Alarcón was born in Ciego de Avila, Cuba, on January 15, 1926. From an early age he was interested in radio and media. He was not yet 26 years old when he inaugurated his first short-wave station in Camaguey, Cuba, known as Cadena Agramonte. Eight years later, Alarcón could brag of being one of the pioneers of media and communications in the island nation, owning at least 14 radio stations that were later confiscated by the Castro regime.

Since first arriving in the United States in the early 1960s, Alarcón had to figure out a way to make a name for himself as a news anchor and radio talent, as well as sowing the seeds of his great business ambitions. Punctual and detailed, he gradually convinced American advertisers of the importance of reaching out to the Hispanic public in their investment projects. Prior to his first success in the Big Apple, Alarcón explored various areas of the media and communications industry, including work in recording studios and production, notably with the Latin Sound Recording Studios in Manhattan.

He served as chairman of the board of SBS until November 1999. Since then, his son, Raúl Alarcón Jr., took over the company’s daily management and operations. The South Florida radio stations include El Zol (95.7 FM), Romance (106.7 FM), Clasica 92 (92.3 FM) and La Raza (106.3 FM).

Mr. Alarcon passed away on June 11, 2008 in Miami. Besides his son, Raúl Jr., he is survived by his wife, Alma.

Alonso’s career in Spanish-language media started in 1989 when he established a weekly Spanish trade publication Radio y Musica based in Tampa, Florida. Radio y Musica became known as the Spanish language Billboard for being the first to create weekly charts by Spanish music formats.

In 2004 Alonso became Senior Vice President for Clear Channel Radio. In a two-year period Clear Channel Radio converted 25 stations to become a leading Spanish language radio provider in the US.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Alvarez came to the United States at 13 as part of Operation Pedro Pan. Alvarez attended LaSalle High School and then attended Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina before earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida State University.

Soon after graduation, Maximo began his career in the oil industry with Cities Services Oil Company (CITGO Petroleum) where he worked from 1971-1973. In 1973 Maximo switched to Mobil Oil Corporation working as a marketing representative in Tampa, Florida. In 1976, Maximo left the corporate life and decided on his first business venture as an independent entrepreneur opening Sunshine Citrus Corp. Sunshine Citrus enjoyed a successful 11 year run as a citrus gift packing and shipping enterprise. In 1987, when the expansion of I-595 caused Maximo to re-locate his business, he had the opportunity to purchase four underperforming gas stations from Southland Corp, (7-Eleven). These four gas stations were the cornerstone of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors, Inc. From barely two hundred thousand gallons per month, Sunshine Gasoline grew to over half a billion gallons sold per year. As of today, Sunshine operates over 300 locations and supplies another 250 branded retail facilities (Chevron, BP, Shell, Citgo, Marathon, and Exxon/Mobil). Sunshine Gasoline is one of the largest independent branded suppliers for all of their represented brands in the South Eastern United States. Sunshine Gasoline Distributors is currently #20 in CSP (Convenience Store and Fuel News) list of top 202 convenience stores.

Maximo has been extremely involved in the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association and was elected Chairman of the Board in 2000 and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005. He has worked closely with the Petroleum Council as a tireless advocate for the industry and currently serves on the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Florida Consumer Council. He has also received awards for his work in Hope for Vision and the Transplant Foundation. In 2006, Maximo became a trustee of Pedro Pan Group, a non-profit organization for immigrant children. In 2010, he was inducted into the Belmont Abbey Wall of Fame and later received a doctor’s degree honoris causa in 2015. He also serves as a trustee for The First Tee, a junior program that sets out to positively impact the lives of young people through the game of golf. Sunshine has also been a constant sponsor of Centro Hispano Catolico and Miami Children’s Hospital.

In March 2021 Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Maximo Alvarez to the Florida State University Board of Trustees.

He was born in Havana, Cuba in 1955. Alvarez arrived in the United States in 1960. He earned a Bachelor in Business Administration degree in 1976 from the University of Miami, Miami, FL.

Alvarez previous served as President of McDonald’s North America and before that was President of McDonald’s USA and Chief Operations Officer of McDonald’s USA. Alvarez announced his retirement from McDonald’s effective December 31, 2009.

As of December 2012, Alvarez sits on the board of directors for Dunkin’ Donuts.

Eileen is a renown Chef, owner of Finka Table & Tap and, more recently, Amelia’s 1931, both located in Kendall, Florida (a West Miami-Dade neighborhood).  At the time of opening Finka in 2014 there weren’t many options for gastropubs in Kendall. The eatery features a vibrant fusion of homey Cuban food with Peruvian and Korean cuisine.  Some of the items include a Japchae (Korean dish) with Vaca Frita (a Cuban staple), Cuban Fried Rice and Korean Arroz Imperial.

The talented young chef is the granddaughter of Raul and Amelia Garcia, Cuban exiles who founded the popular Islas Canarias Restaurant, also located in Kendall. Eilleen began her love affair with the kitchen in her grandparents restaurant and bakery, making Cuban essentials from pastelitos to empanadas.  In 2011 she and her brother Jonathan opened CubanCube, a food truck that served Cuban fusion specialties on-the-go around South Florida.

In 2014, Zagat named Eileen Andrade as one of the notable “30 under 30” food, beverage and hospitality entrepreneurs in the country.  Meanwhile, both her restaurants continue to climb in popularity among local Miamians and tourists alike.

He was later hired by Boulevard National Bank as an operations officer. In 1966, he was approached by Fidelity National Bank of South Miami and spent seven years in the bank. He opened his own bank with a partner, which he later sold to join Barnett Bank. He eventually became president and vice chairman of the bank, retiring as vice chairman of Bank of America when it bought Barnett Bank.

Argiz joined the accounting firm of Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Company in 1977, becoming managing partner on July 1, 1997. Headquartered in Miami, Morrison, Brown, Argiz & Company is one of the largest accounting and management consulting firms in Florida and the Southeast, and one of the top 40 accounting firms in the nation. Over the course of his career, Argiz specialized in areas including audits, business planning, economic damages, fraud examinations, valuations and litigation cases.

In his industry, Argiz has served on the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) Nominations Committee, on the governing body of the AICPA’s Council and on the PCP Executive Committee and its Technical Issues Committee. In 1986, Tony was appointed to Florida’s Board of Accountancy and was then elected to chair the Board and chair of its Probable Cause Panel as well.

Argiz served as a member of the Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission in 1997. His involvement in civic associations has included such roles as Chairman of the Adrienne Arsht Center Foundation, Chairman of the Board of Facts About Cuban Exiles (F.A.C.E.), Chairman o the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Board of the United Way of Miami-Dade, President of the Orange Bowl Committee, member of the Board of Directors of the Beacon Council, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Chair of the Archbishop’s Charity and Development Drive of the Archdiocese of Miami, Chair of the Council of 100 of Florida International University and member of the FIU Foundation Board and School of Accounting Advisory Board, Chair of the Miami Dade College Foundation, and Chair of the Miami City Club.

Argiz has been recognized with the Ultimate CEO award from the South Florida Business Journal, the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Boy Scouts of America, as Executive of the Year by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, with the South Florida Visionary Award – Civic Leadership from the Miami Herald, the New American Award from Catholic Legal Services, as FIU School of Accounting Alumni of the Year. He has also received the Tocqueville Award for Outstanding Philanthropy from United Way of Miami-Dade, and the Silver Medallion Award from the Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews (MCCJ).

Tony Argiz resides in Coral Gables. He is married to Concepcion “Conchi” Perdomo Argiz, and they have three children, Carolina Argiz Orozco, Tony Argiz, Jr., and Andy Argiz.

Bacardi is the largest privately held, family-owned spirits company in the world. Originally known for its eponymous Bacardi white rum, it now has a portfolio of more than 200 brands and labels. Founded in 1862 in the port City of Santiago de Cuba, a small family enterprise purchased a distillery with bats in the rafters and revolutionized rum-making. Bacardi employs 6,000 people, manufactures at 29 facilities in 16 markets on four continents, with sales in more than 150 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. The company sells in excess of 200 million bottles per year.  A 150-year history is etched against the backdrop of war, earthquakes, epidemic disease, U.S. Prohibition, the Cuban Revolution and the 1960 illegal confiscation of its Cuban assets.  Facundo is the Managing Director of Apache Capital LLC, an investment company based in Coral Gables, Florida, that invests in a broad, diversified class of public and private assets. Mr. Bacardi serves on the advisory board of Noro-Moseley Partners and the board of trustees of Emory University. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Facundo and Amalia Bacardi Foundation.  Mr. Bacardi holds a J.D. from Emory University Law School and a B.S.B.A. in Finance from American University.

Azucar quickly became a South Florida staple for tourists and locals alike, serving ice creams reminiscent of Cuban, Cuban-American and Hispanic cultures. Some flavors include Cafe con Leche, Flan and Sweet Plantains and names include Abuela Maria, Willy Cherrino and El Mani Loco.  Batlle has since opened a warehouse for the expanding business and a second location in Marlins Park.

Batlle’s success with Azucar has helped revitalize the Little Havana area. She also serves as a board member with Viernes Culturales, a monthly cultural festival held in the area, and a member of Miami Dade College’s advisory board and of the Merchants Alliance.

The successful entrepreneur has crafted a unique Cuban-American experience and feel in Azucar Ice Cream Company, including shirts with Cuban phrases and slang, music and artwork featuring Celia Cruz.