Ronald McDonald Twelve Good Men
Each year Ronald McDonald House Charities honors outstanding men in our community at its Twelve Good Men Luncheon. This special event honors a select group of distinguished men whose generous contributions and community and civic involvement are worthy of recognition and appreciation. This year’s event will be held at the Coral Gables Country Club on Tuesday, April 25, at 11:30 a.m. Chairs are Linda Levy Goldberg, Jim Murphy and Sonia Gibson. Tickets are $200 per person and can be purchase online at www.RMHCSouthFlorida.org or by calling 305-324-5683.
Meet 2017’s Twelve Good Men:
Gustavo Daniel Alfonso
Gus Alfonso is a Managing Partner of Florida Value Partners (FVP), a real estate-focused private equity group that serves as an owner, operator and developer of real estate in Florida and the Southeastern United States. Gus manages FVP’s strategic investments; serving on the board of Endeavor Schools (currently the 13th largest private school owner in the country) and the John Buck Company Fund V (a real estate investment fund with over $1 billion in active real estate developments).
In June of 2013, he led FVP in the acquisition of the iconic John Hancock Tower in Chicago, alongside strategic partners The Hearn Company and The Lynd Company. Gus recently broke ground on a venture to develop one of the largest self-storage projects in South Florida and continues to pursue real estate development opportunities in South Florida alongs with his partners at FVP.
Currently Gus is involved with an organization founded by his wife Cristina. The Be Love movement and organization is dedicated to finding and promoting individuals performing extraordinary acts of love and kindness. Via BeLove, Gus and Cristy have helped several “micro philanthropists” realize service projects otherwise deemed unattainable. They are currently working on a large-scale shoe drive in partnership with Because International and “The Shoe That Grows.”
Gus is a proud Alumni of Florida International University and a former member of the FIU Alumni Board of the Directors. He and his wife have three children: Gus, Alejandro and Carolina, ages 15, 14 and 11 years old.
Rodney Barreto
Rodney Barreto is a founding partner of Floridian Partners, LLC. His work with Miami-Dade County, state and municipal governments has helped dozens of corporate clients achieve measurable business results by working effectively with public officials, their staffs, and relevant organizations to develop and implement winning strategies.
Rodney is a member of the Florida Council of 100, and he serves on Miami-Dade County Mayor Gimenez’s Business Roundtable, Miami-Dade County Schools Superintendent Carvalho’s Business Advisory Council, Baptist Hospital Foundation, and Goodwill Industries of South Florida. He is also involved with the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, and he is Chairman of the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida.
In 2007 and 2010 Rodney chaired the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee games at Sun Life Stadium. During his tenure with the Committee, Rodney helped raise more than $50 million to support those games. He also created the Big Orange New Year’s Eve celebration in Downtown Miami, a tradition that has taken place each New Year’s for the past twenty-five years.
Rodney served ten years on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission having been appointed by Governor Jeb Bush and re-appointed to a second five-year term by Governor Charlie Crist. He was elected by his fellow commissioners to serve as chairman of the commission for seven of the ten years. Prior to his career in public affairs and real estate, Rodney was a City of Miami police officer. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional Studies from Barry University.
James “Woody” Beckham
James “Woody” Beckham was born in Miami Beach in 1988. He grew up loving to play a variety of sports and attended Gulliver High School, from which he graduated in 2007.
In January 2011, while playing on Florida Atlantic University’s rugby team, Woody was paralyzed while making a tackle, suffering a C 5-6 spinal cord injury. He was treated by doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital and received rehabilitation therapy.
Shortly thereafter with the support of his loving family and friends, Woody started the Woody Foundation to help others with paralysis. He continued his education and earned a Finance degree from Florida International University in 2015.
Woody has been heavily involved in the paralysis community and served as President of SCISG Miami support group, worked for the Center for Independent Living of South Florida, and partnered with several other nonprofit organizations, including the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Jackson Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital, Shake-a-leg Miami and others. He created the Woody Foundation’s “WoodyPack” of assistance devices for limited hand functioning.
As the face of The Woody Foundation, Woody aspires to inspire and overcome his life-altering injury by helping others with disabilities maximize their potential.
Shelton G. Berg
A four-time GRAMMY nominee, Shelly Berg has orchestrated for and recorded with Chicago, KISS, Carole King, Richard Marx, Joe Cocker, Elliott Smith, Lou Rawls, and Steve Miller. He arranged and co-produced Gloria Estefan’s 2013 CD “The Standards,” which received two GRAMMY nominations, and he contributed arrangements and performance to Renee Fleming’s “Christmas in New York.” In the 1990s, Shelly spent time as a composer/orchestrator in Hollywood, and his credits include ABC’s “Fudge,” CBS’s “A League of Their Own,” and HBO’s “Dennis Miller Live.” Film orchestration work includes Warner Bros. hit shows “Almost Heroes” and “For Your Consideration,” Fox’s Men of Honor and the NBC mini-series “The 60’s.”
The “All Music Guide” says “Shelly Berg is one of the finest pianists around in the early 21st century playing modern mainstream jazz.” And his 2005 CD, “Blackbird.” reached #1 in US jazz radio (Jazzweek), and garnered Record of the Year and Artist of the Year nominations. Recent recordings include a solo CD, “The Nearness of You” and a duo with Dick Hyman, “Meeting of Minds.” Shelly’s next album is “An American in London,” an all-Gershwin project with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As a classical and jazz pianist, he has appeared in concert with the Romanian National Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Houston Symphony and other orchestras around the world.
Shelly Berg is the Dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. He is a past President of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), and he was the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s 2003 “Educator of the Year.” In 2000, the Los Angeles times named him one of the three “Educators for the Millennium.”
Seth Browarnik
Seth Browarnik is the founder of Red Eye Productions, the predominant celebrity/social photo agency in South Florida. He began his career in 1999 working for the newly launched OceanDrive.com, the online version of South Florida’s glossy lifestyle magazine Ocean Drive, where his first assignment was covering the then nightclub-of-the-moment, Liquid.
After an evening shooting Puff Daddy, Cher, Dennis Rodman, and a coterie of bold-faced names, he was hooked and found his niche becoming known as “the celebrity lens man of south Beach.” Seth soon made a career of showing the world the intimate scenes behind the velvet ropes and in VIP rooms at the most exclusive parties. Celebrities and socialites, athletes and entertainers, musicians and models all booked Seth to shoot their events and capture the exciting energy of the room.
With a focus on social media and relationships with brands, VIPS, business leaders and celebrities, Seth is recognized as a pioneer of Miami’s landscape, propelling WRE to the next level.
Jose Dans
José “Pepe” Dans, President and Chief Innovation Officer at WOW Factor Marketing Group, leverages more than two decades of experience in advertising and experiential marketing for multiple markets, including the US Hispanic and US general markets.
Since the inception of WOW Factor Marketing Group, José made sure that the company became an active member of the community. Over the past ten years, WOW Factor has donated over one million dollars to major non-profit organizations. And through programs like “Wish for a WOW,” employees have logged countless hours of community service supporting organizations like Chapman Partnership, and even helped fund spinal cord rehabilitation treatment at iAM ABLE Fitness.
Aside from his efforts through his company, José is also very personally involved in the fundraising and development of many other initiatives by serving on the Board of Directors. One of these nonprofits is the Miami Children’s Health Foundation which benefits Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Having experienced a health crisis first-hand, José became extremely passionate about eradicating breast cancer and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society. His wife Heide was diagnosed with the disease, but after many treatments, surgeries, and prayers, she is back to enjoying life with José by her side along with their three loving children, Jake, Nina and Carolina.
Michael Daszkal
Michael co-founded Daszkal Bolton, a boutique public accounting firm, in 1992. Through his leadership, Daszkal Bolton has grown from a two-person firm to a three-office public accounting and consulting company that employs approximately 130 people. Michael continues to serve as Managing Partner and as a member of the Executive Committee. After more than 25 years in accounting, Michael has developed expertise in audit and accounting, strategic tax planning, mergers & acquisitions, due diligence, and financial planning and consulting for optimal business growth.
Michael’s community service spans a variety of organizations. He is both a Trustee and a Board Member of the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, as well as a Trustee of the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. He also serves as a Board Member for an Advisory Board to the FAU College of Business; is a Board Director for the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University; is active with New World Angels; and currently serves as President of the Board of Directors for PROPEL.
Michael earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Eastern Michigan University. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is a CPA licensed through the State of Florida.
Richard J. Diaz
Richard Diaz is a practicing attorney with over 28 years of experience concentrating in federal and state criminal defense, police civil liability cases forfeiture and complex tort litigation. He is a member of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, ABA, and American Trial Lawyers Associate. Additionally, Richard is a referral counsel for the Miami-Dade County Police Department, PBA.
Richard volunteers as a guest speaker at legal seminars held at Saint Thomas University School of Law, University of Miami School of Law, the Southeast Florida Institute of Criminal Justice and the Metropolitan Police Institute. He is an honorary member of the Miami Dade County Police Benevolent Association, where he provides pro bono representation to hundreds of law enforcement officers referred to him. He volunteers as a consultant for the Saint Thomas School Community Law Center and has mentored many students attending Saint Thomas University School of Law.
Along with coaching the Beth Am Basketball League for the past six years, Richard is a lifelong contributor to many local and nationwide charitable organizations, including: the Red Cross, the United Way, the American Cancer Society, the Miami-Dade County Humane Society, Best Buddies, Kidside, the Friendship Circle of Miami and the PBA Love Fund. He has donated over $100,000 to charities over the years and has provided over 1000 pro bono hours of legal services for the under-privileged.
Ron Magill
Ron has worked with wildlife for nearly 40 years. As Zoo Miami’s “Goodwill Ambassador,” he has made frequent national television appearances, such as National Geographic Explorer, the Discovery Networks, the Today Show, Good Morning America, The Late Show, CBS’ This Morning, Dateline and CNN, as well as programs on Spanish networks Univision and Telemundo. Further, he has written and produced many wildlife articles and award-winning photographs that have appeared in publications and galleries around the world. He has traveled extensively throughout Africa, Asia and Tropical America while developing and directing conservation projects and Emmy-Award winning documentaries focusing on the wildlife of those regions.
Ron created the “Eco-Hero Contest,” which focuses on public school students who have done something positive for the environment. He takes the winner of the annual contest, along with a television news crew, on an adventure to a part of the world that is known for its natural treasures and then helps to produce a documentary featuring natural treasures through the eyes of the student. To date, Ron has taken students to South Africa, The Galapagos, Alaska, The Amazon, the Canadian Rockies, Panama, and Yellowstone, Glacier, and Grand Tetons National Parks.
Other than Zoo Miami and the Zoo Miami Foundation, Ron has worked with several children’s charities with a special dedication to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, where he helps to grant wishes for children facing life-threatening diseases. In addition, he is a regular speaker at schools throughout South Florida in hopes of inspiring our youth to follow their dreams while showing them the importance of protecting our world’s wildlife for generations to come.
Ron’s proudest professional accomplishment is the establishment of the “Ron Magill Conservation Endowment” at the Zoo Miami Foundation. This endowment is the largest of its kind at the zoo and provides tens of thousands of dollars annually to wildlife conservation by providing annual scholarships as well as supporting field conservation projects designed to protect wildlife in the wild areas where it is naturally found.
John Offerdahl
Former All-Pro Miami Dolphins linebacker, John Offerdahl and his wife Lynn operate six quick-casual restaurants aptly named Offerdahl’s Off-The-Grill, featuring “just-grilled, all-day, great!” food. Since childhood, the gridiron and the grill have been John’s passion almost every weekend.
From 1986 to 1994, John was a five-time All-Pro middle linebacker for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League. During his playing years, he captained the defense and received numerous accolades, including the NFL’s Rookie of the Year in 1986, the NFL’s Ed Block Courage Award, the Nat Moore Community Service Award and the Traveler’s Man of the Year Award. Off the field, John served as the union representative for the Player’s Association and player counsel to the NFL Management Advisory Board.
In 1990, John and Lynn, co-founded Offerdahl’s Bagel Gourmet and grew the concept to 10 stores before joining three other bagel entrepreneurs in 1995 to form Einstein Bros. Bagels, a national bagel retailer. In 2010, John launched his first Gridiron Grill-Off Food & Wine Festival where 25 Miami Dolphin legends team-up with South Florida’s top chefs as fans eat, drink, and vote on their favorite grill recipe. All proceeds benefit Offerdahl’s Hand-Off Foundation and its mission to “Feed the Needs of Kids in Crisis,” those who are fatherless and homeless.
In 2015, in collaboration with his son Andrew’s “heart for the homeless and vulnerable,” Offerdahl’s Hand-Off Foundation launched Home Team Advantage Restorative Housing, a program that provides housing for vulnerable families seeking relational restoration and home ownership victory.
John has been involved in many community service organizations across South Florida and is currently a board member for the Community Foundation of Broward and a member of the Orange Bowl Committee. He enjoys speaking to schools, church groups and other organizations, sharing his experiences in football and business as well as his personal life.
John and Lynn live in Ft. Lauderdale and have three children, Alexandra (25) and her husband Wills Francis, Drew (23) and his wife Caroline, and Jameson (20).
George Pino
George Pino, SIOR, RPA, has a track record of commitment to building long and lasting relationships with each of his commercial real estate clients. George has been involved in some of the largest lease and sale transactions and land purchases in South Florida over the last 25 years. He has experience in every aspect of commercial real estate including representation of both sellers and purchasers in office, industrial and vacant land as well as investment analysis, marketing and development of such properties.
As President at State Street Realty, George is responsible for the successful and expedient lease-up and sales of office and industrial real estate such as Beacon Centre Business Park, Airport Business Industrial Center, Blue Lagoon Business Park, Beacon Tradeport Industrial Park, Miami Industrial Business Park, Westside Office Plaza, Transal Office Park and for the leasing and marketing of the new Beacon Lakes Industrial Park project.
As one of the top commercial real estate professionals in South Florida since 1992, George was named one of the Top 100 Power Leaders in 2012, 2013 and 2014 as well as a “2013 Business Person to Watch in South Florida” by the South Florida Business Journal. He has also been a four-time recipient of the prominent NAIOP Industrial Broker of the Year and has received numerous other accolades throughout his 25 year career.
George is a life-long resident of South Florida, and his community involvement includes: Orange Bowl Committee, Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida, Redlands Migrant Family Association, Florida International University (FIU) School of Real Estate, and the Mike Lowell Charity Foundation. George also serves on the Advisory Committee and is a member of the Ocean Reef Club.
Darrin Smith
Darrin Smith was born in Miami, the youngest of five children born to Naomi Smith and the late Rudolph B. Smith. After graduating from Miami Norland Senior High, Darrin earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Miami, where he was a member of two National Championship teams. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Organization, Darrin went on to earn an MBA specializing in Marketing while at the University of Miami.
In 1993, Darrin was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys, where he was a member of two Super Bowl Championship teams. Darrin is the only NFL player to win two Super Bowls, two national championships, and two college degrees. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Seattle Seahawks before ending his 12-year NFL career with the New Orleans Saints.
After retiring from football, Darrin returned to school and earned a (MBA) specialization degree in Real Estate Development from Nova Southeastern University in Davie.
A staunch proponent of education, Darrin is the Founder and President of the Project 59 for Youth Foundation, a non-for-profit education foundation that focuses on reading and reading comprehension, and in 2012, Darrin was named a national ambassador for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Darrin also serves as President of DAS Unlimited, Inc; a real estate investing/development company. Darrin is a servant at The Fountain of New Life in Miami Gardens where he serves as the Men’s Ministry Leader and is also the team chaplain for the Miami Dolphins.
Darrin resides in South Florida and is the proud husband of his lovely wife Kimberly, and the proud father of 9-year-old twins, Daryn and Darius.
