I
n South Florida real estate news, several firms made key hires ahead of the holiday season. Brian Maloney returned to Ram Realty Advisors as a principal after nearly five years at Whole Foods, where he led new store development. He previously worked with Ram Realty for five years and will now serve on its investment and management committees.

    David Pulley joined The Agency's Miami office from Douglas Elliman, bringing his experience in the sports and entertainment division to the role. This marks the latest departure from Elliman in South Florida, following Thor Brown's move to Compass in August.

    In commercial real estate news, BankUnited named Mario Facella as senior vice president and commercial real estate relationship manager for Miami-Dade County. Facella joins from TD Bank, where he was a senior lender for 10 years.

    Private equity firm Partners Group acquired Empira Group, a Swiss real estate investment firm with U.S. headquarters in Miami. Empira will continue to operate under its own brand, managing $10 billion in assets globally and planning projects in Dallas.

    Premier Estate Properties is launching a condo advisory service, led by Caryn Nadler, who will focus on luxury existing- and pre-construction condos in Palm Beach County.