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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
Three Business Leaders to Enter NSU’s Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Apr. 14
(L to R) Mike Jackson, Don Taft and Mitchell Berger will be inducted into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame on Apr. 14.
NSU’s H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship will induct three local business leaders – Mitchell Berger, Mike Jackson and Don Taft – into its Entrepreneur Hall of Fame on Apr. 14. The induction ceremony will be held at the Signature Grand in Davie beginning at 6 p.m. Attendance is by invitation only.
Berger is the founder and chairman of Berger Singerman, a full-service commercial law firm that has grown to 70 lawyers with offices in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tallahassee and Boca Raton since its founding in 1985. Berger has practiced law for nearly 30 years, representing several Fortune 500 companies in commercial disputes. He was named “Co-Lawyer of the Year” by The National Law Journal in 2000 and was recently named one of the “Top 10 Lawyers of the Decade” by The South Florida Legal Guide.
Jackson is the chairman and chief executive officer of AutoNation, America’s largest automotive retailer. Based in Fort Lauderdale, AutoNation has 207 stores in 15 states with 17,000 employees and annual revenue of approximately $14 billion. Prior to joining AutoNation in 1999, Jackson served as president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, Inc. He was named “Industry Leader of the Year” by the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2003 and received the Excalibur Award from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in 2006, which is given to the South Florida business leader of the year.
Taft has spent more than 50 years as a leader in business having founded, owned, and managed both private and publicly traded companies, including involvement with the Funnel Cake Factory and the New York Style Bagel Chip company. He was also a principal in various entities in the entertainment industry, including management and representation of actors, writers and directors. Taft’s extensive philanthropy includes serving as a board member of Special Olympics Broward County. A gift from the Taft Foundation to NSU in 2009 resulted in a permanent home for Special Olympics Broward County on NSU’s main campus and the naming of NSU’s University Center in Taft’s honor. This January, NSU awarded him the Chancellor’s Community Award, the highest honor bestowed by the university.
Celebrating its 21st year, NSU’s Entrepreneur Hall of Fame honors the achievements of outstanding business people in the South Florida community. The selection committee for this prestigious honor is comprised of current Hall of Fame members. Other members of the Hall of Fame include John “Jack” Abdo; Joseph Amaturo; Rick Case; Carl DeSantis; James Dunn; Arthur J. Falcone; Steven Halmos; Whit Hudson; H. Wayne Huizenga; Alan Levan; Michael Maroone; James Moran; Charles L. Palmer; Kaye A. Pearson; Garth C. Reeves; Frederick Ruffner, Jr.; David Rush; Kay Smith; Terry Stiles; R. David Thomas; Walter L. Banks; Shaun M. Davis; and Jordan Zimmerman, among others.