The 12th Annual Apogee Awards - S. Florida Business & Wealth

The 12th Annual Apogee Awards

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

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
Duty, Leadership, and the Long View 

 A veteran physician reflects on leadership, responsibility, and patient care beyond the clinic.  Atif M. Hussein, M.D., Medical Director and Program Director of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program at Memorial Cancer

Read More
A smiling man in a white doctor’s coat and navy blue tie stands against a light background. The coat has embroidered text and a heart logo on the chest. South Florida Business & Wealth
All Flights Cancelled 

Spirit Airlines ceased all operations on May 2nd. What comes next?  For 34 years, Spirit was one of air travel’s most talked-about airlines. Known for budget flights with few included

Read More
Close-up view of a modern jet engine turbine attached to a yellow airplane, parked on an airport tarmac under a blue sky. South Florida Business & Wealth
Developers Break Ground on New Condominium Near Aventura Mall

 Growin Group and Property Pro Partners broke ground on EDEN, a new luxury residential development, located at 2557 NE 180th Street — near Aventura Mall. Boutique Residences The development will feature 32 luxury residences

Read More
A modern multi-story building with large glass balconies, palm trees on both sides, cars parked in front, and purple flowers in the foreground under a clear blue sky. South Florida Business & Wealth
Florida’s Insurance Reset, Through a National Lens 

Rocky Steele is Senior Vice President of Business Development at Trucordia, where he leads strategic growth initiatives and partnership development across key markets, including Florida. With deep experience in brokerage expansion and

Read More
A man with short brown hair wearing a gray suit jacket and white dress shirt smiles at the camera against a dark background. South Florida Business & Wealth
Other Posts
The Executive’s Guide to Financial Clarity

Financial success rarely arrives with simplicity. For executives and business owners, growing wealth often introduces a new layer of complexity, where liquidity, tax exposure, and family dynamics demand the same

Read More
Bald man wearing a blue checked suit jacket and light blue shirt, smiling at the camera, with a bright, blurred white background. South Florida Business & Wealth
HR Roundtable – Continuing the Conversation with StevenDouglas and SFBW

Recently, HR professionals throughout South Florida gathered at the Sunrise, Florida headquarters of StevenDouglas to discuss one of the most-discussed issues facing the corporate world: How is AI transforming the

Read More
A group of 19 professionally dressed people pose together in an office lobby; some are seated on a round white couch, others stand behind, with a Severna Douglas SFW banner in the background. South Florida Business & Wealth
Powering the Creator Economy 

In South Florida’s increasingly influential creator economy, Olivia Ormos is less focused on content than on what powers it.  As founder of mavn, the Miami entrepreneur is building the infrastructure layer

Read More
A woman in a black outfit stands holding a microphone in front of a MAVN sign, with two black chairs and display boards reading “influencer marketing done right” and “where creators, brands, + culture collide.”. South Florida Business & Wealth
Building Through the Bottleneck 

 Demand remains strong across South Florida, but rising costs, stalled deals, and execution challenges are reshaping how projects move from concept to completion  South Florida’s construction market is not slowing down. It

Read More
A mature man with gray hair and glasses, wearing a gray suit and white shirt, stands indoors and buttons his jacket. There is a brick wall with framed art and a beige couch in the background. South Florida Business & Wealth