George T. Elmore, from New Castle, Pennsylvania, moved to Florida in 1947. He attended
the University of Miami for one year and then was called to duty in the United States
Army during the Korean Conflict. Upon returning, he and his wife Wilma traded in their
car for a pickup truck, borrowed $3000 from his father and got started paving driveways.
They used their house as an office and the back of a gas station as an operating base.
Wilma kept the books while her husband worked in the field.
Today, Hardrives has become one of the largest road construction firms in Palm Beach
County and is one of South Florida’s preeminent, longest running heavy construction
firms. With Elmore’s leadership, perseverance, a keen eye for opportunities and a
business practiced with foresight and a genuine concern for the community, Hardrives
has grown along with South Florida, constructing the major highway projects including
much of I-95 and many of the major thoroughfares in South Florida.
2018Companion Medalists: Joseph Anderton, John Crossman, Damien Simmons
2017: David C. Novak
Co-Founder and retired chairman and CEO of Yum! Brands, Inc.
Novak received a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.
Prior to leading Yum! Brands, Novak was president at both KFC and Pizza Hut, and held
senior management positions at Pepsi-Cola Company, including chief operating officer
and executive vice president of marketing and sales.
Yum! Brands is one of the world’s largest restaurant companies with over 43,500 restaurants
in more than 135 countries and territories. During Novak’s tenure, Yum! Brands doubled
in size and established itself as a global powerhouse.
Novak has been recognized as “2012 CEO of the Year,” one of the world’s “30 Best CEOs,”
one of the “Top People in Business” and one of the “100 Best-Performing CEOs in the
World.”
2017 Companion Medalists: James Donnelly, David Donten, Judy Mitchell and David Wright
2016: Kenneth Langone
Founder of Invemed Associates and co-founder of The Home Depot
Kenneth Langone is the founder of Invemed Associates LLC, a New York Stock Exchange
member firm specializing in healthcare and high technology companies, and co-founder
of The Home Depot.
Langone received a B.A. from Bucknell University and an MBA from New York University’s
Stern School of Business, which he attended at night while working on Wall Street.
The part-time night program was renamed the Langone Program thanks to the generosity
of Langone and his wife, Elaine.
Langone is a co-founder of The Home Depot and was lead director and a member of the
executive committee of its board since it was founded in 1978 until 2008 when he left
the board. He also serves on the boards of Unifi, Inc., Micell Technologies, Relationship
Sciences and Juice Press. Past corporate board memberships include ChoicePoint, Geeknet,
General Electric and YUM Brands. In addition he serves on the boards of St. Patrick’s
Cathedral, the Ronald McDonald House of New York, the Medal of Honor Foundation, Horatio
Alger Society Foundation and the Harlem Children’s Zone and its charter school, the
Promise Academy.
2016 Companion Medalists: Yvonne Boice, Alan Crowetz and Rob Morris
2015: Leo A. Vecellio, Jr.
Chairman and President of Vecellio Group Inc.
Leo A. Vecellio, Jr. is chairman and president of Vecellio Group Inc., one of the
nation's top 400 contractors and among the Top 50 in transportation construction, as ranked by Engineering News-Record.
Mr. Vecellio grew up in the family business, founded in 1938 by his father, grandfather
and uncle as road contractor Vecellio & Grogan. He joined the company in 1973 after
earning degrees in civil engineering and construction management from Virginia Tech
and Georgia Tech, and gaining four years of international project management experience
as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.
He was instrumental in the company’s continued growth and expansion into new markets
and industries, especially in Florida, transforming the already successful business
into the large-scale, multi-faceted operations of today. Interstate work alone has
included over 1,000 miles of new or upgraded highway lanes, in contracts exceeding
$1.1 billion through 2014, as well as extensive road construction, site preparation
and asphalt paving work for states, local municipalities and the private-sector.
2015 Companion Medalists: Joseph B. "Jay" Shearouse III, Penny G. Murphy andCarey O'Donnell
2014: Arthur L. Williams
Founder of A.L. Williams & Associates
Arthur L. Williams is the founder of A.L. Williams & Associates, a life insurance
business that began in Atlanta, Ga. and a highly-regarded motivational speaker.
Born in Waycross, Ga. and raised in nearby Cairo, Williams began his career after
college as a high school football coach, just like his father. In the midst of success
as a winning football coach, Williams made a decision that would change his life dramatically.
In 1963, his father died unexpectedly of a heart attack, leaving his family with no
will and very little life insurance. Several years later, Williams' cousin introduced
him to the concept of "buy term and invest the difference." Remembering his parents'
experience, Williams became a crusader for the term insurance concept.
After selling insurance part-time and earning more than his coach's salary, Williams
left his first company ITT in 1973 for Waddell & Reed, another term company. In 1977,
he formed A.L. Williams & Associates, which quickly grew in sales and by 1990 was
ranked as the largest seller of life insurance in the world. Williams holds a Bachelor
of Science degree from Mississippi State University and a master's degree in education
from Auburn University.
2014 Companion Medalists: Fabiola Brumley, Greg Quattlebaum and Peter D. Reed
2013: Tim Gannon
CEO of Palm Beach PDQ
Tim Gannon is a co-founder of Outback Steakhouse, Inc., and the creator of the “Bloomin’
Onion” recipe and many other dishes on Outback’s menu. He is the CEO of Palm Beach
PDQ.
A Florida native and Palm Beach resident, Gannon has been an art gallery tour guide
in Italy, a successful restaurateur and a champion polo player. Gannon is an alumnus
of Florida State University, where he studied art history and dreamed of being a museum
curator. This took him to Florence, Italy, where he became a tour guide for an art
gallery.
He then went to Aspen, Colo., where he developed his passion for food and cooking.
In 1987 Bob Basham and Chris Sullivan invited Gannon to return to Florida, become
their partner and launch a new restaurant concept, which would become known as Outback
Steakhouse. Outback Steakhouse became one of the biggest corporate success stories
in recent years.
Riding the success of his restaurant ventures, in 1992 Gannon obtained his dream of
playing polo. He had his own team, Outback Polo, and has been one of the greatest
sponsors of the game. In 2001 Outback Polo won its third U.S. Open in a row, which
no other polo team has ever done.
2013 Companion Medalists: Paul Donahue and Kenneth Kennerly
2012: Brian P. Burns
Attorney, entrepreneur and philanthropist
Brian P. Burns, attorney, entrepreneur and philanthropist, is former chairman and
chief executive officer of Boothe Financial Corp., and of Robert Half International,
Inc. Burns has had a distinguished career as a practicing attorney. His broad range
of business experience has led to his election or appointment to the boards of major
corporations, as well as professional, governmental and charitable organizations across
the United States as well as in Ireland.
He is chairman of The Burns Foundation in San Francisco and served as a trustee of
the Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy Family Trusts of 1926 and 1936 in New York City from
1998 to 2010. He also has served as a member of the board of directors of Joseph P.
Kennedy Enterprises Inc. in New York. He and his wife, Eileen, have eight children and 15 grandchildren. In recognition
of her extensive community service, Mrs. Burns received the Women of Distinction Award
from Palm Beach Atlantic in 2011.
2012 Companion Medalists: Connie Cooper Shepherd and Donald K. DeWoody, Jr.
2011: H. Wayne Huizenga, Jr.
President of Huizenga Holdings, Inc.
H. Wayne Huizenga, Jr. is president of Huizenga Holdings, Inc., a diversified company
that manages the Huizenga family owned private businesses and real estate. He also
is chairman of the board of Rybovich, a super yacht marina and refit facility based in West Palm Beach.
Huizenga is a member of the board for the Luis Palau Evangelistic Association and
the Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County. He is founder and a member of the board
of directors for the Christian Community Foundation of South Florida. He serves on
the Trinity Forum's Board of Advisors and Lifework Leadership National Advisory Board.
In addition, he is a member of the Advisory Committee for Door of Hope Outreach, Inc.
He serves as a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Florida Chapter; a member,
presenter and advisor of PathNorth; and a member of the CEO Forum.
A graduate of the University of Tampa with a degree in business, Huizenga is married to
his childhood sweetheart, Fonda Hix. They have four children: Savannah, Tres (Wayne,
III), Gerritt and Ainsley. The family regularly attends Calvary Chapel in Fort Lauderdale.
2011 Companion Medalists: Robert Anderson, Michael J. Bracci and Clay Williams
"I Am Second" Video -- H. Wayne Huizenga Jr.
Hear from 2011 American Free Enterprise Medalist H. Wayne Huizenga Jr. how Jesus Christ
came into his life and changed him.
Arthur L. Williams is the founder of A.L. Williams & Associates, a life insurance
business that began in Atlanta, Ga. and a highly-regarded motivational speaker.
