Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce’s 90th Annual Dinner Gala to honor Steven Sonenreich, Gary Gerson, Rosann Sidener, Jose Abreu, and Tony Goldman
June 2nd, 2012 – 6:00 pm
Miami Beach Convention Center – Hall D

The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce will CELEBRATE SUCCESS while marking a historic 90 years of the Annual Dinner Gala and Silent Auction. Five key South Florida Business leaders will be honored by the Chamber as 1200 attendees gather on June 2nd, 2012 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, and join in an entertaining evening of surprises along with a 200 piece auction, dinner, dancing, and much more.

This year’s honorees are names well known in the community – Steven Sonenreich – President and CEo of Mount Sinai Medical Center; Gary Gerson – Founding Partner of Gerson, Preston, Robinson, and Co., Rosann Sidener – Principal at Miami Beach Senior High School, Jose Abreu – Director of the Miami Dade Aviation Department and Tony Goldman – Chairman of Goldman Properties, who will each receive an award for their dedication and commitment to their industry and community, which assisted in the overall growth and development of the South Florida area.

The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce will CELEBRATE SUCCESS while marking a historic 90 years of the Annual Dinner Gala and Silent Auction. Five key South Florida Business leaders will be honored by the Chamber as 1200 attendees gather on June 2nd, 2012 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, and join in an entertaining evening of surprises along with a 200 piece auction, dinner, dancing, and much more.

This year’s honorees are names well known in the community – Steven Sonenreich, Gary Gerson, Rosann Sidener, Jose Abreu, and Tony Goldman, who will each receive an award for their dedication and commitment to their industry and community, which assisted in the overall growth and development of the South Florida area.

Steven Sonenreich, President and CEO of Mount Sinai Medical Center, will receive the Citizen of the Year Award, which is presented to an individual whose selfishness, foresight, and guidance has contributed to the quality of life in the community. Steven grew up starting in the billing department at Mount Sinai straight out of college. Now, 30 years later, he is head of Miami Beach’s only remaining hospital and works tirelessly with his team to focus on keeping costs down by finding efficiencies in every aspect of health care delivery. He has grown Mount Sinai as a regional referral center, stabilized its financial outlook, and furthered its mission of quality health care, teaching, research and community service. Under his leadership he has achieved a host of accomplishments, most notably creating more locations where patients can access the care and services the hospital provides.

Gary Gerson, Founding Partner of Gerson, Preston, Robinson, and Co., will be awarded the City National Bank Hi-Tides Outstanding Achievement Award, which is presented to an outstanding local business professional, who is from Miami Beach and whose achievements have extended into assisting the greater economy. Gary opened his CPA practice in Miami Beach in 1958 and has achieved much success through talent, hard work, an unwavering commitment to his clients, and to his community. Not only has he run a very successful practice focusing on litigation support engagements and international taxation, but he is consistently giving back to the community by contributing time and financial resources to many charitable and civic organizations, including Mount Sinai Medical Center, as well as beyond, specifically supporting the University of Florida, where he has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Dr. Rosann Sidener, Principal at Miami Beach Senior High School, will be honored with the Distinguished Service Award, which is given to a community leader who demonstrates extraordinary community involvement, sparks inspiration throughout the community, and helps mentor others to achieve greatness. Appointed principal in April 2007, Dr. Sidener has brought the school’s academic performance from a letter “D” to a letter “A” by the state of Florida. She has introduced new programs such as the International Baccalaureate School in March of 2010 and the Scholars Academy. These initiatives have given Beach High a new academic standing, along with a new image after the completion of a lengthy renovation process. Dr. Sidener has worked with her team to use creative tactics to tackle diminishing school budgets and continues to fulfill the schools vision “to develop a culture of success by nurturing life-long learning and values conducive to active participation in the global community”.

Jose Abreu, Director of the Miami Dade Aviation Department, will be awarded the Excellence in Tourism Award, which recognizes individuals or companies whose insight, leadership, and nobility have contributed significantly to the tourism industry in Miami Beach. As the director of aviation for over 7 years, Jose has been a strong advocate for positive solutions to South Florida’s transportation challenges in relationship to traffic congestion, parking issues, air quality concerns, and economic vitality. He is the former secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation and worked tirelessly to make travel in Florida safer and more efficient. Currently, he is oversees Miami International Airport (MIA) and four general aviation airports in the Miami area, MIA alone handling more then 38 million passengers and 2 million tons of cargo annually. Jose currently supervises one of the largest airport expansion programs in the US, a $6.4 billion capital improvement programs that will add new terminals, roadways, and other infrastructure at the County airports.

The final award is the Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be bestowed onto Tony Goldman, Chairman of Goldman Properties, who was instrumental in creating the beautiful Art Deco City of Miami Beach. For over 40 years, Tony Goldman has been recognizing the value in undervalued urban areas and has reconstructed and transformed historical districts into popular, thriving global destinations. He began his career developing residential brownstones on the Upper Westside of New York City and then was drawn to SOHO. In 1985, he took a quick trip to Miami and discovered South Beach. Tony saw miles of oceanfront property filled with run down hotels and empty and decaying buildings. Instantly, he recognized the unusual architectural significant of the Art Deco buildings in the community. He knew he discovered “The American Riviera” and purchased 18 properties while teaming up with others to lead the South Beach revitalization movement through preservation and economic development. He shaped the future of South Beach and was even referred to by the New York Times as the “granddaddy of South Beach”. He has served on many boards around the country and continues to give back throughout each of his developed communities, passing his legacy onto his daughter and son to grow in the future.

The 90th Annual Dinner Gala will be one not to be missed and there are only a few seats left. Tickets are available starting at $300, with sponsorship beginning at $3000. For more information, please contact the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce at 305-674-1300 or visit miamibeachchamber.com. A big thank you to the major sponsors of the evening, which include American Airlines, Duty Free Americas, City National Bank, Miami Beach Convention Center, Centerplate, Premier Beverage, Prestige Audio and Visual, Media Department II, CBS Outdoor, Warren Henry Auto Group, Waste Management, and Alliance Management.