David Bates

David Bates is a shareholder of Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A.  He is chairman of the Firm’s Technology and Entrepreneurial Companies Practice Group.  He is AV Rated as determined by Martindale Hubbell, has written numerous articles about the Internet, venture capital and emerging companies and has an MBA in addition to his law degree.  David focuses his practice on helping companies and their owners build value and manage risk.  David regularly counsels clients in business law, mergers and acquisitions, technology law, venture capital, licensing and distribution and corporate finance and securities.

Arnold L. Cohen

Mr. Cohen is co-founder of Mahoney Cohen & Company, CPA, P.C. Mr Cohen is the former Financial Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of Puritan Fashions Corporation. He holds membership in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. M.r Cohen was Chairman of the State Society’s Committee on Textile and Apparel Accounting and was a member of the State Society’s committee on Cooperation with Investment Bankers. He is a frequent lecturer at seminars and related events on topics of concern to the industry.

Andrew Duffell

Few people have impacted the South Florida economic landscape like Andrew Duffell. In his previous role recruiting technology companies to South Florida he helped orchestrate the recruitment and expansion of local, national and international companies, which continue to add approximately $3 B to the regional economy annually.  Thanks in part to Duffell’s work at the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, South Florida is now home to the most revered bioscience research institute in the world: Max Planck Florida Institute.

A Florida resident since 2005, he has also worked on Enterprise Florida regional initiatives to brand South Florida as a business location with Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties.  He served on the Town of Jupiter’s Economic Development Advisory Board from 2008 to 2009 as well as the board of directors of the Enterprise Development Corporation from 2006 to 2010, developing region-wide relationships and insight to the entrepreneurial landscape in South Florida. 

Bolstered by degrees in European studies and political science, Duffell began his US career in Atlanta, Georgia, working with the North of England Inward Investment Agency where he assisted US companies expand into European markets. It was in this early capacity that Duffell honed his skills of business assistance on all levels, often using his bilingual abilities, working with start-ups and Fortune 100 companies, on market entry strategies and local market knowledge development.

Andrew Duffell’s accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. In 2010 he was the recipient of the prestigious and coveted Young Leader of the Year Award from the Urban Land Institute Southeast Florida/Caribbean Chapter, and in 2008 he was named the South Florida Business Journal’s Up and Comer of the Year for finance/economic development.

Current civic leadership roles include serving on the Employ Florida Life Science Banner Center’s Executive Committee and as a Final Round Judge for the FAU Business Plan Competition.

Duffell has been a keynote speaker, panelist and moderator for a number of important organizations, among them: National Association of Counties, BioFlorida, Angel Investment Forum of Florida, South Florida Technology Alliance, British American Chamber of Commerce – Broward County, Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce, Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Palm Beach County, Leadership Boca Raton, Leadership Boynton Beach, Leadership Palms West, Palms West Chamber of Commerce, Association for Corporate Growth, Alliance of Corporate Real Estate Executives and Specialists, Quebec-Florida Chamber of Commerce, and visiting trade delegations.

Michael Gordon

Michael Gordon, Co-founder of Pizza Fusion, is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University School of Business. As an undergraduate he started his first business, Vision Magazine, which was a city wide publication that raised over $80,000 in just two months. After graduating from college in 1999, Michael started a boutique candle shop called Burn. The savings he made from his magazine got invested into this next project. Starting with just 10K, Burn grossed over 1 million dollars in sales in only three years. His next business was a real estate holding company. Mr. Gordon raised over 10 million dollars of hard capital to buy and sell single-family houses. Investors earned over 12% annually for the three years they had money with Michael. With the collapse of the real estate market only months away, Michael started his best venture, Pizza Fusion, with college friend Vaughan Lazar. Knowing little about the food business, they raised over 5.3 million dollars of funds over the worst two-year period in our economic times. With his expertise and the confidence he instills in others, Michael Gordon has raised over 20 million dollars in 9 different enterprises. Michael Gordon will be on National Television on the Sundance Channel September 22, at 8:00pm, Big Ideas for a small Planet.

Bruce J. Rector

President of The Rector GroupBruce J. Rector has helped numerous companies, both large and small, to understand not only their financial performance but the strategic implications “behind the numbers” – and the potential opportunities that lie ahead. With a background in engineering and finance, and experience across a wide variety of industries – including technology, healthcare, biotech, distribution, utilities, and consumer product manufacturing – Bruce possesses the broad range of professional skills and expertise to help you take your company to the next level as well.

Ron Rosenzweig

Ronald Rosenzweig is currently a member of the Board of ANADIGICS and was previously Executive Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer for ANADIGICS, a position he held since co-founding the Company in 1985. ANADIGICS designs, manufactures and sells high speed, gallium arsenide (GaAs) analog integrated circuits (ICs) used in wireless and broadband communications applications. ANADIGICS is a NASDAQ listed company. He is an experienced Chief Executive Officer with a proven track record in directing the process of creating a successful business based on state-of-the-art technology. In addition to ANADIGICS, Mr. Rosenzweig was also a co-founder of Microwave Semiconductor Corporation (MSC). He served as President & CEO of MSC for 15 years. MSC, a market leader in microwave silicon and GaAs transistors and amplifiers, was a publicly traded company, which was later acquired by Siemens Corporation.  

Bob White

Bob is a shareholder with Gunster.  He is a member of the Firm’s Technology and Entrepreneurial Companies Practice Group and its Corporate Practice Group.  He represents clients in many business segments with an emphasis on technology, innovation and entrepreneurial situations.  His regular practice areas include corporate strategic counseling, technology law, venture capital and private equity law, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance law, corporate governance and general business, corporate and financial law matters.  He regularly counsels business entities, entrepreneurs and executives in these areas.  Bob has an MBA in additional to his law degree.

CJ Wilson

CJ has been a central banker, commercial banker, investment banker, merchant banker, M&A advisor, CEO, board member and venture specialist based in Asia and US for both public and private companies.

He founded the merchant bank Global Alliance Ltd in 1994. With offices in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, and personnel in Sydney and Henley, the firm completed acquisitions, financings and dispositions for its clients, and invested in growth companies. Global Alliance Ltd. produced two books on valuation in English and one in Japanese, and assisted the first Japan conference on socially responsible investing. In parallel until 2001 CJ co-managed Hong Kong-based Global Ventures Management investing in early stage high-tech investments. CJ retired to Florida in 2004 and operates Florida Equity Partners.

 

Hein Onkenhout

Throughout his international career Hein Onkenhout has been recognized for his ability to significantly improve business performance. He has worked in different countries, speaks several foreign languages, and is at home in a number of industries.

Most recently Onkenhout has been focusing his efforts on making a success out of his second start-up. Earlier in his career at Rexam, a top tier packaging company Onkenhout ran two of its US divisions.

A naturalized American citizen, Onkenhout was born and educated in The Netherlands, where he began his career at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Subsequently he worked at ASM International, and later joined Van Leer. There he ran the US based Chinet Company. Sensormatic, the security company, brought him to Florida.

Onkenhout holds MSc and BS degrees in Electrical Engineering from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands and has graduated from the AMP program at Wharton Business School. He is involved in several charities, such as the Red Cross and Children’s Harbor, loves traveling with his family, white water rafting, golf, and skiing, and doesn’t shy away from the occasional do-it-yourself project.

Jeffrey A. Stoops

Jeffrey A. Stoops is President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of SBA Communications Corporation. He has been Chief Executive Officer since January 1, 2002. He was appointed President in April 2000 and has been a director since August 1999. Mr. Stoops served as Chief Financial Officer from December 1998 to April 2000. He joined the company in March 1997, initially responsible for finance, capital market activities, mergers and acquisitions and legal matters. Prior to joining SBA Communications Corporation, Mr. Stoops was a partner with Gunster Yoakley & Stewart, a Florida based law firm, where he practiced for thirteen years in the corporate, securities and mergers and acquisitions areas. Mr. Stoops is a current Director and past Chairman of the Personal Communications Industry Association, the trade organization for the wireless communications infrastructure industry, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of St. Andrew’s School and on the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. He received his Bachelors of Science and Juris Doctor Degrees from Florida State University.

Rhys Williams

Rhys L. Williams President & Co-Founder of New World Angels, Inc., a member-managed, structured angel investor group with chapters in Southeast Florida and Tampa Bay.  He is also President of iTherapeutics, a biotechnology company developing therapies for macular degeneration, which he co-founded with prominent faculty from Scripps Florida and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami.  Previously he co-founded Tequesta Marine Bioscience, a marine natural products venture focusing on therapeutic and cosmeceutical applications.  His prior business experience includes roles as a venture capitalist with SI Ventures (Gartner Group-affiliated fund) and executive positions with Ixion Biotechnology (stem cells), Smith Barney, American Express, and U.S. Army Special Forces (commander, combat diver detachment).  He serves on the Boards of the Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research (gubernatorial appointee), Florida Atlantic University Foundation, Univ. of Florida’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, University of Miami’s Coulter Center Technology Review Committee, and the South Florida Science Museum (former Chairman & Executive Committee Member).  Current or past memberships include BioFlorida, the Economic Council of the Palm Beaches, the Harvard Club of the Palm Beaches, Florida Blue Key, and Leadership Florida (former Boardmember).  He earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College magna cum laude and both MBA and J.D. degrees from Univ. of Florida (MBA class president; admitted to law practice in FL & NY).  A fifth generation South Floridian, Rhys lives in Delray Beach with his wife Dr. Lorna Sohn Williams and their two children.  Rhys and Lorna have been active supporters of both the JFK Medical Center Foundation and Hospice of the Palm Beaches, having served as Annual Fundraiser Event Chairs and/or Underwriting Committee Co-chairs. 

Richard Yules

Doctor Yules is presently a consultant and member of numerous boards in the medical and biotechnology arenae.  He retired a Brigadier General and ANG Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.

The Doctor retired as the founder and Managing Director of Haelen Medical Center for 20 years, the Chairman of the Worcester City Hospital EENT

Department for 13 years, and as an FAA Class I Aviation Medical Examiner and Senior Crash Investigator for 24 years.  He was educated at Yale University where he received both his BA and MD degrees, at Stanford University for his general and plastic surgery residency, and at Harvard University for his ENT residency.  He maintains a Harvard Medical School position as the MSLO.

Board certified in otorhinolaryngology since 1971, Dr. Yules is a fellow in many of his 31 professional societies.  He has held numerous NSF grants, spoken at, and instructed at and/or attended over 120 medical or administrative meetings.  He has published over 50 manuscripts including 4 books.  He has been consultant to the USAF Surgeon General, a member of numerous panels, and chairman of or advisor to numerous committees.

Doctor Yules is a commercial pilot and former Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 105.  His MBA son, Branch is an attorney; his daughter, Dawn Thornton is an emergency room physician; and, his youngest daughter, Brooke, is a veterinarian.  Proud grandparents of seven, Dr. Yules resides with his wife of 44 years, Lila Susan Yules, in Boca Raton, FL.

Steven R. Sponder

Steven R. Sponder is a seasoned entrepreneur who has launched multiple companies in several industry sectors. His business creations have included everything from award-winning restaurants, venture capital backed information technology companies, and most recently a mass market consumer product.

Sponder is Chairman and CEO of Vplenish Nutritionals Inc., the manufacturer of Vplenish – a patent-pending micro-encapsulated taste-free powdered vitamin product he invented when he was a tenant in the FAU Research and Development Park. In its first year of production, Vplenish has succeeded in bringing in outside equity investors, attracting global customers, and has formed a strategic manufacturing relationship with Merisant: the global producer of Equal. Sponder has experienced first-hand what it takes to conceive, fund, and grow a business. When not working, Sponder speaks to groups about his entrepreneurial experiences, volunteers as a business mentor to aspiring FAU entrepreneurial students, and serves on several FAU boards. He also volunteers as a director of the Vplenish-The-World Foundation – a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity that donates essential vitamins to children in need. Steven resides in Boca Raton with his wife Randi and their tennis champion daughter Sarah-Lily.