About Elia
Iconic is
our baseline
We’re a bold and imaginative team with a proven record of seeing otherwise hidden opportunities and turning spaces into inviting places. Collectively, our team has successfully negotiated transactions in excess of $1 billion.
We’ve elevated customer experiences through a focus on every detail, garnering consistently high reviews and accolades. We’ve broken down preconceived notions of what’s possible to build communities and improve neighborhoods. And more than ten years in, we’re just getting started.
We’re investors, developers, managers, designers, and big-picture thinkers dedicated to crafting experiences that define expectations for our guests, businesses, developments, cities and partners. Everything we do, design, and develop becomes iconic.
The Difference Makers
How We Do It
| 01
We create iconic experiences
Our people-first approach is the key to unlocking destination spaces, off-market transactions, and impactful cultural moments.
We’re always expanding our network of strategic relationships to drive business development, access to capital, tenant opportunities, and a reliable supply chain. Each component is essential to consistently delivering results for our partners as well as the community.
| 02
We’re obsessed with the details
Meticulous design and expert execution are what bring our unique spaces to life.
Our robust team has extensive subject matter expertise and cohesive team chemistry in every facet of our business. We’re strategic-planners and boundary-pushers in the best possible way.
| 03
We gravitate to unexpected and imaginative spaces
We tackle projects with an experiential mindset to deliver high-growth, high-impact opportunities for our partners.
Our ability to see opportunities others dismiss given our perspective as both a real estate investor/developer and hospitality venue owner/operator is one of our greatest strengths.
| 04
We change the course of communities
Our team thinks and invests as long-term, neighborhood-minded owners and operators.
“People first” is not just a catchy tagline, it is the ethos that guides our creative vision and the decisions we make every day in our businesses. We move with the utmost consideration and care because we’re all in it together.
| 05
We cultivate long-lasting relationships
Whether it be with a potential business partner or a new guest to one of our restaurants, we go to great lengths to make sure we exhibit just how much it means to us when someone gives us the opportunity to serve them.
We strive to truly understand our relationships and exceed their expectations in every way.
The Elia Team
Meet Our Visionaries
Zaid Elia
CEO & FOUNDER
Zaid and his team lead over 500 people, creating landmark properties that help communities thrive and leave patrons and guests with a memorable experience. He achieves these remarkable results through a focus on implementing best industry operating practices and connecting with communities to generate strong sales growth. He also generates exceptional value by assembling strategic tenants to create synergies, and further enhance the economic stability of his projects.
RJ Wolney
Chief operating Officer
Randy Awdish
General Counsel
Randy is a trusted advisor to C-level executives and business teams, providing strategic and pragmatic legal solutions that balance business needs and risk. He has over 20 years of legal experience in real estate and hospitality matters. Prior to joining Elia Group, he oversaw legal matters for several prominent real estate and hospitality businesses within the same family of companies, including serving as General Counsel of Bedrock Detroit, General Counsel of Greektown Casino, and Deputy General Counsel of Jack Entertainment’s casino holdings. Randy has also received numerous accolades from his peers recognizing his legal expertise, including dBusiness’s Top Corporate Counsel and Super Lawyer.
Matt Dickerson
Senior Vice President of Operations
Matt Dickerson serves as the Senior Vice President of Operations for Elia Group, overseeing all national operations for the hospitality wing of the business. Based in Nashville, Matt brings a wealth of experience from his tenure at Wolfgang and the 1230 Club. His career is distinguished by a commitment to operational excellence and a keen eye for detail, having successfully managed and optimized high-profile venues across the United States. At Elia Group, Matt is dedicated to driving growth and enhancing guest experiences, ensuring each venue maintains the highest standards of quality and service.
Jordan Hoffman
Director of Culinary Operations
Born and raised in Michigan, Jordan Hoffman found a natural predilection to cooking and the idea of what hospitality is and could be. Now his illustrious food and beverage career spans four decades and includes working with multiple Certified Master Chefs and “Chef of the Century“ Joel Robuchon and renowned organizations including the Ritz Carlton, MGM Grand, The Light Group in Las Vegas, and Delano South Beach.
Jas Randhawa
Sr. HR Generalist
Jas Randhawa serves as a Sr. HR Generalist for Elia Group where she manages talent acquisition strategies, employee engagement, team member relations, and company compliance. Jas is a seasoned HR professional with over 5 years of experience, she has experience acquiring talent across multiple industries, including tech, automotive, robotics, and insurance. Her responsibilities have included strategizing on talent acquisition and retention, cultivating good relationships with candidates and hiring managers, and remaining well-informed on trends, tools, practices, and technological advancements for recruitment processes. Jas is a graduate of Central Michigan University with her degree in Integrated Leadership.
khalid diab
General Manager
220 Merril
A consummate professional with a hospitality career that spans over five decades, Khalid Diab is a passionate restaurant operator who counts both national brands, luxury hotel properties and unique independent concepts as ventures that he has had the opportunity to shape and form. Khalid, though adaptable and well versed in many different operations and styles of management believes the key to success in this industry is in genuine hospitality, where relationships and care for guests is paramount above all else.
RICHARD HATFIELD
DIRECTOR OF EVENTS
Richard leads the event planning team, managing social and corporate events and executing plans that consistently surpass expectations. With over nine years in the events and planning industry, Richard’s additional background in sales has cultivated his high attention to detail and allows him to seamlessly navigate valuable relationships.
KEMPER HOGLUND
Chief of staff
Kemper Hoglund is a Real Estate Associate with over six years of experience in real estate investment. Kemper is responsible for acquisition, development, and asset management activities. Prior to joining Elia Group, Kemper was a Business Development Associate at a residential co-ownership company called Pacaso and Senior Investment Analyst at Bedrock Detroit. Kemper received a degree in Economics from Miami University.
Bailey Suwinksi
HR manager
Bailey Suwinski serves as the HR Manager for Elia Group where she manages team member relations, talent acquisition and engagement and retention strategies. Bailey is a seasoned HR Professional with over 5 years of experience. Prior to joining Elia, she held multiple roles at Amazon supporting HR operations and working with senior leadership. Bailey is a graduate of Central Michigan University with her degree in Human Resource Management. She is also SHRM certified professional.
Stephanie Prechel
GENERAL MANAGER EXPEIRENCE ZUZU
Stephanie Prechel’s career in the hospitality industry has been a blend of dedication, skill, and passion, leading her to her current role as the Assistant General Manager of Zuzu in Detroit. At Zuzu, she leads the dining room team and directs the experience at Upstairs, the nightlife component of the establishment.
ANDREW BANISH
Sr. Accountant
Andrew manages the daily maintenance and recording of business transactions across hospitality and real estate, month-end closing journal entries and account reconciliations, and financial review. Graduating from the University of Illinois, Andrew started his accounting career at Xenith Sporting Goods and Manufacturing.
Community & Sustainability
Rooted in
Community
We create a sense of community with every new concept we conceive and space we inhabit. Throughout the geographic markets we serve, we engage with public sector and non-profit partners to develop programs benefiting each unique community.
We believe that we have a fundamental responsibility to make a positive impact in the communities where we do business and call home.
