WEST PALM BEACH - Four business leaders, Larry Alexander, Regina Bedoya, David Hernandez and Michael Mikkelson,will be honored with companion medals during Palm Beach Atlantic University's American Free Enterprise Day ceremony November 10.
American Free Enterprise Day has been an event at Palm Beach Atlantic since 1984 and honors individuals whose hard work and achievement exemplify the best of the American Free enterprise system.
Larry Alexander is at the helm of the full-service, 35-lawyer law firm, Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, P.A., headquartered in West Palm Beach. As president and chairman of the board since 2006, he has led the firm in significant growth and expanded its presence in the community by opening an office in Jupiter, Fla. He is a Florida Bar Board Certified Real Estate Lawyer and concentrates his legal practice in the areas of real estate acquisition, development, disposition and financing. In addition to serving his profession, Alexander remains active in the community. He is a trustee of the Rosarian Academy Charitable Trust and an elder at Memorial Presbyterian Church of West Palm Beach.
With more than 31 years of experience in financial services, Regina Bedoya has helped countless numbers of people achieve financial security. Bedoya is the president and CEO of RB Financial Advisors, a boutique financial planning firm located in Juno Beach, Fla., specializing in net worth planning, protection planning and estate planning. She has attained numerous financial certifications, including Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and provides specialized financial guidance to clients going through a divorce as well as those who have recently divorced. Bedoya earned a bachelor of science from the Catherine T. MacArthur School of Leadership at PBA in 1992. She is involved with several nonprofit organizations and is the founder of Womenade of the Palm Beaches, a grassroots organization committed to helping disadvantaged women and children with "small donations that make a big difference."
David Hernandez is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Liberty Power, the only national, minority-owned energy provider in the United States. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Liberty Power provides low-cost, reliable energy solutions to customers in 11 states across the continental United States.Under Hernandez's leadership, the company has grown to serve tens of thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses, including Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies and municipalities. Hernandez earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the Rinker School of Business at Palm Beach Atlantic in 1991. A native of Cuba, Hernandez serves on the board of the Cuba Study Group, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization comprised of business and community leaders of Cuban descent who share a common interest and vision for a free and democratic Cuba.
Mike Mikkelson is president and chief executive officer of Liberty Investment Properties, Inc., which specializes in the development of high-performing investment real estate across the United States. He has more than 35 years of executive experience in commercial real estate and the development/operation of income-producing property. Liberty Investment's storage brand, My Neighborhood Storage Centers, operates 10 Central Florida locations, while the hospitality division, Liberty Lodging, owns and operates 25 hotels in nine different states under the brand name Value Place. Mikkelson serves as a trustee at Lake Highland Preparatory School and on the board of directors of Elevate Orlando, an organization that empowers at-risk youth to achieve higher education and lifelong success. He also is an active elder at Lake Baldwin Church in Orlando.
They will be honored at the same ceremony with the late John D. MacArthur, insurance and real estate entrepreneur. His estate created the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that has donated millions of dollars to charities nationally, including many local organizations such as Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, The Norton Museum of Art and Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Palm Beach Atlantic University is a private, independent university offering undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees, with campuses in West Palm Beach, Orlando and Wellington. The University is dedicated to the integration of Christian principles to prepare students for lifelong learning and leadership. For additional information, visit our Web site: http://www.pba.edu/