Meet the 2023 Florida honorees

Andy Allen is CEO of Corner Lot.

Corner Lot is a real estate development firm with business lines that include residential, multifamily, commercial, urban, hospitality, and historic preservation development as well as single-family home construction.

Benjamin Gliklich is President and CEO of Element Solutions.

Element Solutions Inc. is a leading specialty chemicals company whose businesses supply a broad range of solutions that enhance the performance of products people use every day. Developed in multi-step technological processes, these innovative solutions enable customers' manufacturing processes in several key industries, including consumer electronics, power electronics, semiconductor fabrication, communications and data storage infrastructure, automotive systems, industrial surface finishing, consumer packaging, and offshore energy.

Jennifer Addabbo is Co-Founder and CEO of Engage fi.

With over 450 years of industry experience, the team at Engage Fi is a blend of consultants, educators, matchmakers, integrators, and advocates. The Company is laser-focused on guiding financial institutions through its proven process and enabling them to make informed, timely decisions on vendor relationships so they can change at the speed of the consumer. Engage fi has completed over 525 strategic projects for financial institutions and negotiated over US$2.2 billion in savings and incentives for its clients. The Company has a unique approach, and its strategic projects are as unique as the clients it serves. 

Chris Tomasso is President and CEO of First Watch Restaurants.

First Watch (NASDAQ: FWRG) is an award-winning Daytime Dining concept serving made-to-order breakfast, brunch and lunch using fresh ingredients. A recipient of hundreds of local “Best Breakfast” and “Best Brunch” accolades, First Watch’s chef-driven menu includes elevated executions of classic favorites along with First Watch specialties. In 2022, First Watch was awarded a sought-after MenuMasters honor by Nation’s Restaurant News for its seasonal Braised Short Rib Omelet, recognized with ADP’s coveted Culture at Work award and named a Top 100 Most Loved Workplace® by Newsweek and the Best Practice Institute. In 2021, First Watch was recognized as FSR Magazine’s Best Menu and as the fastest-growing full-service restaurant chain based on unit growth. There are more than 470 First Watch restaurants in 29 states, and the restaurant concept is majority owned by Advent International, one of the world’s largest private equity firms. 

Joshua Hay is the CEO of Indelible.
Michael White is the Co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer.

Indelible provides management consulting services to public and private sector organizations. The founders structured the firm into solutions vertical (i.e., business units) that align with the funding priorities of federal, state and local governments. Indelible’s solution verticals include Transportation and Infrastructure, IT Advisory, Health and Human Services and Emergency Management. The services it provides are quintessential to the welfare of citizens residing in underserved communities.  It aspires to create a sustainable firm that survives multiple generations, extraordinary events, and any combination of converging megatrends experienced by the global economy. Indelible is the voice in the halls of governmental bureaucracy that advocates to provide resources to underserved and communities of color. Indelible is positioned to be the enterprise that will provide solutions and opportunities for generations to come.

Oscar Feldenkreis is President and CEO of Perry Ellis International.

Perry Ellis International represents a global fashion house of fully owned and licensed fashion sports and lifestyle brands. Over the past 56 years, the organization transformed into a leading provider of lifestyle brands through its diversity in its powerful portfolio with premier names such as Perry Ellis®, Perry Ellis America®.

Jeff Jackson is President and CEO of PGT Innovations.

PGT Innovations manufactures and supplies premium windows, doors and garage doors. Its highly engineered and technically advanced products can withstand some of the toughest weather conditions on Earth and are revolutionizing the way people live by unifying indoor and outdoor living spaces.

PGT Innovations creates value through deep customer relationships, understanding the unstated needs of the markets we serve, and a drive to develop category-defining products. PGT Innovations is also the nation’s largest manufacturer of impact-resistant windows and doors and holds the leadership position in its primary market.

The PGT Innovations family of brands include CGI®, PGT® Custom Windows and Doors, WinDoor®, Western Window Systems, Anlin Windows & Doors, Eze-Breeze®, NewSouth Window Solutions, Martin Door ,and a 75% ownership stake in Eco Window Systems. PGT Innovations’ brands, in their respective markets, are a preferred choice of architects, builders and homeowners throughout North America and the Caribbean. The Company’s high-quality products are available in custom and standard sizes with massive dimensions that allow for unlimited design possibilities in residential, multi-family, and commercial projects.

Andreas King-Geovanis is Founder and CEO of Roami (formerly Sextant Stays).

Sextant Stays, a next-generation hospitality brand, manages over 500 units across 20+ buildings in South Florida and New Orleans. The Company’s residences are six times larger than the average hotel room and come with a fully equipped kitchen, dedicated workspace, and in-unit washer/dryer, allowing guests to stay comfortably for a day, week, month, or even a year.

Bruce Lucas is Founder and CEO of Slide Insurance.

Slide is a full-stack homeowners InsurTech that uses an industry-leading US$6 trillion TIV data set to revolutionize the insurance industry through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning.  Slide is a top 5 homeowners' insurer that that is tackling the Florida insurance crisis with a new approach and vision.  Slide launched operations in 2022, grew from zero to US$560 million in annual premiums, and is the first and only InsurTech to ever turn a profit.

Robert Morcos is Founder and CEO of Social Mobile.

Founded in 2011, Social Mobile is a Google Mobile Services (GMS) partner, leveraging the Android operating system to design, engineer and manufacture turnkey mobility-as-a-service deployments that enable enterprise organizations to utilize smart solutions to support an array of business-critical operations. An OEM, managed service provider, and consultancy, Social Mobile is uniquely positioned to serve as a domestic design partner to US clients, controlling all aspects of the development supply-chain, and delivering the utmost in security and availability. 

Bill Johnson is Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers.

The Liberty Company is an independently owned insurance broker handling the commercial, personal and employee benefits insurance needs of businesses, nonprofits and individuals for more than 36 years. The company was founded in 1987 by Chairman and CEO Bill Johnson, who currently leads the firm along with President Jerry Pickett. Licensed to operate in all 50 states, the company is headquartered in Florida, but its flagship office is based in Woodland Hills, California.

Liberty has grown consistently and, in recent years, exponentially by attracting talented and entrepreneurial people into an energetic and collaborative culture which focuses on the team’s happiness, wellbeing and personal growth. Liberty has expanded nationally by partnering with agency owners and experienced producers who fit the Company’s culture, are driven by its mission of Promoting Peace of Mind with Great Care and demonstrate its core values of Integrity, Excellence, Caring, Kindness, Fairness, Teamwork, Good Feelings, and Fun!

James Hill is Co-Founder and CEO of Trajector.

A veteran-owned and -operated company founded in 2014, Trajector helps the underserved and at-risk disabled population in their quest to receive all the disability benefits they medically, legally and ethically qualify for from both government and private entities.

The Company develops medical evidence that helps its clients navigate the complex disability benefits journey to improve their life trajectory.

Trajector has helped tens of thousands of veterans get the most accurate disability rating their conditions warrant.