Three Business Leaders Enter Huizenga School’s Entrepreneur Hall of Fame

The 2008 Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductees display their portraits with their spouses. From left: Randolph Pohlman, Ph.D., dean of the Huizenga School; Ralph and Martha Marrinson; Douglas and Linda   Von Allmen; Jordan and Denise Zimmerman; Ray Ferrero, Jr., NSU president.

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The H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship inducted three local business leaders – Ralph A. Marrinson, Douglas J. Von Allmen and Jordan Zimmerman – into its Entrepreneur Hall of Fame on April 16. More than 500 people attended the induction ceremony, including distinguished guests such as NSU’s President Emeritus Abraham S. Fischler; NSU Board of Trustee members and Entrepreneur Hall of Fame members H. Wayne Huizenga, David H. Rush, Ronald G. Assaf, and Alan B. Levan; NSU Board of Trustee member Joseph R. Millsaps; and Entrepreneur Hall of Fame members Joseph C. Amaturo, Ronald M. Bergeron, Rick Case, and 2007 honorees James R. Dunn, Kurt J. Langsenkamp, and Michael E. Maroone. The event was held at the Signature Grand in Davie.

Celebrating its 19th year, NSU’s Entrepreneur Hall of Fame honors the achievements of outstanding business people in the South Florida community. Marrinson, Von Allmen and Zimmerman were recognized for their success as entrepreneurs and for their contributions to philanthropic organizations. Each honoree was presented with a ChromaArt Collections award specially created by nationally acclaimed visual artist C.J. Latimore. Fellow Hall of Fame members Joseph C. Amaturo, Michael E. Maroone, and Rick Case presented the honorees with their awards. Guests saluted the honorees after learning of their exceptional stories through video presentations.

Marrinson, a leader and innovator in the healthcare industry, is the founder of Marrinson Senior Care Residences. He opened the Manor Pines Nursing and Convalescent Center in Ft. Lauderdale in 1966 and, in 1973, opened Independence Hall in Ft. Lauderdale, the first retirement residence in Broward County. Marrinson Senior Care Residences now operates seven facilities, including five in South Florida, and remains family owned and operated.

Von Allmen has acquired more than 50 different businesses during his career, including Sunsations Sunglass Company and Beauty Alliance. Von Allmen bought Sunsations Sunglass Company in 1990 and sold it five years later after expanding the chain from 70 stores to 350. He founded Beauty Alliance in 1987 and built it into the largest privately owned professional beauty supply distributor in the United States before selling it to L’Oreal last year. Von Allmen graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1965 and the university’s Center for Entrepreneurship and School of Accountancy are both named after him.

Zimmerman is the founder and chairman of Zimmerman Advertising. He founded the Ft. Lauderdale-based company in 1984 and has overseen its growth into the nation’s 15th largest advertising agency. With more than 1,300 associates and 22 offices, Zimmerman Advertising serves clients such as AutoNation, Lennar Homes, Miami Dolphins, Office Depot, and Six Flags, allowing it to reach virtually every retail sector. South Florida CEO magazine recently named Zimmerman among its “100 Most Powerful People in South Florida.” He is also part-owner of the NHL’s Florida Panthers.

The selection committee for Entrepreneur Hall of Fame is comprised of current Hall of Fame members. Other members of the Hall of Fame include John "Jack" Abdo; Carl DeSantis; James Dunn; Arthur J. Falcone; Steven Halmos; Whit Hudson; James Moran; Charles L. Palmer; Kaye A. Pearson; Garth C. Reeves; Frederick Ruffner, Jr.; Kay Smith; Terry Stiles; R. David Thomas; Walter L. Banks; Shaun M. Davis; Carlos de Céspedes and Jorge de Céspedes.