Who we are
Allen A. Matis - Founder
Mr. Allen Matis has over 30+ years of experience in Real Estate Development, Project Management, Acquisitions and Asset Management in the USA and Asia. He is the Founder of Matis Associates, LLC, based in Miami, USA, providing Development Management Services on behalf of its clients, with focus on large-scale mixed-use, hospitality, residential and commercial real estate. Prior to founding Matis Associates, Mr. Matis was the Global Head of Development with Great Eagle Holdings, overseeing Great Eagle’s entire project portfolio of 20 developments across four continents. Mr. Matis has held key positions in multi-national organizations. Prior to joining Great Eagle in 2015, he was the Executive Vice President – Property with SilverNeedle Hospitality Group responsible for capital placement, acquisition and development and asset management of the group’s real estate portfolio. He held an executive role within LaSalle Investment Management’s Opportunistic Funds, LaSalle Asia Opportunity Fund II and LaSalle Asia Opportunity Fund III as Regional Director of Development managing a portfolio of projects with an aggregate investment of over US$4 billion spread over 30 projects. Prior to that, he had worked for Bovis Lend Lease for 17 years and served in senior operational and executive roles including the Country Manager of Greater China. Allen started his career as a Project/Construction Manager delivering high-rise offices in downtown Chicago. He graduated from The University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering.
Joe Banerjee - Design & Planning Director
As Design and Planning Director for Matis Associates, Joe Banerjee has 25 years of experience in formulating solutions for large, complicated, mixed-use projects internationally across five continents. He has had a long collaboration with Allen Matis providing expertise in implementing project strategies while driving efficiency and developing iconic aesthetics.
After receiving his M. Arch from Georgia Tech, Joe went to work for Kling Stubbins in Philadelphia. Drawn to more challenging mixed-use type projects, he joined Arquitectonica in New York to work on their Cyberport project in Hong Kong. His affinity for finding solutions to complex problems led him to work with Ma Qing Yun at MADA SPAM on the design and planning of several large projects across China.
As his experience in the field grew, Joe began working more directly with developers and planners in the early phases of projects to develop an initial project vision and work to define the project potentialities. Developing a collaborative approach that is driven more centered on data and narrative while driving towards sustainable goals regardless of scale or scope.
This led Joe to join Allen at Great Eagle in 2016 as their Head of Design. Over the next four years he led the strategic planning of over 15 projects and created hundreds of millions of dollars in value for them by developing unique strategies from concept through construction. In 2020 Joe formed Threshold as a Design Strategy group with Adam Hayes of Openshop to look at the unique problems design and construction now faces. They have worked on these issues with other industry leaders such as Kengo Kuma and Associates, Rottet Studio, and Arup.
Lucas Matis - Development Associate
Lucas Matis is the Development Associate for Matis Associates where he provides day-to-day support for the development management team.
He is also a commercial real estate agent who specializes in the investment sales of net leased assets across the United States exclusively representing both buyers and sellers. Previously Lucas was with Marcus & Millichap’s Miami office where he received his real estate license and commercial brokerage training. He was also a financial analyst at Pacific Eagle Holdings Corporation, a San Francisco-based real estate investment manager where he was responsible for the underwriting and market studies of numerous deals across the United States. Lucas is a graduate from University of Miami’s Herbert Business School and is fluent in both English and Chinese.