Business Briefs

Published April 13th, 2008

Bloomingdale’s received “Department Store of the Year” honors recently from the Global Department Store Summit 2008, the first-ever global platform for Department Stores, held in London, England.  The award was created to recognize a world-class performer and innovator from the department store industry. A panel of 53 department store CEOs were invited to nominate the best department store in the world in 2008 according to criteria that included: an enviable profile through branding, differentiated positioning and powerful messaging; successful developments and executions of product, store and service innovation strategies; delivery of an extraordinary in-store experience; offers of excellent customer service; and strong financial performance. Bloomingdale’s is America’s only nationwide, full-line, upscale department store; and a division of Macy’s, Inc.  It was founded in 1872 and currently operates 40 stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, Florida, Nevada and California. 

Akerman Senterfitt shareholder Eric A. Gordon has been appointed to the board of directors of the South Palm Beach County Bar Association (SPBCBA). Gordon has been an active member of the SPBCBA since 2002 and has co-chaired the association’s Labor & Employment Committee since 2004. In this role, he recently moderated a panel at an event sponsored by Gordon’s committee and the SPBCBA Immigration Committee. The event, “Caught in the Legal Crossfire: Changes to Immigration and Employment Law in 2008,” discussed the current status of immigration and employment law in South Florida. Gordon is an active member in his community. He is a founding board member of Wheels for Kids, a board member of the Children's Museum of Boca Raton, and a participant in the Anti-Defamation League's Glass Leadership Institute.

Jewett, Schwartz, Wolfe & Associates has named Bob Javid auditor and Jason Naparstek staff accountant with the firm’s Audit & Assurance Services team.  Both live in Boca Raton. Currently working toward his CPA license, Javid holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Florida Atlantic University, where he earned two academic scholarships from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.  Naparstek was an accounting intern with a firm in Boca Raton and, before this, was an accounting analyst with Atlas Air in Purchase, N.Y. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and communications from FAU.

Beverly Raphael, president and chief executive officer of South Florida-based general contracting firm, RCC Associates, has been ranked sixth on the list of top 50 Florida Woman-Led Businesses survey. The Center for Leadership at Florida International University (FIU), in partnership with The Commonwealth Institute, annually conducts the Florida's Woman-Led Businesses study.
The objective of this project is to gain an understanding on how women business leaders view (1) the demands and satisfaction of their work, (2) their future goals, (3) the impact of their choices on their personal lives, (4) strategies that they used to advance their careers, and (5) their leadership styles. Approximately 4,000 women executives were invited to participate, with only 127 respondents meeting the study¹s requirements. Raphael has grown RCC Associates to from $19 million in 1998 to $105.1 million in 2007.