NSU Inducts Four Business Leaders into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

March 23, 2006

NSU Inducts Four Business Leaders into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
Walter L. Banks, Shaun M. Davis, Carlos de Céspedes and Jorge de Céspedes to be Honored on April 11

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE—The H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business & Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University will celebrate excellence in business innovation and ingenuity as four captains of industry are inducted into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame on Tuesday, April 11. The honorees will be formally inducted at the Signature Grand, 6900 State Road 84, Davie. The cocktail reception will begin at 6 p.m., with dinner and presentations at 7:30 p.m. Attendance is by invitation only.

This year’s inductees are: Walter L. Banks, owner and president of Lago Mar Resort and Club; Shaun M. Davis, founder and managing partner of S. Davis and Associates, P.A.; Carlos de Céspedes, chair/CEO, and his brother Jorge de Céspedes, president/COO of the Pharmed Group Corporation.

Celebrating its 17th year, the 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.

A leader in the Broward County tourism industry, Walter L. Banks built on his family’s legacy and has kept the 212-room resort independent for over the years. The Lago Mar is considered one of Fort Lauderdale’s premier beach resorts, and caters to a mostly European clientele. The resort currently is being renovated to add a six-story wing that will include covered parking and 21 extra rooms.

Under Shaun M. Davis’ leadership, Davis and Associates, P.A. S. is recognized as one of the top 10 minority businesses in the state of Florida and one of the top 3 minority CPA firms in the southeastern United States. Besides having their main office in Hollywood, Florida, S. Davis & Associates has an office in Miami and another in Lake Worth, Florida. Currently, the firm has more than 22 full-time employees.

Carlos and Jorge de Céspedes founded the Pharmed Group Corporation in 1980. Despite being separated as youngsters under the regime of Castro, the brothers worked together to establish their company as a national and international distributor of medical, surgical, and pharmaceutical supplies. The Pharmed Group has grown its local operations to become the largest minority distributor of health care products in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It has been recognized as the 10th-largest Hispanic business in the United States and the “Fastest-Growing Hispanic Company” in the country by Hispanic Business magazine.

The membership of the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame includes John "Jack" Abdo; Joseph Amaturo; Rick Case; Carl DeSantis; Arthur J. Falcone; Steven Halmos; Whit Hudson; H. Wayne Huizenga; Alan Levan; James Moran; Charles L. Palmer; Kaye A. Pearson; Garth C. Reeves; Frederick Ruffner, Jr.; David Rush; Kay Smith; Terry Stiles; and R. David Thomas, among other distinguished business leaders.