WorldCity Business Magazine

(4) Cover Story - First Annual South Florida International Business Leadership Awards

by WC

On November 15, The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce honored eight companies four foreign companies and four U.S. companies that were singled out by a panel of five independent judges for having excelled in one of four leadership categories in international business. These award-winning companies, along with eight others that were judged to be close runners-up, are profiled in the pages that follow.

Also honored were two non-profit organizations Baptist Health International and The Miami-Dade Beacon Council and one special individual Burton Landy for their commitment to international business. They are also featured here.

The 11 winners and eight runners-up were chosen from more than 50 companies and individuals who were nominated by members of the business community during a six-week period from late August to early October. That is a great result for the inaugural year of what will hopefully become an annual landmark event for South Floridas thousands of international and multinational
businesses.

The enthusiastic response to the International Business Leadership Awards is a testament to the importance of South Floridas connections to the international marketplace, which the Greater Miami Chamber emphasizes each year with its signature Americas Linkage program, begun in 1999.

WORLDCITY salutes the chamber for its vision in proposing these International Business Leadership Awards. And we tip the hat to all the staffers and volunteers at the chamber for their hard in pulling together this special occasion.

METHODOLOGY

Once nominated, companies were asked to fill out a detailed questionnaire designed to demonstrate how their business activities had had an impact on South Florida, in terms of boosting the local economy, improving quality of life or otherwise strengthening the business
community.

Companies were judged in four categories Economic/Financial Growth, Citizenship, Workforce Development and Marketplace Innovation. Nominees were free to apply in one or more category.

PANEL OF JUDGES

Ileana Bravo, President, Ileana Bravo Productions
Rochelle Broder-Singer; Editor, South Florida CEO Magazine
Gregg Fields, Coordinator, FIU Masters Program in Business Journalism and Miami Herald Columnist
Ken Roberts, President & CEO, WorldCity
Ricardo Tao Feijoo, Principal, RTKL Associates