South Florida’s business community is crowded with entrepreneurs, bankers, and developers, but few have a story as sweeping—and as unlikely—as Moishe’s. From his first candy sales in a Queens schoolyard to managing catering crews as a teenager, from running nursing homes in the Midwest to leading one of Florida’s most distinctive community banks, his path has been anything but ordinary. Along the way, he has built companies, created jobs, and supported countless Jewish causes—all while developing a reputation for relentless drive and unfiltered honesty.
At the center of his work is OptimumBank, a NYSE listed community bank based in Fort Lauderdale. For Moishe, the bank represents more than balance sheets and loan portfolios. It is a place where relationships matter, where community comes before bureaucracy, and where clients know that they will be heard. “Every entrepreneur I meet has a story,” he says. “When Optimum helps them succeed, I become a small part of that story too.”
Early Hustle: From Candy to Catering
Moishe’s business instincts appeared early. As a first grader in Queens, he would take his allowance, head to the local candy shop, and buy bulk bags for a nickel apiece. Back at school, he resold the sweets to classmates for ten cents each. “I built up a nice little nest egg by the time I was in second and third grade,” he recalls with a laugh. It was less about the money than the thrill of success—the discovery that effort and creativity could create opportunity.
By his teens, Moishe had graduated from candy to catering. He worked long hours in Jewish hotels in the Catskills and spent weekends serving bar mitzvahs in tuxedos. “I’d work Friday setting up, serve through Shabbos, sleep in the shul if I had to, then break everything down Saturday night,” he says. At just sixteen, he was managing forty employees in a Queens deli-style takeout operation. The grind was grueling, but the promotions and tips provided a rush that reinforced his appetite for responsibility.
Moishe is quick to note that his family was not wealthy. “We were poor,” he says bluntly. “We got hand-me-downs, we got donations, we got whatever we could. But my father taught us that boys had to work. That was the philosophy. Grades and behavior mattered, but so did earning your keep.” What began as necessity soon became habit, and then passion. Success became addictive.
First Big Step: Nursing Homes
The pivotal shift from worker to owner came in Indiana, where Moishe relocated after marrying. At the time, South Bend had only a few dozen observant families. Moishe took a job in nursing home management and quickly climbed the ranks. But when he asked his employer for a $5,000 raise—after generating millions in profits—he was turned down. That refusal became the catalyst. “If he had paid me more and treated me better, I might never have left,” Moishe admits. Instead, he struck out on his own, acquiring his first nursing home.
The deal brought with it both opportunity and terror. “Suddenly I had 150 employees,” he says. “The pressure of making payroll every week was enormous. I didn’t have credit lines; I kept a small cushion of a couple hundred thousand dollars and prayed it would be enough. For ten years, I worked straight through Thursday nights into Friday, just to keep everything on track.”
Those sleepless years taught lessons no MBA program could: discipline in cash flow, caution in leverage, and respect for the lives affected by every decision. His partner focused on clinical operations; Moishe obsessed over the numbers. Together, they expanded steadily, acquiring more homes while maintaining a reputation for paying bills on time and never bouncing payroll. “In all the hundreds of companies we’ve bought, nobody has ever lost a penny with us,” he says with pride.
Building an Empire: Strawberry Fields
The nursing homes became the foundation for Strawberry Fields REIT, now a billion-and-a-half-dollar portfolio spanning 11 states, generating $140 million in revenue and $80 million in free cash flow annually. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker STRW, Strawberry Fields is one of the largest healthcare real estate investment trusts in the sector.
Its origins, however, were humble. Moishe had invested in a multifamily project that issued Israeli bonds, and when he read through the loan documents, he saw potential. “I realized if we consolidated our properties and built the right structure, we could access public markets in Israel.” That initial exposure paved the way for the eventual U.S. listing. Today, Strawberry’s growth is proof of his instinct for structure, scale, and timing.
Vertical Integration and Side Ventures
Moishe’s business model has always been guided by vertical integration. “If I’m already spending $400,000 a year on therapy services, why not own the therapy company?” he explains. “If I can provide the same service in-house, I save money, and any outside business becomes pure profit.”
That philosophy led him into pharmacies, therapy groups, and even urgent care centers. Not all ventures were smooth. A construction partnership went sideways, costing him money and friendships. But even those missteps reinforced his approach: conservative growth, careful selection of partners, and loyalty to obligations. “We’ve never stiffed a vendor, never defaulted on a deal,” he says. “That matters.”
Faith, Community, and Responsibility
If money were the only goal, Moishe might have retired long ago. But for him, wealth has always been a tool for impact. Early in his career, he founded the Midwest Torah Center, funding it from his own pocket. He watched secular Jews light Shabbos candles for the first time, heard congregants express gratitude, and saw how his giving sparked others to give. “Every time I gave more, I made more,” he reflects. “And I could see the results in real lives. That kept me going.”
The sense of responsibility—to employees, to investors, to the community—drives him still. “If I quit tomorrow, how many checks stop going out? How many organizations suffer?” he asks. That burden, heavy as it is, remains his motivation.
The Optimum Bank Story
If Strawberry Fields is Moishe’s empire, Optimum Bank is his passion project. Sixteen years ago, the small Fort Lauderdale bank was struggling. Capital was thin, regulators were circling, and skeptics saw little hope. But when Moishe joined the board, things began to change. He helped bring in new investors, stabilize operations, and eventually was elected Chairman by his peers. “It was the only business where I didn’t just buy control,” he recalls. “They chose me. That meant something.”
Transforming Optimum was no small feat. Competing against giants like Chase and Wells Fargo, the bank had to find its niche. Technology was one challenge; relationships were the solution. “At big banks, you’re a number. At Optimum, you’re a person,” Moishe says. “If you need something, you pick up the phone and someone who knows you answers.”
That ethos has attracted clients across Florida and beyond, including Israelis, South Americans, and small business owners who value personal service over digital flash. It also explains why, after years of struggle, Optimum is now one of the top-performing small banks in the country. “We turned something that was on the brink of collapse into one of the best,” Moishe says with evident pride.
Leadership and Loyalty
Moishe speaks candidly about the challenges Jewish businesses face in Florida, particularly the lack of communal loyalty. Too often, he notes, people chase the cheapest deal at Walmart rather than supporting local Jewish-owned shops. “In New York or New Jersey, you call the Jewish plumber, the Jewish insurance guy. Here, that loyalty is weaker. That’s a problem.”
He sees Optimum Bank as part of the solution: a hub where business owners can support each other, circulate capital within the community, and build a culture of mutual responsibility. “It’s not just about making money,” he insists. “It’s about strengthening the fabric of the community.”
Looking Ahead
For all his successes, Moishe remains restless. There are always more businesses to stabilize, more communities to support, more opportunities to seize. “My goal is to be the best I can be at everything I do,” he says simply. Whether it’s growing Strawberry Fields, guiding Optimum, or mentoring the next generation, he shows no sign of slowing.
And he is quick to share credit. “Optimum’s success isn’t just mine,” he emphasizes. “It’s also about people like David Siegel, who meet with clients every day, build those relationships, and make sure the bank delivers on its promises. That’s what makes us different.”
