Zaid Elia
CEO, Elia Group
Zaid Elia is the Founder and CEO of Elia Group and its portfolio of hospitality businesses operating under The Iconic Collection. He leads a premier group of affiliated companies based in Birmingham, Michigan, with extensive experience in managing, developing, and acquiring both commercial real estate and hospitality properties. Zaid has a proven track record of building strong teams experienced in all major aspects of real estate development, including conducting market research, site selection, planning, new construction, build out, operations, and all other activities associated with the development and management of real estate assets and operating properties. Throughout his career, Zaid has maintained a focus on implementing the best industry operating practices and connecting with communities to generate strong sales growth. He also works to create exceptional value through efforts to assemble strategic tenants to develop synergies, and further enhance the economic stability of his projects.
In addition, Zaid was a franchisee and Development Agent for Subway restaurants in Wayne County, Michigan where he and his team oversaw a territory of over 100 Subway Stores. Zaid and his Elia Group also serve as a Preferred Developer for Starbucks, acquiring, coordinating, and working directly with the Starbucks team to build standalone locations to the exacting specifications of the Starbucks Corporation.