Former Sen. and alumnis Bob Graham will speak at a UF luncheon Friday.
The former Florida senator and governor will be the keynote speaker for the second annual Gator100 Awards Gala Luncheon, an event that honors the leaders of the 100 fastest-growing companies owned, operated or led by UF alumni. The event will be hosted by the Warrington College of Business in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom. UF President Fuchs will give the welcome speech.
The UF Alumni Association contacts alumni and asks them to apply for the award, said Nola Miyasaki, the executive director for outreach and incubation for the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center. The top 100 companies are selected from those that apply.
To qualify last year, a business must have made at least $100,000 over its first year, she said. This year, businesses must have made $250,000.
The competition has also gotten more intense, with 500 applying last year and 600 applying this year, Miyasaki said.
“There is no other opportunity to have 100 honorees in the same room to meet each other and UF students,” Miyasaki said.
Bill Randle, owner of Orange and Blue Construction, Inc. in Boca Raton, Florida, ranked No. 20 among businesses at the event last year. He said his favorite part was being surrounded by fellow Gators.
He said he liked being recognized by UF, and receiving the honor validated that his work was important.
“The most important advice I can give to upcoming entrepreneurs is that you have to love what you do,” Randle said. “If you show passion, it makes it easier for the people behind you to walk the walk.”
