At Trusted Options we want to inspire moments of optimism during times of financial distress. Our Mission is to make a difference in people’s lives by utilizing our real estate experiences, and create value by offering Trusted solutions. We will treat each person as we would want to be treated and strive to turn each home we encounter into a great place to live
Karen Furman
Director of Marketing and Acquisitions
Currently, Karen owns and manages Nexxos Marketing Group, an integrated communications company based in Coral Gables. Karen actively directs and manages teams responsible for mass, channel, trade and retail marketing initiatives for the food, confectionary, technology and health and beauty industries. More specifically she supervises teams responsible for sales and the execution of all consumer, retail, and channel oriented marketing programs, strategies, branding, and advertising, as well as data-mining, market research, sales analysis, and strategies for clients. Past and current clients include Wonka confections, Hot Pockets, Lean Cuisine, Cisco, 2K Games, BabySpa and Selsun Blue, among others. Prior to Nexxos, Karen was the marketing director for 10+ years at a Miami based master distributor focused on the Latin American and Caribbean markets. Karen established and directed the centralized marketing department, its processes, programs, and communication protocols. Karen has also worked with over 60 brands of IT products and solutions, such as Intel, Hewlett Packard, Sony, Kingston, and Microsoft, among others, to develop branding, channel marketing, trainings, events, and incentive programs. She negotiated vendor contracts, acted as the company corporate figure and worked together with headquarters and local management to create global channel, sales and retail marketing programs that resulted in a growth from 6 operations to 25 across 14 countries.
Karen is an aggressive, enthusiastic and highly motivated team player, and is fluent in Spanish and conversational Portuguese. Born in New York and transported to Miami as a teenager, Karen graduated with honors and Dean’s list mentions from the University of Miami in 1986 earning a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. She majored in Marketing and Advertising, and finalized a minor in Marketing Research. Karen has been involved in multiple real estate solutions such as foreclosures, short sales and rentals. She is excited to utilize all of her experiences to grow Trusted Options into a successful business while also fulfilling its mission of helping people in distressed situations.
Katherine Steele
Finance and Operations Manager
With a strong background in financial management and operations, Kathy has played a key role in the growth and development of numerous businesses and contributes over 25 years of valuable experience to the management team of Trusted Options, LLC.
Currently Kathy is the Director of Operations & Finance for Meel Corp, a South Florida frozen food processor & distributor. Over the last two years, she has worked closely with the owners to restructure an existing facility/business. She is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the production facility including accounting, inventory, HR, systems and procedures. For the previous 12 years, Kathy was part of the management team at Grupo Skies, an exporter of food, beverages and candy to the Caribbean and Latin America. Responsible for all aspects of accounting and finance from the company’s inception, she managed the operations and staff as the company grew from a concept to a $100 million dollar company. Kathy dealt directly with major vendors such as Nestle, P&G, Ocean Spray, and Wrigley’s to develop trade channels, creating budgets and cost analyses. She also worked closely with the IT department to implement customized systems to track costs and inventory, monitor margins, and provide detailed business reporting. Prior to Grupo Skies, Kathy was the accounting & operations manager for Rimax USA, a plastics distributor to major retailers throughout the U.S. She was responsible for inventory controls and all aspects of financial reporting. Kathy has also owned/managed a mail order company encompassing all aspects of operations including purchasing, shipping and receiving, customer service, HR and accounting.
After growing up in Central Florida, Kathy graduated from Florida State University (a huge football fan) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. She has lived in South Florida since 1984 where she raised her two sons. Kathy has been involved in various real estate transactions including probate/rehabs and looks forward to helping others who find themselves in similar, unfortunate situations. Trusted Options is her next growth company based on this worthwhile mission.
Ruben Furman
Sales and Rehabbing Projects
Ruben brings a youthful, entrepreneurial spirit as well as excellent communications, customer service, project management and negotiating skills to the management team of Trusted Options, LLC.
While working his way through college, Ruben gained immeasurable business experience through various pursuits. He is currently assistant to the CFO of a health and beauty manufacturing company. His responsibilities include negotiating with vendors for shipping and warehousing, tracking orders and managing logistics. He also performs various accounting functions including inventory control and accounts payable. Previously he worked for a merchant processing company as a technical assistant and customer service representative where he developed his communication and problem solving skills. Additionally, Ruben started a delivery service with two college classmates which gave him a high level perspective of building and running a business. He gained valuable experience hiring and managing employees, developing marketing campaigns, negotiating with suppliers and customers. He also managed the finances of the company. Ruben’s entrepreneurial spirit was evident from a young age when he assisted his grandparents in their retail stores on weekends gaining valuable sales knowledge, inventory tactics and cash flow management skills.
Born and raised in Miami, Ruben graduated from Florida International University (FIU) in 2015 with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration & Management. He is fluent in Spanish and proficient in all Social Media platforms. Ruben is looking forward to the challenge of building Trusted Options from the ground up based on a solid, worthwhile mission of helping people in distressed real estate situations.