TOP BUSINESS PLAN WRITERS
that have raised, or are raising, over $3.5
billion in EB-5 capital in a variety of industries.
Cohen’s prior background includes
strategic development work for large public
companies, manufacturing companies and
start-ups. Since 2010, his firm’s team has
grown to include MBAs and PhD economists,
who have together contributed to the
company’s reputation in the industry. Cohen
regularly speaks at and participates in EB-5
events and conferences.
PHIL COHEN
President
Strategic Element Inc.
P
hil Cohen is the president of Strategic
Element Inc, and has been offering
professional services in the EB-5 industry since
2010. Strategic Element offers three critical
EB-5 services: business plans, economic impact
reports and feasibility studies. Strategic Element
also published The EB-5 Definitive Guide, a
comprehensive publication for EB-5 beginners.
Strategic Element has participated in EB-5 deals
WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN
THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
When I first became aware of EB-5 in
2010, I saw a perfect fit for my skill set,
namely strategic development and
planning. From an altruistic perspective,
I saw an opportunity to become a part
of an industry that offered the further
benefit of helping to make the American
dream a reality for so many people, while
at the same time facilitating investments
into businesses that would both
contribute to the growth of the American
economy and the creation of jobs. I can
think of few things that could be more
rewarding than that as a career choice.
marketing and investment companies
in the United States and China before
entering the EB-5 field. Lazicki runs the
LucidText weblog, providing EB-5 news and
information to readers around the world,
and serves on the Editorial Committee
for IIUSA. Her articles and presentations
include the chapter on business plans
in Immigration Options for Investors &
Entrepreneurs, 3rd Ed. published by AILA.
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING
IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY?
SUZANNE LAZICKI
Business Writer & Consultant
Lucid Professional Writing
S
uzanne Lazicki is a business writer and
consultant specializing in the EB-5 program.
In eight years since founding Lucid Professional
Writing, Lazicki has written over 150 business
plans for regional center projects, 88 direct
EB-5 business plans and a variety of plans and
market reports for non-immigrant investments.
She holds degrees in English and Business
Administration, and worked for real estate,
In recent years, I’ve seen EB-5 projects
become larger and less diverse. In 2009,
there were about 70 regional centers and
1,000 EB-5 investments in a year. EB-5
projects tended to be small and represented
a variety of industries. Today, there are
over 14,000 annual EB-5 investments, of
which about 80 percent funds construction
and 80 percent was raised by the top 10
percent of regional centers. Processing
times, regulation and competition have
increased the cost of EB-5 capital and
created barriers to entry. At the same time,
direct EB-5 has grown in popularity with
small business and investors.
ARE YOU SEEING ANY SIGNS
THAT THE COMMUNITY IS
STARTING TO ADJUST TO
POSSIBLE TEA CHANGES?
Absolutely. We have noted significant
growth in investor demand for such
p roje c ts in resp o nse to p ro p ose d
legislative changes. Because of shifting
demand, we see more of our clients’
projects focused on these areas. The
reform I most want to see is dependents
removed from the 10,000 visas available
annually. This alone would help solve
many of the industry’s major challenges.
More generally, definitive resolutions to
the legislative issues under discussion
for so long would be nice. More certainty
for developers and investors would allow
the industry to accomplish its intent:
create jobs and grow the U.S. economy.
ARE YOU SEEING ANY SIGNS
THAT THE COMMUNITY IS
STARTING TO ADJUST TO
POSSIBLE TEA CHANGES?
In my observation, projects in rural and
distressed urban areas are finding it
increasingly difficult to use EB-5. The
current TEA system does not incentivize
them, and the industry has aggressively
negotiated to weaken TEA reform in
proposed legislation. But even with
effective incentives, projects in rural
and distressed urban areas struggle to
use EB-5. Ventures that truly need EB-5
capital can’t afford to wait two years for
petition processing. If congress wishes
to promote projects in under-capitalized
areas, it must define robust incentives
and also give USCIS the resources to
provide timely processing.
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