LEA & ROY BLACK
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: Black, Srebnick, Kornspan & Stumpf, P.A.
INDUSTRY: Law / Philanthropy
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: He made a name for himself as one of the best criminal defense lawyers in the country, representing superstar athletes, political pundits, and Hollywood celebrities, including Haute Living Miami cover subject Helio Castroneves, whom Roy successfully defended during a high-profile tax evasion trial. She is the powerhouse fundraiser for Bay Point Schools, one of Florida’s award-winning boarding schools for at-risk adolescent boys. Together they fight for social justice through their annual charity gala, which has raised more than $10 million for Bay Point Schools and the Consequences Program. The 2010 fête, which took place at the end of February at the Fontainebleau, was the 15th anniversary gala.
NORMAN BRAMAN
CATEGORY: Billionaires
COMPANY: Braman Enterprises
INDUSTRY: Automobile
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: Braman Motors is where many of the Haute 100 members turn to for their luxury rides, such as Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, and the elusive Bugatti, as well as BMWs, Minis, and Cadillacs. Braman himself, who owns some 16 auto dealerships in Florida and Colorado, is an avid art collector. His portfolio of works by Picasso, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol and others is what put him in the billionaire category in late 2008, and the collection is just appreciating in value at an exponential rate—$100 million in 2009 alone.
NANCY BRINKER
CATEGORY: Philanthropists
COMPANY: Susan G. Komen for the Cure
INDUSTRY: Philanthropy
WHAT MAKES HER HAUTE: This Palm Beach resident is the founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which Brinker started in memory of her sister. The Race for the Cure is now the world’s largest and most successful education and fundraising event for breast cancer, and virtually every major advance in breast cancer research has been touched by hundreds of millions of dollars provided by Komen for the Cure funding. Last year, she was honored by President Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and also named Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control for the United Nations’ World Health Organization.
PAULA & BOB BROCKWAY
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: Bill Ussery Motors
INDUSTRY: Automobile
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: She is a philanthropist and 2007 “Woman of Spirit” award winner, and he is the chairman of Bill Ussery Motors in Coral Gables, which has been operating for more than 50 years, making it the second-oldest Mercedes-Benz dealership in the nation. This couple is highly dedicated to philanthropic endeavors through support of local institutions like the Red Cross of Miami and the Florida Keys, CHARLEE Homes for Children, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and more.
MICHAEL CAPPONI
CATEGORY: Entrepreneurs
COMPANY: Capponi Group Corporation
INDUSTRY: Real Estate / Nightlife
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: While his nightlife ventures may have put him on the map, it was his other businesses (Capponi Group Luxury Properties, Capponi Building Company and Capponi Casa) that caught the fickle attention of Miami’s luxe-seeking crowd. From revamping Miami Executive Airport to major home renovations—including JR and Loren Ridinger’s Casa de Sueños—Capponi is at the center of the city’s entrepreneurial scene, as well as the philanthropic one. Following the devastating earthquake in Haiti, he went to the island nation to see what he could do to help and ended up building a proper camp for hundreds of families on a soccer field after collecting donated tents here in the U.S. The whole endeavor took the talented businessman three days and cost less than $5,000. It is a testament to the difference one person can make.’’
CINDY CARR
CATEGORY: Philanthropists
COMPANY: Cindy Davis Carr Fund
INDUSTRY: Philanthropy
WHAT MAKES HER HAUTE: Before retiring, Carr helped National Distributing Company grow into one of the largest wine and spirits brands in the country. She then established the Cindy Davis Carr Fund as a nonprofit organization to facilitate long-term growth of her many charitable donations including her support for the Jackson Memorial Foundation, the Children’s Home Society, and the Miami Heart Institute.
RAUL CASARES
CATEGORY: Entrepreneurs
COMPANY: RC Aluminum Industries
INDUSTRY: Construction
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: He not only shelters us from the storms by providing hurricane shutters for Florida homes, but his company’s high-end glass products adorn luxury structures like Apogee, Icon South Beach, Acqualina Resort, American Airlines Arena, and Trump Tower. Casares arrived in Miami from Cuba in the 1950s and founded RC Aluminum in the early 1990s. He spent the subsequent two decades building RC Aluminum into a powerhouse with more than $100 million in revenue each year. Casares himself lives in a building outfitted with RC Aluminum products, meaning he puts his own safety during storms in his company’s hands
BRENDA NESTOR & ROBERT CASTELLANO
CATEGORY: Power Couples
COMPANY: Choice Therapeutics & Victor Posner Enterprises
INDUSTRY: Medical & Real Estate
WHAT MAKES THEM HAUTE: The Easter Seals Florida Derby Day, Fairchild’s Gala in the Garden, Miami Science Museum’s Building the Future Gala, the American Red Cross Ball—there are few major philanthropic events in South Florida that this Palm Beach couple are not involved in. Brenda is a former model and actress who is now chairman of Victor Posner Enterprises, a Miami-based real estate development firm. Robert’s Choice Therapeutics develops, manufactures and commercializes innovative medical devices such as TheraBond, an antimicrobial barrier system that helps prevent infections in hospital settings.
HELIO CASTRONEVES
CATEGORY: Athletes
COMPANY: Penske
INDUSTRY: Formula 1 Racing
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: Castroneves’ captivating personality and thousand-watt smile (not to mention his paso doble) won him legions of fans and victory in the 2007 season of ABC’s hit show Dancing with the Stars. The Coral Gables resident graced the cover of Haute Living Miami in the summer of 2009, just a few months after he was acquitted on tax-evasion charges. Immediately following the trial, Helio boarded the Penske team jet to California, where he finished seventh in the Long Beach Grand Prix after leading the race for several laps. This was an extraordinary feat for a man who had not trained for nearly seven months. But he soon topped that by winning the pole position at Indianapolis and then the 500 itself—the Golden Grail, motor racing’s biggest and most celebrated event. It wasn’t his first time in the winner’s circle; he also roared across the finish line in first place back-to-back in 2001 and 2002.
JOSEPH CAYRE
CATEGORY: Entrepreneurs
COMPANY: Midtown Equities/Core Group Marketing
INDUSTRY: Real Estate
WHAT MAKES HIM HAUTE: Cayre created his real estate empire—which includes Miami’s 55-acre Midtown development, the current home of Haute Living offices—the old fashioned way: from the ground up. He began amassing his fortune by selling videos to discount retailers. He founded the New York-based Midtown Equities in 2002, which has invested in high-profile trophy properties with various partners. Cayre’s portfolio includes the World Trade Center in New York, a few Ritz-Carltons, and landmark buildings in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
News
April 13, 2010Keeping Up with Miami’s Culinary Scene
