Beyond Aventura: Jeffrey Soffer has taken developer Turnberry Associates into Las Vegas, and plans to bring a little Las Vegas to Miami Beach's Fontainebleau Resort.(REAL ESTATE)

Earning high marks in school was a low priority for Turnberry Associates head Jeffrey Soffer. After graduating from North Miami Beach High School in 1986, he briefly attended community college in Gainesville before dropping out to start a boat dealership called Champion Marine.

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"I never liked school. Hated it," Soffer says, remembering himself as "a kid who just couldn't sit still."

Restlessness has its rewards, though. A licensed aircraft pilot and former offshore powerboat racer, 37-year-old Soffer is keeping the real estate business his father started on the move, leading a charge into condominium and condominium-hotel development.

Soffer sold Champion Marine in 1989 and joined Turnberry Associates, the real estate business started by his father Don Soffer, who developed much of Aventura, including Aventura Mall and the Turnberry Isle Resort & Club. Since Jeffrey Soffer became principal and de-facto CEO (the company says it does not use the CEO title) of Turnberry Associates, he has led a successful push into luxury condo development, especially in the red-hot Las Vegas market.

"Sure, my dad helped me. He started me in the business. But I took it to a whole different level," Soffer says. "This year we'll do about $2 billion in sales."

Billions more are expected. "With retail and residential and everything, we've probably got about $5 billion worth of projects going on in various stages," he adds.