Florida State launches investment seminars in West Palm Beach

Florida State University has launched a series of business seminars in West Palm Beach, which was strategically chosen for the classes because of its reputation as “Wall Street South.”

The seminars, which are geared toward professionals and limited to 50 people, focus on the field of alternative investments, including in the areas of real estate, private equity, venture capital, private credit and hedge funds.

Although registration for this fall’s classes is closed, the program is scheduling spring seminars, according to the school’s website.

“As more wealth managers choose to diversity their clients’ portfolios with alternative investments, they will need to expand their financial skills accordingly,” said Assistant Chair of FSU’s Finance Department Kelsey Syvrud in a statement. “They must learn new ways to assess risk, read alternative market trends and analyze private market product structures.”

Syvrud, who is an instructor for the seminars, said West Palm Beach is a key location because of its proximity to Miami and the spike in private equity firms and hedge funds that have opened offices in the city since the pandemic.

FSU calls West Palm Beach one of the nation’s fastest-growing wealth centers.

West Palm Beach and Palm Beach came in second place in a ranking of the country’s fastest growing wealth hubs according to a May report from Henley and Partners. The two cities combined were runner up to Scottsdale, Arizona, and ahead of the northern California Bay Area, Miami and Washington, D.C. They ranked third in the 2024 ratings.

The FSU seminars, which begin on Thursday evenings with a full day of teaching on Friday, are being held in The Press office building at 2751 S. Dixie Highway, which also houses The Palm Beach Post.

FSU alumnus and CEO of SROA Capital Benjamin Macfarland is paying for the university’s space at The Press. SROA, a self-storage real estate firm, also has offices in the building.

“It’s an exciting time for the business school and South Florida,” Macfarland said in a statement. “The college’s new presence will showcase FSU’s academic strengths while also providing local companies with a sound professional development resource to support the needs of South Florida’s growing financial hub.”

Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to [email protected]. Help support our local journalism: Subscribe today.

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