Awards of excellence 2002

South Florida CEO, Oct, 2002

Jorge Plasencia

Amigo of the Year Award of Excellence 2002

Cuban-American Jorge Plasencia is an example to South Florida's youth. His hard work and dedication has earned him top positions such as former Vice President of Estefan Enterprises, former Director of Hispanic Marketing for the Florida Marlins and his present title as VP of Corporate Communications and Marketing for HBC (Hispanic Broadcast Corporation), the largest Spanish-language radio broadcasting company in the US. In 1991, he founded "Amigos Together for Kids," a non-for-profit organization dedicated to the needs of abused neglected and less fortunate children and adolescents. His determination, drive, and success makes him an excellent role model for our youth. It is with pride that we present Mr. Jorge Plasencia with the 2002 "Amigo of the Year Award of Excellence."

German American Business Chamber of Florida

Chamber of the Year Award of Excellence 2002

The German American Business Chamber of Florida consists of four chapters: Currently these are located in Miami, Orlando, Tampa/St. Petersburg and Naples. The main purpose of the GABC is to promote and expand trade, commerce and goodwill between German-speaking countries and South Florida. It assists businesses and individuals in Florida, Germany, Switzerland and Austria in pursuing their business interests, The GABC is a nonprofit organization, is self supporting, receives no government funding, and was founded by professionals and businessmen. Each chapter has its own local President and Board of Directors -- individuals who have contacts and interest in German-speaking countries and represent a broad spectrum of businesses.

In 2002 the GABC exposed Latino influences above and beyond Latin markets by introducing its members to the booming Latin market and the purchasing power of Latinos; concurrently, it opened a whole new market for our members through the contacts with German companies, earning it the "Chamber of the Year Award of Excellence."

Iberia Airlines of Spain

Company of the Year Award of Excellence 2002

Celebrating its 75th anniversary since its founding on June 27, 1927, Iberia has carried nearly 500 million people in its aircrafts, situating it among the five largest European airlines, and making Iberia the unrivalled leader on routes connecting Spain with the rest of Europe, and Europe with Latin America. Today Iberia is more than an airline. It is an international transportation group, operating in about 100 airports in 39 countries, employing more than 28,000 people, and earning annual revenues of more than 4.7 billion Euros. In addition to transporting passengers and freight, Iberia carries out many related activities, such as aircraft maintenance, handling in airports, IT systems, in-flight catering, and holiday packages. Iberia has one of the largest international operations at Miami Airport, operating a Hub that services Madrid bound traffic as well as Central America and Cancun, the only international carrier with a hub in the USA. We are proud to present Iberia Airlines with the 2002 "Company of t he Year Award of Excellence."

Hispanic Unity of Florida

Humanitarian of the Year Award of Excellence 2002

In 1982, recognizing Broward's growing role as a haven for Spanish-speaking immigrants and refugees, a group of dedicated individuals came together to establish a non-profit organization. With great foresight and a keen understanding of the needs of these newcomers, Hispanic Unity of Florida began to offer English instruction and job placement services. On their 20th year of service to the community, Hispanic Unity has grown to become the largest non-profit organization in Broward that is dedicated to serving the Hispanic population and empowering Hispanics and other minorities to become self-sufficient and productive citizens of the community. Today Hispanic Unity's nineteen programs for immigrants and refugees include English classes, job placement, social services, senior's activities, children's services, health education, HIV/AIDS prevention and counseling, and others. It is with great pride that we present Hispanic Unity of Florida with our "Humanitarian of the Year Award of Excellence."

Jorge Ramos, Univision

Journalist of the Year Award of Excellence 2002

Mexican born, Jorge Ramos is one of the most respected journalists among the 35 million Hispanics in the USA and the 13 Latin American countries where his Noticiero Univision is seen every night. He has covered four wars and witnessed some of the most important news stories of the last years. Jorge Ramos has interviewed some of the most influential leaders and writers in the world. In 2001 he received die Maria Moors Cabot award from the University of Columbia and has won 7 Emmy awards for excellence in journalism. He writes a weekly column for more than 35 newspapers in the United States and Latin America, provides a daily radio commentary to dozens of radio stations, collaborates with one of the largest Spanish-language websites in the world and is the author of five books, including: Behind the Mask, What I Saw, and Bunting the Lion. He has sold over 150,000 copies in Spanish. In early 2002 lie published his first book in English, The Other Face of America. We are proud to honor Jorge Ramos with the "Journ alist of the Year Award of Excellence" for his admirable career and especially for the exposure of Latino culture with his recent autobiography No Borders. A journalist's search for home.