Chamber honors outstanding community leaders
By Mike Danahey
The Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce honored industry and civic leaders for their contributions to the community this autumn during its annual Saluting Excellence in Business and Beyond Gala.
Held Saturday, Oct. 7, at the First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale, the event celebrated people and places for the direction they have provided in making the city and Broward County prosper.
Downtowner of the Year was awarded to Barron Real Estate President Charlie Ladd.
Ladd joins a list of winners that includes Executive Vice President at the Las Olas Company and the General Manager of the Riverside Hotel, Heiko Dobrikow, FATVillage Arts District Founder Doug McCraw and Hudson Capital Group President Steve Hudson.
“This is especially meaningful for me because I have spent nearly all of my business career focused on and much of my residential life in downtown Fort Lauderdale,” Ladd said. “We have matured — grown old in my case — together.”
Barron Real Estate has been developing and owning property in downtown Fort Lauderdale since 1995, creating and investing in many places that define the city’s downtown and spending many hours on government and business committees that have worked to make the downtown what it is today, Ladd said.
“Our downtown is the business, cultural and social center of the county and region. There is a special energy in its places,” Ladd said.
The honor for Excellence in the Arts went to the Broward Cultural Division.
“It is an honor to receive this award. It is a reflection of the dedicated and hardworking staff that show up every day to support the growth and development of our local artists and arts organizations,” said the division’s director, Phil Dunlap.
According to a study conducted by Americans for the Arts, Broward County’s nonprofit arts and culture is a $414.2 million business sector that supports more than 11,000 full-time equivalent jobs and generates more than $40 million in revenue for the county and the state of Florida.
For its 2022 fiscal year, Broward County Cultural Division had a budget of more than $10 million and awarded more than $5 million in grants to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations as well as to local artists.
It also oversees money allocated for public art projects such as Cirri, by Patrick Marold, which was installed at Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood International Airport Terminal 2 in May 2021.
The division’s community engagement efforts include Destination Sistrunk, a partnership with Visit Lauderdale with the overall goal of developing cultural assets within Broward’s historically Black and culturally significant neighborhoods.
“This recognition by the Chamber is a reflection of the tireless support and advocacy of our Cultural Council and the county’s belief that arts and culture play an important role in why this is a great place to live, work and play,” Dunlap said.
The Chamber recognized Roger Posey, Regional Development Director at Creighton Construction & Development, as its Rising Leader award-winner.
Creighton is a vertically-integrated real estate, permitting-entitlement, construction, management and development company founded on humble client-focused service.
“We take care of the entire process, from the initial site selection through the final grand opening,” Posey said.
The business and Posey joined the Chamber in 2022 and have been heavily involved in the organization.
“We are so honored to receive this award in our first year,” Posey said. “I am grateful to serve as the financial comptroller for the Rising Leaders Council. In addition, I enjoy attending many events throughout the year and bringing others from my circle to participate.”
The Chamber named YMCA of South Florida Broward Business of the Year winner.
YMCA Director of Community Affairs & New Business Development Lilia Ciciolla said, “People do not always realize that in order to be an effective nonprofit, we have to have a business mindset – plan, strategize and execute. So it makes us proud to be recognized by our peers for our successes.”
The YMCA is one of the largest employers in South Florida with full-time and part-time staff of 1,400.
“We impact over 300,000 lives each year through the programs and services we provide,” Ciciolla said.
The YMCA continues to build and nurture strong partnerships and innovative collaborations, including with Broward College to provide afterschool and post-secondary educational opportunities to the residents in the Sistrunk corridor.
In May, the $20 million L.A. Lee YMCA/Mizell Community Center in Fort Lauderdale opened, which Ciciolla said will impact more than 55,000 people annually.
This year also saw the opening of LaBodega Community Food Pantry at the Village of Allapattah YMCA which serves more than 600 families monthly and involves 10 partnerships.
And during 2022, the YMCA also offered several water safety and drowning prevention events, its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Inspirational Weekend in January and will be hosting a Veterans Day event in Weston.
