{{Short description|Peruvian-American businesswoman}} {{Infobox person |name = Alicia Cervera |image = Alicia Cervera.jpg |caption = Alicia Cervera Portrait |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1930|03|14}} |birth_place = Lima, Peru |death_date = |death_place = |occupation = Founder and chairman of Cervera Real Estate<br> Entrepreneur<br> Philanthropist |spouse = Javier Cervera (dec.) |children = Veronica Cervera Goeseke<br> Alicia Cervera Lamadrid<br> Javier Cervera Jr. }}
'''Alicia Cervera''' (born March 14, 1930) is a Peruvian-American businesswoman, real estate broker and philanthropist known for her work as the founder and chairman of Cervera Real Estate, a real estate brokerage firm headquartered in Miami, Florida.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Zbar |first=Jeff |date=2023-04-13 |title='Queen of Brickell' Alicia Cervera Sr. transforms Miami real estate (Video) |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2023/04/13/alicia-cervera-sr-transforms-miami-real-estate.html |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=South Florida Business Journal}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=McCaughan |first=Sean |date=2020-02-03 |title='Starting over was daunting' — but for three generations of Cervera women, it's paid off |work=The Miami Herald |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article238845663.html}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Bandell |first=Brian |date=2023-02-17 |title=Alicia Cervera Sr. named SFBJ's 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2023/02/17/cervera-sr-named-sfbj-s-2023-lifetime-achievement.html |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=South Florida Business Journal}}</ref><ref name=":5" /> Cervera has worked alongside notable developers including Harry Helmsley and Jorge M. Perez.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> She has been compared to Julia Tuttle as one of the women whose impact on the development of Miami has been the most prolific.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2016-10-25 |title=Alicia Cervera {{!}} Cervera Real Estate {{!}} Alicia Cervera Day |url=https://therealdeal.com/miami/2016/10/25/alicia-cervera-gets-a-day-named-after-her-photos/ |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=The Real Deal |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |last=Nehamas |first=Nicholas |date=2023-10-18 |title=Miami Mayor honors prominent local Realtor with special day |work=The Miami Herald |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article108964862.html |access-date=2023-10-17}}</ref>
== Early life == Born in Peru in 1930, Cervera is the second of three daughters of Teodosio Cabada, a Peruvian ambassador, and Alicia Cipriani, a real estate developer in her hometown of Lima.<ref name=":1" /> In 1954, while her father was the Peruvian ambassador to Cuba, she married Javier Cervera, whose family business was centered in the Cuban sugar industry.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Arauz |first=Jorge |date=2018-06-19 |title=REAL ESTATE ROYALTY |url=https://brickellmag.com/real-estate-royalty/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Brickell Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> She emigrated to Miami with her husband and their two daughters in the early 1960s, seeking safety in the United States from the Cuban Communist Revolution.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Levy |first=Art |date=2022-08-11 |title=Florida Icon: Alicia Cervera |url=https://www.floridatrend.com/article/34239/florida-icon-alicia-cervera |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Florida Trend}}</ref>
In 1966, Cervera learned of the transformation of Brickell Avenue in Miami from single-family lots to multifamily development.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> She then pursued and purchased (and later flipped) a property on Brickell Avenue, a move that would kickstart her real estate career.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5" />
== Career == In 1979, she approached New York real estate developer Harry Helmsley with a proposal to exclusively represent his planned 254-unit Palace on Brickell.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> She is credited for helping the present-day model of development sales and marketing.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />"<ref name=":5" />
Within one year of the Palace high-rise, Cervera secured several other major jobs on Brickell Avenue, including The Atlantis (known for its appearance in the opening credits of ''Miami Vice''), Villa Regina and Bristol Towers.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" /> As of 2023, Cervera has represented and sold more than 30 residential high-rise condominium towers in Brickell.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> She worked with developers to help revitalize neighborhoods such as Miami Beach's South of Fifth, downtown Miami, Coconut Grove, and Edgewater.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Katie |date=2021-07-29 |title=Miami's billionaire 'Condo King' is selling his waterfront mansion in a gated Florida community for $33 million. Take a look inside. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/miami-condo-king-selling-mansion-florida-2021-7 |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref>
Between 1969 and 2023, Cervera's career in new development sales and marketing included more than 120 condominium high-rise towers represented and sold across South Florida.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kallergis |first=Katherine |title=Brokerage Exec Alicia Cervera Lamadrid On Her Life and Career |url=https://therealdeal.com/magazine/national-february-2023/the-closing-alicia-cervera-lamadrid/ |access-date=2023-10-19 |website=The Real Deal |language=en}}</ref> Among these, include: Aston Martin Residences Miami (downtown Miami), Apogee (South Beach), the Ritz Carlton Coconut Grove, St. Regis Bal Harbour, and Grove at Grand Bay (Coconut Grove).
Cervera has been a supporter of the American Red Cross and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. For the last 40 years, she has been [https://clinicasanjuandedioslima.pe/ President of Clinica San Juan de Dios Miami Foundation], a hospital for disabled children in her native Peru.<ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cela |first=Victoria |date=2022-04-25 |title=County commisioners co-designate part of S. Miami Ave. as 'Alicia Cervera Way' {{!}} Biscayne Bay Tribune# |url=https://communitynewspapers.com/biscayne-bay/county-commisioners-co-designate-part-of-s-miami-ave-as-alicia-cervera-way/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Miami's Community News |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Awards and recognition == Cervera has been referred to in the press as the "Grand Lady of Real Estate Sales" and the "Queen of Brickell."<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> Her contributions to Miami's growth and development have earned her various accolades, including:
* 1991: recognized in the Congressional Record for her achievements in real estate * 2001: received the Red Cross Spectrum Entrepreneurial Award * 2006: CAMACOL recognized Cervera as a Successful Hispanic Businesswoman of the Year * 2009: Realtor Association of Miami and the Beaches granted Cervera the "Miami Real Estate Icon Award" * 2013: presented with a South Florida Real Estate Achievement and Leaders Award by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce * 2014: Cervera received several recognitions: ** ''South Florida Executive Magazine'' recognized her as a "Legend" for her dedication and commitment to the South Florida community. ** The Miami Master Brokers' Forum "Legacy Award" for her dedication to excellence in business and impact on South Florida real estate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Legacy Awards |url=https://www.masterbrokersforum.com/mbf-miami-chapter-legacy-awards.htm |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Master Brokers Forum |language=en-us}}</ref> ** The American Cancer Society Award for Inner Circle of 12.<ref>{{Cite web |title=News |url=https://www.thebrickellian.com/news |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=The Brickellian |language=en-US}}</ref> * 2016: Miami Dade County Mayor Tomás Regalado proclaimed October 18 "Alicia Cervera Day", stating that "no woman other than Julia Tuttle has had a larger impact on the development of Miami than Alicia Cervera."<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> * 2022: Miami-Dade County dedicated a stretch of South Miami Avenue as "Alicia Cervera Way" in recognition of her efforts to revitalize existing neighborhoods and create new ones.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Regan |first=Patrick |date=2022-04-14 |title=Portion of South Miami Avenue renamed in honor of Miami real estate legend Alicia Cervera Sr. |url=https://southfloridaagentmagazine.com/2022/04/14/portion-of-south-miami-avenue-renamed-in-honor-of-miami-real-estate-legend-alicia-cervera-sr/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=South Florida Agent Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Castrope |first=Daniel |date=2022-04-14 |title=Honran a empresaria Alicia Cervera con calle en Miami-Dade |url=https://www.diariolasamericas.com/florida/honran-empresaria-alicia-cervera-calle-miami-dade-n4247063 |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Diario las Americas |language=es-US}}</ref> * 2023: honored with the ''South Florida Business Journal's'' Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of her influence and dedication to the real estate industry.<ref name=":2" /> Speaking about Cervera's recognition, City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said "I don't know what Miami would look like, I don't know what my job as mayor would be without the achievements Alicia gave to our community."<ref name=":0" /> * 2023: bestowed with the "Urban Warrior: Legacy Award" by Miami's Center for Architecture and Design for her dedication to the development of Miami's urban core into a vibrant cosmopolitan center.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Urban Warrior Awards - Miami Center for Architecture & Design, Inc. |language=en-US |work=Miami Center for Architecture & Design, Inc. |url=https://miamicad.org/events/urban-warrior/ |access-date=2023-10-18}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cervera, Alicia}} Category:Businesspeople in the real estate industry Category:Peruvian businesswomen Category:American people of Peruvian descent Category:Peruvian expatriates in the United States Category:1930 births Category:Living people