The Fermanian Business & Economic Institute (FBEI) at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) and title sponsor Solar Turbines revealed the recipients of the 2010 “Dealmakers of the Year” awards. The annual awards, which took place this year at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina on Sept. 3, honor San Diego individuals and firms which create significant long-term value for the region. The featured keynote speaker was Jim Owens, chairman of Caterpillar Inc. Special guests included Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher of the 75th District and RADM (Ret.) Len Hering, recipient of the 2008 Individual Dealmaker of the Year award. Now in its fourth year, the 2010 event was the largest-ever Dealmaker Breakfast. About 500 people attended, including more than 250 business professionals representing more than 80 companies, and 200 PLNU students, as well as many PLNU business faculty, staff and administrative leaders of PLNU. INDIVIDUAL STANDOUT The recipient for the individual category was Father Joe Carroll, president of Father Joe’s Villages. Carroll was honored for decades of servant leadership helping the needy in the community through entrepreneurial and strategic initiatives in expanding the social services network in the San Diego region. The other two finalists in the individual category were Chris Crane of EduLeap and Dr. Jay Lichter of Avalon Ventures. STANDOUT FIRM AMSOLAR was honored in the firm category for dealmaker of the year for negotiating financing for 20 megawatts of solar installations on school campuses throughout the San Diego region. The company works to create partnerships with local school districts to bring affordable solar installations and long-term savings programs for schools. Other finalists for the firm category included Archi’s Acres and Neurocrine Biosciences. WORKING TOGETHER Point Loma-based High Tech High School took home the dealmaker collaboration of the year award for fostering a textbook-free, multi-site education model of personalized project learning and connecting students to local businesses, which has expanded the institution from a single school to a network of eight schools serving 2,500 students. Other finalists in the category were CONNECT and CleanTECH San Diego. PARTNERSHIP The Business Partner of the Year Award went to Stephen Bothwell, who was honored for his generosity and counsel to the FBEI leadership, most of it done anonymously. For more information about the Dealmakers program, call (619) 849-2564, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.pointloma.edu/FBEI.
