NSU Horizons Fall 2007

horizons 13 T he H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship celebrated excellence in business innovation and ingenuity as three captains of industry were inducted into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in April. Celebrating its 18th year, the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame honors the achievements of outstanding business people in the South Florida community. The selection committee for this prestigious honor is com- posed of current hall of fame members. This year’s inductees were James R. Dunn, owner/president of J.R. Dunn Jewelers; Kurt J. Langsenkamp, president of Steel Fabricators, LLC; and Michael E Maroone, president and COO of AutoNation, Inc. The founder of a multimillion dollar jewelry business, Dunn began his career in 1967 in Massachusetts, when he converted a house into a small jewelry store called The House of Gems— a business started with a savings of $10,000. Dunn and his wife relocated to Florida in 1977 with intentions of semi-retirement and opened a jewelry boutique business serving a select clien- tele by appointment only. Today, J.R. Dunn Jewelers is a pre- mier retailer of fine jewelry, featuring the world’s most renowned Swiss watch- es and designer jewelry. The business continues to grow with more than 10,000 square feet of showroom space, including a retail showroom on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, catalogs, and online operations. Langsenkamp is president of Steel Fabricators, LLC (SF). His father, Henry J. Langsenkamp, founded the company in 1963 as a family-owned business. Today, it is the largest steel fabricator in Florida. In 1994, the company was acquired by Canam Steel Corporation, and Langsenkamp was promoted to general manager, then regional vice president. Revenues soared from $20 million to $50 million in 1998. The company was reacquired in 1998, and in 2004, Langsenkamp formed a new company, FabSouth, LLC. He served as president and CEO of FabSouth and grew the company from $150 million to $300 million in 2006, all while serving as president of SF and growing its business to $75 million in 2006. Maroone has served as president and chief operating officer of AutoNation, Inc., the world’s largest automo- tive retailer, since 1999. His father opened Al Maroone Ford in 1954 in Buffalo, New York, and young Maroone spent his Saturdays hanging out around car dealerships. From the age of 13, he typically worked at dealerships after school and during summer vacations. Maroone joined AutoNation in 1997, when the former Republic Industries, Inc., acquired the Maroone Group. In 1998, he became president of the Auto Retail Group, as AutoNation brought together its new and used vehicle operations. Today, AutoNation—which represents more than 35 brands— has twice been ranked in Forbes maga- zine’s annual Top 500 Companies in the United States and has received numerous awards, such as Time magazine’s Quality Dealer and Fortune ’s America’s Most Admired. AutoNation was ranked the Number One Industry Champion five out of the last six years. The membership of the NSU Entrepreneur Hall of Fame includes John “Jack” Abdo; Joseph Amaturo; Walter L. Banks; Rick Case; Shaun M. Davis; Carlos de Céspedes; Jorge de Céspedes; Carl DeSantis; Arthur J. Falcone; Steven Halmos; Whit Hudson; H. Wayne Huizenga; Alan Levan; James Moran; Charles L. Palmer; Kaye A. Pearson; Garth C. Reeves; Frederick Ruffner, Jr.; David Rush; Kay Smith; Terry Stiles; and R. David Thomas; among other distinguished business leaders. n into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Business Leaders NSU Inducts Three mara l. kiffin is associate director of internal communications for the office of university relations. by mara l. kiffin