Thomas P. Murphy, Jr. and the Murphy Family Receive Prestigious ULI Lifetime Achievement Award

In recognition for their decades of work building transformative, large-scale projects that have helped reshape the South Florida skyline, The Urban Land Institute Southeast Florida/Caribbean has presented Thomas P. Murphy, Jr. and the Murphy Family with the prestigious 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors the top leaders and visionaries whose lifetime of work has significantly shaped communities and changed the industry. The award ceremony will take place at ULI's annual Vision Awards, the organization’s signature event, on September 15th at the JW Marriot Marquis Hotel in Downtown Miami with over 700 confirmed real estate industry leaders in attendance.

Previous Lifetime Achievement Award recipients include: Craig Robins, Bernardo Fort Brescia & Laurinda Spear, Ricardo Glas & Luis Pulenta, Stephen Owens, The Legacy of Tony Goldman, The Whitman Family, The Graham Family, Armando Codina, and Jorge Perez among others.

“On behalf of the local District Council’s leadership, we are thrilled to present the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award to The Murphy Family. The family’s work embodies our organization’s mission to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities,” Julie Medley, Executive Director, ULI SE Florida/Caribbean.

Award-winning Coastal Construction Group and the Murphy Family have been building projects throughout Florida for more than five decades making a profound impact on both the landscape and local economy, with a body of professional and civic work that has created thousands of jobs and opportunities for advancement for many in the land use industry.

Among the company’s distinguished portfolio are more than 60 hotels and resorts in Florida, including the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences at the Surf Club; St. Regis Resort & Residences Bal Harbor; Ritz Carlton Hotel South Beach; Faena Hotel and Residences; 1450 Brickell; Camillus House; Porsche Design Tower; Fendi Chateau; Oceana Condos; Residences by Armani/Casa; Aston Martin Residences; and The Plaza Coral Gables. In addition, the Company was the primary builder for Ocean Reef Club, Deering Bay Club, Miami Design District, Miami World Center and Water Street Tampa.

Coastal has built more than 50 million square feet of vertical projects spanning hospitality (62 hotels), all types of multi-family (over 18,000 units), education (over 50 schools, public and private), commercial and mixed-use projects. Today, Coastal has more than $3.5 billion in current work, and a 3‐year pipeline in excess of $12 billion with operations in Miami, Palm Beach, Naples, Orlando, Tampa, and the Florida Keys.

“My family and I are extremely proud to receive this recognition which would not have been made possible without the hard work, dedication and support of our entire team at Coastal Construction Group. On behalf of all us at Coastal Construction Group, I want to thank ULI for this tremendous honor,” said Thomas P. Murphy, Jr. Chairman and CEO Coastal Construction Group.

Murphy, Jr, began his career while attending the University of Miami, becoming the youngest person in Florida’s history to earn his contractor’s license at the age of 19. Soon thereafter, he dropped out of school and started his own company. Eventually, growing Seaboard Construction to more than 1,500 employees and before selling it to Turner Construction Company, the largest contractor in the U.S.

He later founded Coastal in 1989, and today, 54 years since his first project, the company has become one of the largest general contractors in Florida.

Today, his son’s Tom C. Murphy and Sean Murphy serve as Co‐Presidents, Patrick Erin Murphy, Executive Vice President and Mike Murphy, Vice President of QA/QC and there are 10 family members active in the company and hundreds of others who may not share the same surname, but share the same sense of pride and unabashed desire to build quality projects.

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI HOSTS ITS NINTH ANNUAL REAL ESTATE IMPACT CONFERENCE

On Friday, February 28th, the University of Miami School of Architecture hosted its ninth annual Real Estate Impact Conference, which brought together board members, students, faculty, distinguished alumni and real estate professionals. The invitation-only conference was hosted at the Four Seasons Hotel in Brickell with support from presenting sponsors Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Kislak, and Witkoff. 

More than 650 University of Miami students and alumni, including many South Florida commercial real estate and finance professionals, discussed both threats and opportunities in the market at the multidisciplinary conference.

“Bringing together faculty and students from our schools of architecture, business and law is an important step in tackling today’s complex problems,” said University of Miami President Julio Frenk. “This conference is an excellent example, because real estate is essential to Miami’s economy with an impact around the world.”

In addition to panel discussions and networking sessions, there were several special programs available to MRED+U, MBA, MSF and Law School students throughout the day. One of the benefits of membership on the University of Miami Real Estate Advisory Boards, which consist of over 100 prominent real estate professionals, is personal contact with the best and brightest students. Advice With Impact was an intimate, morning networking session which was attended by students and sponsors such as IBERIABANK, Plaza Construction, CBRE and Whitman Family Development. 

University of Miami students were also invited to apply for the premier networking opportunity of the school year: the Swire Scholar Luncheon. Scholars received complimentary registration ($300 value) to attend the conference and participated in a private luncheon with advisory board members from the Architecture, Business and Law schools. David Martin, vice president of retail at Swire Properties, welcomed UM’s Swire Scholar students to the opening luncheon, where they had an opportunity to discuss their studies and career plans with UM’s Real Estate Advisory Board members.

For MBA student Jack Shelgren, the Swire Scholars luncheon provided valuable learning and networking opportunities. “As an intern, I did research and financial analysis, learning about multifamily, office and retail asset types,” he said. “Now, I’m an associate at Freeman Property Group, gaining an entrepreneurial perspective, while working on acquisitions for our clients.”

In the afternoon, top executives from JP Morgan Chase, Ventas and Hines took the stage and provided valuable insight on today’s real estate market. They commented that hospitality services are playing an increasingly important role throughout the commercial real estate market, as employers seek to recruit and retain talented workers. Another emerging trend is the growing demand for medical office properties and senior housing driven by the aging of the U.S. population. Without question, the global spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 poses a threat to global real estate markets, according to Matthew Cherwin, treasurer and chief investment officer of JP Morgan Chase. 

The school also highlighted its Research Initiative, which was introduced in 2018 by Dr. Charles Bohl, Director of the Master in Real Estate Development + Urbanism (MRED+U) Program. “Both the University of Miami and our Real Estate Advisory Boards have made Resiliency a top research priority of immense relevance to South Florida and coastal communities around the world. It is through joint research initiatives like this that our students, faculty and researchers can help us address the big, challenging issues of our day, including the adaptation and development of more resilient buildings, infrastructure and communities,” said Bohl. Professor Mark Troen and students from the MRED+U program presented this year’s findings on stage. 

The 2020 Impact Conference Organizing Committee consists of Andrea Heuson, Charles Bohl, Manuel de Zarraga, Nitin Motwani, Alfonso Munk and Steve Witkoff. Nitin Motwani, Managing Principal of Miami Worldcenter and Chair of the MRED+U Advisory Board, closed the standing-room-only conference by reminding participants that, “The University of Miami Real Estate Impact Conference supports all real estate education at the University, which has become an interdisciplinary powerhouse that blends real estate programs in finance, development, and law with construction management, architecture and engineering.” 

Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences Fort Lauderdale Tabs Coastal Construction As General Contractor

Following the announcement that Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Fort Lauderdale is more than 50% sold, Miami-based development company Fort Partners celebrated the success and progress of the luxury development at an exclusive luncheon announcing their selection of Florida-based construction company Coastal Construction as the general contractor for the project with premier construction management company Lehrer Cumming overseeing construction of the luxury tower. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis also addressed the audience, speaking to the state of the city’s real estate market, highlighting the growth and transformation of Fort Lauderdale into an international destination. Upon completion, Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale will be one of Fort Partners’ iconic properties within the Four Seasons portfolio and Fort Lauderdale’s first true five-star destination.

“Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Fort Lauderdale is making incredible strides to help redefine this city as an international destination, and we are pleased to celebrate our recent success as we progress towards completion,” said Nadim Ashi, Founder of Fort Partners. “We’ve selected the best industry leaders to oversee this monumental development throughout each stage of development, and are thrilled to welcome both Coastal Construction and Lehrer Cumming to our team.”

Coastal Construction is one of the Southeast’s preeminent construction companies and is ranked in the top 100 construction management companies in the country. The firm has a distinguished roster of clients including Fort Partner’s distinguished development, The Surf Club in Miami, as well as Porsche Design Tower and Miami Beach’s Faena District. Led by Chairman and CEO Thomas P. Murphy, Jr., Coastal Construction was founded in 1988 and has been under the Murphy family’s leadership for four generations.

“Coastal Construction is honored to have been selected by Fort Partners as the general contractor of record for Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Fort Lauderdale. It is a privilege to once again work with the Fort Partners development team, on this transformative tower which is setting a new benchmark for luxury living in Fort Lauderdale,” said Thomas P. Murphy, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Coastal Construction.

The 22-story hotel and condominium development will offer 130 guest rooms and 90 residences ranging in size from one- to four-bedrooms, with each residence offering sprawling living spaces and generous outdoor terraces with unparalleled views of the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway. Residents will receive special courtesies at Fort Partner’s premier portfolio, including Four Seasons Hotel and Residences at The Surf Club in Surfside, Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, and Norman’s Cay, an exclusive island in the Bahamas. Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale broke ground in spring 2018 and construction remains on schedule. Pricing for two- to four-bedroom private residences begins at $3.795 million.

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