Event Agenda:

8:30 a.m. - Registration & Continental Breakfast

9:00 a.m. - Welcome and Opening Remarks

Host: Larry Candelario, SVP, Director of Credit Products, BankUnited

9:15 a.m. - Panel Discussion: Big Dreams, Bold Moves

Moderator:
Michael Marrero, SVP, SBA Director, BankUnited

Panelists:
Kethe Ciccioni, Co-Founder, TitleCapture

Kethe A. Cicconi is a technology entrepreneur and Co-Founder of TitleCapture, a SaaS platform launched in 2013 to serve the title insurance industry. He leads product strategy, capital planning, and growth initiatives across the company’s expanding platforms, including Agentmark, a technology platform that helps real estate agents strengthen their digital identity and maintain greater control over their business. Kethe focuses on building scalable, cash-flowing companies that create durable value for independent professionals and industry partners.

Jorge Gomez, Founder, Senior Vice President & Qualifier, Wellington Construction Group

Jorge W. Gomez is the Founder, Senior Vice President, and Qualifier of Wellington Construction Group, Inc., a $15M+ construction and development firm recognized for transforming complex spaces into high-performing assets. With more than three decades of experience, Jorge has built his career at the intersection of construction, design, and real estate investment, delivering Class “A” office environments that elevate businesses and enhance the built environment.

He is also the Co-Founder of Building Experts, a specialized commercial real estate services firm focused on all aspects of building services including but not limited to Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Life Safety systems. Through this platform, his team advises ownership groups, property managers, and institutional clients on critical infrastructure strategy, capital planning, and asset optimization across national and international markets.

Beyond construction execution, his leadership spans strategic development, portfolio acquisitions, and long-term asset value creation across commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. A graduate with top honors from the Florida A&M University School of Architecture, Jorge blends architectural training with entrepreneurial vision, approaching every project not simply as a structure, but as a long-term investment in community, economic growth, and generational impact.

His guiding philosophy remains constant: build with integrity, develop with foresight, and create environments that endure.

Wesley Foster, President and CEO, Pacifica Engineering Services

Wesley Foster is President and CEO of Pacifica Engineering Services, LLC, a Florida-based engineering firm providing geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing, threshold inspections, private provider plan review and inspections, permit expediting, and specialty consulting services. Under his leadership, Pacifica has grown rapidly across the state and has been recognized multiple times on the South Florida Business Journal Fastest-Growing Companies list, Inc. 5000, Inc. Regional, Gator100, and SFBJ Fast 50.

Foster is known for building scalable, process-driven organizations focused on accountability, technology, and execution. He recently led the launch of PlanCheckPro.AI, an AI-powered platform designed to modernize and accelerate plan review and code compliance in the construction industry. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from the University of Florida and an MBA from Louisiana State University.

Maria Pierson, Co-Founder & CEO, Pierson Grant Public Relations

Maria Pierson, co-founder and CEO of Pierson Grant Public Relations, is an award-winning publicist and marketer who has written and executed PR and marketing campaigns for clients nationwide including restaurants, B2B, real estate, financial, the arts, non-profits and more. She is a past Women in Communications Woman of the Year, was named to the list of South Florida Business Journal’s 2023 Women of Influence, was featured in a Cosmopolitan magazine article highlighting “Women In PR” and has worked on behalf of clients with numerous celebrities including Warren Buffett, Mandy Moore, Mario Lopez, Mark Cuban, Super Bowl winning quarterback Joe Flacco, Jessie James Decker, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, Tori Spelling, Ray Romano and more.

An active member of the community, Maria sits on the board of Leadership Broward Foundation, where she is VP of Marketing, Lighthouse of Broward, where she serves as secretary, Business for the Arts Broward, where she also serves as secretary, and the Miramar Cultural Trust. She sits on the Project Opioid Broward Steering Committee, is involved with NAIOP, Broward Women’s Alliance and more and assists the Parkland 17 Foundation in PR efforts to build a public memorial for those who tragically died at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

A graduate of the University of Florida with a B.S. in Journalism and a minor in marketing, Maria is a self-proclaimed news and sports junkie. She’ll shut down the office for March Madness and the World Cup. She is well known for cheering on her favorite teams, particularly the Florida Gators.

Prior to Pierson Grant, Maria was a vice president and partner in another South Florida PR firm and also was a former sports columnist for a weekly newspaper.

10:25 a.m. - Keynote Speaker

Justin Levy, President & CEO, iBusiness Funding

Justin Levy is a lifelong entrepreneur and CEO with a passion for delivering financing and technology solutions to small businesses. In 2013, three years after graduating Cum Laude from the University of Miami, he founded Knight Capital to provide working capital solutions to small businesses online in a transparent and efficient manner.

In 2015, he founded iBusiness Funding, the technology platform that powered Knight Capital’s growth. In 2019, he successfully exited both businesses through a sale to Ready Capital Corporation (NYSE: RC) and continues to serve as CEO.

Over the past decade, iBusiness has become a leader in software and lending services, processing more than $7 billion in SBA loans and over $4 billion in conventional loans. The company’s flagship lending software, LenderAI, supports the digitization of the entire SBA lending process, improving both borrower and lender experiences. iBusiness also develops software solutions for small businesses, including iBuild, which enables companies to grow by leveraging the latest AI technologies.

Mr. Levy’s personal mission is to empower small businesses by delivering innovative software and accessible financial products that provide the tools to build, scale, and sustain long-term success. In recognition of his leadership and innovation, he was named Coleman’s 2026 SBA Lender Innovator of the Year and received the Best Use of AI in SBA Lending Award.

11:15 a.m. - SBA Programs for Small Business Owners

Althea Harris, Deputy District Director, South Florida SBA District Office

Althea A. Harris has been championing the cause of businesses her entire federal career which began in 1993 at the U.S. Department of Commerce with the late Secretary Ronald H. Brown; there, she traveled worldwide in support of small and medium-sized exporters. While in the Office of Enterprise Development at the U.S. General Services Administration, she helped small business owners compete for contracts and worked to influence the Agency to make more contract opportunities available for small business competition. Having held several positions within the SBA office in Miami since 1999, Althea now serves as the Deputy District Director leading a dedicated, professional staff that implements SBA’s mission throughout the District’s 24-county territory and advocating on behalf of the over 2 million+ small business owners. Under Althea’s leadership, the District has ranked #1 in the nation for the last 3 consecutive years for SBA-backed loans to small businesses and is poised to lead again in FY26. She is responsible for the daily operation of the offices in Miami, Tampa, and Ft. Pierce; and, is the Faith- & Community-Based Initiative Coordinator.

A graduate of Howard University and the University of Miami School of Law, Althea is also active in her community, sharing her time and talents on the Boards of Greater Miami Youth for Christ, and Christ Journey Church in Coral Gables where she is also a missionary.

A Washington, D.C. native, Althea shares her life and love with her husband, their four wonderful children, and Shiloh their Rhodesian Ridgeback.

11:30 a.m. - SBA Express Lending & How to Apply

Michael Marrero, SVP, SBA Director, BankUnited

12:15 p.m. - Closing Remarks

12:20 p.m. - Grab & Go Lunch