Adam Greenfader, Managing partner of AG&T (7 minute video) speaks on new opportunities in Puerto Rico. Learning this video about the the island’s history and how you can learn from the past to generate real value and long term economic growth. The video includes new information about tax incentives, the tourism tax incentive, Act 20/22, and other tax credits for real estate development. Contact us for more information and to learn about Why Puerto Rico Now
As the world struggles to return back to normal from the Covid19 pandemic, environmental concerns continues to loom as an area of great concern for world and the Caribbean region in particular. What strategies have institutional capital, developers, reinsurance companies and owners in the Caribbean pursued to protect their properties from climate-related risks? Do these resilience investments make business sense as a development objective? What has the capital market response been? And how have developers and property owners measured their success?
Speakers:
Jan Raes, ABN AMRO Global Sustainability Advisor
Esteban Biondi, ATM Associate Principal
Koen Waterstudio NL, Co-founder
Adam Greenfader, AG&T, Managing Partner
Topics to Include:
1. What is the capital doing about investing in resilient projects?
2. How are developers integrating resiliency practices into their projects?
3. The $ of Resiliency – Beyond the ULI Heitman Report
4. Aquatic Architecture: is it just a matter of Time?
The panelists :
The ULI Webinar has an incredible array of information crammed into 90 minutes and it gives a great snapshot for the many initiatives being introduced and planned to help the Puerto Rican economy and create more quality jobs. If I had to some it up in three words, Mo is back. Mo of course being momentum.
Each of the speakers brought a different perspective. Congresswoman Gonzalez Colon noted her primary mission is the reconstruction of the Island and to shephard the many supporting bills recently introduced in the US Congress. Former Governor Luis Fortuno brought an informed Wash DC think tank perspective, Adam Greenfader is one of Puerto Rico´s most passionate advocates, Andy Carlson of JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle) brings experienced commercial insights from the world´s second largest public brokerage firm, Dr Deusch stated his case for the reasons he brought his Swiss/German manufacturing business to Puerto Rico because of a need for precision and reliability, while Noel Zamot has a finger on the ethical pulse of developing new business in Puerto Rico.
The conversations were upbeat and positive. For instance, Congresswoman Colon made a presentation on MMEDS which was introduced last month to Congress under the bill H.R. 7527. This bill provides tax incentives and tax credits for companies creating manufacturing plants and jobs in economically distressed areas in the US and its territories. The criteria for distressed is even stricter than the recent Opportunity Zone legislation passed in late 2017. When the Congresswoman showed the MMEDS qualifying maps there were smaller areas in very non desirable locations in the US whereas Puerto Rico literally had a much larger proportional area in some desirable locations. And she stated very clearly that MMEDS is one of the very few legislative items that is drawing bi-partisan support from both sides of the aisle.
The entire panel then weighed in on the competitive advantages that Puerto Rico has when competing with the mainland U.S. including much lower labor costs by as much as 60% lower in some cases, an experienced manufacturing labor force going back 100 years, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez which is a top 10% engineering school for the entire U.S. and which is very much geared to provide the engineering and chemistry talent to support Puerto Rico´s manufacturing base. That even today five of the top ten selling drugs internationally are produced in Puerto Rico and 12 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies have plants in Puerto Rico. Luis Fortuno noted that Puerto Rico had more than $40 billion USD in pharmaceutical exports in 2019 but has the capacity to increase this substantially. The panel noted that some closed down plants are almost in turnkey conditions should manufacturers wish to return or expand capacity. It would not take much. Maybe a recession of the Jones Act, or at least an exemption for an extended period of time, might be the necessary catalyst. There are some interesting new developments on this front as was evidenced last week by Hawaii noting that 85% of their informed populace is all for rescinding the Jones Act as it costs that Island 1.2 billion USD in additional transportation and cost of goods fees.
Progress is being made on seeking some type of exemption under the taxing provisions of GILTI as it adds a 10%+ tax on profits for CFCs (controlled foreign corporations) which unfortunately applies to the US territories since the do not fall under the IRC (Internal Revenue Code). On May 1, 2020, Congresswoman Stacey E. Plasket, representing the US Virgin Islands, filed Bill HR 6648 – the Territorial Economic Recovery Act, that if becomes law, it will exclude our territories from much or all of the GILTI taxation, under certain provisions.
On April 3, 2020, Congresswoman Jennifer González, resident Commissioner for Puerto Rico, introduced Bill HR 6643, the Securing National Supply Chain Act of 2020, to provide various tax credits to Economically Distressed Zones, including a tax credit on the amount of wages paid by an employer to employees in such a zone. The proposal has some overlap with HR 7527 noted above.
President Trump’s Special Representative for Puerto Rico’s Disaster Recovery, Rear Admiral Peter Brown, lead two delegations to Puerto Rico in August 2020, the last visit being last week. I am told the trip was very successful as a big priority was to visit and understand the many advantages of pharmaceutical manufacturing in Puerto Rico. AG&T is committed to bringing our network top information and access to our industry’s leaders.
As we sit today in the middle of a world pandemic, a few things seem certain. The Corona Virus health crisis has forever changed our relationship with globalism and our new understanding how manufacturing keeps us all safe. This is especially true of the pharmaceutical industry. With shortages of basic supplies, medicines and protective gear, is it time to bring critical manufacturing back to the United States?
The answer seems to be a resounding, “how fast.” But how do we do this, now that most of our manufacturing has been shipped to foreign locations? The answer might be right here at home.
Puerto Rico has played a historic role in America’s manufacturing since the 1940’s. In this conversation with Luis Fortuño, partner at Steptoe and Johnson (Governor of Puerto Rico 2009-2013), it is clear that since Operation Bootstrap, Puerto Rico has been a major contributor to The United State’s pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The island has three key elements that make it very attractive for manufacturing.
So what happened?
“Well, it was really a confluence of many events, some global and others local”, according to Mr. Fortuño. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created incentives for companies to move to Mexico and Canada. Countries like Ireland and China created elaborate tax and other incentives to attract business. Section 936 of the Tax code expired – which was a critical component of incentivizing manufacturing on the island. To learn more, read Why Puerto Rico Now.
Notwithstanding, Puerto Rico’s economic crisis, the island’s antiquated energy grid, and a wasteland of destruction caused by hurricanes in 2017, Puerto Rico is still in an ideal position to help USA quickly ramp up critical manufacturing production. In fact, the island today currently out preforms States like California, Indiana, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
Are there any Potential Roadblocks?
As part of the 2017 Tax Act, the new tax on Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) was proposed as a way to target profitable firms that are based abroad – known as controlled foreign corporations. For tax purposes, Puerto Rico is treated as a foreign jurisdiction and the 2017 Tax Act is bad news for companies doing business on the island. Patent-dependent sectors like pharmaceuticals and medical equipment and supplies account for nearly 35 percent of the total employment in manufacturing. Pharmaceutical companies alone employ approximately 90,000 Puerto Rico residents.
Where do we go from here?
Today there are several initiatives to help bring manufacturing back to the United States, Puerto Rico and other economically depressed areas. One such initiative is HR 6443, authored by Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner, Jenniffer González-Colón and sponsored by Donna Shalala (D-FL), Representatives Rob Bishop (R-UT), Darren Soto (D-FL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Peter King (R-NY).
See article below.
Together we will get through these very challenging times. This too shall pass.
Interested in telling your story about Puerto Rico or the Caribbean? Join us at AG&T Network.
The ULI Roundtable on Climate Resilience in The Netherlands was held to discuss how hurricane destruction in the Caribbean (and specifically Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten in 2017 and the Bahamas in 2019), reveals an urgency to rethink urban resilience and regeneration in the Caribbean. The ULI Roundtable brought together Dutch planners, designers, architects, engineers, financial institutions, developers, and investors to discuss new solutions and share global best practice. Specific issues focused on the Dutch knowledge and leadership on climate mitigation across urban design, development and investment. The two speakers included:
Mr. Adam Greenfader, Chair of the ULI SE Florida/Caribbean Council – shared experiences and outcome advice from the ULI Advisory Services Panelists in the Municipality of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico after the catastrophic and deadly 2017 Hurricane Maria.
Mr. Henk Ovink, Dutch special envoy to the United Nations on Water, and flood expert shared insights into global climate change challenges and the Dutch resilience plans for both the Netherlands and Dutch Caribbean.
Some of the works discussed:
San Juan- “The Future of Tourism and Hospitality: Increasing Capacity and Competing in a New Caribbean Market”, will be the main topic to be discussed by a panel of experts on the subject, each one representing a sector in the ever-changing world of tourism and hospitality.
The chairman of the board of the PRBA, Eng. Emilio Colón- Zavala, stated that: “Through this panel, the Puerto Rico Builders Association (PRBA) will provide the space for a wide and varied discussion, which will cover the new trends in the Modern Tourism industry, as well as the importance of efficiently positioning Puerto Rico as a competitive destination in the Caribbean. Tourism with less than 7% of the islands GDP, is slated to become one of the pillars of our economic development and it is urgent to incorporate into our offer all new trends that continue to develop and evolve in the Hospitality Industry”.
The panel moderated by Adam Greenfader, Managing Partner of AG&T, will have the participation of:
This panel will be held on October 30, as part of the Forty-Sixth Annual Convention of the Puerto Rico Builders Association: “A Challenge to Build the Future”, which will take place at the Puerto Rico Convention Center on October 29 and 30.
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About the PRBA
The Puerto Rico Builders Association is a private, non-profit organization. Established in 1951, its main purpose is to represent leading developers and investors of housing, commercial, office, industrial and tourism projects. The Association also represents investors, suppliers, banks professionals and companies associated with development and construction in Puerto Rico. Its main objective is to promote and lead the planned, safe and sustainable development in order to serve as the island’s economic engine, in collaboration with Puerto Rico’s public and private sector.
October 1, 2019, New York City– The Puerto Rico Builders Association takes a big bite of the Big Apple at the 2019 Bisnow National Real Estate Finance Summit. The National Real Estate Finance Summit is one of the most esteemed, high-level, and best attended event in the nation. This year was no exception with over 300 attendees from finance, capital markets, financial advisory, private equity, and real estate.
The Puerto Rico panel included Ing. Emilio Colón Zavala, President of the Puerto Rico Builders Association/ ECZ Group, Eric Berman, Chief Investment Officer at Lifeafar, Jorge Ruiz-Montilla, Capital Member and Chairman of the Real Estate & Finance Practice Group at MCconnell Valdes, Philip Carroll, Director of Finance at Royal Palm Companies and Adam Greenfader, Managing Partner of AG&T.
Ethan Penner, best known for creating the CMBS market, key noted the event with insight on “high conviction investment themes.” The Puerto Rico panel drew much interest at the Finance Summit. “We were impressed to hear from the leaders of the financial markets in New York that they see Puerto Rico as a great opportunity, explained Emilio Colón Zavala. With less than 7% tourism GDP, there is room for 15,000 more hotel keys.’
Philip Carroll of Royal Palm Companies , concurred with the assessment of hospitality demand and explained some of the island’s competitive advantages in Puerto Rico including the ability to leverage Tourism Tax credits with Opportunity Zone incentives. Royal Palm is currently developing a 1,000 key hotel and marina resort on the island.
Pictured Left to Right: Adam Greenfader, Emilio Colon Zavala, Philip Caroll, Marcial Diaz
The panel received multiple questions throughout the presentation. Of particular interest, was the level of detail and financial sophistication about Act 20/22. Jorge Ruiz-Montilla explained some of the benefits of the laws and highlighted the island’s economic and political stability.
When asked, “Why now, why invest in Puerto Rico today”, the consensus of the group was clear…the numbers speak for themselves. “Puerto Rico posted positive economic growth in 2019 and is forecasting a 2.5% GDP for 2020. We clearly hit bottom and with Billions of CDBG-DR money coming to the island in the next few years, the time is now”, quoted Adam Greenfader, who moderated the Panel.
Lifeafar, a real estate investment and hospitality firm, recently expanded their operations from Medellin, Colombia to Puerto Rico. “Puerto Rico is a place you can make a real change. Our investors want to make a good return on investment but also know they are helping to make a difference”, quoted Eric Berman.
For more information about Puerto Rico,. You can join the Puerto Rico Builders Association on October 29-30 at their annual conference. See link attached. https://www.constructorespr.com/convencion/#eventbrite
About The Puerto Rico Builders Association
About AG&T
Miami, Florida – The Bisnow Caribbean Hospitality and Tourism Summit held on August 1, 2019 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami drew over two hundred investors, developers, hotel operators and other industry professionals.
Sponsored by the Puerto Rico Builders Association, this “not to miss” investor event celebrated its 3rd year. Special shout out to Katya Demina for her help in making the event such a great success. Join us for more events at AG&T.
Published by Deidra Funcheon, Bisnow Miami
Puerto Rico was already struggling from decades of fiscal mismanagement and had just declared bankruptcy over its $123B debt when it was hit by two hurricanes in September 2017 — only to run into a botched disaster response. The way some see it, though, rock bottom is behind Puerto Rico, and the island is in the early stages of an upswing. “Puerto Rico is setting an incredible pace for economic recovery,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico, a destination marketing organization that promotes the commonwealth. “Airport arrivals are exceeding pre-Hurricane Maria levels, as are lodging revenues. Given the quick rebound, reinvestment in hotel product and tremendous potential for the island’s tourism industry, this is Puerto Rico’s time. From an investor’s perspective, there’s never been a better time to invest in the island’s tourism industry.”
Buildings and infrastructure are still being repaired and upgraded, and the government has instituted a full slate of tax incentives to lure investors, said AG&T Managing Partner Adam Greenfader, who advises clients from his base in Miami. “You can still acquire assets for 50 cents on the dollar,” he said. “Beachfront land in Puerto Rico today can still be acquired at $30K an acre.” Dean and Greenfader will be panelists at Bisnow’s Caribbean Hospitality & Tourism Summit Aug. 1. Puerto Rico’s economic spiral goes back decades. After World War II, it gave big tax breaks to manufacturers, and to cover for revenue shortfalls, issued more bonds than it could repay. In turn, it implemented austerity measures that did little except drive the population away. Its problems were exacerbated by that fact that it has no voting power in Congress.
Greenfader outlined some key developments toward a turnaround. Puerto Rico’s cash-strapped government has tried to lure investors with laws like Acts 20 and 22, passed in 2012 and designed so that people who move to the island pay little or no federal income tax, even on passive investments. Greenfader said this has attracted 250 to 500 families per year, including big names such as billionaire John Paulson. Other incentives include one that lets people with tourism-related projects get back 40% or 50% of their acquisition costs.
Puerto Rico’s massive government debt is currently being sorted out by a federal oversight board. “The major bonds, COFINA and GO, have been renegotiated and the bondholders have been put into payment plans,” Greenfader said. Since the 2017 hurricanes, federal disaster aid — including $1.4B authorized in June — has trickled in. Hotels damaged in the storms were forced to remodel or rebuild and are now offering better products at higher rates. Many are incorporating solar and microgrids to be resilient for the future. The storms raised the profile of Puerto Rico — one study found that prior to them hitting, about half of Americans hadn’t known the commonwealth was part of the U.S. Airport arrivals and tourism revenue have already set records this year. On top of this, Puerto Rico is the beneficiary of community development block grant funding, and 97% of the entire commonwealth — much of it beachfront — has been designated a qualified opportunity zone. “Puerto Rico never had a 1031 exchange, so from a tax perspective, it’s the first time it’s getting capital gains money,” Greenfader said.
Lifeafar Investments Chief Financial Officer Cole Shephard, who will also be a panelist at the Bisnow event, said his Colombia-based company is already taking advantage of Puerto Rico’s investment climate, raising $16M in an opportunity fund to reposition a 61-room hotel. Shephard said Lifeafar, which started by offering real estate services to expats in Medellín, was drawn by the tax incentives and that the opportunity zone designation was a bonus. He is now doing due diligence on additional properties. “I see the sophisticated money chasing metro San Juan,” he said, suggesting that there is a lot of opportunity for small to mid-market projects outside of the city. Not everything in Puerto Rico is rosy.
As the government has scrambled to generate revenue, sales tax was raised to 11.5%, pensions have been cut, college tuition increased and some 300 public schools closed. Critics have complained that wealthy investors have been protected while ordinary Puerto Ricans suffer. “The locals have had to carry the brunt of these austerity measures,” Greenfader acknowledged. “I’d understand completely, if I see a guy who’s a hedge fund manager with $500M earnings pay hardly any taxes, versus the regular guy paying 35% taxes who’s a salaried worker at Bacardi,” Shepherd said. But Shepherd added that conversations with Puerto Rican officials convinced him they have carefully calculated the tradeoff and found that luring private investment now will help island residents long-term, even though it may take years for the effects to be obvious.
Greenfader suggested that boosting tourism is a winning solution for both investors and residents. Because Puerto Rico since the Kennedy era has been focused on manufacturing, its tourism industry was relatively neglected. The industry now accounts for less than 7% of Puerto Rico’s gross domestic product. In other Caribbean islands, that number is typically between 30% and 80%. Dean’s destination marketing organization, Discover Puerto Rico, was established last year to actively promote tourism. Bisnow’s Aug. 1 Caribbean Hospitality & Tourism Summit will also include Puerto Rico Tourism Co. Executive Director Carla Campos, Hilton VP for Development Juan Corvinos Solans, Puerto Rico Builders Association President Ing. Emilio Colón Zavala and more.
