A Family Office

Halmos Holdings is a boutique family office based in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The Company has made investments in numerous commercial real estate projects and private equity ventures across the country. When it comes to making investment decisions, Halmos Holdings is asset class and industry agnostic – the principals are opportunistic in their approach to investing and focus on getting to know the people behind the investments rather than the ideas they’re presenting. This relationship-based approach has been the cornerstone of Halmos Holdings since its inception over 30 years ago.

Stephanie Halmos portrait
Steven Halmos portrait
Jeff Halmos portrait

  • FOUNDER

    Steve Halmos has been involved in business since childhood. Born in Budapest, Steve’s family escaped from post-WWII Hungary hidden in the back of a truck. Ultimately settling in Miami, Steve ran his first business at age 15, a paper route delivering 100 newspapers for the Miami Herald.

    Steve received an Industrial Engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Harvard Business School. While still an undergraduate at Georgia Tech, Steve co-founded SafeCard Services, Inc. For the next 23 years, Steve helped build SafeCard into then the largest credit card services company of its kind.  It was publicly owned, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Until his departure as CEO, SafeCard: reached a market capitalization of $1.2 billion, had 13 million subscribers to its credit card service programs, had marketing partnerships with Amex, Citi, Chase, Sears, ExxonMobil, Shell, and many others, had 500 employees at its Ft. Lauderdale and Wyoming facilities, generated $355 million in profit, had $200 million in cash and no debt, and rewarded its shareholders (ie, IPO investors made 20,000% on their money over 18 years).

    SafeCard Services was among Forbes’ “Up and Comers” multiple times, one of Business Week’s “1,000 Most Valuable Companies in America”.…and among Inc.’s “Fastest Growing Companies”.  Steve received Financial World’s “CEO of the Year” and “CEO of the Decade” Awards.

    After leaving SafeCard, Steve began investing in real estate and other projects. Halmos Holdings has become (often in partnership with others) among the largest owners of commercial real estate in downtown Ft. Lauderdale.

    Steve has served on nonprofit boards including Harvard Business School’s global Alumni Board (and also spent a year at HBS as an Entrepreneur in Residence), Jack & Jill Children’s Center, Nova Southeastern University, the Community Foundation of Broward, and Pine Crest School. His distinctions include “Philanthropist of the Year” from Association of Fundraising Professionals, ”$1,000,000 Roundtable “of United Way, and the “Excalibur Award” as Business Leader of the Year.

  • CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

    Jeff Halmos joined the management team at Halmos Holdings in the start of 2020. He acts as the primary point of contact for existing investment partners and spends most of his time vetting potential new partners and investment opportunities for the Company to consider. Since joining, the Company has expanded its portfolio to include various new commercial real estate and private equity investments throughout the US. Jeff was promoted to CEO in March 2025.

    Jeff began his career in the fashion industry nearly two decades ago. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the CFDA Award for Emerging Menswear Design (considered to be similar to an Oscar for the fashion industry), the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, and GQ’s “Best New Designers in America”. Jeff has been profiled in Vogue, GQ, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. He graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder and resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two kids.

  • MANAGING DIRECTOR

    Stef Halmos received her BFA from Miami University and MFA from the California College of the Arts. She has worked in the art world in New York City for nearly two decades.

    She is currently running a large-scale arts development in Upstate New York called Foreland. The Foreland Development includes a major structural restoration and rehabilitation of three 1840's mill buildings in Catskill, New York, newly reimagined as artist studios, commercial art galleries, f&b, and special events spaces.

    In all, Stef has developed and is now operating 85,000 square feet of historic waterfront property. Foreland has been written about in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Art in America, and others. Stef lives in Hudson, NY with her wife and two kids.