Most recently, Mr. St. Clair and his development group purchased the iconic ESJ Towers Resort located in Isla Verde Beach, outside of San Juan, P.R. Within six months of acquiring ESJ, St. Clair rebranded the property as ESJ Azul, including an extensive renovation of the property and a new marketing and distribution plan that has exponentially increased sales and added additional revenue streams.
He is taking that same model of success and expanding it across the Isla Verde area, igniting a much-needed renaissance that will increase tourism and create thousands of well-paying jobs with plans already in the works to build two more iconic resorts in Isla Verde, the ESJ Jade to be open in 2019 and the ESJ Noir to start renovation construction on January 2019. In mid-2018 Mr. St. Clair founded the St. Clair Collection integrating Maré Hotel (formerly ESJ Azul), Jade, Noir, and Zafira as part of the Collection.
He and his development group are building RKA the first film studio that will provide City Facades, Sound Stages, a Visitor’s Center with a Film Museum and an area for Film Festivals facilities. The film studio will be located at the Puerto Rico Convention Center District, this project is expected to be completed by 2022.
Given Mr. St. Clair’s dedication to Puerto Rico and his vision for the future, he became a proud resident of Puerto Rico through Law 20/22 in 2015 and is already implementing additional development plans in Vieques and Cayey to further his mission and vision for Puerto Rico. Mr. St. Clair holds a degree in Education from Birmingham University, U.K and a second degree in Business from The Open University, U.K.
Steve’s work has been featured in the Atlantic, AP, Bisnow, Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, Crain’s, Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, Impact Alpha, Inc., LA Times, Marketplace, NY Times, NPR, Politico, San Francisco Chronicle, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Vox, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.
Professional affiliations and memberships
Member of the Tax Committees and the Business Women Networks of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce and the Puerto Rico State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Also an active member in Ellevate – Puerto Rico Chapter.
In 2017 she was awarded by the Woman Who Lead organization as “Executive Woman Leader”. In 2015 she was recognized in the International Accounting Bulletin Power 50 list, among most influential people in the global accountancy profession. During September 2014, she was recognized, for her outstanding services, as a “Distinguished CPA” by the Puerto Rico State Society.
She participates in the Continued Educational Program of the Puerto Rico State Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. On June 2012, María was awarded by the Puerto Rico State Society as one of its distinguished colleagues and to whom the Accountants’ Week was dedicated.
Community involvement
She was the Treasurer of Fundación Dar a not-for-profit organization.
Presentations and publications
Among Mrs. Rivera’s publications are numerous tax articles written for local newspapers and magazines. She is an active correspondent of the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD) for Puerto Rico.
Languages spoken
Spanish and English
James has led a bond offering of 7 million dollars and oversaw several construction funds amounting to more than 15 million dollars. In addition, his stewardship gained the attention of Moody’s through bond issuances and the district was graded with Aa2 credit rating.
As a devoted servant, James has volunteered over 500 hours of community service and has been awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service Lifetime Award through the office of President Donald Trump. In addition, James is a devoted father and active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He volunteers on the board for several organizations and is revered as a Renaissance Man.
As a hands-on leader in multiple communities, Frank continues to broaden his horizons by seizing every available opportunity to help those in need. Customarily, distressed communities trigger the fight in Frank to aid by teaching the people to fish as opposed to giving them a fish. Frank is a devoted father and has volunteered his time and services to the community and local boards. As a result, he has earned the respect of the President’s Office by receiving the Presidential Volunteer Service Lifetime Award.
Prior to his appointment, Bacó Bagué has held several leadership positions within the private sector, including CEO of Marvel and Bohío International, and Board seats with W Holdings and Assurant P.R., among others. He has held several positions within international accounting and law firms, and currently directs ABB Capital LLC, which specializes in strategies for growth, governance and turnarounds.
Bacó Bagué graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Puerto Rico with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. He also holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Puerto Rico. He is an active member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and, at a local level, has held all head positions, including Chapter Chairman.
Most recently, she was a director at the Collage Group in Washington, D.C. where she led market research and counseled clients on engagement strategies targeted to the fastest-growing consumer segments in the U.S. marketplace. Ella recently moved back to the Island to take on this role and is thrilled to be a part of the rebuilding of the Puerto Rico economy in order to set our Island on a path of growth and prosperity.
Katherine coauthored Opportunity Knocks under Tax Reform, February 19, 2018, about the new Qualified Opportunity Zone program.
Katherine was a featured speaker on Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ) at a recent QOZ Forum sponsored by the Illinois governor’s office on October 11, 2018.
Recent projects have included:
- Evaluating whether a particular building or business is located in a qualifying census tract for purposes of the Qualified Opportunity Zone program.
- Providing advice on the requirement that a qualified opportunity fund must purchase qualified property from an unrelated person after 2017.
- Providing advice on what gains are eligible for deferral under the Qualified Opportunity Zone program.
- Providing advice on the “testing period” for purposes of determining whether at least 90% of the assets of a qualified opportunity fund are invested in a qualifying zone business.
- Providing advice on the threshold of investment needed to constitute a “substantial renovation” under the Qualified Opportunity Zone program.
Denisse is a CPA and former president of the Puerto Rico CPA State Society, one of the most prestigious business organizations in Puerto Rico, where she has held a number of leadership roles and continues to be actively involved. She also is the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico – affiliate of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. She was a participant at Genesis Park – PwC’s global leadership program.
Denisse regularly speaks at tax conferences and seminars, and is the author of various articles. She earned an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Puerto Rico and a Masters in Tax (MST) from Bentley University. Denisse also is in the process of completing a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Puerto Rico Law School (expected May 2019).