TOP BUSINESS PL AN WRITERS
PHIL COHEN
STRATEGIC ELEMENT INC. | PRESIDENT
Phil Cohen is the president
of Strategic Element Inc. and
a vice president at Altytude
Advisors. Strategic Element
has been offering professional
services in the EB-5 industry
since 2010, including business plans, economic impact
reports and feasibility studies, and has participated in
offerings totaling over $3.5 billion in EB-5 capital. In 2018
Cohen expanded his involvement in the EB-5 industry via
participation in the development and launch of Altytude
Advisors to address the EB-5 redeployment market. Cohen
regularly speaks at and participates in EB-5 events and
conferences including: EB5 Investors, iGlobal Forum and
AILA. He was also the founder of the EB-5 Definitive Guide.
the same time facilitating investments into businesses that
would both contribute to the growth of the American
economy and the creation of jobs. A win for all involved.
WHAT NEW TYPES OF PROJECTS
AND TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
There is real hope that new rules might finally be clarified in
2019. It will be an exciting year for the EB-5 community as
we evaluate what opportunities might arise as a result of
changing rules, most notably the requirement for many to
redeploy EB-5 capital.
WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
The EB-5 program provided an opportunity to become a part
of an industry that offered the dual benefit of helping to
make the American dream a reality for many people, while at
WILLIAM DEAN
MASTERPLANS | VICE PRESIDENT OF IMMIGRATION
W i l l ia m D e a n i s t h e V P of
immigration at Masterplans, a
leading business plan writing
company founded in 20 02.
He specializes in networking
with attorneys and reviewing
petitions and RFEs to help EB-5, L-1, and E-type visa seekers
secure approvals from USCIS and consular adjudicators.
Dean first encountered EB-5 in 2008 when he wrote the
business plan used to start a new regional center in South
Florida. He is an award-winning writer and market research
authorit y who has personally authored hundreds of
business plans dating back to 2005. Dean was previously a
case assistant with the law firm Stoel Rives, and is a magna
cum laude graduate of Brown University.
WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
I originally joined Masterplans as a staff writer, making basic
plans to get SBA loans for coffee shops or to raise angel
investment for entrepreneurs with new ideas in tech. After a
couple grueling years in the trenches, I was promoted to
special projects writer and started handling exclusively the
advanced business models with complex funding
requirements. It was in this role that I first studied EB-5 and
needed to build a plan to USCIS standards. Immigration held
my interest right away. After 2008, I made it my mission to
build visa planning work into its own division of the company.
WHAT NEW TYPES OF PROJECTS
AND TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
One regrettable trend is the inevitable “mad dash to file”
whenever a reauthorization deadline is looming in Congress,
or after USCIS signals a change. But there are encouraging
signs as well. For one thing, interest in direct investment
remains high, especially amongst entrepreneurs from
Vietnam and India, to open hotels, restaurants and dental
clinics. Despite the current administration’s narrow view of
immigration, there are still thousands of gifted foreigners
eager to come here every year. Alternative visa types — the
L-1 and E-2 chief among them — continue to bring investment
and jobs to the U.S., even as EB-5 awaits meaningful reform.
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