Individuals, organizations receive Gold Medal...

4/20/2016 Individuals, organizations receive Gold Medal Awards Miami Today

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Individuals, organizations receive GoldMedal Awards

Written by Miami Today on April 19,2016

Three accomplished individuals andfour prominent organizationsaccepted Gold Medal honorshighlighting their outstandingcontributions to Greater Miami atMiami Today’s Gold Medal Awardsdinner Thursday evening.

At the ceremony, longtimegovernment leader Maurice Ferréaccepted the Lifetime AchievementAward for his past and currentcontributions to the community.

Eight judges selected the GoldMedal Awards winners from amongvictors in local and nationalcompetitions held last year – onlytoplevel recipients were eligible forconsideration for the Gold Medals.Miami Today and dinner sponsorBNY Mellon Wealth Managementchose Mr. Ferré for the LifetimeAchievement honor.

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In balloting for the top organization, judges selected theBoys and Girls Clubs of MiamiDade for the Gold Medal.The clubs, which in 2015 received the Switchboard ofMiami Most Valuable Nonprofit AllStar Award, provideaffordable educational programs for 8,000 children aged5 to 16 in five facilities.

Clubs President Alex RodriguezRoig accepted the awardfor the organization. Louis Wolfson III, partner in GoldMedal sponsor Pinnacle Housing Group, made thepresentation.

Eduardo J. Padrón, president of Miami Dade College formore than 20 years and winner of the 2015 DiverseChampion Award from Diverse: Issues in HigherEducation, was honored with the Gold Medal for anindividual.

Dr. Padrón at the time of the ceremony was hosting USSecretary of State John Kerry at the college, so the awardwas accepted for him by Mark Cole, executive director ofthe Miami Dade College Foundation. Thomas Julin,partner at Hunton & Williams law firm, a Gold MedalAwards sponsor, presented the individual Gold Medal.

Miami Lighthouse for the Blind won the Silver Medal foran organization based upon two major awards in 2015:



the Sapphire Award from the Florida Blue Foundation,which recognized it as an outstanding nonprofitcommunity healthcare organization, and the BeaconBeacoCouncil’s Distinguished Industry Award for outstandingcontributions to education. Lighthouse President andCEO Virginia A. Jacko and board Chairman Ray Casasaccepted the award from Joe Jimenez, vice president oflegal & regulatory affairs of sponsor Codina Partners.

The Silver Medal for an individual went to Henry Fleches,chief executive office of United Data Technologies. In2015 he was named Businessman of the Year by the USHispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Jay Pelham, president of sponsoring TotalBank,presented the individual Silver Medal to Andres Campo,chief marketing officer of United Data Technologies,representing Mr. Fleches.

The voting for the Bronze Medal for an organizationended in a tie, with judges choosing two winners.

One Bronze Medal for an organization went to ExpressTravel, which was honored as one of the CommonwealthInstitute’s Top WomenLed Businesses of Florida in 2015.Accepting the award, president and CEO Olga Ramudonoted that she had started the company in her garage,building it to a staff level of 31. Miami Today VicePresident Carmen BetancourtLewis presented the award.

The other Bronze Medal for an organization waspresented to Zyscovich Architects, which was recognizedwith the 2015 Synergy Award from the Society ofAmerican Registered Architects for outstanding service tothe profession. Accepting was founder Bernard Zyscovich,who noted that a firm started in an agricultural shed 39years ago had been responsible for the master plan of theMidtown Miami project. Presenting the award wasRichard Gibbs, senior communication specialist fromsponsoring Florida Power & Light Co.



The Bronze Medal for an individual was presented toSteven L. Cantor, managing partner of Canton & WebbP.A. He was named by Latinvex one of Latin America’sTop 100 Lawyers in 2015. Mr. Cantor noted that while hedidn’t start the firm in either a garage or agriculturalshed, he did start with just himself and an IBM Selectrictypewriter. Ms. BetancourtLewis presented his award.

In accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award, Mr. Ferré,who has long been considered a visionary, said that“Miami tomorrow’s quality of life will be determined bythree allimportant measured: sustainability,transparency (or accountability), and equality.”

Harking back to the legacies of Thomas Jefferson, JohnLocke and David Hume, as well as James Madison,Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore and Franklin DelanoRoosevelt, Mr. Ferré said that “for Miami to become amajor hemispheric center or a global city we must lead infinding egalitarian solutions to our problems.

“Yes, pay attention to climate change, flooding of roads inMiami Beach, where did our half percent sales tax moneyfor transportation go and how can we better fundJackson’s coming shortfalls. But also, how can we assurethat all of our citizens have an equal opportunity andequal access to all governmental services?”

Mr. Ferré was recognized for longtime service. He wasmayor of Miami from 1973 to 1985, working to make surethat the city became truly a gateway to Latin America andthat the downtown core developed logically. He alsoserved in the Florida House of Representatives and asboth a city and county commissioner. He continues inpublic service as a member of the MiamiDadeExpressway Authority and of the Florida TransportationCommission.

Joe Fernandez, Florida president of sponsoring BNYMellon Wealth Management, presented the Lifetime



Achievement Award to Mr. Ferré.

Judges who selected the Gold Medal Awards were Dr.Roslyn Clark Artis, president of Florida MemorialUniversity; Christine Barney, chairman of the GreaterMiami Chamber of Commerce and CEO and managingpartner of rbb Communications; Ernie Diaz, chairman ofthe Beacon Council and regional president of TD Bank;BeacoMatt Haggman, cochairman of One Community OneGoal and Miami program director of the KnightFoundation; Wendy Kallergis, president and CEO of theGreater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association; BruceOrosz, chairman of the Greater Miami Convention &Visitors Bureau and president of ACT Productions; MarkTrowbridge, president and CEO of the Coral GablesChamber of Commerce; and J. Antonio Villamil, founderand principal of the Washington Economics Group.

Judges based selections on:

•The importance of achievements for which nominees hadreceived awards in the past year and the stature of therecognizing organizations.

•The longterm impact of the honorees’ achievements onthis community.

Miami Today 17 years ago established the Gold MedalAwards to honor The Best of the Best, choosing amongthose that already had received from peers top honors ina vital category in the prior year.

Trophies were presented after an invitationonlyreception and dinner at the JW Marriott Marquisdowntown, which has been the site of the past fivedinners. Mr. Ferré noted in accepting his award that hisfather had once owned the land upon which the hotel nowsits.

Past Gold Medal Award winners, the judges and leaders



in business and education, as well as an internationaldelegation of consuls general, attended to salute thehonorees.

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Individuals, organizations receive Gold Medal...

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