Ezra Katz
Ezra Katz is an Investor/Partner and is Chief Executive Officer and founder of Aztec Group, Inc., (aztecgroup.com) Ezra Katz has been described as Florida’s leading real estate dealmaker and financial engineer focusing and initiating innovative strategies for creating joint ventures and solving complex real estate transactions. Established in 1981, Aztec Group, Inc. is recognized as the premier real estate investment and merchant banking firm in Florida.
Mr. Katz began his career in real estate in 1971 after having graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. After having spent three years in the residential construction business as a Construction Superintendent in Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Katz joined US Realty Investments, a N.Y.S.E. equity REIT, where he oversaw development, management and workouts of over 50 properties throughout the US and Puerto Rico.
Mr. Katz formed Aztec Group, Inc. in 1981 to provide real estate services as a real estate and mortgage broker involving investment sales, mortgage financing and equity placement and formed Mayan Properties, a merchant bank in 1993 to invest in real estate transactions as a principal. Mayan’s portfolio of investments included a diverse portfolio of office buildings, shopping centers, residential land development, hotels, industrial and healthcare/senior housing. The combination of Aztec Group, Inc. as an investment banker and Mayan Properties as a merchant bank allowed Mr. Katz to be involved in over $15 billion in closed transactions during the past decade as a principal and as an intermediary/broker.
In addition to his diverse activities as a businessman, Mr. Katz spends a significant amount of his time and financial resources in a variety of philanthropic endeavors by serving on the Board of Directors of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Lennar Foundation, Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach. Mr. Katz was appointed in April 2008 by President Bush to serve as a Member of the Council of the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.
His community activism led to his being elected as the President of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation during 2003 and 2004. His philanthropic contributions have been directed towards several entities such as the United Way of Miami, Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Greater Miami, the University of Miami, the Overtown Youth Center
