College of Business seeks outstanding alumni for 2015 Hall of Fame honors

The College of Business is now seeking alumni who have excelled in business and community leadership for induction into the 2015 Alumni Hall of Fame. Honorees will be recognized at the college’s signature event, the Hall of Fame presentation, on Sept. 17.

Nominations are open for honorees in the global, innovation, entrepreneurship, young alumnus and growth categories. The awards recognize College of Business alumni who achieved distinction as founders and builders of new business enterprises as well as those who have distinguished themselves at the local, national or global level. Through their vision and leadership, honorees have made lasting contributions to their companies, their communities and the college. The deadline for nominations is May 1.

Three alumni events during September will highlight a month-long celebration of the College of Business’ 50th anniversary and its 50,000 alumni, including 27,000 in South Florida. In addition to the awards ceremony, now in its 16^th year, an alumni tailgate party will take place on Sept. 19 for the Panthers’ football home opener against North Carolina Central. In addition, leading College of Business alumni will share career insights at a panel discussion on Sept. 3.

“It’s gratifying to see how the Hall of Fame has grown to encompass a broader range of achievements. One of the most important things to emerge is how each honoree’s FIU education has advanced their success,” said Jose Diaz, chair of the Hall of Fame committee and a 2013 honoree. “We’re looking for nominees who’ve done amazing things competing on a local level and have achieved greatness on a global scale.”

The 2014 Hall of Fame honored philanthropist R. Kirk Landon with the Lifetime Achievement Award and recognized Guillermo G. Castillo, Eric Maldonado, Alexander Mijares, Randy Robertson and Alina Villasante. The awards dinner drew more than 500 community leaders and FIU supporters and raised more than $170,000, with proceeds benefitting student scholarships.

Sponsorships for the 2015 Hall of Fame are also available. Key sponsors of last year’s Hall of Fame included Lennar, MBAF, South Florida Business Journal, Florida East Coast Realty, Bank United and EY.

“This event gives great access to people that want to reach FIU’s 130,000 alumni and communicate with that constituency,” said Diaz, partner in Compass Office Solutions, an ongoing Hall of Fame sponsor. ”These are the decision-makers of South Florida.”

In addition to Landon, the roster of Hall of Fame inductees since 2000 includes Dr. Sanford Ziff, Sunglass Hut; Tibor Hollo, Florida East Coast Realty; Alberto Aghion, Zumba Fitness; Benjamin Leon Jr., Leon Medical Centers; Larry Harris, Pollo Tropical; Cesar Alvarez, Greenberg Traurig LLP; and Baptist Health South Florida.

For more information about the Hall of Fame sponsorships and nominations, visit http://business.fiu.edu/hall-of-fame/ or contact Jennifer Quintana, Jcquinta@fiu.edu, or Yanyn San Luis, ysanluis@fiu.edu.