EDWARD DE VALLE II
Throughout his career, Edward De Valle II has built his reputation on results. He is an entrepreneur at heart, and he has successfully navigated multiple industries, his focus always on the value that he can generate for those around him. Combining diligence with foresight, he has the rare ability to envision opportunities in the business world and then follow through on them, planning and managing his projects with exactness, just the kind of approach necessary to oversee the kinds of large-dollar deals that have become his forte.
Immediately after earning his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management, Edward dove headlong into the business world. His first role was Marketing Manager at GE Power Systems Latina America, and from there, he climbed the corporate ladder rapidly, eventually coming to manage sales and marketing for a slew of world-famous publications: Newsweek, Vogue, Glamour, Discover, Men’s Fitness, Prevention, Teen, and Architectural Digest, shaping the narrative throughout the US Hispanic and Latin American markets. Even at that early point in his career, it was evident to those who were working with him that Edward had all the makings of a serious business power, his ambition and his talent raw and immense.
Perhaps what has cemented Edward’s success so effectively, though, is his dual creative-analytical mind. While some may excel at big-picture thinking and others may have a knack for puzzles, Edward excels in both areas. Whether he is scoping out a new market or figuring out the particulars of a specific deal, he has a track record of figuring out what is right. In short, he is a power player. His colleagues and clients know that they can rely on them for tasks large and small – and he takes that responsibility seriously.
Because of Edward’s singular reliability, organizations like Forbes Magazine know that they can entrust him with their brand. After making a deal with the iconic publication in 2013, he won the rights to publish it in Central America and the Caribbean, a distinct honor. This is the level that Edward is playing on, though: Forbes is more than a century year old, and far from handing out publication rights loosely, they hold their brand close to their chests, cognizant of what Forbes has come to mean to people and how valuable the name on the cover of a periodical is.
In real estate as well, Edward has made a mark that is beyond compare. Real estate developers and hoteliers know his name, and they know of his history within the market. To date he has devised and executed marketing campaigns on residential and vacation real estate properties totaling more than $15 billion in value. This is a massive amount, and there is no way to reach these heights without proving over and over that he possesses an insight into what drives business. Thought leaders such as Richard Meier, Zaha Hadid, and Armani have sought out Edward’s counsel – because like it does in the magazine world, Edward’s reputation as a real estate marketer precedes him. In 2012, he also bought Douglas Elliman Real Estate for representation in the Dominican Republic, a bold move that proved extremely wise.
Their confidence exuberantly high in his understanding of real estate, service, and true luxury, Wyndham signed an exclusive development agreement with Edward, Profusion Group, and Edward’s partners to develop their Dominican Republic La Quinta by Wyndham property. Likewise, Edward and Grupo Zagalo constructed the first-ever YOO Studio by Phillipe Starck in the Caribbean. In both cases, there was little to go on in terms of market proof: it would instinct and drive, qualities that have both become synonymous with the name Edward De Valle II.
The founder of both AMGW Agency and LINKS, Edward is a marketing guru at heart. To get to the core of what it is that has earned him such acclaim in this field – as well as in real estate sales, hotel development, and asset management – one must only look at his approach to business and life in general. As anyone who knows him or has worked with him can tell you, he is always trying to think of ways to help others. Instead of devoting himself to the pursuit of personal success, he has instead channeled his intelligence and his problem-solving toward the businesses with which he has come into contact. From his early days at GE to the work that he did with Conde Nast and Forbes to his deals with Wyndham and legendary architects and developers, he is a consummate professional who exhibits a persistent willingness to treat each opportunity as if it were the last one he was ever going to see.
A communicator, a marketer, an entrepreneur, and a creator – these are all titles that suit Edward well, and yet to speak to him, one would get the sense that he would wave all these titles off, that he would wave all titles off. He is a humble man, a family man, a man whose personal history is as rich as his lineage, which includes a former Cuban president. His charity work through Fundación De Valle has touched lives throughout the DR, serving children with special needs, hardships, or HIV-positive/AIDS status. All this is a part of who Edward is – a leader who carries himself in the world with an assurance that makes others feel like they too can reach for the pinnacle as he has and to dream big the way that he once did.