Florida International University (FIU) alumni Carlos Duart (MST ’99, BACC ’94) and Mariano de Socarraz (BBA ’89) were the 2010 inductees to the College of Business Administration’s Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. The ceremony, whose theme was “Beyond Ideas: The Art of Entrepreneurship,” recognizes companies and individuals who embody excellence in entrepreneurship through their leadership and vision. Now in its 11th year, the event took place on May 20th at Jungle Island.
Duart, president and chief executive officer of Metric Engineering, Inc., a leading provider of transportation engineering services, received the “Builder Award” for doubling his company’s workforce and boosting revenue by more than $60 million since he took the helm in 2007. De Soccaraz, founder and CEO of specialty pathology lab CorePlus, LLC, was recognized with the “Founder Award” for translating his idea into a successful company with $12 million in annual sales.
South Florida healthcare powerhouse Baptist Health South Florida was named “Entrepreneurial Company of the Year” with Brian Keeley, president and chief executive officer, accepting the award on behalf of the company.
The college’s premier alumni event drew a crowd of more than 350. In her opening remarks, Executive Dean Joyce J. Elam hailed the “skill, passion and success” of local entrepreneurs. University President Mark Rosenberg described entrepreneurship as the “core of FIU’s mission to provide our students with the tools they need to compete in the global marketplace.”
Honorees include winners of business plan competition.
Recognition was also given to winners of The Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge, presented by the Eugenio Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center, which for the first time in 2010 featured a separate track exclusively for FIU students, faculty, alumni and staff. First place went to business students Irina Matyukhina, Erwin Tejos Jr., Fabianne Pompee and Keyla Castillo based on their blueprint for TruCycle, an organic waste, composting and consulting business. Online green-building resource Ecode, the brainchild of alumnus Jean Paul Ciaramella (BBA ’09) and business partner Daniel Naim, won second place. Finally, the business school’s director of advancement, alumni and corporate relations Monique Catoggio (EMBA ’03) and her mother Ellie Kane won third place with their plan for Coaches in Your Corner, an email-based professional coaching service.
The event was presented by Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Farra, LLP and supported by the welcome sponsors Vitas, Regions Bank and Jungle Island.
