Category: Featured Leader

The corporate landscape of the twenty-first century saw significant upheaval. Not to mention that these changes have severely jolted the investment industry, resulting in a number of revolutionary changes. These include the adoption of formal procedures and strict regulatory guidelines, which subsequently raised investor expectations. A strategic role for investor relations has arisen against this background that goes beyond simply facilitating general investor contact.

Terranova Corporation has an expert team equipped with strong professional competencies in this domain and is distinguished as a national leader making a powerful impact on the commercial real estate industry under the dynamic leadership of Stephen Bittel, Founder, and Chairman.

When Stephen Bittel was in his second year of law school, almost forty years ago, he laid the foundation of the Terranova Corporation. Bittel had grown up assuming he would follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who were both lawyers, but after graduating and passing the bar test, Mr. Stephen never went on to practice law. He has led Terranova Corporation through numerous economic cycles, market upheavals, and technology disruptions—you name it, he has seen it—and he is still its chairman today. Few people can say they have been in the same position for nearly fifty years, but the world of alternative investing keeps presenting him with fresh obstacles to overcome, which inspires him and drives him ahead.

With more than 40 years of expertise, the visionary leader has served as the sole agent for more than $5 billion in business initiatives and has represented illustrious customers including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and New York Life. Bittel, who was born and raised in Miami, received his undergraduate education at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Bittel earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Magna Cumlaude, traveled for a year as a Watson Fellow, and then returned to Miami to start law school at the University of Miami on a scholarship.

Terranova Corporation: At a Glance

Terranova, an alternative investment firm with a major focus on real estate prospects in the United States, has established a dominating presence in the market and strong industry relationships that they leverage toward their larger network and platform. The firm, which has seen many changes in the commercial real estate sector over the years, now focuses its efforts on seeing and grabbing opportunities that provide value to stakeholders and improve communities as opposed to restricting itself to a certain niche market. The company has invested in a variety of ventures, including urban retail centers, car washes, gasoline stations, office buildings, industrial assets, and strip malls. They are also open to considering ventures in the technology and healthcare.

The Inspiration Behind the Incorporation: Directly from Bittle’s Mouth

I received the Watson Fellowship in my final year of college, which allowed me to spend a year traveling and performing independent research throughout Europe. I conducted research on the reasons for European investment in the United States during my “wanderjahr,” building on a prior study I had prepared on the tax treatment of non-resident investors while I was employed at the Congressional Budget Office in Washington, D.C. I met with investment advisors and bankers frequently as part of the project, and I was pleased with the private banking model there and how it offered extensive personalized care to high-net-worth people. My objective in establishing Terranova—Latin for “new world”—was to duplicate this kind of service for offshore investors focused on the United States.

Overcoming the Hurdles Along the Way

Like other entrepreneurs, Stephen Bittel has faced many difficulties. First and foremost, when he first began his business, he had a negative net worth and was significantly undercapitalized. As everyone who works in business is aware, this is not the best place to be when starting out. As they have survived recessions and other economic crises over the years, he had to swiftly learn how to manage his cash flow and balance sheet in order to survive, but it has turned out to be one of their greatest advantages. Today, Bittel and his group believe that trying times are the finest opportunities to use their financial sheet.

The Secret Sauce Behind Stephen Bittel’s Victorious Journey

On being asked what factors pushed his growth as an inspiring leader, the magnificent man asserted, “Stepping consistently out of your comfort zone is the best way to ensure you are continuously growing and moving forward throughout your life.” When asked what aspects fueled his development as an inspirational leader, Although I was born and raised in Miami, I chose to travel to Brunswick, Maine, to attend Bowdoin College. In and of itself, the transition from a public school system to a private liberal arts college is jarring. Add to that the fact that I was living more than 1500 miles away from where I had spent my entire childhood. It is experiences like that—studying abroad, starting a business—that drive growth in a person and enable them to in turn grow their businesses.”

The Impact of COVID on Terranova: Opportunities and Challenges

Initially, the pandemic certainly shook up the commercial real estate industry. Retail establishments undoubtedly suffered during the lockdowns, and the work-from-home culture that emerged created a lot of questions regarding the future needs for office space. However, as things have worked themselves out, the Terranova crew is emerging with a positive outlook. The general tendency appears to be that each business must choose the model that works best for them, and Miami has seen significant expansion that has produced, to put it mildly, some interesting options.

Terranova’s Key Focus: An Innovative and Inspiring Work Culture

At Terranova, they are committed to making a significant difference in the community they live in as well as the commercial real estate sector they serve. All of their principles align with this central goal, which serves as their mission. No matter their background, Bittel believes in fostering the growth of our top employees in terms of workplace culture. For instance, our current president, who has been with the company for 26 years, began her career there as an executive assistant.

Achievements and Accomplishments that Symbolize Terranova’s Success

Terranova is one of South Florida’s leading commercial real estate firms, with a portfolio that has more than a billion dollars in assets. They are known for being willing to take risks and gain great rewards as a result, as evidenced by their initial investment in Lincoln Road, which they quickly sold for over twice the original investment. It was one of the biggest real estate transactions in Florida’s history at $342 million.

“2022 saw us capitalize on the population influx as people moved to Miami from across the country. We made several opportunistic investments, as well as selling our own headquarters of several decades”, revealed the inspiring leader. 

Looking ahead, the firm has a number of balls in the air in terms of investment opportunities and looks forward to settling into our new headquarters. They plan to invest wherever they see the potential to create value.

Words of Wisdom

Don’t think you need a lot of money to start making investments in commercial real estate. Good investors are known for their unconventional thinking, so find a way to get the money and keep an eye out for opportunities.

Meet Louis Lehot, a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP, a preeminent law firm that stands at the nexus of innovative technology, smart manufacturing, the energy transition, healthcare and life sciences. Louis is a prominent corporate lawyer based in Silicon Valley, known for his experience in handling high-profile transactions in each of the tech, healthcare and clean energy industries. As a partner in the firm’s Private Equity and Venture Capital, Mergers & Acquisitions and Transactions Practices, and the Technology, Health Care, Life Sciences, and Energy Industry Teams, he advises entrepreneurs and their management teams, investors, and financial advisors at all stages of growth. 

“After beginning my career in New York, I moved to Europe and spent five years advising non-U.S. multinationals on how to access the U.S. capital markets before returning home to Silicon Valley. Passionate about helping businesses and ventures with compelling technologies reach their growth objectives, I specifically enjoy helping companies cross borders, where an appreciation of different cultures and backgrounds is key.” 

Louis is a full life-cycle innovation lawyer, and prides himself on taking on clients from ideation to formation, to financing, to scaling, to hyper-growth, to liquidity and beyond. Louis calls this a “garage to global” practice, focusing on positioning clients to achieve product-market fit, to hyper-growth, going public, and obtaining optimal liquidity events. He and his team are on the forefront of adopting new technologies to innovate the way they do deals. Louis guides emerging private companies as they secure venture capital financing, prepare for IPO or an M&A transaction, focusing on how to navigate the exit. 

Clients routinely turn to Louis for his domain experience in public offerings and private placements of equity, equity-linked, and debt securities, mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, spinoffs, strategic investments, and joint ventures, as well as corporate governance and securities law compliance matters. Louis also regularly represents U.S. and non-U.S. registrants before the SEC, FINRA, NYSE, and NASDAQ. His goal is to help the law firm and his clients grow teams of lawyers to accelerate their business at the closest point of contact.

About Foley and Lardner LLP

Foley & Lardner LLP is a highly respected law firm that looks beyond the law to focus on its clients’ constantly evolving demands and act as trusted business advisors to deliver creative, practical, and effective solutions. Foley’s 1,200 lawyers across 25 offices worldwide partner on the full range of engagements from corporate counsel to IP work and litigation support, providing clients with a one-team solution to all their needs. 

Foley & Lardner is well known for its forward-thinking approach and willingness to try new and innovative methods. Innovation is vital to the law firm’s strategic plan and part of its everyday collective mindset. Foley’s proprietary tools, such as Foley Equipped and Foley Collaborate, exemplify this commitment to innovation and are actively utilized in practice.

Key USPs

Foley is a premier full-service law firm with a collaborative culture and strong core values. The firm provides services to clients in key sectors that align with its core capabilities. These sectors include energy transition, healthcare, life sciences, innovative technology, and smart manufacturing, which have undergone significant transformations in recent years.  Louis and his team at Foley cross geographic borders with clients and follow the innovation everywhere that it has impact, increasing their efforts to help clients stay ahead of the curve in each of these areas.

Motivating Creativity and Innovation

Louis and his team at Foley & Lardner place a strong emphasis on empowering everyone to bring their best selves to work each day. The law firm invests in its people and provides an array of resources to support its attorneys and business professionals. This includes a comprehensive lateral integration program, mentoring programs, and leadership development training. Foley’s commitment to employee well-being is exemplified by its Best Self Program, which recognizes the importance of mental health and burnout prevention. The law firm also has an in-house executive coach who offers career counseling and a peer program to support those struggling with certain life events. 

Major Challenges

Louis believes the legal industry’s major challenges range from how to:

• respond to the rapid adoption of AI
• lead with technology to more efficiently, accurately and promptly deliver critical legal services
• manage business across jurisdictions and cultures (some of which are suffering from cold war or active combat), 
• manage through economic uncertainty
• remain competitive for talent
• respond to the changing in-house legal structures and their approaches toward working with outside firms 
• compete and collaborate with our clients’ other service providers, from accounting firms to consultants to software

For Louis’s clients, the major challenges ahead can be summarized by how to achieve scalability and hyper-growth in the face of active and cold war (and how to manage a supply chain), how to finance growth in a higher inflation and interest rate environment and selling to customers who are tightening budgets.  Technology innovation should lead the way in addressing these challenges, which will involve organic growth as well as acquisitions.

Looking at the Future

In the next five years of his professional life, Louis aims to position himself to assist his clients and teammates in achieving success through innovative strategies. Louis aspires to continue to cross borders with his clients’ businesses and teammates to help them grow from garage to global and genuinely see them and hear the team wherever they are.

In his personal life, Louis aspires to achieve a healthy physical and mental lifestyle while enjoying his beautiful family and friends as they accomplish their goals. 

Kevin MacRitchie is a charismatic executive leader with deep knowledge and experience in leading operations and sales. Kevin is a change agent for business growth and turnarounds, talent development, and new market expansion. With his exceptional track record in guiding cross-functional teams, designing cutting-edge business solutions and services, driving greater efficiencies and accountability, Kevin now leads Tactical Rehabilitation, a full-service DME company whose mission is to serve those who serve the nation.

David Marr, the now Chairman of the Board, founded Tactical Rehabilitation in 2013 to provide the highest quality products and the highest level of qualified service to active-duty service members, veterans, and their families in the initial areas of bio-mechanical, Musculoskeletal, and non-pharmaceutical pain management. This specific mission under the super category of Durable Medical Equipment (DME) has kept the company entirely focused on some of the specific needs to solve more than 68% of the injuries in the U.S. military that prevents men and women in uniform from sustaining a ‘service-ready’ status. 

The business, which was founded in 2013, has since significantly expanded its product lineup while remaining true to its commitment to serving the requirements of the military.

Kevin joined Tactical Rehabilitation in 2020 as its Chief Operations Officer and transformed the company to serve its patients better and grow its capabilities through efficient operations, dedication to its patients, creating a consistently positive experience, and developing lasting positive partnerships. Later in 2022, Kevin was appointed as the company’s CEO, where he began revolutionizing the healthcare industry through common purpose, leadership, partnerships, teamwork, and a better experience serving the U.S. military. 

Kevin is also an avid and very active horseman. He rides his horses as often as possible and uses them to support the local sheriff’s department and for herding buffalo in Michigan and South Dakota. 

“My family and I are all active horsemen and women. If we are not horseback riding or training someone’s horse, which is rare, we go Jeeping. As long as we are outdoors doing either of these, my family and I are pretty happy. We believe everyone must play as hard as they work. It is a necessary balance for peace of mind and for great ideas to come to life,“- he explained.

About Tactical Rehabilitation

Tactical Rehabilitation is a full-service Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Provider to the United States Military with a special focus on Bio-Mechanical and Parasomnia support, which makes up more than 68% of the injuries faced by the U.S. army personnel. 

One of Tactical’s most honored partners is Sole Supports. Developed by Dr. Ed Glaser under the Mass Posture Theory, Sole Supports are entirely personalized for every patient and are weight and foot flexibility calibrated. It is the only orthotic on the market that focuses on ensuring good posture from head to toe and healing instead of slowing the degradation of a patient’s condition.

Like Sole Supports, Tactical has several other partner product companies focused on healing patients and continuously seeking improvement in their products.  

Overcoming Challenges

Unlike its competitors, Tactical Rehabilitation kept its doors open and faced the hard challenges of Covid. At the same time, it also expanded where others could not. It took the pandemic’s challenge head-on and made several hard decisions. 

“Our commitment is to ensure we are available for our patients and here for our employees, even in difficult times. To do so, we must seize the market opportunities when they arise, and internally, rise to the occasion and put the effort in to grow our team and the opportunities for our employees to grow as well,“- Kevin explained. 

He feels the most fun part about challenges are they provide opportunities to overcome and make a better self, which can be a person, service, product, or company. Kevin and his team at Tactical Rehabilitation love challenges as they always solve them with a better outlook and service offering on the other side of the resolution, ensuring their patients get even better care than before.  

“For me looking back, it has been continuously improving the “Tactical Experience” while building the company’s ability to sustain its own growth. We have improved every in-house system and business tool with no interruption of service to our patients and with no downtime for our employees. This has allowed us to create and develop a more technology-based company that can stay ahead of the expectations of our doctors’ and patients’ needs,“- Kevin stated. 

Not all Heros Wear Capes

Being a full-service DME company, Tactical Rehabilitation is entirely focused on the healthcare needs of the military and supporting their “service ready” status. It uses highly trained and certified professionals, many of whom are veterans with an even greater understanding of patients than others. Speaking about the same, Kevin proudly said, “Our goal is to ensure active duty, veterans, and family members all have the best opportunity for the best quality healthcare with the same or better standards than that of the private sector. As far as we know, no other company is fully dedicated to U.S. Military health in the same manner we are. If there is, we would love to meet them and partner with them for the mutual improvement of each of us and the ultimate benefit to our patients.“

David founded Tactical Rehabilitation for the sole purpose of providing the same or better healthcare to U.S. Military service men and women compared to civilian healthcare. Keeping the purpose in mind, Tactical Rehabilitation now partners with military bases and military healthcare providers to offer solutions through its partnerships in the civilian solutions provider network, ensuring those that put their life on the line to protect our freedoms no longer receive lesser care than those who do not serve.  

Looking at the Future

Under Kevin’s firm leadership, Tactical Rehabilitation will continue to grow and serve the men and women in uniform until it has easy access to all of them. This will require new models for nearly inaccessible geographies in the U.S. and across the planet, and it is well on its way. Kevin feels this will also need stronger partnerships and an agile yet systematic approach to continued success as the stakes get higher the larger any company gets. 

“This will also require adding new services and solutions that go beyond the initial founding of our company and continuing to expand our solutions based on the priority needs of our patient base,”- he explained.

Suggestions for Younger Self

Kevin advises young entrepreneurs to Plan. Set goals. Move the goalpost just before they get there. And when they celebrate passing that goalpost on the way to the next, they must remind themselves the goal is still attainable; it has just moved further down the road.  

“If we sit on our laurels, we will forget to improve, and constant improvement is the only way you create opportunity.“- he advises. “Also, ensure each team member, including yourself, truly knows their value and skill set boundaries. Hire, or partner for the skill sets you don’t have, and don’t fool yourself into thinking you can do it all.“

Company Name; Tactical Rehabilitataion

Management: Kevin MacRitchie, CEO

URL: tacticalrehabdme.com