The Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame will be celebrating its 8th annual Luncheon and Induction Ceremony on Wednesday, May 16, 2007, at Parrot Jungle Island. The Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame inductees were selected by a panel of judges representing the business community and previous honorees.

Margarita M. Gonzalez (BBA ‘06) President and CFO of AccuBanker, will be inducted as the “Founder,” an alumnus/ae of Florida International University’s College of Business Administration who is a founder and key member of a start-up team.  To receive the award, the individual must have at least five employees, have been in operation for a minimum of five years, and have had significant revenue and profit growth over the last five years.

Antonio L. Argiz (BBA ‘74), managing partner, Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, LLP., will be inducted as the “Builder,” awarded to an alumnus/ae of the College of Business Administration whose company must have been in operation for a minimum of ten years and have had significant revenues and profit growth.  The individual must have been instrumental in the growth of an established business.

The 2007 South Florida Entrepreneur of the Year award, given to a non-alumnus/ae, will be presented to Miriam Lopez, chairman and CEO of TransAtlantic Bank. She is an outstanding entrepreneur and contributing member to South Florida’s entrepreneurial community.  She serves on Florida International University’s Board of Trustees.

The event also will recognize winners of the New Venture Challenge, the college’s business plan competition organized by the Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center.

The Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame is the college’s largest alumni event each year, bringing together more than 500 alumni and other local business leaders. Please save the date—Wednesday, May 16, 2007—and join us for this year’s themed event, “The Rhythm of Entrepreneurship”.