Boca Raton
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Leveraging Financing for Success
Charles Bonfiglio / Founder and CEO of Tint World
At 21 years old, I started out in Brooklyn NY with a dream of moving to Florida to open my own car audio and accessory shop. I purchased a one-way flight to Fort Lauderdale over 30 years ago, and was introduced to franchising, which provided me with a blueprint for success. I became a Meineke franchisee and opened 10 automotive service franchises in South Florida.
Follow Your Passion
Libby Hikind / Founder and CEO of GrantWatch
Libby Hikind, a national grants expert, established a grant writing agency in 1994. From 1999 to 2001, Libby created NYCGrantwatch, a grant newsletter publication for nonprofit organizations. Libby is credited for over 46,000 children receiving health insurance, as a result of her coalition building of nonprofits and writing the first Staten Island Child Health Plus proposal. read more…
Get Good at Saying NO!
Christopher Pena / Founder & President of Body20
Founder & President: Christopher J. Pena. Mr. Pena has served as our Founder & President since inception. He was a managing partner of One Stop Fitness in Greeley, Colorado from 2013 to 2015. read more…
You’re Never in it Alone!
Alex Rodriguez-Roig / President of Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade
Alex Rodriguez-Roig, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade, who came to the U.S. from Cuba at the age of 5, truly believes in helping less fortunate children by providing them with hope, freedom and opportunities. He brings this belief to his position as president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade. read more…
3 Tips to Starting a Franchise
Tony Zaccario / President and CEO of Stretch Zone
Tony Zaccario is President and CEO of Stretch Zone – the leading practitioner-assisted stretching model in the U.S. Established in Miami Beach in 2004, Stretch Zone utilizes a patented strapping system to expertly position, stabilize and isolate muscles, to offer a full range of motion and improved quality of life for guests. read more…
How To Increase Sales In Your Business
Sofia Loren / Founder of Sofia Loren Salon
Sofia Loren began her journey in 2000 going to beauty school and at the same time working numerous jobs to pay for school and to help support her family. After completing her education, Sofia attended beauty school, immersed herself in the beauty community, and started working in one of the best salons in Boca Raton, FL read more…
The #1 Mistake Business Owners Make
Cindy Metzler / President of Omm Media
Omm Media is located in North Palm Beach, Florida. With more than 20-years of national industry experience and media relationships, Omm Media is your business partner for marketing, public relations, branding and events. For more than two decades, Omm Media has garnered media attention for clients in countless national media outlets, including: Wall Street Journal, Forbes, US News & World Report, Entrepreneur, Inc., USA Today, Fox News, GMA and many more. read more…
Don’t Fear Mistakes
Pat Deshong / President of Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic & Ranch
Pat Deshong is the President of Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic & Ranch. She has been honored to lead an organization that touches the lives of animals and people every single day. As The Humane Society of Greater Jupiter/Tequesta, Inc. (dba Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic & Ranch) Deshong has been helping Furry Friends rescue animals and providing a safe harbor for abused and abandoned animals in their charge since she joined in 2014. read more…
Don’t Take No For An Answer!
Ricky Lavina / Co-Founder & CEO of Taxfyle
Ricky Lavina is the co-founder and CEO of on-demand accounting platform Taxfyle. Born and raised in Miami, Ricky launched Taxfyle in Coral Gables in 2015 with the goal of modernizing tax prep and the accounting industry both for people and practitioners. read more…
Go With Your Gut
Emily Pantelides / President of Pantelides PR & Consulting
For more than 10 years, Emily Pantelides worked as a news anchor and reporter in three cities in Florida—Tampa, Jacksonville, and West Palm Beach— as well as Augusta, Georgia, and Roanoke, Virginia. During her tenure in news, she won numerous awards for her reporting from the Associated Press and won a first place award for general reporting by The Society of Professional Journalists. Emily was also awarded a spot in Georgia Trends magazine’s “Who’s Who in Broadcasting” and received the Georgia Association of Broadcasters prestigious GABBY award. read more…
Should You Hire A Mentor?
Maureen Mascaro / Founder & Chief Project Officer of The Common Area
An Uncommon Approach to Common Real Estate Problems
Maureen Mascaro launched The Common Area based on the core value of providing hands-on, boutique-level project management services for clients. Maureen’s attentive and results-oriented style offers a distinct level of expertise to each assignment. With a focus on elevating workspaces in existing building environments, Maureen is a proactive problem-solver who excels at developing successful relationships with all stakeholders in a project. read more…