It began more than five decades ago, when a young, ambitious man named Donald Soffer built his first shopping center, South Hills Village in Pittsburgh. Then, 10 years later, he developed the Monroeville Mall, the city’s first indoor shopping center. But it was Donald’s fond childhood memories of visiting his grandparents in Florida that influenced his next major undertaking. In 1967 he arrived in Southern Florida with a vision and an unwavering determination. Where others saw acre upon acre of mosquito-infested swamp, Soffer saw potential and opportunity as far as the eye could see. Acting on pure instinct, Soffer purchased a 785-acre tract of submerged and undeveloped swamp and marshland facing the Intracoastal Waterway in North Dade County. And then, with little more than a sketch on a cocktail napkin, he began building his vision. He began building what was to become …The City of Aventura.

Over the next 40 years, Soffer transformed that land into the world-famous Turnberry Isle Miami, Aventura Mall, thousands of residential units and numerous office buildings. Today, Aventura is one of Florida’s most prestigious addresses and bears a strong resemblance to that napkin sketch Soffer drew in 1967.