Matt Rosser
Master of all Trades for a Global Economy
By Thomas Quinn
To say Matt Rosser means business is no simple cliché. Over the past 25 years he’s cultivated a career as the consummate entrepreneur, working overtime to master every phase of whatever business he runs. It sounds like a lot of work, but that’s what keeps him going—the process of discovering, tweaking, reworking and improving every aspect of production from creation to final sale. In the age of the specialist, Matt Rosser keeps a hand in every pot. And that’s been a winning formula in a rapidly-evolving global economy, where disruptive change can emerge from any quarter.
As the founder and CEO of Rosser International (formally Matt Rosser & Co.), knowing what goes on at each stage of production, with a constant eye toward brand expansion, has been central to his success. From developing the concepts and designs of his artful furniture line, to managing magnificent hotel and condo properties around the world, to partnering with multi-media leaders to promote his own products and offer marketing services to others, Matt is involved. This January, he announced his role in securing $340 million in construction financing for Legacy Hotel and Residences—a 50-story, mixed-use condominium and hotel tower in Miami World Center. And this is just a prelude to the launch of a new Capital Development division to connect real estate investors with developers.
The foundation of Matt’s success was laid down nearly two decades ago as the designer, manufacturer and marketer of creative luxury furniture and interior accouterments, from elegant bathroom fixtures to exotic wood and stone flooring. Over the past twenty years his company has produced a dazzling menu of sophisticated custom interiors for large-scale commercial, residential and hospitality projects across the globe. Breezing through images on their website, you might think you’re touring a museum of modern art. This sense of style is what made Matt Rosser the go-to guy to turn that next highrise into a lavish home, an upscale office, or a seven-star hotel.
But with his interior designs putting the final polish on so many world class properties, Rosser got to thinking, “Why should I just gussy up other peoples’ places?” Applying his eye for striking interiors, he moved into the high-end real estate business in 2007, and focused on the acquisition of some of the world’s most sought-after spaces for commercial, residential and hospitality use. Rosser doesn’t let his capital sleep, and his investment strategy soon expanded into fundraising services for startups in the tech sector—an area of increasing interest. And as soon as he learns something new, Rosser turns it into an opportunity. Recently he partnered with Yada Media to create a more powerful online presence. Having educated himself in the world of media promotion, Rosser now offers what he’s learned to other companies as a digital media consultant for international marketing, driven by Big Data.
Being an international manufacturer, Rosser has come face-to-face with the recent challenges in supply chain logistics like factory shutdowns, staff shortages, shipping delays, inflationary pressures, and customers impatient to get their goods. All in the wake of Covid, and the grab bag of confused trade policies that followed. Because he knows each step in the almost lost art of making things, Rosser can identify where production and shipping processes must be finessed into something suited to the new environment.
There are no magical solutions. Rosser International swims in the same water as everyone else. But intimate knowledge of his business empowers Rosser and his staff to confront the uncertainties of the present shifting universe of trade. It also allows Rosser to select talent that is tailor-made for each part of the business. His diverse team includes veteran project managers, architects, interior designers, CAD specialists, and experts in sourcing, logistics and quality control. They offer not only these services, but the consulting expertise that comes with it.
Raised in Manheim, South Carolina, Matt Rosser, graduated the University of South Carolina Columbia with a major in business. But he really cut his teeth in business at age 22, when he moved to New York and got introduced to the ruthless pressures of the city’s hospitality industry. Eventually learning the ropes by running nightclubs, restaurants and then hotels, he parlayed that experience into producing large-scale events like international fashion shows, film festivals, art exhibitions and concerts.
Matt’s life took a dramatic turn in 2005 when, with an eye on emerging trends, he found a fresh new manufacturing opportunity in China. He taught himself Mandarin and moved to Guangzhou to manage several factories, with a unique understanding of the problems faced downstream by buyers in the marketplace. He knew what to anticipate. This gave him a comprehensive view of the whole production process, including hands-on control over the factory work and the intricacies of import/export. Over the next seven years he oversaw every aspect of the business, most notably revolutionizing the supply chain process—an experience now much in demand.
While in China, he started his own manufacturing business, Rosser & Co., and in short order had offices set up in Portugal, Greece, Germany and Argentina. In 2010, he moved back to New York to oversee the company headquarters, and to be closer to his clients and their projects. This drew him into the rarified universe of high-end real estate, acquiring and marketing some of the hottest properties on the globe. He began to partner with some of the top U.S. developers, including Hudson Yards, Zaha Hadid NYC, 70 Vestry, Ritz Carlton, Waldorf Astoria, The Ludlow, The Marlton, Moxy, The Edition, Marriott, Hilton, and Virgin Hotels.
Today, the company is ever on the move, with factories in the U.S., Canada, China, Greece, Italy, Costa Rica, France, Germany and Poland, and with fully operational offices in New York, Germany, Spain and China. His suppliers are in 18 countries. And just recently, he relocated the headquarters of Rosser International to Orlando, with a new emphasis on servicing untapped markets in Florida, Texas, and other southern states.
With all that on his plate, Matt Rosser’s prime focus these days is on his plunge into the cyber-universe through his partnership with Yada Media. And he’s done it in a big way. They now provide multi-platform digital media and marketing solutions to advertisers, agencies and top-level brands like Disney, Equinox, Lily, Obitx, and Medivolve. Their expertise concentrates on performance analytics, brand development, digital push, and the inevitable incorporation of A.I.
Matt Rosser also serves on the Board of Directors of Avantes, a social commerce platform focused on social media and e-commerce. He’s also a member of the Advisory Board of the Marcus Lely Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at Duke University.
