
CEO Connect and Women of Influence 2018
SFBW started out with CEO Connect and later added the very popular CEO Connect Women of Influence events. The invitation-only series includes a cocktail hour and an intimate interview with a leading business professional. Photos and highlights from the interviews are published in the magazine.
January Jorge Garcia & Peter Stromberg Garcia is CEO of Garcia Stromberg/GS4Studios, and Stromberg is principal design director and president. They provided insight on how they collaboratively run their highly regarded firm and overcame the Great Recession.
February Arnaud Sitbon The founder and managing partner of Flore Invest and ESJ Capital Partners talked about his asset management firm and why he left his native France. One of its high-profile projects is Miamiโs Jungle Island.
March Alan Levan & Jarett Levan Alan Levan, the chairman and CEO of BBX Capital, and his son Jarett, who is president, talked about leading BankAtlantic, its sale to BB&T and then transitioning to BBX Capital. The Levans successfully anticipated that BankAtlanticโs distressed assets would rebound sharply in value under BBX.
April Tony Argiz Argiz talked about his journey from Cuba as part of the โPedro Panโ wave and nurturing MBAF into a top 40 accounting firm as chairman and CEO since 1997. He says baseball taught him how to play on a team.
July Brett David David became the CEO of Prestige Motor Sports at age 19 after the sudden death of his father and in 2015 sold its Audi dealership for a record of $80 million. He has since opened a Lamborghini dealership in West Palm Beach, a Pagani dealership in North Miami Beach, built a new dealership building and added marine and aeronautical divisions.
July Janna Ronert Chairman Ronert used a heavy dose of research to develop the product line for Image Skincare and turn it into a nearly $100 million company. In January 2019, she cofounded Hush & Hush, a health, wellness and fitness company.
May Michael DeBock The president and CEO of the Economic Council of Palm Beach talked about being a graduate of the Military Academy at West Point, serving as an Army captain and Apache helicopter pilot and developing energy projects at NextEra Energy. DeBock rejoined NextEra as senior director of customer service in August 2018.
August Mark Zoradi CEO Zoradi discussed how Cinemark had become a leader with 533 movie theaters and 5,964 screens. Itโs now up to 549 theaters and 6,086 screens.
September Warren Henry Zinn & Larry Zinn Warren Henry Auto Group President and CEO Warren and group general manager Larry, his son, talked about their relationship and the future of the automotive industry. The company announced in July that it would rmove its headquarters to the SoLe Mia development in North Miami.
October Beverly Raphael Altman & Robyn Raphael-Dynan RCC Associates CEO Raphael Altman talked about the strong growth of her company, which she took over after her husband died. Her daughter, Robyn, has risen rapidly through the ranks to become VP of operations.
October Jay Parker Parker has been CEO of Douglas Ellimanโs Florida brokerage since 2013 and has a background as a lawyer and an entrepreneur. Douglas Elliman Florida has 22 offices and more than 1,100 agents.
December John J. Uustall The trial lawyer and co-founder of Kelley-Uustall has gained accolades for his work in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. The firm recently obtained a $10.6 million verdict for the family of a smoker who died of lung cancer and a $27 million settlement for a toddler burned by a pressure cooker.
December Melissa Medina Medina talked about her efforts to create a technology hub as president of eMerge Americas, a global tech conference. The conference added Women in Technology as part of its agenda to promote diversity.
November Udonis Haslem Miami Heat captain Udonis Haslem talked about business ventures involving 800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen, Subway restaurants, Auntie Anneโs Pretzel Shops, Einstein Bros. Bagels and Starbuckโs. He is back with the Heat this season for his record 17th year with the team.