our story
As former c-suite executives, Adam and Hope joined forces to start a real estate development and branded design company that focuses on residential and commercial projects that tell a story through architecture and design. By leveraging their combined experience in commercial real estate, brand marketing and restaurant design, they live by the philosophy that form and function can both be optimized and that neither should ever be sacrificed.
Along with real estate development and design, Mrkt Group also offers consulting services in the areas of brand marketing strategy and execution, real estate strategy, development, and design.
meet our founders
Adam Hlavaty
As an industry leading real estate and construction executive with over 17 years of real estate development experience, Adam has developed effective real estate development strategies that have successfully grown several national brands.
Prior to starting Mrkt Group, Adam was the Vice President of Real Estate, Construction and Facilities for Pollo Tropical. In his role, he led all real estate, design, construction and facilities initiatives for the Company. In his role, he leveraged his deep understanding of market dynamics, the brand’s position within the marketplace and data to define effective real estate development strategies
Before joining Fiesta, Hlavaty served as Vice President of Development for Benihana Inc., a global restaurant company which owns and operates Benihana, RA Sushi, Haru Sushi and Samurai. While at Benihana Inc., he oversaw all real estate operations including site selection, lease negotiations, real estate finance, design/architecture, construction, and facilities. Hlavaty was instrumental in the public to private transaction involving Benihana Inc. and Angelo Gordon.
Prior to his tenure at Benihana Inc., Adam was the Head of Real Estate for Pret A Manger US, where he led company's entry into Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C. and further expanded the brand within Manhattan.
Adam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from Purdue University. He is also a board member at the Coral Gables Art Museum.
Hope Diaz
As a seasoned professional with over 25 years of marketing experience, Hope has focused on driving brand growth and sales by developing bold and effective brand positioning strategies and marketing campaigns for national and regional brands.
As the former Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of Pollo Tropical, Hope led all marketing efforts, including brand initiatives, media and strategic partnerships. She also sat on the board of the Fiesta Family Foundation.
Prior to joining Pollo Tropical, Hope served as the Global Chief Marketing Officer at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, owned by Restaurant Brand International, one of the world’s largest quick-service restaurant companies, which also owns Burger King, Firehouse Subs, and Tim Hortons. During her tenure at RBI, she also held a variety of leadership roles at Burger King, including serving as the Head of Global Innovation & Guest Understanding, as well as Head of Marketing Communications for North America.
Before joining RBI, Hope was the Director of Research & Strategic Planning at Viacom Latin America, where she was responsible for all programming research for MTV Latin America, Nickelodeon Latin America, and VH1 Latin America.
Hope holds an MBA with a concentration in International Business, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in International Finance & Marketing from the University of Miami. She is also a member of University of Miami President’s Council.