dimension and now
people under 30 are moving to, instead of away from South Florida. We
have a high concentration of quality retail facilities with several
innovative new ones either on the drawing board or under construction.
And there are housing opportunities in all price ranges, for the
super-wealthy to people in the service industries."
Shuffield, who along with Allen C. Harper purchased
Esslinger - Wooten - Maxwell in 1984 says Miami-Dade's real estate
market is exceptionally strong. He noted that the inventory of
residential houses is down 24 percent from a year ago and that buyers
are coming to Miami from every corner of the globe. As a result, he
expects his company's sales will exceed $1 billion this year.
EWM employs more than 500 associates and staff members
in its six offices in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and is capable
of serving its clients in 17 languages. Offices are located in Coral
Gables, South Miami , Pinecrest, Miami Beach, Plantation and Weston.
Expansion to the Las Olas area of Ft. Lauderdale, Coral Springs and
Boca Raton is being considered for the future.
The company offers a complete range of real estate
services including the sale and leasing of residential and commercial
properties plus business brokerage services. It also has well-trained
and staffed property management and relocation divisions. Three sister
companies Embassy Financial Services, Columbia Title of Florida,
Inc., and First Reserve Insurance compliment EWM's other services
and enable clients to receive assistance from the company in all
phases of a real estate transaction.
As a full service Realtor, EWM has equipped its
offices with the most up-to-date technology available. This enables it
to access the various real estate data banks and provide the market
research required for both buyers and sellers.
Shuffield says the Internet is rapidly becoming a
major marketing tool and that the company is receiving at least one
sale a day in which the initial contact emanated from the world wide
web. He says the company has equipped its website, www.ewm.com, to
provide a virtual tour of every property it lists.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Shuffield
has lived in Miami since 1975. In addition to being a licensed real
estate broker, he is a certified general contractor. He has served as
a board member and officer of the Realtor Association of Dade County
and as a member of the international advisory council of Cendant
Mobility Network, the world's largest real estate relocation network.
Shuffield is a past chairman of the Coral Gables
Chamber of Commerce, a recipient of its Robert B. Knight outstanding
citizen award and is currently a member of its board of directors. He
is a past chairman of the Coral Gables Community Foundation, of which
he is also a director, and is a trustee member and member of the Board
of Governors of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. He is a board
member of Baptist Health Enterprises.
Among the many other civic organizations he has played
a major role are the Rotary Club of Coral Gables, the United Way of
Dade County the University of Tennessee Alumni Association, Phi Gamma
Delta Fraternity - South Florida Alumni, the College Assistance
Program of Dade County and the Florida Baptist Children's Home.
Shuffield is especially proud of his association with
the University Baptist Church of Coral Gables where he is a past
chairman of the Deacons and has taught Sunday School for 21 years. He
and his wife Anita Maxey Shuffield reside in Pinecrest. They have
three children, Melissa, a senior at the University of Florida;
Allison, a sophomore at Palmetto High School; and Scott, a 5th grader
at Pinecrest Elementary.
For more information about Esslinger - Wooten -
Maxwell, Inc., visit the corporate office at 1360 South Dixie Highway
in Coral Gables, call 305-667-8871, fax 305-662-5646 or visit their
web site at www.ewm.com.
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