Born in a small town on the outskirts of the capital city of Bogota, Colombia, Luis E. Varela, Sr., arrived in the United States with a very limited understanding of a new language, a few dollars in his pocket, a desire to succeed, and big dreams for the future.

During those first years, Mr. Varela worked in various jobs to make ends meet. His legacy began when he opened a small construction equipment company in Miami, Florida, and began to sell to the Latin American markets.

This small company grew into an international firm that catered not only to the Latin American markets, but also ventured into others markets such as Europe, the Caribbean, Asia and the local US market. The company then looked to new areas of business development, and the group found a niche supplying heavy equipment to the local government. Numerous contracts to build new roads, new buildings and re-build after the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, were awarded and successfully executed.

With the growth of his business, and together with his business partner and wife, Mr. Varela yet again looked toward the future and ventured into the real estate industry at a time when the city of Miami was considered “bad investment” because of crime and insecurity. Nevertheless, Mr. Varela saw an opportunity and realized that Miami, as the “capital of Latin America,” would one day be part of the leading cities in the world for real estate. The real estate portfolio began with residential purchases which later turned to commercial buildings, vacant land, business acquisitions and much more. Today, his children lead the company, but always look to their father for advice and support.