As Founder, Chairman and CEO, Carlos Rodriguez oversees all activities and growth at Driftwood Capital. Carlos is the founder and former Chairman and CEO of Cardel Hotels, which merged with Driftwood Hospitality Management in 2003. At the time Driftwood Hospitality Management was a national hotel platform founded by Lehman Brothers and David Buddemeyer. Carlos has been in the hospitality business for over 35 years where he has operated, acquired, developed, and made loans to various hotels all over the United States.  He is the recipient of numerous industry awards such as Entrepreneur of the year for the Doral Chamber of Commerce, the National Excellence in Construction award from the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., the Lifetime Achievement Award from Hilton, Hotelier of the Year for the Latin Hotel Owners Association, Developer of the Year for various hotel brands, among many other recognitions that he has received throughout his life.

He is a native of Costa Rica and holds a B.S. in Finance from Vanderbilt University, a hospitality certificate from Cornell University, and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Carlos was a Board Member of the Central American Bank of Economic Integration (CABEI), and he was a Board Member and helped found Bank of Coral Gables which later merged with First American Bank of Chicago Illinois. Carlos was also Vice Chairman of The Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social which operates the hospital system and the largest pension fund of Costa Rica. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of First American Bank for Florida, the Baptist Health Foundation Executive Committee, the Baptist Health Miami Neuroscience Institute Board, and the Latin Hotel Owners Association Board, as well as serving as a member of the Board of Advisors of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, the R. Motwani Family Academy of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Broward College, the MRED+U Advisory Board of the University of Miami, and Marriott’s Bridging the Gap Steering Committee.

Though Driftwood Capital is always on his mind, Carlos unwinds by riding his bike, playing tennis, playing cards, watching football, reading, going to movies, hiking, traveling, and – last but certainly not least - playing with his grandchildren.

As Founder, President and COO, Carlos Rodriguez Jr. is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company and oversees new product development as well as investment strategy. He previously served as Vice President of Development for Driftwood Hospitality Management, where he oversaw ground-up construction for the company, while implementing a successful EB-5 financing program.

Carlos began his career with LNR Property, the largest global CMBS special servicer and B-Piece loan buyer, working in various divisions including Surveillance, Asset Management, REO, and Special Resolutions.

He earned a B.A. in International Business with a concentration in Economics, and a certificate in Markets & Management from Duke University.

Born in Costa Rica, Carlos came to the United States when he was nine years old. He lives with his wife Johannah and their baby boy, and enjoys travel, design and new technologies.

As Founder and President of Driftwood Hospitality Management, David Buddemeyer oversees all operations and management of more than 80 hotels. He has successfully facilitated the financial turnaround and growth of several multi-dimensional hotel companies. Before launching Driftwood, David served as Chairman and CEO of Servico Hotels and Resorts, a NYSE hotel company. During his eight-year tenure as the company’s Executive Vice President, which began in 1990, he was responsible for all facets of Servico’s operations. Under David’s leadership, the company grew from 28 hotels to 140 hotels and from $42M to $650M in sales, with EBITDA growing at a compound annual rate of 41%, from $16M to $280M. In December 1998, Servico merged with another hotel company, bringing the organization’s portfolio to 180 hotels and more than 30,000 rooms. Upon the successful completion of this merger, David – along with several of his executive team members – left to launch Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC. Prior to Servico, David served as Vice President of Operations for Prime Hospitality.

As Chief Commercial Officer, Alejandro Navia is responsible for marketing and sales strategies for the firm’s investment products, including creating Driftwood’s EB-5 Program. Prior to joining Driftwood, Alejandro worked as a real estate investment advisor to family offices, local banks and high-net-worth individuals. During this time, he managed more than $300 million in real estate investment transactions.

He is a graduate of Florida International University with degrees in Business Administration and International Business and holds a real estate broker’s license in the State of Florida. Alejandro enjoys cycling and hiking, and in a previous life, produced more than 100 music videos for the likes of such international stars as Ricky Martin, Shakira and Daddy Yankee.

As Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel, Jorge L. Gomez-Moller leads Driftwood Capital’s legal team and outside counsel in new acquisitions, developments, lending and dispositions, as well as asset-level legal issues. He works with leadership on new strategies, fund structuring and fund operations, and spearheaded the launch of Driftwood Capital’s Opportunity Zone program. Jorge serves as Chief Compliance Officer for Driftwood Advisors, LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser with the United States Securities and Exchanges Commission.

Prior to joining Driftwood in 2018, Jorge practiced law at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, where he represented clients in private equity fund formations, complex joint ventures, and cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

He graduated Georgetown University with a B.A. in Government and English and earned his J.D. from Boston University. He also holds a certificate in Commercial Real Estate Analysis & Investment from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Architecture & Planning. He is licensed to practice law in Florida.

A native of Coral Gables, FL, Jorge and his wife reside there with their two sons – both born during the pandemic! When he gets a free moment, he enjoys tennis, golf, fly fishing, boating and cooking.

As Chief Financial Officer, Glenn Wasserman oversees corporate financial strategy and all financial operations including accounting and financial reporting. He also provides strategic recommendations to the Chairman & CEO, President & COO and members of the executive team. Glenn has worked in the finance industry for his entire career, most recently as Chief Operating Office at GFI Capital Resources Group, a diversified full service real estate company specializing in development, hospitality, construction, finance, real estate and insurance brokerage. He also served as Chief Financial Officer of Denihan Hospitality Group and Executive Vice President, Capital Markets & Strategic Planning at RXR Realty, among other positions.

Glenn holds a B.S. in Business Administration the State University of New York (SUNY) Albany, and an MBA with an emphasis in finance and accounting from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

Married to Meredith for 25 years, Glenn is a proud dad to Logan, Cooper and Tanner. When not attending their various sporting events, he can be found playing tennis and golf.

As Managing Director of Capital Markets, David oversees all mezzanine and preferred equity investments for the Lending strategy. He also leads debt sourcing for the firm’s acquisitions and development businesses. He was previously a Director in Cantor Fitzgerald’s Commercial Real Estate Finance group and has closed more than $5 billion of transactions during his career.

David earned a B.A. at Franklin & Marshall College and enjoys playing golf and soccer as well as running. He lives with his wife Lauren, son Chase and dog Addy.