One of the region’s largest brewers plans to move its Latin American headquarters out of Latin America and into South Florida.
It’s looking like Miller Time on Brickell Avenue.
The company behind Miller, Coors Light and Corona plans to move its Latin American headquarters out of Bogotá and into Miami, according to several people familiar with the deal. The move involves a relatively small office — between 50 and 70 people will work at the SAB Miller office at 1450 Brickell Ave. — but is seen as a coup for the city’s standing as a corporate hub for the Americas. “It’s a stamp of approval for Miami,’’ said William Holly, executive director of the Cushman and Wakefield brokerage in Miami.
Holly was not involved in the lease between SAB Miller and the new 35-story office tower, which opened two years ago. While details haven’t been made public, Miller is expected to rent an entire floor in the building. The building, which goes by the name “1450 Brickell,” is about 80 percent occupied without Miller, according to publicity materials.
The Beacon Council, a tax-funded nonprofit that recruits companies to Miami-Dade, did not respond to interview requests Monday. Miller also did not respond to inquiries. Management at 1450 also declined to answer questions about the deal, which is considered all but done by people familiar with the move.
In October, the South Florida Business Journal reported the Beacon Council was pursuing $182,000 in state and county relocation incentives for Miller, deducing correctly that the company in the confidential aid application was SAB Miller.
That application says an unnamed global beverage firm considering a Miami move will spend about $1.5 million renovating its offices and employ 70 people making an average salary of $88,000. Of the $182,000 in subsidies applied for, about $145,000 would come from the state. Miller would start with about 50 employees, and add another 20 within two years.