The Young Leadership Division Speaker Series 2015
Nathan Leiberman is a principal at South Beach Group. Nathan is responsible for new hotel acquisitions, financing, strategic partnerships, construction and renovations, and all food and beverage operations. South Beach Group currently owns and operates 16 boutique hotels in Miami Beach and the greater South Florida region.
Max Comess is a Managing Director in the Miami office of HFF, and is responsible for institutional-grade hotel and resort property transactions, including investment sales, debt and equity placement, and loan sales throughout North America. Mr. Comess is a senior member of HFF’s national hotel group and frequently collaborates with team members across the firm on hospitality engagements.
Mr. Comess joined the firm in 2008. Prior to HFF, Mr. Comess was a manager with a publicly-traded casino gaming company. In this role, he oversaw the development and repositioning of casino hotels across the United States. Mr. Comess’s background also includes operational and asset management experience at numerous hotels and resorts in South Florida. Mr. Comess is an alumnus of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.
Jason Nick joined LNR Partners, LLC in 2003 and currently leads the hotel group. Mr. Nick has overseen hundreds of hotel loan restructurings and dispositions while at LNR along with the underwriting and analysis of new CMBS issuance acquisitions. He is responsible for a team of asset managers overseeing loans collateralized by hotels and hotel REO. In his role, Mr. Nick provides hospitality credit view support for various debt investments.
Prior to joining LNR, Mr. Nick worked in Deutsche Bank's Real Estate Investment Banking Division and focused on a variety of transactions, including the purchase of nonperforming loan portfolios globally. Mr. Nick is an alumnus of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.
Alexandra Lehson is an attorney at Bilzin Sumberg and focuses her practice on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, leasing, development and complex commercial financing involving commercial mortgage backed securities, participation interests and mezzanine loans. She also has significant experience in the hospitality industry and is active with the servicing, workout and structuring and documenting of hotel loans on a nationwide basis.
Alexandra is an active member of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, currently serving as the Co-Chair of the Social Action Network, and has been a member of the Board of the Young Leadership Division (Federation’s under-40 division) since 2012. The Social Action Network provides an opportunity for members to serve their community through hands-on volunteer activities. In 2014, Alexandra was recognized by The Real Deal amongst "Miami's Rising Stars: Real Estate's Real Estate's Newest Up and Comers in the 35 and Under Crowd."
Alexandra earned her bachelor of arts summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida, and went on to graduate magna cum laude from the University of Florida Levin College of Law.
