EB5 Investors Magazine "Top 25 issue" Volume 9 Issue 1 | Page 84

TOP BUSINESS PLAN WRITERS
SUZANNE LAZICKI
LUCID PROFESSIONAL WRITING

Suzanne Lazicki is a business writer and consultant specializing in the EB-5 program . In a decade 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 BA in English literature ( summa cum laude ) and a Master of Business Administration . Lazicki runs blog . lucidtext . com , providing EB-5 news , data , and analysis 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 ?
I got involved in the EB-5 industry in 2009 , when EB-5 represented hope for U . S . projects struggling with the recession , and for immigrants shut out of other categories and countries . I recognized a niche that fit my education and international background , and a challenge . As a business plan writer , I strive to bridge the gap between theory and practice , and to use my experience and expertise to help make EB-5 work for entrepreneurs and investors .
WHAT NEW TYPES OF PROJECTS AND TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC AND REAUTHORIZATION ?
I do not see isolated new trends , but an EB-5 2.0 that is entirely different from the field I worked in from 2009 to 2021 . The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 broke with the past and is shaping a new industry . Before USCIS updated their guidance , I saw my large regional center clients scrambling to apply for newly defined designation , and my small-scale and pooled direct clients disappear . I am fielding many inquiries about infrastructure and rural-area projects , newly incentivized by reserved visas . Non-TEA projects are newly viable , given the narrow investment differential and uncertainty about how USCIS will implement highunemployment TEA designation . Every aspect of EB-5 is in transition , with new forms and new policy forthcoming . I hope to see a trend of escrow arrangements that protect investors who choose to start the process during this period of extreme flux and uncertainty .
MARISA MARCONI
PINNACLE PLAN WRITING

Marisa Marconi is the founder and lead consultant at Pinnacle Plan Writing . She has 15 years of experience in the business planning industry and has developed thousands of plans for EB-5 , E-2 , and L-1 visa petitions . She works closely with issuers , investors , regional centers , attorneys , and industry groups , providing consulting , project management , and plan development for both direct and regional center projects . Marconi is honored to have been named one of EB5 Investors Magazine ’ s Top 5 Business Plan Writers since 2015 . Marconi earned her degree from Columbia University and now resides with her wife and son in Portland , Oregon .

WHY DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN THE EB-5 INDUSTRY ?
I started focusing on immigration and EB-5 around 2013-2014 . As USCIS codified its requirements for EB-5 business plans , it became apparent that issuers and project sponsors would benefit from professional writers that understood the EB-5 program and market . Over the years , I have become more involved in the industry and am grateful to work closely with many of the esteemed professionals and groups that make the industry what it is today . This work is meaningful to me , not only because EB-5 projects create jobs for communities , but because my plans 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 FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC AND REAUTHORIZATION ?
Despite finally achieving long term reauthorization , the market feels more stymied today than ever . The lack of guidance and clarity from USCIS has created uncertainty despite finally having the assurance that the program will continue . It ’ s difficult to track trends while in limbo , but I do think that projects will be more diversified than in the past , thanks in part to the set asides for rural and infrastructure projects as well as some precedence that was set by operations-heavy direct projects that dominated the market during the regional center program lapse .
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