TOP BUSINESS PL AN WRITERS
SUZANNE LAZICKI
LUCID PROFESSIONAL WRITING | FOUNDER
Suzanne Lazicki is a business
writer and consultant
specializing in the EB-5
program. In nine years since
founding Lucid Professional
Writing, Lazicki has written
hundreds of business plans for regional center and direct
EB-5 projects, and a variety of plans and market reports
for non-immigrant investments. She holds a B.A. in English
literature (summa cum laude) and master of business
administration. Lazicki runs blog.lucidtext.com, providing
EB-5 news and information to readers around the world.
Her published work includes articles on business plans
in the third and fourth editions of Immigration Options for
Investors & Entrepreneurs, published by AILA.
WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
Like many others, I discovered EB-5 when working in
commercial real estate during the recession of 2008. My
first EB-5 business plan described a retail development in
a small town with 34 percent unemployment. Today, that
development houses job-creating new business, and
immigrant investors in the project have completed the
EB-5 process to become permanent residents. As a writer
and MBA with an international background, I enjoy working
with EB-5 business plans. My previous experience with
foreign investment came in China, where I prepared reports
for companies from Europe and the Middle East considering
investment in China-based projects.
WHAT NEW TYPES OF PROJECTS
AND TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
I see EB-5 projects becoming much fewer, smaller and more
diverse. Demand for EB-5 has fallen among prospective
investors and project companies due to pressure from visa
availability and wait times, political uncertainty, imminent
increase to the minimum investment amount, a changing
economy, and rising expense of regional center operations.
In 2019, I expect to see fewer construction projects and
more opportunity for franchise deals, manufacturing
projects, pooled direct investment, and projects that seek to
attract investors by offering a significant rate of return.
MARISA MARCONI
PINNACLE PLAN WRITING | FOUNDER
Marisa Marconi is the founder
and lead writer at Pinnacle
Plan Writing. Prior to launching
Pinnacle in 2016, Marconi was
the senior project manager
and immigration specialist at
a major business plan writing firm in Oregon for nine years.
Marconi has developed more than 875 business plans for
visa petitions, including 325 EB-5 plans (direct and regional
center) and has overseen the development of nearly 2,500
business plans for entrepreneurs seeking funding from
banks and investors. Her portfolio includes plans for small
to large companies and projects in almost every industry.
Marconi holds a degree in English from Columbia University.
WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
At the beginning of my career in 2007, I mostly worked with
entrepreneurs seeking angel and VC funding. It involved
developing plans for concepts that would likely not come to
fruition. As the EB-5 program started to gain traction, I
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EB5 INVESTORS M AGAZINE
began working on comprehensive plans for actual projects
that would have demonstrable impacts on local
communities. Now, I work exclusively on these types of
plans. This type of work is meaningful to me, not only
because these projects create jobs for local communities,
but because the plans I develop also contribute to helping
immigrants find their place in the U.S.
WHAT NEW TYPES OF PROJECTS
AND TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
The demand for EB-5 investment by developers and
businesses in the U.S. remains strong, and foreign investors’
desire to invest remains strong as well. But the constant
uncertainty over rule changes and legislation, combined
with retrogression and processing delays, has certainly
impacted the industry and dampened its potential. In my
view, the EB-5 program is part of why we have the lowest
unemployment rate in decades. The industry needs renewed
legislation and adjustments that aid, rather than hinder,
continued investment.