Pinnacle Award Winner: Alex Moreno
1983 B.S. Chemical Engineering
Alex Moreno is CEO and co-founder of Nightingale Nurses, a healthcare staffing company dedicated to helping patients of all ages stay independent and self-sufficient. In addition to being a frequent guest lecturer and external advisory board member at the University of Florida, Moreno created the Alex Moreno Endowed Professorship in Energy at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. He also is the CEO and founder of Panther Development Investments, a company that gives development services in energy trading and investment to Native American nations. He is honored for his excellence and leadership throughout his career. https://www.nightingalenurses.net/
#4 Jason Gonos
2005 B.S. Mechanical Engineering
Jason Gonos is the director and co-founder of Power Production Management, Inc., a solar development firm working with global energy infrastructure. At PPM, Gonos works to promote the accessibility and use of solar energy technology within the Gainesville community. https://powerproductionmanagement.com/
#10 Sanjoy Malik
1985 B.S., 1986 M.S.
Sanjoy Malik is CEO of Urjanet, a company that connects to thousands of electricity, natural gas, water, waste and telecom providers all over the world in order to gather utility data. He is also founder of Air2Web, a mobile marketing service, and Synchrologic, a company that created the first enterprise class data synchronization platform for mobile devices. Malik is credited for his ability to establish firm partnerships and being a skilled entrepreneur. https://urjanet.com/
#16 Annette Cornwell Bauer
1996 B.S. Civil Engineering
Annette Cornwell Bauer is the president of Blakeland Construction Services LLC., a SBA 8(a) woman-owned general and electrical contractor. In the past, she has been chair of Master Trades Committee for Apprentice Training at Santa Fe College, and currently she serves on the board of directors for the Builders Association of North Central Florida. At Blakeland, Cornwell Bauer is the central point of communication and manages projects from maintenance and repairs to new construction. http://blakeland.us/
#16 Karen Strange
2009 M.E. Construction Management
Karen Strange is the construction manager of Blakeland Construction Services LLC, where she works closely with subcontractors, owners and engineers in managing project objectives, overseeing project activities from start to finish. Strange served as Civil Engineer Corps Lieutenant Commander for the United States Naval Forces Southern Command. http://blakeland.us/
#27 Roderick Myrick
1996 B.S. Civil Engineering
Roderick Myrick is vice president at AE Engineering, Inc., a Florida based DBE/SBE Civil Engineering firm dedicated to providing Construction Engineering and Inspection (CEI) project managing and staffing. Myrick works to ensure that transportation and infrastructure projects throughout the state will be accomplished in a professional and cohesive manner. http://aeengineeringinc.com/
#27 Cory Nichols
1994 B.S. Civil Engineering, 2000 M.E. Construction Management
Cory Nichols is vice president at AE Engineering, Inc. He also serves on the Board of the Jacksonville Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and graduated from both the FDOT Project Engineer’s School and the Florida Engineering Leadership Institute. http://aeengineeringinc.com/
#33 Gabino Cuevas
1983 B.S. Chemical Engineering, 1997 Master of Business Administration
Gabino Cuevas serves as CEO for CEI, a privately held company in Miami that provides engineering and construction services to local, state and federal clients. At CEI, he oversees the Engineering and Sciences Division comprised of engineers, scientists, geologists and field technicians in implementing cost and environment friendly solutions. He also holds a leadership role in the client relationship management and marketing campaigns for the company. This is his second year featured in Gator100, coming in at No. 95 in 2017. http://www.cherokeecorp.com/
#49 Michael Wright
1998 B.S. Electrical Engineering
Michael Wright is the president of Power Grid Engineering, LLC, a power systems design firm focused on engineering design and consultation. Wright is a registered engineer in over 19 states and has worked in the relay engineering and construction departments for Duke Energy. In 2005, he became one of two lead engineers, overseeing technical functions in the protection and control department.
https://powergridengineering.com/safety/guest-speakers/michael-wright/
#58 Bob Cooper
1985 B.S. Electrical Engineering, 1987 M.S. Electrical Engineering
Bob Cooper is the CEO and co-founder of Swampfox Technologies, a company that provides IT solutions and contact center applications. In the past, he has functioned as a Chief Architect and Chief Technology Officer, focusing on technical direction, product management, strategy and more. Cooper also holds patents in computer architecture and user interface design. This is his third year featured in Gator100, with recognition in 2015 and a ranking of No. 97 in 2017.
#74 Michael Cottmeyer
1993 B.S. Computer Engineering
Michael Cottmeyer is founder and CEO of LeadingAgile LLC, a company that helps large and complex organizations succeed in better business outcomes, specializing in planning transformation events. He has over 25 years of experience in the IT industry, and often can be found speaking at keynote presentations for groups such as the Federal Reserve, Agile Indy, and Agile Alliance’s annual Agile conference. His company LeadingAgile LLC ranked #322 on the 2015 Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies in America. This his third year in Gator100, coming in at No. 3 in 2016 and No. 53 in 2017. https://www.leadingagile.com/
#75 Carlos Penin
PE, 1977 B.S. Civil Engineering
Carlos A Penin, PE, is the president and founder of C.A.P. Government, Inc. (CAP), a privately held, minority-owned consulting firm that handles inspections, code enforcement, emergency/disaster response, and operations management. Since its founding in 1989, he has built up CAP to lead the Building Department Solutions industry with customer-centered service. Penin is also an active participant in the Miami Dade and Broward County League of Cities. This is his second year featured in Gator100, coming in at No. 92 in 2017. http://capfla.com/
#84 Marc O’Connor
1990 B.S. Industrial and Systems Engineering
Marc O’Connor is Curant Health’s chief operating officer. He has 20 years of experience in areas such as executive management, finance and business development, and in 2007 was named to the Catalyst’s Top 25 Entrepreneurs and Ones to Watch list. Before his time at Curant, he founded an energy development company that was acquired by a global multinational energy firm. He is a recurring lecturer for the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. This is O’Connor’s second year featured in Gator100, coming in at No. 65 in 2017. https://www.curanthealth.com/
#93 Utsav Shah
2008 Master of Structural Engineering
Utsav Shah is Executive Director at Ducon Consultants Private Limited in Ahmedabad, India. He brings knowledge of both technical and commercial business to his work with architects, developers, contractors, peer review consultants, government approval agencies and corporate teams. Shah is a LEED® accredited professional and registered as a Grade 1 Structural Engineer with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority. http://www.duconconsultants.in/
#96 Ron Antevy
1991 B.S. Civil Engineering
Ron Antevy is the president and CEO for e-Builder, cloud-based construction program management software designed to meet the needs of facility owners and construction professionals. After serving in various senior management positions in the construction and environmental industries, including regional Director of Operations for Waste Management, Antevy teamed up with his brother Jon to lead e-Builder. This is the fourth year e-Builder has been recognized by Gator100, ranking No. 77 in 2017, No. 75 in 2016 and mentioned in 2015. https://www.e-builder.net/
#98 Dane Boyington
1983 B.S. Chemical Engineering
Dr. Dane Boyington is co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of Thinking Media, owner of The Learning Blade, a system that aids students in class while introducing them to careers, tools and technology in STEM fields. He serves as the visionary for Thinking Media, with special attention towards design and development of its educational tools. Boyington has also served in technical management positions at DuPont. http://learningblade.com/
#98 Sheila Boyington
1983 B.S. Chemical Engineering
Sheila Boyington is co-founder and president of Thinking Media, owner of The Learning Blade, a system that aids students in class while introducing them to careers, tools and technology in STEM fields. Boyington served as vice president of ACT until 2012. She has won awards including the Athena, Navigator of Entrepreneurship, Supernova and Chattanooga Engineer Entrepreneur of the Year award. She is a professional engineer who uses her passion and strong leadership skills to launch Thinking Media’s creations into the business world. http://learningblade.com/
#100 Scott Pressly
1990 B.S. Chemical Engineering
Scott Pressly is chairman of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a casual cafe with over 540 locations across the United States. His leadership is credited as being what boosted the regional franchise into one of the fastest growing franchise brands in the country. Outside of Tropical Smoothie, Pressly is co-founder and partner at BIP Capital, which focuses on high-growth companies in industries such as franchising and software. https://www.tropicalsmoothiecafe.com/