Jose Ramon Riestra Jr. is President and CEO of Empire Management Group, a property management firm serving second homes, investment properties, and residential and commercial clients across Central Florida. He credits his father, who built an international career on honesty, fairness, and competitiveness balanced with empathy, as a defining influence on his own leadership style.
In roughly six years at the helm, Riestra has grown Empire Management Group from a small operation into a recognized leader in its Central Florida market, maintaining client retention rates of 97 percent year-over-year and 92 percent over five years. He has led at least one acquisition annually and expanded the company's service lines into collections, lifestyle management, and short-term rentals, growing largely through word-of-mouth referrals.
Riestra's guiding philosophy is putting employees first so they in turn can best support customers, paired with an emphasis on transparency and communication. He was recognized as one of Central Florida's top CEOs for 2020 by the Orlando Business Journal, and has continued planning further expansion, including new technology and a merger aimed at accelerating the company's growth.
