The 12th Annual Apogee Awards - S. Florida Business & Wealth
Main Navigation
Sections
Social Media Connect
Our Other Brands
  • Lifestyle Media Group Logo
South Florida Business and Wealth
South Florida Business & Wealth
Editor's Choice

The 12th Annual Apogee Awards

South Florida Business & Wealth Honors 50+ C-Suite Leaders at the 2025 Apogee Awards
| SFBW Staff

South Florida Business & Wealth (SFBW) honored 50 of the region’s most influential C-suite executives and hosted over 250 additional guests on November 19 for the first ever Apogee luncheon. This was the 12th annual Apogee Awards celebration and was hosted at The Venue in Wilton Manors. The ceremony recognized leaders across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties whose innovation, resilience, and community impact continue to shape one of the country’s fastest-growing business regions.

This year, the program received 331 nominations, reflecting an exceptional depth of executive leadership across the tri-county area. An independent selection committee evaluated each submission and identified this year’s outstanding honorees whose achievements set new standards in their industries and communities.

Presented by Nicklaus Children’s Health System, with TD Bank serving as the Gold Sponsor, the Apogee Awards celebrated executives across dozens of sectors including law, healthcare, aviation, real estate, construction, finance, nonprofit leadership, and hospitality. Additional support came from Fifth Third Bank, PeoPayGo, OCMI Workers Comp, Print Basics, and Transworld Business Advisors, helping create an inspiring afternoon of recognition and connection.



2025 SFBW Apogee Awards Honorees

Lifetime Achievement

  • George LeMieux, Gunster (Law & Politics)
  • Dennis Smith, Tripp Scott (Lifetime Achievement)

Corporate Champion – Executive Excellence in Accounting

  • Mike Balter, CBIZ

Excellence in Leadership – Aviation

  • Mayor Geoffrey Jacobs, Pembroke Park & Argentum Airways

Excellence in Leadership – CEO Entrepreneur, Aviation

  • Anthony Marinello, Tropic Air Rescue

Executive Excellence – Banking & Financial Advice

  • María Peuriot, Pibank USA

CEO Finance & Banking

  • Keith Costello, Locality Bank

Executive Excellence – Business Advisory

  • Tom Milana, Transworld

CEO Women-Owned Business

  • Danielle Gaudreau, The Pretty Nomad

Excellence in Leadership – Construction & Development

  • Adrian Barrios, DPR Construction

Corporate Champion – Construction & Development

  • Cody Kiess, CORE Construction

Corporate Champion

  • Matthew Tinsley, 5 Stones Intelligence

CEO Charitable Commitment – Social Enterprise / CEO Entrepreneur, Hospitality

  • Tracy Thompson, Thompson Hospitality

CEO Charitable Commitment – Social Enterprise

  • Erica Herman, Voices for Children of Broward County

CEO Women-Owned Business

  • Shira Kastan Goldstein, ADG Strategy Group

CEO Charitable Commitment – Social Enterprise

  • Greg Schiller, Child Rescue Coalition

Executive Excellence – Business

  • Eddie Schwartz, Aryeh Strategic Partners

CEO Women-Owned Business

  • Marcie Gregorio, Worldwide Title Company

Executive Excellence – Innovator in Wealth Management

  • Steven Hudson, Hudson Capital Group

Healthcare Innovator of the Year

  • Farah Garmany, M.D., Nicklaus Children’s Health Institute

Healthcare Innovator

  • Vassilia Binensztok, Juno Counseling and Wellness

CEO Women-Owned Business

  • Jasmine Johnson, GŪD Essence

Executive Excellence – Healthcare

  • Kal Gajraj, CAN Community Health

Healthcare Innovator

  • Reynette Romain, Reveye Mental Health and Wellness

COO Healthcare

  • Derek Riley, Zoo Health Club Corporate

Rising CEO – Women-Owned Business

  • Sherline Lexime, The HR Formula Group

Executive Excellence – Insurance

  • Stephen Roche, USI Insurance Services

CEO Small Company (10–25 employees)

  • Carmen Cossette Ravelo, Cossette Productions Inc.

Executive Excellence – Law

  • Charles Caulkins, Fisher Phillips

Excellence in Law

  • Gerald Greenspoon, Greenspoon Marder
  • Jamie Cole, Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman

Executive Excellence – Law

  • Max Adams, The MediLaw Firm

CEO Entrepreneur

  • Ryan Malkin, Malkin Law

CEO Luxury Hospitality

  • Walter Banks, Lago Mar Resort Hotel & Club

Executive Excellence – Sports Marketing

  • Kenneth Kennerly, James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame / PGA Tour Champions / Pro Links Sports

CEO Marine Industry

  • Andrew Doole, Informa Markets (U.S. Boat Shows)

Excellence in Non-Profit

  • Ana Sasmiresan, HabCenter Boca Raton
  • Megan Speck, Museum of Discovery & Science

Excellence in Leadership

  • Zack Simkins, Vaster

Corporate Champion

  • Miki Naftali, Naftali Group

CEO Entrepreneur / Corporate Champion

  • Mark Rothenberg, Ellemar Enterprises

CEO Real Estate

  • Manny Angelo Varas, MV Group USA

CEO Retail

  • Andrew Koenig, City Furniture

Executive Excellence – Tax & Finance

  • Adam Korenfield, CohnReznick

Champion of Women Empowerment

  • Angélica Fuentes, NOWFUL

Sponsors

Presenting Sponsor

  • Nicklaus Children’s Health System

Gold Sponsor

  • TD Bank

Silver Sponsors

  • Fifth Third Bank
  • PeoPayGo / OCMI Workers Comp
  • Transworld Business Advisors
  • Print Basics

Sapphire Sponsors

  • Hudson Capital Group
  • CAN Community Health
  • Tripp Scott
  • USI
  • City Furniture
  • Greenspoon Marder
  • Lago Mar Beach Resort & Club
  • CORE Construction

Emerald Sponsors

  • Gunster
  • Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman
  • DPR Construction
  • NOWFUL

Ruby Sponsors

  • Town of Pembroke Park
  • Fisher Phillips

Media & Community Partners

  • Balloons Galore and More
  • Sundial
  • The Media Lab
  • Jon Saxx

You May Also Like
Aerial view of a luxury waterfront resort with a marina, tennis courts, a golf course, landscaped grounds, and a modern high-rise building, surrounded by trees and a nearby residential neighborhood. South Florida Business & Wealth
A tall, white, multi-story office building with a unique rooftop, surrounded by palm trees and smaller buildings, set against a blue sky with scattered clouds. South Florida Business & Wealth
A group of eight people, dressed in business and semi-formal attire, stand smiling together for a photo in front of a stage with blue curtains, an American flag, and a Florida flag. South Florida Business & Wealth
United for Prevention
March 2, 2026
A woman with blonde bobbed hair in a light gray blazer and a man with a shaved head in a dark suit jacket stand against plain, light backgrounds in professional portraits. South Florida Business & Wealth
More Editor's Choice Posts
Back on the Retail Court
 |  SFBW Staff

Raanan Katz drops $36 million on a Fort Lauderdale shopping center as Broward’s retail market holds firm.

Read More
A grayscale image of an older man in a polo shirt is in the foreground, with large, aerial views of a shopping mall and its parking lot in the background. The mall roofs are highlighted in yellow. South Florida Business & Wealth
The Entrepreneur’s Edge
 |  SFBW Staff

How Smart Legal Strategies Safeguard Companies, Families, and Legacies.

Read More
A drawing shows a balanced scale: one side holds a red heart and a gold ring, the other side holds a building. The scale stands on a document labeled "PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT. South Florida Business & Wealth
The Business of Care
 |  SFBW Staff

Silvia M. Quintana, CEO of Broward Behavioral Health Coalition, on growth, governance, and why mental health is a strategic imperative

Read More
From Pixels to Pickleball
 |  Jessica Graves

The Reinvention of Brad Tuckman

Read More
A man in a black polo shirt and cap stands smiling on a pickleball court with multiple pickleballs in motion around him. The magazine cover headline reads, "BRAD TUCKMAN: From Pixels to Pickleball. South Florida Business & Wealth
Other Posts
Unlocking Dreams
 |  SFBW Staff

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County’s Women Build 2026 Marks 40 Years of Impact

Read More
A person wearing a pink hard hat and shirt uses a hammer while working on a wooden structure outdoors, with others in similar attire working in the background. South Florida Business & Wealth
The City Emerging as a National Career Powerhouse
 |  SFBW Staff

Boca Raton Ranks #14 Nationwide as One of CoworkingCafe’s Top Career Hotspots

Read More
A cityscape of Boca Raton, FL at sunset with a badge stating “#14 Top 20 Career Hotspots” and text reading “Top 200 Career Hotspots, #14 Nationwide, Boca Raton, FL, CoworkingCafe.”. South Florida Business & Wealth
Elevating South Florida’s Financial Leadership
 |  SFBW Staff

Strategic Partnership Unites SFBW and Florida International Funds Organization

Read More
Two puzzle pieces with "SFBW" and "FIFO" logos fit together in front of a city skyline at sunset, with financial chart graphics and an upward arrow overlaying the sky. South Florida Business & Wealth
Fifth Third Completes Comerica Merger
 |  SFBW Staff

The $294 billion institution brings expanded scale, deeper middle-market strength, and a coast-to-coast growth strategy with major implications for high-growth Sun Belt markets.

Read More