The players: Mitchell W. Berger Jorge L. Arrizurieta

South Florida CEO, Nov, 2007 by Yeleny Suarez

Latest Play: Berger was named chairman of the fundraising committee and Arrizurieta chairman of the host committee for the Inter-American Development Bank meeting in Miami Beach, scheduled for April 4-8, 2008.

Background: The "odd couple," as Arrizurieta refers to them, are well-known Democratic (Berger) and Republican (Arrizurieta) fundraisers, and will be pulling in money and support for the massive meeting of the multilateral finance institution. Berger (left), 51, is president and founder of Fort Lauderdale law firm Berger Singerman and was co-chair of the Community Relations Committee for the Summit of the Americas gathering of hemispheric business leaders in Miami in 1994. Arrizurieta, 42, is chairman of the International Policy Group at law firm Akerman Senterfitt. He is the former president of Florida Free Trade Area of the Americas Inc. and was United States alternate executive director of the Inter-American Development Bank from 2002 to 2003.

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Ambition: "My job is to make sure that there's enough money to ensure that Miami and the region present themselves as the world-class venue.... We're looking to raise approximately $8 million," Berger says. Arrizurieta explains that he and Berger are traveling around South Florida, and soon around the nation and hemisphere, to ensure multinational companies are involved in the meeting. "This is a chance for our state to send a message to the world that we are that business center.... Every day more so--sort of the world gateway, not just to Latin America and the Caribbean," Arrizurieta adds.

"This type of thing continues to put us in the appropriate class of
... places that people think about when they think about business and
finance."--Mitchell Berger