The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for a sensational evening at this year’s 95th Annual Gala on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at the beautifully renovated Loews Miami Beach Hotel. Over 900 of South Florida’s top business professionals will put on their finest and join together for one of the largest black tie galas for the South Florida’s professional market. This year, the Chamber is honoring six distinguished pillars of the Miami Beach community for their continued commitment to the strength and growth of this thriving city, while also celebrating the success of Miami Beach and the business community. Guests will experience an electrifying Magical Affair, presented by City National Bank, which takes on a unique spin the traditional dinner with a fun-filled evening of entertainment and incredible interactive experiences.
“This year’s award recipients depict the strengths of Miami Beach in their own unique way,” said Wayne Pathman, Chairman of the Board and partner at Pathman Lewis, LLP. “Collectively, they have contributed millions to charities, helped shape Miami Beach’s cultural scene and shown passion through civic leadership. They are all champions of Miami Beach.”
This year’s celebrated honorees are:
• Art Basel Miami Beach, receiving the Corporate Citizen Of The Year Award
• Breakthru Beverage Florida receiving the Jan Pfeiffer Distinguished Service Award
• Tibor Hollo, Florida East Coast Realty, receiving the Leonard “DOC” Baker Lifetime Achievement Award
• Howard M. Lorber, Douglas Elliman, receiving the Member Of The Decade Award
• Joy V.W. Malakoff, City of Miami Beach Commissioner, receiving the City National Bank Beach High Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award
• Tara Solomon, TARA Ink., receiving the Excellence In Tourism Award
In addition to celebrating these renowned leaders and another successful year as an organization, the Gala is an annual fundraiser with live and silent auction components to raise funds for the Chamber’s 501(c)3 Education Foundation. The Foundation encourages and supports public education in Miami Beach and creates programming to support the needs of today’s future leaders by provide scholarships to graduating Beach High students, as well as additional educational programming in Miami Beach including the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, on-site healthcare in all eight of Miami Beach public schools, and providing teacher grants for innovative educational programs. The gala, themed A Magical Affair, is organized by Gala chair, Jessica Fuentes Victor of Café Avanti, and Gala co-chairs, Jeff Greene of 84 West Studios and Leila Chang of Ideal Lifestyle Concierge, among other committee members.
Guests will be WOWed with entertainment featuring a special magical showcase by Merlin Award winner, Enigma, brought to you by Mango’s Tropical Café, along with interactive experiences, bottle services lounges, and tableside magic featuring Miami Beach’s MIO and live music by The Clique. The evening will be emceed by the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce’s Chairman of the Board, Wayne Pathman, along with everyone’s favorite traffic reporter and Miami Beach resident, NBC 6’s Kelly Blanco.
The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce wishes to thank the following Platinum Sponsors of the event for their continued support each year: Loews Miami Beach, Breakthru Beverage Florida, Warren Henry Automotive, Viacom, and Southern Audio & Visual.
Tickets start at $250 and sponsored tables at $3,250. For more information, visit www.miamibeachchamber.com/gala or contact the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce at (305) 674-1300 or Valerie Roy at CI Management via email at valerie@ci-mgt.com.
ABOUT Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce’s 95th Annual Gala – HONOREES
Art Basel Miami Beach – The Corporate Citizen of the Year Award
The Corporate Citizen of the Year Award is presented to individuals and/or institutions, whose selflessness, foresight and guidance have contributed immeasurably to the quality of life given to our community and this year’s recipient is Art Basel Miami Beach. Art Basel stages the world’s premier Modern and contemporary art fairs, staged annually in Basel, Miami Beach, and Hong Kong. A driving force in supporting the role that galleries play in nurturing the careers of their artists, Art Basel frequently expands its platforms to include the newest developments in the visual arts. With Over 77,000 people attending, the event has added a new layer of economic enhancement by turning the region into a real art destination. Art Basel Miami Beach has helped revitalize the city and increased the quality of life for the people of the Miami Beach community. Hotels and restaurants are packed in the winter months, new galleries have opened representing a new young art collective, the Wynwood area has been restored, and museums are growing and expanding thanks to the ever-growing event.
Breakthru Beverage Florida – Jan Pfeiffer Distinguished Service Award
The Jan Pfeiffer Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to an individual or company whose extraordinary community involvement has generated extensive contributions to South Florida. Breakthru Beverage Florida brings experience and innovation to the wholesale beverage business, but more importantly, they are a family-owned company with operations and affiliates spanning 16 markets that contribute their products and services to an array of nonprofits and charities all over Florida and beyond, especially throughout Miami Beach. They support non-profits across the state of Florida help raise money for a variety of causes, through donations of product, team effort fundraising, community days, and more. Every dollar counts in philanthropy and thanks to the team at Breakthru Beverage Florida, they are always there to assist community members reach their goals. Some of the charities they support include Dolphin’s Cancer Challenge, Community Initiatives Foundation, No Kid Go Hungry, American Lung Association, Communities Initiatives Foundation, Women’s Breast & Heart Initiative, Irie Foundation, and the list continues.
Tibor Hollo – The Leonard A. “Doc” Baker Lifetime Achievement Award
The Leonard A. “Doc” Baker Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual whose exceptional lifetime contributions of community leadership and philanthropic endeavors have improved the quality of the life of Miami Beach citizens and this year will be presented to Tibor Hollo. Highly-regarded by his peers, Hollo is a true pioneer and one of Miami’s visionaries. Over 60 years ago, he forged a path for the future by constructing the very first high-rise building on Brickell Avenue. His vision now is truly taking shape on a large scale, as evidenced by the growth and excitement permeating the areas in and surrounding beautiful Downtown, which builds the skyscraper to Miami Beach. Hollo is a member of the Society of Founders of Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Miami. He has served on Florida’s Task Force on Housing and Community Affairs, as well the Governor’s Advisory Council on Factory Built Housing. He is a member of the Downtown Advisory Committee and the Committee on Ecology and Beautification.
Howard M. Lorber (Douglas Elliman) – Member Of The Decade Award
The Member of the Decade Award is granted to a Miami Beach community member who demonstrates consistent leadership and dedicated involvement in the development and future growth of the city and the business community of the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce. It is presented to an individual or corporation who has gone above and beyond to raise the profile of the Miami Beach community from a business perspective and enhanced the economic growth and visibility of the community. This is the most distinguished honor that the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce can bestow upon a business who has achieved the ultimate success and has continued to thrive as an example to other business professionals throughout South Florida. Howard M. Lorber is the Chairman of Douglas Elliman, one of the nation’s oldest and largest real estate brokerage firms with over $24.6 billion in annual sales volume, over 6000 real estate agents and over 38,099 rentals and sales transactions in 2016. Lorber, along with Dottie Herman, acquired Douglas Elliman in 2003 and has since achieved record sales year over year. Those revenues and the business acumen that he brought to Douglas Elliman have transformed the company into one with unprecedented economic might and influence in the industry. Lorber plays an extremely active role in the company and prides himself on his ability to attract and retain the most talented sales personnel. In addition Mr. Lorber is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Vector Group Ltd. and its wholly owned subsidiary, New Valley LLC, the parent company of Douglas Elliman. He has actively managed Vector Group and New Valley’s diversified interests since 1994, including its $400 million in real estate assets.
Commissioner Joy V.W. Malakoff – City National Bank Beach High Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award
The City National Bank Miami Beach Senior High Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award was created to honor an outstanding business professional who began in Miami Beach and whose achievements have extended into assisting the greater economy. A past Chairman of the Chamber and Pillar Board Chair, Commissioner Malakoff was the first female from Beach High to get into Harvard-Radcliffe College. In 2011, she retired, after 30 years, of being a banker on Miami Beach where she was known for her integrity, financial acumen and relationship building. Currently, she serves as a City of Miami Beach commissioner, has served on the city’s Board of Adjustment, and is particularly interested in promoting architectural compatibility in our neighborhoods. Being raised in Miami Beach, Commissioner Malakoff truly loves the City of Miami Beach and continues each and every day to grow the beautiful city she calls her hometown.
Tara Solomon (TARA, Ink.) – The Excellence in Tourism Award
The Excellence in Tourism Award is an award given to notable individuals or companies whose insight, leadership and nobility have contributed significantly to the tourism industry in Miami Beach. Touted as the “Queen of the Night,” Tara Solomon has dedicated decades to the creating and disseminating the message about Miami Beach and the surrounding area. Throughout the 90’s until today, Tara has helped transform the city’s personality and grow the hospitality and fashion industries through her syndicated columns in The Miami Herald and public relations powerhouse capabilities. Her award-winning public relations firm, TARA, Ink., was established in 2001 and is headquartered in Miami Beach, with a New York office. With a client list that ranges from Faena Miami Beach to WALL Lounge to iconic fashion lines, real estate developments, restaurants, and philanthropic causes, Tara’s abilities to understand the industry and create the strategies throughout the years that continue to bring influencers to Miami Beach has been unmatched. In her agency’s 16 years, her firm has garnered approximately one billion dollars of media impressions for the City of Miami Beach. Tara has documented her chosen city for national and international media outlets including The Huffington Post, Variety, Food & Wine, Elle, Vogue LATM, the BBC and Good Morning America. Committed to helping others, TARA, Ink. has supported numerous causes over the years, including Women of Tomorrow, Bass Museum of Art, United Way of Miami-Dade, Voices for Children and Make-A-Wish Southern Florida.
