After 10 years of experience in the real estate industry in Colombia, Carlos Ortiz relocated to the US in 2001 to lead the expansion of the Colombian home builder Prodesa. He founded Prodesa International in Miami as a concrete shell contractor and successfully delivered more than 3,400 units for Cornerstone, JPI, Stiles and Suffolk utilizing fast tracking concrete forming systems. After building a solid footprint in Florida, Prodesa launched the first residential development in 2003 with in-house construction and sales operations. Projects in North Miami, Brownsville, Pompano Beach and Palm Beach Shores followed until 2018 when Prodesa decided to become a land development investment fund.

To manage Prodesa’s investment fund, Carlos Ortiz funded Building Block Realty, a real estate consulting firm that also provides development, construction management and brokerage services. After that transition, BBR structured the acquisition of a land assemblage in Miami, FL, with Prodesa, Camino, and Korner and became the developer of Metro at Edgewater, a 279-unit multifamily tower.  Simultaneously, BBR became the developer and construction manager of the luxury single-family development Oak Park in Davie.