2012 Inductees
Joel L. Altman, George Feldenkreis, and Philip P. Smith are the 2012 Inductees to the Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame
H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship recognizes three accomplished business leaders with induction into the 2012 Entrepreneur and Business Hall of Fame, the college’s highest honor: Joel L. Altman, George Feldenkreis, and Philip P. Smith.
The Inductees and Their Accomplishments
Joel Altman
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The Altman Companies
Joel Altman is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Altman Companies, which is developing or has developed, constructed, acquired and managed in excess of 21,000 multifamily units in Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas since 1968.
The Altman Companies incorporates multifamily development, general contracting acquisitions and property management among its many services. Its corporate headquarters are Boca Raton, Florida and it has 300 employees.
Altman is active in the South Florida community through his participation in the World President's Organization, Young President's Organization, Junior Achievement and Broward Workshop. He has received the Sun-Sentinel Excalibur Award, South Florida Business Journal's Palm Beach Ultimate CEO Award and Multifamily Executive Magazine's Community Service Award, among others.
In 1993, Altman founded The Altman Foundation for Children which provides grants to children's service organizations focused on bettering the lives of abused and neglected children. In 2000, he founded Kids@Home to help tackle the complex problems facing transitioning foster teens. Altman previously served on the Board of Directors for the Boca Raton Regional Hospital and its Hospital Foundation. He is a member of the Broward Workshop and serves on its Urban Core and Juvenile Justice Committees.
George Feldenkreis
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Perry Ellis International
George Feldenkreis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, is the visionary who leads Perry Ellis International. Born in Havana, Cuba to Russian immigrants, Feldenkreis moved to Miami in 1961 and founded Supreme International, a company known for importing school uniforms and guayaberas, a four-pocket tropical-inspired shirt. Supreme International went public in 1993 and became Perry Ellis International after the acquisition of said company in 1999.
Feldenkreis founded the Universal National Bank of Miami. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Miami and the boards of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. He is a benefactor of numerous health, educational and social organizations.
Feldenkreis has been honored by many organizations for his business achievements and civic contributions, including the Lincoln-Marti award for his role in the Cuban Refugee Program and the Man of the Year award from the American Apparel and Footwear Association.
Philip P. Smith
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Phil Smith Management, Inc.
Philip P. Smith is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Phil Smith Management, Inc. where he is responsible for the overall operations of the organization, including working with the equity partners at all locations, as well as orchestrating the acquisitions and growth strategies of the organization.
Smith has more than 30 years of experience with direct hands-on sales and management of automobile dealerships. He built this organization from the ground up starting from his first equity venture in a Toyota dealership in Homestead, Florida, in 1980.
Currently, he runs 14 auto dealerships throughout Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. The Group also owns the Coral Ridge Country Club. The Phil Smith Automotive Group has received numerous awards including the J.D. Powers Quality Dealer Award, Toyota President's Award, Ford Chairman's Award, and Acura Dealership of Distinction.
Smith is past chairman of the Southeast Toyota Dealer Council, past member of the National Toyota Dealer Council, past president of the South Florida Auto-Truck Dealers Association and is a past director of the Florida Automobile Dealers Association.
Raised in South Florida, Smith is active in the community with the Humane Society of Broward County, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, American Cancer Society, Make a Wish foundation and others.
