Nash Patel is a licensed General Contractor in the State of Florida and is currently developing several new construction hotels through his development and general contracting firm, NashBuilt, Inc. based out of Pensacola, Florida. As President, Nash leads the team in using a set of core values that are reflected in the day-to-day operations of the company and its employees.
Nash served as Chairman of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in
2004-2005. A recent study conducted by Oxford Economics Study shows that the 16,000
AAHOA members own approximately 60% of hotels in the United States, which together have almost 3.1 million rooms and $368.4 billion in contributions to the United States GDP.
Employment at these hotels totals 1.1 million employees who are paid $47 billion annually in salaries and wages. With over 3.1 million guest rooms available through AAHOA members, there is an estimated $139 billion in hotel sales annually at AAHOA member properties.
AAHOA hoteliers are typically small business entrepreneurs, but have established portfolios that
include numerous full-service, limited-service and independent lodging facilities. They have
strong roots in their communities and generate a powerful local "ripple" economic effect through their expenditure of operating expenses plus capital investment.
Since his tenure, his priorities are to help franchisees and franchisors to collaborate toward a
win-win relationship, to improve quality of service, to help controlling costs and to help the
franchise industry to face its environmental and social responsibilities.
Nash also helped the organization, co-founded by his brother Jay, known as the National
Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators, Developers (NABHOOD). Nash was
instrumental in bringing NABHOOD to the forefront of AAHOA and collaborate to help each
other in its success. He also serves as the Industry Advisory Board for NABHOOD. Nash also participates in local governments by serving as the Chairman Escambia County Tourist Development Council (TDC) for the past six years . Its function is to promote and enhance tourism as well as providing Stuart ship for the countywide bed tax collected from tourism. Under his leadership the TDC budget has increased from 4M to 11.9M with a focus on effective spending.
He is also the founding member of the Escambia County Destination Marketing
Organization (DMO) The group consists of local Hotel and Tourism leaders charge with
seeking ways to increase Tourism in Escambia County and help County Commissioners Increase
Tourism revenues and increased bed tax revenues which led to the formation of Visit Pensacola.
Nash also is the former Chairman of the local business organization called the Gulf Coast Indian Association (GCIA). He has served as the Chairman of GCIA for the past three years and led the organization to a platform where local Government has recognized
and honored the presence of such a strong organization.
Nash also holds one of the industry's highest certification known as the Certified Hotel
Administrator (CHA) since 1999 and is commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging
Association (AH&LA). He has also been a recipient of several industries recognized awards such as the Chairman Award, Outstanding Service Award and the Generosity Award from AAHOA. Nash currently serves on the prestigious AAHOA Past Chairman Council (PCC) and was the 2016-2017 Chair of the Council. He is also an appointed Ambassador to the Florida region for the industry's largest Lodging Organization.
Jay S. Patel-CHA is a real estate and P3 developer and manages multiple assets of franchised hotels in the panhandle area of the Gulf Coast. As one of the initial members of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, Jay and his network have brought thousands of Asian Hoteliers together to speak with one voice and lead AAHOA to evolve to become the world's largest Hotel Group controlling 60% of U.S. Hotels owned by AAHOA Members. He served two terms as Chairman of the Franchise & Industry Relations Comm. that had undertaken crucial Industry issues such as franchising, good faith and fair dealing practices that led to significant change in the industry's business practices.
Mr. Patel is the author of Franchising Is It Fair? How to Negotiate an Equitable Franchise Agreement! He is a recognized expert of the Hospitality Franchised Industry. Mr. Patel has donated over 15,000 hard copies of his book to educate Franchisees and Hospitality students all over the country. An online version of the literature can be viewed at: FranchisingIsItFair.com.
His service to the State of Florida for a decade has led to three gubernatorial appointments as a Trustee to the University of West Florida and as the Governor to the Florida State University Systems Board of Governors. He was also appointed and currently serves to represent the State of Florida as the Board of Governors Representative to the Institute of Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC). Additionally, he was appointed to the Higher Education Coordinating Council (HECC). The primary function is to advise & recommend policy to the Florida Senate, the House, the Governor, the Florida's Education Commission, the Board of Governors & the State College System. Mr. Patel was also instrumental during his tenure at the Florida Board of Governors in re-writing the Public Private Partnership guidelines and reintroduced them to the State of Florida BOG which were adopted for implementation throughout the Florida State University Systems.
Mr. Patel also co-founded the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators and Developers (NABHOOD). Over the span of 25 years, NABHOOD has successfully helped African Americans to acquire more than eleven hundred Hotels and become a major player of the Hospitality Industry. Mr. Patel also helped bring additional resources such as Franchising, Capital Funding and Management Companies.
For many of his accomplishments Mr. Patel was recognized and honored with three Honorary Doctorate for his accomplishments rewarding him for his involvement in education, theology, and the hospitality industry. Over the years, Mr. Patel has been the recipient of multiple industry-recognized awards from various national organizations including the prestigious Outstanding Service Award, The Award of Excellence, The Spirit Award, The Strategic Partnership Award, The Chairman's Award and most recently, The Hispanic Industry Leadership Award from the International Hispanic Meeting Professional. Mr. Patel also received an award as a ranking designation from the U.S. News and World Report which named Florida as #1 in the U.S. for higher education for three consecutive years during his tenure.
Now he is facilitating the transition of the hospitality industry to the 21st century by testing, promoting, and using smart contracts and various blockchain technologies through complex reservation and payment smart systems. Its core mission is to digitally Monetize Lodging Industries' Underperforming Assets.
Kait is a Licensed Real Estate Broker and Licensed Certified General Contractor with over 15 years of Sales, Construction, and Real Estate Management experience. Kait has been immersed in strategically analyzing, positioning, and successfully marketing national companies from the beginning.
Kait first worked for an Orlando based Real Estate Development Firm where as the Director of Operations Kait oversaw the simultaneous strategic development, promotion, budgeting, and implementation of exclusively tailored acquisition and expansion initiatives per a managed worldwide portfolio of over 25 real estate hospitality and lodging development projects.
In addition to real estate, Kait also served as the Vice President of Sales and Development for a nationally recognized commercial Construction Company specializing in Hospitality/F&B Construction, Management and Operations. A company at which she was solely responsible for the development of new, and for the continued growth of existing commercial partnerships with the objective to maximize the Company's brand image, outreach, and profitability.
Prior to joining the NashBuilt team, Kait owned and operated a Turnkey Design Build General Contracting firm. This firm offered full-service Architecture, Structural & MEP Engineering, Interior Design, Construction, and Property Improvement solutions for Commercial and Hospitality Renovations, Additions, and New Build Construction. As Owner and Executive Vice President, she directed all Operations and Development; managing the Company's Design and Estimating Divisions, Project Management and Field Staff, Sales and Marketing outreach strategies, and all Contract Administration, HR, and Financial bookkeeping.
Today, overseeing the NashBuilt brand, Kait will elevate the firm to be globally recognized as the "Gold Standard" in Real Estate, Contracting and Development.
Ken Laurette has been extensively involved in commercial construction for nearly 20 years of his career. From working as a Construction Services Department Manager to founding his own company, Ken has effortlessly displayed his passion for construction projects. In his specialized construction experience, Ken has led several hotel projects such as the Comfort Inn & Suites, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Courtyard by Marriott, but has also constructed condominiums and apartments, and Causeway Bridge projects.
Ken primarily focuses on project plan reviews and revision management, coordinating on-site construction meetings, providing project updates and material tracking, reviewing and submitting payment applications for all on-site vendors, managing project schedules to ensure timelines are met between vendors and suppliers. Ken also ensures that all scheduling with local municipalities are duly coordinated and satisfied with respect to inspections.
Ken also has been engaged in renovations of thirteen different Raddisson properties in cities throughout the country. Prior to his direct experience in the hotel industry, Ken was involved in the SR-415 widening and the I-95 widening projects. These projects were in excess of 115 million dollars. During his time as a Construction Services Department Manager, Ken oversaw the construction of a Cambria (12 Story Condo), the Tuscany (8 Story Condos), the Ocean Towers in Palm Coast, Florida, the Admirals Cove (5 Story Condos), and educational institutional construction projects.
Mael Gomez has been in the construction industry for over 15 years with experience from renovations to new construction developments. From working as a Superintendent, Project Manager, and Estimator, Mael brings a refreshing viewpoint to the table. Mael's ability to succeed in working with contract negotiations and closing projects out make him a great asset to the team. Mael explores ways to solve issues proactively for all parties involved in construction.
In his current role with NashBuilt, Mael works with projects in the Orlando area. By working with other team members, Mael directly oversees the progress and transformation of projects with our clients at the forefront.
Mael serves as a Superintendent for NashBuilt Construction.
Aman Patel is an eager and motivated member of the construction and hospitality development industry. After working with several renovations and new construction projects, Aman was able to identify his ability to work with teams in fast-paced roles and under tight deadlines. His ability to create & apply solutions to complex problems is exemplified when providing progress updates to all parties aspects in the construction development. Aman has supervised and managed multi-million dollar developments throughout the state of Florida.
In his current role with NashBuilt, Aman oversees the day to day operations with projects and company development. By focusing on creating systems to ease the construction process, he has been able to help clients reduce costs and find effective solutions in construction. This includes tasks from budget management, streamlining the documenting systems, maintaining jobsite compliance per Osha safety standards, and ensuring the completion of work exceeds the client's & brands standards.
Aman is actively pursuing his license to assist clients with financing their residential and commercial projects by originating loans and assisting transactions between clients and financial institutions.
Aman serves as a Project Developer for NashBuilt Construction.
Patrick Broome has been in commercial and residential construction with 30 years of experience. He has provided framing for commercial buildings, concrete work, renovations, including hotels, as well as lobbies and restaurants. His knowledge of tiling, roofing, painting, including esteeming jobs, and material take-offs from start to finish make him an essential asset at NashBuilt.
In his current role with NashBuilt, Patrick serves as a Project Manager to provide leadership in our Panama City division. By working to satisfy our client's budget, timeline, and oversee all aspects of the project, he ensures that our final product exceeds our client's expectations.
Patrick serves as a Project Manager for NashBuilt Construction.
Elery Denham has been involved in construction management and development for over 25 years of his career. After completing his industrial engineering degree in Georgia, Elery went on to become an expert in the corporate industry assisting with multi-million dollar projects, ranging from condominiums, hotels, distribution centers, and office locations. Further, Elery has exposed
His experience to student housing for college and university systems, which led him to become Vice-President of Corporate and National Accounts for a company that generated approximately 42 billion dollars in revenue annually.
Elery oversees project management for steel and CFS panel installation. He assists procure the structural engineer, steel fabrication, CFS panel manufacturer, and erection contracts. He further coordinates design criteria AE, SE, and CFS firms. Elery also manages RFIs and submittals during all phases of the project related to steel, CFS panels, joist and deck. In addition, Elery has been involved with hotel structures that ranged from 160 to 210 rooms and has a wide range of construction type builds. He has led development of hotels, apartments, and condos. With respect to technical training, Elery is qualified in CPM, PERT, PDM. His industrial engineering background has allowed his expertise to value engineer projects that were in excess of 45 million dollars and with projects reaching 930 units.
Kandace Patel has spent her career working in operations and management for the hospitality industry. Over the last 30 years, she has managed various hospitality franchises, such as Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion Inn, Best Western, Studio 6, and many others. Through her experience, she was also responsible for the financial management of each of the properties, including those that underwent construction and renovations. From ensuring that orders were correctly budgeted for, managing inventory of construction materials and property assets, as well as providing a well-rounded management style for each property under her wing, she has successfully formed her experience in the hospitality industry.
Currently, Kandace serves as the Accounts Manager for NashBuilt Construction.
Dee Laurel has spent her career working in accounting and taxation. After graduating from Strayer University, she was employed by numerous companies as their Accountant and Tax Preparer. Some of these companies include: United Way, Dynamic Business Ledger, Flores
& Flores, Intuit, and NAS (Naval Air Station). She has extensive experience with industries such as hotel hospitality, IRS, and federal government. Dee will continue to use the skills she has acquired in her past employment to help NashBuilt's accounts team.
Currently, Dee serves as the Controller for NashBuilt Construction. Dee handles all the accounting functions including accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank reconciliation, and financial reporting. She will oversee and manage the individuals who perform these functions
as well.
Michelle Sweeney has spent her career working as a certified public accountant (CPA). After graduating from the University of West Florida, she joined a highly regarded accounting firm, Warren Averett. She has spent +20 years with the firm at the Pensacola branch, serving in various roles such as Supervisor, Senior Accountant I and II . She has extensive experience with industries such as construction, healthcare, manufacturing, and real estate.
Currently, Michelle serves as the CPA for NashBuilt Construction and manages the financial responsibilities. She ensures that the monthly billing and job budgets are monitored with diligent care. She also handles the federal, state, and local tax returns for the organization.
Michelle serves as the CPA for NashBuilt Construction.
Maddie Menear has become a motivated member of the construction industry, specifically, to assist our business development team. Maddie has helped NashBuilt grow their business using her previous skills in the sports industry. These skills include: marketing, human
resources, and event coordinating. Maddie has taken a lead role in the development of proposals and presentations for new business materials to create and nurture business opportunities. She assists in the coordination and implementation of marketing strategies,
and delegate tasks that achieve strategic goals for NashBuilt.
Currently, Maddie serves as the Administrative Assistant for NashBuilt Construction.
Kishane Patel has spent his time involved in organization management and has helped create NashBuilt from the inception of its time. After finishing his term in public service as an elected member of the Florida Board of Governors for the State University System and as a former Trustee at the University of West Florida, he joined the NashBuilt team to help recruit talent, manage operational aspects of the company, and assist the executive leadership.
In his previous role with NashBuilt, Kishane served as the Director of Development to provide assistance to all projects from Panama City all the way down to Miami. His ability to solve problems in the office allows him to create systems that ease the burden on other team players.
After launching his own law firm, KJP Counsel, PLLC, Kishane now serves as In-House Counsel for NashBuilt. He specializes in construction, franchising, real estate, and insurance law.