ACG South Florida and JP Morgan Present 2025 Mid-Year Economic Outlook

Valerio is a seasoned private equity professional with a successful track record in deal sourcing and finance. He is currently a partner and cofounder of ProFondas Capital, which focuses on lower mid-market private investments. In addition, he serves as the chief commercial officer of KLES/ Traiverse, a leading human capital and talent management consultancy and digital platform. Previously, Valerio led the Miami-based business development team at H.I.G. Capital, a leading global private equity firm. Prior to joining H.I.G> Capital, Valerio gained valuable experience in risk management and capital markets functions at UBS and Credit Agricole in arranging financings across Europe and North and South America.

Bruce is a Managing Director and Investment Specialist with J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Palm Beach, Florida. As a member of the Florida Investment Team, Bruce provides tailored investment strategies regarding holistic asset allocation and tactical investment decisions.

Prior to joining the Palm Beach office, Bruce spent 7 years as a Portfolio Specialist with both the Global Managed Solutions team as well as the Private Bank’s Chief Investment Office in New York. In this role, Bruce worked directly with Private Bank advisors and clients to optimize their risk adjusted portfolio returns using a combination of traditional multi-asset portfolios, separately-managed accounts, alternatives and structured investment options.

Prior to JP Morgan, Bruce spent 14 years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in institutional sales, with a broad product focus that encompassed equities, economics, quantitative and strategy for all key regions around the globe, with a keen eye for cross asset class implications. He holds Series 7 and 63 securities licenses. Bruce began his career as a Financial Advisor with Richardson Greenshields in Canada. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from McMaster University; and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

As an attorney, advisor, and four-term elected official, Jose Felix has consistently been recognized as one of the rising stars in government affairs over the past decade. In 2010, Jose was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, where he served for seven years. Jose ascended quickly to the leadership ranks of the legislature, where he chaired the Energy & Utilities, Regulatory Affairs, and Commerce committees.

Known for his fundraising prowess and sharp political instincts, Jose was recruited to serve on the Republican State Leadership Committee’s Future Majority Project Board, to help recruit and retain minority candidates throughout the United States. He also served as Chairman of the Legislative Committee of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission.

During his legislative tenure, Jose was elected as chair of the Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation, where he led his colleagues during a period of sustained and successful bipartisanship. A Columbia Law School graduate, Jose has significant international, federal, state, and local government affairs experience and legal acumen. Early in his law career, Jose gained a reputation for being a tenacious advocate for clients in contract procurement, international law, public private partnerships, complex legal, and land use and zoning matters.

Jose has been recognized as one of the “Top 100” Lobbyists in America by the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics and as one of the “South Florida Power 100” by City & State Magazine, among other awards.

Jose serves on the Board of Directors of multiple organizations, including the National Recreation and Park Association, the Orange Bowl Committee, the Bakehouse Arts Complex, and the Millennial Action Project. He is also currently the Chairman of the Zoo Miami Foundation.

Antonio Lopez serves as Business Development and Investor Relations Director for KBIS Capital, overseeing the firm’s global capital raising and investor relations functions. He has a 20-year track record managing projects and transactions in 30 countries across over a dozen industry sectors. His experience covers the fields of Investment Management, Strategy Consulting, ESG & Sustainability; Sustainability, and Corporate Development. His most recent activities have focused on venture capital and private equity in Fintech, Agri-Food Tech, and emerging sustainable technologies.

Patrick Thomson, based in Boston, USA, is Head of Custom and Integrated Solutions for the Global Insight business unit at S&P Global Market Intelligence, home to the firm's macroeconomic, geopolitical, maritime, trade, and supply chain solutions.

Since joining S&P Global in 2012 Patrick has worked as an economic consultant on projects in the United States, Europe, Middle East, and Asia across a wide set of sectors, led global data science teams across the firm, and helped to modernize the suite of economics, risk, and supply chain solutions the business provides.

Today, Patrick has responsibility for the combination and curation of expertise and analysis from across the organization to drive better and faster business decisions.

Prior to joining S&P Global, Patrick was a staff economist for the United States International Trade Administration and an analyst at a boutique consulting firm that provided economic and analytic services to the United States government in the areas of trade policy, trade security, cost-benefit analyses, and economic impact.

Patrick has a bachelor’s degree, with honors, in Economics from the College of the Holy Cross and a master’s degree, with merit, in Economics & Public Policy from University College London. In addition, he has completed doctoral coursework in Economics at Cornell University.