Cristiano Rinaldo (Forward for the Spanish football club Real Madrid) and Alejandro Sanz (Award-winning Musician)

Photography by Craig Denis

Sean Wolfington was destined to be a pioneer. One of those self-motivated leaders who forges paths for the development of unchartered industries. One of those self-taught types who revolutionizes industries through brilliant insight and an ahead-of-the-game mentality. That is who Sean Wolfington was meant to be, and at just 39 years old, he has become all of that and more. Wolfington’s résumé runs the gamut from CEO of Wolfington Companies, film producer, digital marketing expert, and automotive pioneer, to all-around family man. He is an entrepreneur in every sense of the word, with experience in the realms of technology, finance, real estate, film, auto, and charity.

The great, great grandson of one of the first carriage makers in the automotive industry, Wolfington’s entrepreneurial gene is inherent. His grandfather owned one of the first automotive dealer groups, his father was an automotive retailer, one uncle invented the automotive car lease, and another founded Carey International. An appetite for tackling new ideas is in his blood, as well as in the blood of his many extended family members. Of 86 first cousins on the Wolfington side alone, all but a handful run and operate their own businesses in the fields of transportation, technology, finance, real estate, and energy.

At a young age, Wolfington learned the tools of entrepreneurship from his extended family, and he has been building empires around his ingenious ideas ever since. His first business lesson came when he was seven years old, and his older sister was challenged with selling candy bars to raise money for her school. She was shy while he was industrious—he figured out that by selling the $1 candy bars for an inflated $2, he could gobble up one candy bar for each one sold. This savvy skill was not lost with his youth; at eight years old, Wolfington and his twin brother Ryan launched their first company, “Wolfington Works,” a make-it-happen, do-anything business adept at mowing lawns, babysitting younger children, and taking out the trash.

A native of Pennsylvania, Wolfington has homes in Philadelphia; Avalon, NJ; and Palm Beach, but he lives on Key Biscayne with his wife and four children during the school year. He earned a first-class education at Malvern Preparatory School, and later attended Dickinson College. It was while studying at college that Wolfington began working in the automotive industry. And through years spent working his way up in that industry, Wolfington grew a passion for revolutionizing the business. “I saw what could be and got addicted to perfecting automotive retailing and changing the way the world buys and services their cars over the Internet.” To fulfill this mission, Wolfington co-founded Cyber Car in the late 90s, which grew into one of the largest automotive consulting organizations in the world. Later he partnered with David Boice and his technology company Automark, an automotive kiosk company. Together, Boice and Wolfington grew Automark into the industry’s leading digital marketing company that helped manufacturers and retailers gain the tools and training to sell and service vehicles over the Internet. The companies were doing something never before seen, or even imagined. So when automotive retailing solutions company Reynolds and Reynolds purchased Cyber Car and Automark in 2000 for an enterprise value of $200 million, it was no surprise that Wolfington moved on to blaze new trails.

Fast forward a few years, and Wolfington finds himself in the midst of another huge payday. BZ Results, the third company he built in the automotive sector, develops digital solutions for dealerships and manufacturers. Under Wolfington’s watch, it became the industry leader in search marketing, mobile marketing, websites, CRM, and consulting, effectively revolutionizing the way vehicles are sold over the Internet. The company became Google’s No. 1 reseller in all industries, and Wolfington has contributed to more than $5 billion in automotive sales throughout his career. All of this was the genius conception of Wolfington, who was amongst the first to realize the potential the Internet held for automotive marketing. Just three years after its launch, BZ attracted the attention of ADP, which bought it for an undisclosed value, reported in the neighborhood of the previous Reynolds and Reynolds buyout. Wolfington’s companies worked with 12 automotive manufacturers, 76 of the top 100 dealer groups in the country, and more than 4,000 dealerships in 18 countries around the world.

A strict non-compete prevented Wolfington from reentering the automotive marketing game for three years, so what’s a guy who has built three multimillion-dollar businesses to do next? “Like any other entrepreneur I always wanted to play on the field, so I picked up another sport,” he explains. His new playing field was the world of film and entertainment.

Along with his uncle, Eustace Wolfington, he formed The One Media Group, in 2006. Thus far, Wolfington has produced three major motion pictures: Self Medicated, The Mighty Macs, and Bella. The Mighty Macs is the true story of the first NCAA Women’s Championship basketball team, while Self Medicated was the most award-winning film of 2006, earning accolades at the Newport Beach Film Festival and the Los Angeles DIY Film Festival. But it was Bella that stole the show. The independent film is a love story about how New York City changed the lives of three unsuspecting people. It certainly changed the life of Wolfington. The film won top honors at the Toronto Film Festival, one of the largest and most prestigious film festivals in the world, considered the gateway to Oscar recognition—American Beauty, Life is Beautiful, Slumdog Millionaire, and Precious all received awards at TFF and went on to garner Oscar fame. After winning top prize at Toronto, the Bella team was honored at the White House and the Mexican Embassy, received the Smithsonian Institute Legacy Award, and won Best Picture at the Movieguide Awards. By the end of 2007, it was the No. 1-rated movie of the year by the No. 1 film site Rotten Tomatoes, topped the box office for all films in its category (despite a $3 million budget), and achieved distribution at the precipice of a brutal recession. “It is a small film but it has a big heart, and it was an honor to be a part of its success,” says Wolfington.

The Wall Street Journal said that Bella was the “biggest surprise of the year.” But perhaps the biggest surprise in this story is how a driven young man, with all the aptitude for building big businesses, transformed a low budget film into such a heralded breakout piece of entertainment. Alejandro Sanz, the most Grammy award winning Spanish singer/songwriter in history, donated two compositions after being floored by the performance of the film, as did the lead singer of Switchfoot, who donated the song he wrote for his wife when they were dating. Moreover, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning singer-songwriter Tony Bennett hailed Bella as “The best movie of the year, a perfect film, a masterpiece.” This is a true story of underdog on top, inspiring many unsuspecting players in the entertainment industry.

Currently, The One Media Group has three more motion pictures in development, including Phonies, an animated film in which cell phones rule the world.

For someone who placed so much importance on his family life from an early age, an animated flick seems like a natural progression. “The most important thing to me is my wife and children,” says Wolfington, who, along with his wife, Ana, has four children ranging from eight months to seven years old. Ana, who lit up his world during a business trip to London years ago, is his partner in life and in business. She is the co-chairman of the board of the Wolfington Companies, where she “is an incredible source of wisdom.” And, Wolfington brags, “She is the most unbelievable mother and wife that anyone could ever want, and she is my best friend”

Their life in South Florida began in 2006 after Wolfington purchased Cher’s iconic house on Mashta Island (the posh location for the Haute Living photo shoot featuring Wolfington and his beautiful wife) as a vacation home. But after falling in love with Key Biscayne and the surrounding areas, the Wolfingtons decided to relocate from Philadelphia to Miami full time. They still spend summers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in order to connect with their large family. And this summer, Wolfington’s eldest son will follow in his father’s entrepreneurial footsteps by selling water bottles on the beaches of Avalon, a hobby he picked up last year after selling collected seashells at the local pancake joint. At just seven years old, he has brought the Wolfington legacy full circle.

The Cher home is a dream. With seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, unparalleled views of the ocean, infinity waterfall and pool, and many more luxurious features, it is a resort-like playground of first-class amenities right at home. But Wolfington, who is going to build a new dream home on the island, ended up placing this top dollar house on the market at the bottom of the recession. The miracle? They fetched an impressive $2 million more than their buying price at the peak of the market.

As the release of the next film from The One Group is patiently anticipated, Wolfington’s non-compete has expired, allowing him to reenter the automotive industry. Using his experience in both film and autos, he started an impressive seven new marketing and technology companies serving both the automotive and entertainment industries. These companies include Level 5 Marketing, which focuses on outsourced sales and marketing solutions for international automotive associations, films, and musical artists. Tier10Marketing.com is a holistic approach that specializes in results-oriented marketing for auto companies. Then there is Call Revu, a service that monitors 100 percent of retailers’ calls to track advertising sources and the customer experience. And there is also Team Velocity (thevdrive.com), a digitally targeted marketing company devoted to the automotive industry, Mobile Marketing USA, and Webmercial, responsible for creating and streaming advertising videos throughout the World Wide Web.

His company developed the entire digital marketing campaign for Grammy Award-winning artist Shakira, and he was bestowed the President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2008 for his work with others under The Wolfington Charitable Foundation.

Wolfington is also the founder of the Automotive Advertising Network, which provides car dealers with innovative outlets for selling their vehicles, and he was a finalist in Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award when he was 34 years old—a huge accomplishment, being that Wayne Huizenga, founder of Blockbuster and AutoNation, won this coveted award the previous year. In addition to Huizenga’s credits in these parallel industries, he is also the only person to have six companies simultaneously listed on the New York Stock Exchange and to build three Fortune 1000 companies. Wolfington’s co-finalist, Bill McDermott, is the CEO of SAP, the largest CRM company in the world with approximately $10 billion a year in revenue. Not bad company for Wolfington to keep.

With such a list of accomplishments, anyone would assume that he has accomplished his fate and then some. But not Wolfington. He is always multiple steps ahead of the rest, anticipating the evolution of new business and industries. Says Wolfington, “I am in the business of innovating, not duplicating. And mobile marketing is the next frontier. The Internet is not a puzzle that is as fun for me to figure out anymore, so I am spending time and resources to revolutionize the world of mobile marketing.”

http://www.hauteliving.com/2010/06/serial-entrepreneur/

http://www.hauteliving.com/2010/06/haute-100-miami-update-sean-wolfington/

Sean Wolfington, Ana Wolfington and Rafa Nadal in Nadal’s work out area after he won his first match at the Sony Ericsson tournament on Key Biscayne island. The Wolfingtons hosted a party after the match at their home.

Sean and Ana Wolfington hosted the launch party for the Tennis Ap at their Key Biscayne home along with the Bryan Brothers, the #1 ranked tennis team in the world. In the picture is (put the peoples names). The Bryan Brothers performed a song that was dedicated to Andre Agassi, their mentor. Wayne Bryan, the twins father was the MC and Grammy nominated artist, Adreana Lucia, performed 4 of her latest hits live for the exclusive audience of 300 during the Sony Ericsson Open.

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World’s #1 Ranked Duo Bob and Mike Bryan Host the “Tennis APP” Premiere Party

Sean and Ana Wolfington hosted an event with the Bryan Brothers, the #1 ranked tennis team in the world, to launch the  Tennis Ap. The event included a musical performances by the Bryan Brothers and  Adriana Lucia, grammy nominated artist. The event went to benefit Ryan  Wolfingtons Foundation whose mission is to help at risk youth rise above their  limited circumstances to achieve their fullest potential.

The Bryan Brothers, the #1 ranked tennis team in the world hosted an exclusive launch event to debut the “TENNIS App,” the latest application for everything tennis available for mobile phones. The launch coincided with the Sony Ericsson Open and the Bryan Brothers were joined by friends and celebrity guests at the ocean front residence of Sean and Ana Wolfington on Key Biscayne. Guests included top 10 ATP players Robin Soderling and Fernando Verdasco, WTA #2 ranked woman Caroline Wazniaki and top 50 ranked, up and coming American player John Isner.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WORLD’S #1 RANKED DUO “BOB AND MIKE BRYAN HOST “THE TENNIS APP” PREMIER PARTY
Bryan Brothers and Grammy nominated artist, Adriana Lucia Perform Live

Miami—March 25, 2010—The Bryan Brothers, the #1 ranked tennis team in the world hosted a celebrity-filled exclusive launch party on Wednesday, March 24th to debut the new “TENNIS App,” the latest application for everything tennis available for mobile phones.

The Bryan Brothers were joined by a host of friends and celebrity guests at the private ocean front residence of Sean and Ana Wolfington on Key Biscayne, Florida, in celebration of the anticipated release of this ground breaking mobile technology in what many are calling “the new internet.”  Guests included top 10 ATP ranked men’s players in the world Robin Soderling and Fernando Verdasco, WTA #2 ranked woman in the world Caroline Wazniaki and top 50 ranked, up and coming American player John Isner.

“Mike and I are thrilled to help launch The TENNIS App. We’re excited to give our friends, family and all lovers of the sport a mechanism where they have access to everything tennis,” said Bob Bryan.  “The TENNIS App combines our passion for the sport with our favorite gadgets, and is an incredible tennis instructional tool for all types of players.  This is also a great way for fans to stay updated on current news and pro rankings.”

During the event, the Bryan Brothers performed their latest music single “Open My Heart,” which was written as a tribute to Andre Agassi and his new book, “Open.”

“Andre is a huge reason why we’re playing the game of tennis today,” said Mike Bryan. “We admire the honesty he displays in his book, and think there are many lessons to be learned from his amazing journey.”

GRAMMY-Award nominated artist, Adriana Lucia, known for her recent album “Porro Nuevo,” gave a special live performance during the event, while guests enjoyed Italian dishes courtesy of Putino Restaurant, owned and created by hotelier Cristoforo Pignata.  Additionally, acclaimed artist, Leonardo Hidalgo, painted a portrait of the Bryan Brothers, which will be auctioned off to benefit VegasTennis.com’s Marty Hennessy Jr. Tennis Foundation, which inspires youth through mentoring, tennis and education.

“I’ve long been a supporter of VegasTennis.com’s Marty Hennessy Foundation, and wanted to use this gathering as an opportunity to bring awareness to the great work they do to help at risk youth,” said <strong>Sean Wolfington</strong>. “In the last five years the organization has helped more than 20 children obtain scholarships to college for tennis and academics, and we’re thrilled to support the organization’s future fellows.”

About The TENNIS App:
The TENNIS App is an exciting new application for all phone platforms that brings “Everything tennis” including professional video animation, photographs, textual instruction, live news feeds and rankings right to your hands.

The TENNIS App features detailed instructional content from Bob and Mike Bryan, the number one ranked doubles team in the world, winners of eight grand slam doubles titles and the 2010 Australian Open doubles champions.

The TENNIS App teaches correct technique for every essential shot in tennis. It breaks down the essential components of each shot into bite-sized chunks: split step, first movement, grip change, pivot, load, back swing, acceleration, contact, wrist roll, follow through and recovery. Each phase features looped animation or photos combined with professional instruction from the Bryan brothers and other top pros.

The TENNIS App’s animation control allows you to slow down the action by adjusting playback speed. Users can also pause the lesson, and manually step frame by frame to study every detail. And you are able to automatically zero in on the most important portion of the animation or photo.

If you are left handed, The TENNIS App has the unique ability to automatically flip animations and photos to depict either right or left handed players. The TENNIS App also allows you to stay up to date on the latest tennis news from trusted sources and provides the current ATP and WTA rankings.

About the Bryan Brothers:

58 Titles on the ATP Tour, including the 2003 French Open, the 2005 &amp; 2008 US Open, the 2006, 2007, 2009 &amp; 2010 Australian Open and the 2006 Wimbledon Doubles Championships – - – a Career Grand Slam and they are only the third team in the Open Era to achieve that feat.

#1 in the world in doubles in five of the past seven years – - – the first team to ever achieve that; 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009, and #2 in 2004 and 2008.

The Bryans were the first doubles team in the Open Era to reach seven straight Grand Slam Finals (‘05 Australian, French, Wimbledon, US Open, ‘06 Australian, French, Wimbledon).

They have represented the United States in two Olympics, reaching the quarter finals in Athens in 2004, and winning the Bronze Medal at Beijing in 2008.

They are not only committed to doing charity work and events for their own Bryan Brothers Foundation, they also support the Elton John Aids Foundation, the Tim &amp; Tom Gullikson Foundation, the Andre Agassi Foundation, the Andy Roddick Foundation, the James Blake Foundation, the Mardy Fish Foundation, the Pam Shriver Foundation, WECANN supporting Abused Children, the Cystic Firbosis Foundation, the VCJTA, the SBJTA, EPATT, the Stanford Tennis Teams, the UCSB Tennis Teams and Cal Poly Tennis Teams.

In addition, they also make several appearances across the country and around the world for charitable and special tennis events with their musical group, the Bryan Bros. Band.  They currently have a new CD out titled Let It Rip.

Edgar Martinez
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications
Edgar.Martinez@sonyericsson.com
Edgar.Martinez@sonyericsson.com

For more information on the Bryan Brothers please contact:
Ryan Wolfington
vegastenniscom@aol.com

Related Links:

www.vegastennis.com
www.Tier10Marketing.com
www.Level5Marketing.com
www.seanWolfington.com
www.510smashta.com

Need a Tennis Fix? There’s an App (and a Party) for That.

It may be Friday and you’ve got nothing but weekend plans on the brain, but we’d like to direction your attention towards the middle of next week. On Wednesday, March 24, the Magic City will play host to a coming-out party like no other. Coinciding with the start of the Sony Ericsson Open, No. 1 Doubles Team Bob and Mike Bryan, along with Sean and Ana Wolfington will host a soiree to debut “The TENNIS app.” Celebrity guests and pro tennis players will be lining the Key Biscayne bridge to get to this island party where Grammy award-winning artist Adriana Lucia will entertain the crowd. The Bryan Brothers are also scheduled for a little entertaining of their own, when they showcase their newest single and their newest cell phone application for all-things-tennis.

There are a million different reasons why we love to call Miami home. The fact that we live in the place where the rest of the world comes to vacation certainly equates to a whole lot of nonstop fun. On any given night, VIPs and famous faces grace our sunny shores, mandating that the entertainment options and party invites are innovative, shocking, and plentiful.

While this weekend will once again be teeming with enough options to make any socialite’s well-coiffed head spin, such as the Women of Tomorrow Annual Gala at Mandarin Oriental or the Schiopetto and Sandrone presentation dinner at The Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, for now we’d like to direction your attention towards the middle of next week.

On Wednesday, March 24, the Magic City will play host to a coming-out party like no other. Coinciding with the start of the Sony Ericsson Open, No. 1 Doubles Team Bob and Mike Bryan, along with Sean and Ana Wolfington, will host a soiree to debut “The TENNiS app.”

Celebrity guests and pro tennis players will be lining the Key Biscayne bridge to get to this island party where Grammy award-winning artist Adriana Lucia will entertain the crowd. The Bryan Brothers are also scheduled for a little entertaining of their own, when they showcase their newest single, “Open My Heart,” a tune that was inspired by Andre Agassi and his new book Open.

“Andre is a huge reason why we are playing the game of tennis today,” Mike Bryan commented on a website promoting the event. “We admire Andre’s honesty in his book and think there are many lessons to be learned from his amazing journey.”

With all-things-tennis about to take over the streets of Key Biscayne, the timing of the premiere of “The TENNiS App” could not have been better strategized. The cell phone platform includes pro video animation, live news feeds, rankings, photos, and technique tips.

Check in with the Bryan Brothers for more info on the app and what is sure to be one of the hottest events of the Open.

SEAN WOLFINGTON

Luxurious aerial view of the property. Sean Wolfington and Ana Wolfington bought Cher’s former mansion on the island of Key Biscayne.

MIAMI, May 6  — While most of the market has been deeply impacted by the recession there are a few homes that have increased in value since the bubble popped. High-end celebrity-owned real estate sales, whether previously or currently held, are surprisingly strong with prices reflecting a steady increase. “There’s a shortage of trophy properties on the market and we are seeing an increasing number of wealthy foreign buyers from Latin America and Europe looking to capitalize on the weak U.S. dollar,” said Daniel De La Vega, Broker of ONE Sotheby’s Realty.A recent sale suggests that rare waterfront homes increase in value even in a down economy. Cher’s former Miami Mansion, which was purchased back in 2006 by Sean Wolfington, just sold this week for $10.45m – close to $2 million more than its sale price at the peak of the market. This 6 bed, 6 bath home has wide water views and a resort-style back yard and pool. Pictures can be seen at www.510sMashta.com. One-of-a-kind waterfront properties have always held their value and this home’s celebrity cache most definitely helped it stand out in a crowd. “Everyone in Miami knows the home as the ‘Cher House’”, said Jorge Uribe – Senior Vice President at ONE Sotheby’s International Realty, who sold the home to the Wolfingtons in 2006, and recently sold it to the new owners. “The celebrity factor of the house definitely helps, but the nicest properties will always have a demand which makes them partially immune to the recession.”

“The laws of supply and demand will always apply – especially when you are dealing with a unique and exceptional piece of waterfront property. The oldest rule in real estate is Location Location Location and Cher’s former home was built on Mashta Island, just off of Key Biscayne Island,” said Jorge Uribe. “A lot of people told me to lower the price by 20% – 30% because everything was down, but I advised my client to be patient. In the end, the new owners paid a great price for one of the most unique properties in Miami and they will most definitely see similar appreciation that these one-of-a-kind properties always enjoy.”

Despite a slow year in 2009, Uribe has already closed over $35m in luxury real estate this year, so it looks like the Miami Luxury waterfront real estate business has bounced back.

To view pictures of the “Cher House” visit www.510SMashta.com.

To learn more about One Sotheby’s visit www.ONEsothebysrealty.com.

The back yard area included a large pool with a cascading waterfall. There was also as hot tub / spa for relaxation. Sean Wolfington and Ana Wolfington bought Cher’s former mansion on the island of Key Biscayne.

View of back yard pool area, facing the Atlantic Ocean. Sean Wolfington and Ana Wolfington bought Cher’s former mansion on the island of Key Biscayne.

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February 14, 2010 — Sean Wolfington has agreed to serve as Chairman of the Board of VinSolutions, the industry leading automotive “Dealership Marketing System” that helps retailers attract, sell and retain more customers profitably.

“We asked Sean to join our board because of his vision and his unique experience leading some of the most successful marketing and consulting companies in the industry,” said Doug Kinney, CEO of VinSolutions.

Wolfington co-founded and led Cyber Car and Automark (sold to Reynolds and Reynolds in 2001) and BZ Results (sold to ADP in 2006). Wolfington currently owns Tier 10 and Level 5 Marketing and serves on the board of the Lumen Institute.“After I saw the power of their all-in-one system to do everything a dealer needs I had to get involved. Their system reminds me of Apple, because they revolutionized the automotive technology market the way apple revolutionized the mobile market,” said Wolfington.

VinSolutions offers retailers one platform that integrates all of the tools they need to run their business and it integrates with all the main DMS systems including ADP, Reynolds, AutoSoft and Arkona. “I was spending too much to 15 different companies that did not integrate and now I pay 75% less for one system that does it all and more,” said Todd Crossley from Crossley Ford, the #1 Ford retailer in the Kansas City Market. “Now I have one system that does everything from managing my internet marketing to desking and financing in one system that is easy to use.”

“We work tirelessly so we continue to have the best technology in the industry and we invited Sean to join our team because we want to have the best team in the industry,” said Mike Dullea, co-founder and COO.

ABOUT VINSOLUTIONS (www.vinsolutions.com)

VinSolutions has the leading “Dealership Marketing System” that helps retailers attract, sell and retain more customers profitably. Their “all-in-one” sales and service marketing system includes digital marketing, search marketing, online advertising, social media marketing tools, websites, internet lead management, CRM (Customer Relationship Management), Sales force automation, Sales Management and Desking, Appraisal, Finance, Used Vehicle Marketing and Market Pricing, Inventory Management and Distribution, Hand held inventory marketing tools, window stickers, automated video tours, Loyalty Management and Targeted marketing with email, text, direct mail and telemarketing services. The “Dealership Marketing System” has complete mobile integration and is accessible from any mobile phone that has access to the internet including both blackberry’s and iPhones. VinSolutions Dealership Marketing System is installed by their strategic consulting team who specializes in retail strategy and process training for large dealer groups and individual dealerships. VinSolutions is certified by Honda, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Subaru and Audi and integrates with ADP, R&R, AutoSoft and Arkona. Vin also has alliances and integrations with Kelley Blue Book, CarFax, Autodata, RouteOne and DealerTrack.

About Sean Wolfington

Sean Wolfington, Chairman and CEO of The Wolfington Companies, is an entrepreneur with businesses in the marketing, technology, real estate and entertainment industries. Wolfington founded some of the leading automotive marketing and consulting companies in the industry – Automark and Cyber Car (sold to Reynolds and Reynolds in 2001) and BZ Results (sold to ADP in 2006). BZ Results was recognized as the “Innovative Company of the Year” for pioneering digital marketing in the automotive industry and enabling billions of dollars of retail sales over the Internet. At the age of 34 Wolfington was a finalist in Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year Award” which was won by Wayne Huizenga, founder of Blockbuster and Autonation, the previous year.

Wolfington currently owns two leading automotive marketing companies; Tier 10 specializes in working with large dealer groups and Level 5 marketing specializes in working with regional advertising associations. Both organizations help retailers implement results-oriented marketing strategies that increase market share and profitability by building the brand, attracting more hi-quality opportunities, improving sales and service revenues, and increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Wolfington will serve as chairman of the board of VinSolutions, the pioneer of the market leading “Dealership Marketing System” that helps retailers attract, sell and retain more customers profitably.

Media Contact:
Sharon O’Connel
SOconnell(at)L5Digital(dot)com
mobile: 301-437-3644

New York Post
November 27, 2009

Shakira will let her fans help pick a different opening act for each city on her tour next year. The Colombian superstar will allow artists to upload videos of performances to her Web site when the “Opening Act” contest starts. Fans will vote for the finalists, and winners will be chosen by Shakira’s team. Sean Wolfington, her digital-business partner, told us, “The artists will open for Shakira live in big cities and virtually through a video performance in smaller markets. There are a lot of talented artists, and Shakira wants to help them by giving them part of her stage.”

New York Post Article
http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/helping_hand_rx3B01O1mXKWsQh2vhiRQP

By Haute Living

Sean Wolfington, Michael Bay, Matt Damon, Shakira, Donald Trump, Gloria & Emilio Estefan, and many others were recognized in the Haute 100 list which identifies the top 100 most influential leaders.

Sean Wolfington
View Sean Wolfington on Linkedin
View Sean Wolfington on IMDB
Category Entrepreneurs
Company The Wolfington Companies
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute A former top-four finalist for the Earnst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year Award,” he is diversified throughout real estate, technology, and film. His first foray into the movie business, as the financier and producer behind Bella, resulted in a first place finish at the Toronto International Film Festival.

S. Daniel Abraham
Category Billionaires
Company Slim-Fast
Industry Food
What Makes Him Haute He saved American waistlines with the founding of Slim-Fast in 1976 and has since spent his time trying to save the Middle East through his nonprofit, Center for Middle East Peace & Economic Cooperation.

Louis Aguirre
Category Entertainers
Company Deco Drive
Industry Television
What Makes Him Haute Thanks to his position as host of Channel 7’s local entertainment show Deco Drive, Miami-native Aguirre is a familiar face at society events across South Florida. With his creative reporting style, he provides those not-in-the-know with a glimpse at the good life of the other Haute 100ers.

Karim Alibhai
Category Originators
Company Gencom
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute The founder of Gencom Group has since made it a leader in domestic and international real estate. Since 1987, the company has led successful hotel ventures, including a $500 million, three-way merger back in 1997 that resulted in the creation of Wyndham. Gencom owns several Ritz-Carltons across the country, including the stunning hotel and residences on Key Biscayne. He is now preparing for the launch of the exclusive Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand.

Edmund Ansin
Category Billionaires
Company Sunbeam Broadcasting
Industry Media
What Makes Him Haute Heir to his family’s shoemaking fortune, Ansin joined his father in buying a Miami television station for $3.4 million in 1962. Sunbeam operates local Fox affiliate WSVN. His net worth is now measured in billions. His son Andrew runs Sunbeam real estate division, which owns more than 4 million square feet of commercial, industrial space, much of it in Broward County. Ed is a big donor to philanthropic groups such as United Way and Habitat for Humanity.

Micky Arison
Category Billionaires
Company Carnival Corporation, Miami Heat
Industry Cruise
What Makes Him Haute This Carnival Corporation chairman and CEO took control of the Miami Heat in 1995 and guided the franchise to its first NBA championship in 2006.

Adrienne Arsht
Category Philanthropists
Company TotalBank
Industry Banking
What Makes Her Haute She made headlines in 2008 when she pledged $30 million to Miami’s Performing Arts Center, thereby renaming it the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. Her success as the chairman of TotalBank allowed for such a generous, philanthropic gesture.

Michael Bay
Category Entertainers
Company Bay Films
Industry Film
What Makes Him Haute He is one of Hollywood’s most bankable directors, producing action flicks that put him in the limelight and in the black, with ticket sales hitting the $3 billion mark. Bad Boys, Pearl Harbor, and Transformers are among his list of credits. His North Bay Road home in Miami Beach provides a much-needed sanctuary for the director, who is always on the go.

Mehmet Bayraktar
Category Originators
Company Flagstone Group
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute The Turkish mega mogul is planning on transforming the priceless Watson Island into a sophisticated hotel and residence enclave, complete with the region’s first megayacht harbor. The $600 million Island Gardens is set to be one of the largest waterfront developments in the world.

Roy & Lea Black
Category Power Couples
Company Black, Srebnick, Kornspan & Stumpf, P.A.
Industry Law / Philanthropy
What Makes Them Haute He made a name for himself as one of the best criminal defense lawyers in the country, representing superstar athletes, political pundits, and Hollywood celebrities. She is the powerhouse fundraiser for Bay Point Schools, one of Florida’s award-winning boarding schools for at-risk adolescent boys. Together they fight for social justice through their annual charity gala, which has raised more than $10 million for Bay Point Schools and the Consequences Program.

Norman Braman
Category Billionaires
Company Braman Enterprises
Industry Automobile
What Makes Him Haute Former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, this owner of multiple Florida car dealerships made it onto The Forbes 400 in late 2008, in part because of his estimated $1 billion art collection.

Jonathan Breene
Category Entrepreneurs
Company The Setai
Industry Hospitality
What Makes Him Haute When Breene’s Setai opened, it established a while new benchmark for luxury in South Beach with European-style 5-star service and unmatched, inimitable décor.

Nancy Brinker
Category Philanthropists
Company Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Industry Philanthropy
What Makes Her Haute After completing her terms as U.S. ambassador to Hungary and U.S. chief of protocol, the phenom fundraiser is returning to lead the nonprofit that she founded in memory of her sister. Susan G. Komen for the Cure is America’s No. 1 private fundraiser for breast cancer research.

Bob & Paula Brockway
Category Power Couples
Company Bill Ussery Motors
Industry Automobile
What Makes Them Haute She is a philanthropist and 2007 “Woman of Spirit” award winner, and he is the chairman of Bill Ussery Motors in Coral Gables, which is the second-oldest Mercedes-Benz dealership in the nation.

Michael Capponi
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Capponi Group Corporation
Industry Real Estate / Nightlife
What Makes Him Haute While his nightlife ventures may have put him on the map, it’s his other businesses (Capponi Group Luxury Properties, Capponi Building Company, and Capponi Casa) that caught the fickle attention of the luxe-seeking crowd. From revamping Miami Executive Airport to major home renovations—including JR and Loren Ridinger’s Casa Sueños—Michael Capponi is at the center of the city’s entrepreneurial scene.

Cindy Carr
Category Philanthropists
Company Cindy Davis Carr Fund
Industry Philanthropy
What Makes Her Haute Before retiring, Carr helped National Distributing Company grow into one of the largest wine and spirits brands in the country. She then established the Cindy Davis Carr Fund as a nonprofit organization to facilitate long-term growth of her many charitable donations including her support for the Jackson Memorial Foundation, the Children’s Home Society, and the Miami Heart Institute.

Raul Casares
Category Entrepreneurs
Company RC Aluminum Industries
Industry Construction
What Makes Him Haute He not only shelters us from the storms, providing hurricane shutters for Florida homes, but his high-end glass products adorn luxury structures like The W Hotel, Acqualina Resort, American Airlines Arena, and Trump Palace.

Robert & Brenda Castellano
Category Power Couples
Company Choice Therapeutics
Industry Medical
What Makes Them Haute The Easter Seals Florida Derby Day, Fairchild’s Gala in the Garden, Miami Science Museum’s Building the Future Gala, the American Red Cross Ball: there are few major philanthropic events in South Florida that this Palm Beach couple are not involved in. They are also on the board of benefactors for the historical society of Palm Beach. Robert’s Choice Therapeutics developed TheraBond, an antimicrobial barrier system that will help prevent infections in hospital settings through a unique silver ion delivery system that will revolutionize the industry when it launches next month.

Joseph Cayre
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Midtown Equities
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute Cayre created his real estate empire—which includes Miami’s 55-acre Midtown development—the old fashioned way, from the ground up. He began amassing his fortune by selling videos to discount retailers, and is now part of the group of investors that bought the World Trade Center in 2001 and Sears Tower in 2004.

Harvey & Roberta Chaplin
Category Power Couples
Company Southern Wine and Spirits of America
Industry Alcohol
What Makes Them Haute The chairman and CEO of SWS and his wife are extremely active in the local philanthropic scene, and are lifetime benefactors of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Florida.

Myles Chefetz
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Prime 112
Industry Restaurant
What Makes Him Haute Chefetz, a Miami native, can be credited with helping turn South Beach’s South of Fifth neighborhood into the luxury enclave it is known as today. His extremely successful restaurants (Prime 112, Prime Italian, Nemo, Shoji Sushi, Big Pink) provide exclusive stomping grounds for many of the other Haute 100ers.

Ugo & Sara Colombo
Category Power Couples
Company CMC Group / NEST
Industry Real Estate / Fashion
What Makes them Haute He has created some of Miami’s most recognizable structures as the president of CMC Group and the founder of Glasswall, LLC, which specializes in impact-resistant window systems for high-rise properties. He has also joined efforts with Giuseppe Cipriani and Patrinely Group to embark on a luxury condominium hotel in South Beach. When not building high rises, he and his wife give back to the city with charitable donations. Former fashion model Sara also recently opened NEST, a fine home furnishings shop on Lincoln Road.

Sean Combs
Category Entertainers
Company Bad Boy Entertainment Worldwide
Industry Entertainment
What Makes Him Haute The Grammy award-winning artist is almost as well known for his business ventures as for his music. The hip-hop impresario’s Bad Boy Entertainment is an umbrella company that operates Bad Boy Records, Sean Jean clothing line, a movie production company, Ciroc vodka, and two restaurants.

Matt Damon
Category Entertainers
Company LivePlanet
Industry Film
What Makes Him Haute The A-list actor (named “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2007 by People) settled down in Miami Beach with a former bartender from a South Beach hot spot. In addition to being a box-office draw, the Harvard-educated Damon is a liberal activist, philanthropist, and Miami triathlon competitor. He co-founded LivePlanet production company with Ben Affleck in 2000 with the mission to create media that can be enjoyed across a variety of platforms.

Fred DeLuca
Category Billionaires
Company Subway Sandwiches and Salads
Industry Restaurant
What Makes Him Haute As one of the wealthiest Americans and founder of Subway, he led the nation on a craze for $5 footlongs. He opened his first sandwich shop at age 17, and now has more than 30,000 stores in 85 countries. Subway revenues last year alone topped $12.9 billion.

Gil and Michael Dezer
Category Originators
Company Dezer Properties
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Them Haute This father-and-son team has used Dezer Properties to form a monopoly over luxury development, hotel, and commercial spaces in New York, Las Vegas, and Miami by managing more than 1,000 oceanfront hotels. They are currently developing the Trump Grande Ocean Resort & Residence in Sunny Isles Beach.

Mayor Manny Diaz
Category Thinkers
Company City of Miami
Industry Politics
What Makes Him Haute With no prior public office experience, Mayor Diaz led a city overhaul with financial stability, private-sector business approaches, and quality-of-life initiatives for improving the city’s infrastructure, all in a two-term period. His sights are set on raising awareness of his 10-point plan through mayor’s action forums.

Jill Eber and Jill Hertzberg
Category Entrepreneurs
Company The Jills
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Them Haute With record-breaking sales throughout Miami, the Jills represent the region’s most prominent properties—and therefore most prominent individuals.

David Edelstein
Category Entrepreneurs
Company W South Beach
Industry Hospitality
What Makes Him Haute Edelstein is the man behind the highly anticipated W South Beach Hotel & Residences, set to open later this year. The spectacular property is on track to trump all those around it, thanks in part to Mr. Chow, the famed New York restaurant that is opening a Miami outpost at the W.

Gloria & Emilio Estefan
Category Power Couples
Company Estefan Enterprises
Industry Entertainment
What Makes Them Haute Recently honored with the Jay Malina Award for their lifetime achievements and notable contributions to the growth of the arts, entertainment, and hospitality industries in Miami-Dade County, the Estefans, in addition to being ridiculously talented crossover artists with decades-long careers, are actively involved in the betterment of our community. Their company, which was founded in Miami Beach in 1986, has grown into a global entertainment empire spanning across numerous industries.

Arthur Falcone
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Falcone Group
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute Falcone sold his private company, Transeastern Homes, to a public entity in 2005 for more than $1 billion. Today, the Falcone Group is a privately held multi-billion dollar entity that specializes in the real estate, telecommunications, and financial industries. He is also involved with the Miami Worldcenter project as well as Philadelphia’s Two Liberty Place.

George Feldenkreis
Category Entrepreneur
Company Perry Ellis International
Industry Fashion
What Makes Him Haute George Feldenkreis, who left Cuba after Castro came into power, founded Perry Ellis International in 1967. He currently serves as chairman and CEO, while his son, Oscar, is president and COO. Feldenkreis is a member of the board of directors of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, a trustee of the Simon Wiesenthal Board, a member of the board of directors of the American Apparel and Footwear Association, and is a trustee of the University of Miami. He is also a director of Federal-Mogul Corporation, an auto part company.

Jim Ferraro
Category Philanthropists
Company The Ferraro Law Firm
Industry Law
What Makes Him Haute Between his local Miami firm and the Cleveland outpost, Ferraro has more than 40,000 asbestos cases, which is the largest inventory of such cases in the U.S. And with good reason—he was also awarded the largest compensatory amount in Florida history for an asbestos case. He is arguably the biggest advocate for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of South Florida, often buying dozens of wishes at the charity dinners.

Ella Fontanals-Cisneros
Category Thinkers
Company Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation
Industry Art
What Makes Her Haute She began collecting Latin American art in the 1970s, and founded CFAF in 2002 with the goal of fostering understanding and appreciation of contemporary artists from Latin America through grants, commissions, exhibitions, and bilingual publications. She is a trustee of MAM, Patrons of the Tate, the Cintas Foundation, the United States Artist, and the International Women’s Forum, and is an active humanitarian and environmentalist.

Bernardo Fort-Brescia
Category Originators
Company Arquitectonica
Industry Architecture
What Makes Him Haute First recognized for his flamboyant contributions to Miami’s skyline (including Marquis and ICON Brickell), he has earned a reputation that has spread throughout the world with designs exhibited in numerous prominent museums throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Patricia & Dr. Phillip Frost
Category Power Couples
Company TEVA Pharmaceuticals
Industry Pharmaceuticals
What Makes Them Haute He is the CEO of IVAX Corporation, which was acquired by TEVA Pharmaceuticals, and she served as chair of the Smithsonian National Board. Both are supporters of the arts and have donated $33 millionto the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami—the largest gift ever made to a university-based music school in the United States.

Russell Galbut
Category Originators
Company Crescent Heights
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute As vice president of industrious and fruitful Crescent Heights, he helped to revive residential properties in South Beach with one-of-a-kind construction. Today Crescent Heights is the nation’s largest residential condominium company with properties across Miami, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and many other cities.

Tessi Garcia
Category Originators
Company Tessi Garcia Interior Design
Industry Interior Design
What Makes Her Haute With more than 25 years in the design business, Andy Garcia’s older sister is one of the most prominent female interior designers in Miami. Her architectural and design firm has won numerous awards, including the Design Excellence Award in 2003, and it also has attained many commercial and institutional clients, such as the Cosmopolitan Towers, The Yacht Club at Portofino, and the Freedom Tower, to name a few.

Barry Gibb
Category Entertainers
Company Bee Gees
Industry Music
What Makes Him Haute The Bee Gees, made up of brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice, were one of the most successful pop groups of all time, creating tunes that defined an era, such as How Deep Is Your Love, Stayin’ Alive, and Night Fever.

Todd Glaser
Category Originators
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute Miami Beach-native Todd Glaser is the man behind some of the region’s most impressive luxury homes, including the former Carl Fisher estate. Glaser’s speed and style have made him the go-to guru for luxury renovations in the region’s most exclusive neighborhoods.

Malcolm Glazer
Category Billionaires
Company First Allied Corporation
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute This tycoon inherited his father’s jewelry business at age 15 and later became the president of the property firm First Allied Corporation, which owns shopping centers in 15 states. Now he owns both the professional soccer team Manchester United and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Goldmans
Category Originators
Company Goldman Properties
Industry Real Estate
What Makes them Haute Tony Goldman came to South Beach to meet a friend for dinner one night in the early 1980s, and the rest, as they say, is history. Goldman Properties set up shop and transformed the Art Deco district into the thriving haven it is today. He also can be credited with the reinvention of Soho, the resurgence of Philadelphia’s Center City, and, with his son Joey, the revival of Miami’s Wynwood art district. Joey’s new restaurant, aptly named Joey’s, is the latest step in Goldman Properties’ formulated plan to transform Wynwood into a thriving live-work-play district. After five years as the associate fashion director for Saks, Jessica joined the family business in 1997 as a principal and managing partner and COO for the hospitality division, overseeing the company’s South Beach hotels.

Rex Hamilton
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Rex Hamilton Corporation
Industry Real Estate/ Fashion
What Makes Him Haute The real estate wizard represents some of the hautest properties throughout South Florida.

Wayne Huizenga
Category Billionaires
Company Miami Dolphins
Industry Sports
What Makes Him Haute He is the only person to build three Fortune 1000 companies, including Blockbuster, and to have owned three professional teams in a single market: the Miami Dolphins, the Florida Marlins, and the Florida Panthers.

Julio Iglesias
Category Entertainers
Company Sony BMG
Industry Entertainment
What Makes Him Haute One of the few Hispanic artists to be honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Grammy award-winning Iglesias also has a place on Calle Ocho’s Walk of Latin Stars. He has sold more than 250 million albums, and has been the recipient of more than 2,600 Platinum and Gold records in his illustrious musical career, a figure that no other singer has ever managed to achieve in the history of music.

Iran Issa-Khan
Category Originators
Company Iran Issa-Khan Gallery
Industry Art
What Makes Her Haute She began her career as a high-flying fashion photographer, consorting with the world’s most rich and famous, and it has been said that the Issa-Khan lens set the visual tone for the 1980s. Today, the Persian photographer’s gallery in the Design District portrays some of her best works, including shots of Nancy Regan at the White House, Paulina Porizkova, Farrah Fawcett, and Paloma Picasso.

Roman Jones
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Opium Group
Industry Nightlife
What Makes Him Haute Opium Group, a joint venture between Jones and Eric and Francis Milon, sets the standard when it comes to nightlife. On any given night, you are sure to find someone from the Haute 100 list frequenting one of Jones’ locales, which include Mansion, SET, Louis Bar-Lounge, Privé Las Vegas, and Opium at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

John Kluge
Category Billionaires
Company Metromedia
Industry Media
What Makes Him Haute Formerly the richest man in America, Kluge started his empire after making millions with Metromedia, a group of independent TV stations. He has investments in restaurants, technology, and telecommunication ventures, which amassed him quite the impressive fortune. He believes in paying it forward, though, and donated $400 million to Columbia University last year, which is the fourth-largest gift ever to an educational institution.

Thomas Kramer
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute Before Thomas Kramer, South Beach was a very different place. His developments (Portofino, Yacht Club, Continuum, Murano, Murano Grande, Icon, Apogee) changed the once-blighted community into a sophisticated world-class destination. Kramer was recently deemed an “Alien of Extraordinary Ability” by the United States government, due to his achievements as an entrepreneur and real estate investor.

Lenny Kravitz
Category Entertainers
Company Kravitz Design
Industry Entertainment
What Makes Him Haute The Grammy-winning crooner also launched his design firm in South Florida with the ever-popular Florida Room at the Delano.

Lennox Lewis
Category Entrepreneurs
Industry Athletics
What Makes Him Haute This Heavyweight Champion not only defeated Evander Holyfield in 1999, but he also KO’d Mike Tyson just three years later to solidify his undisputed reign in the boxing ring. He is also a member of the 100 Black Men of London, which is a non-profit organization created to give back to the community. The Miami Beach resident will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame this June.

Diane & Alan Lieberman
Category Power Couples
Companies South Beach Investment Realty / South Beach Group
Industries Real Estate/Hospitality
What Makes them Haute This real estate duo owns both the South Beach Group, which is a boutique Art Deco-style hotel brand, and SBI Realty, which is recognized as the No. 1 real estate company in Miami Beach and specializes in luxury, waterfront homes and condo-hotels.

George Lindemann
Category Billionaires
Company Southern Union Company
Industry Natural Gas
What Makes Him Haute Since selling a contact lens design company, he is now the CEO of a gas firm that is the nation’s third-largest pipeline owner, after buying pipelines from Enron during bankruptcy.

Peter Loftin
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Casa Casuarina
Industry Hospitality
What Makes Him Haute Loftin bought Versace’s famed mansion on Ocean Drive and turned it into a private play haven for the über rich. While the restaurant is now open to the public, Casa Casuarina remains one of South Beach’s most exclusive locales.

Howard Lorber
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Vector Group, Nathan’s Famous, Prudential Douglas Elliman
Industry Real Estate / Fast Food / Tobacco
What Makes Him Haute In addition to being the chairman and a principal owner of New York real estate powerhouse Prudential Douglas Elliman, other titles held by Lorber read like a New York Times best-seller list. He’s the chairman and CEO of Nathan’s Famous Inc., the fast-food company. He’s president and CEO of the Vector Group Ltd., a publicly held diversified holding company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, which indirectly owns Liggett Group Inc., Vector Tobacco Inc., and New Valley LLC. And he’s the director of United Capital Corp., a real-estate investment and diversified manufacturing company.

Lowenstein Family
Category Originators
Company Lionstone Development
Industry Hospitality
What Makes Them Haute The Lowenstein family of successful entrepreneurs—father Alfredo, mother Diana, and children Diego, Paula, Flavia, and Carla—is behind The Ritz-Carlton South Beach and the newly opened EPIC Hotel and Residences in Brickell. Their impressive art collection is on display throughout their equally impressive properties.

Al and Shareef Malnik
Category Entrepreneurs
Company The Forge
Industry Restaurant
What Makes Him Haute Al, a lawyer-turned-real-estate-mogul, created The Forge, which is the second oldest restaurant in South Florida. After marrying a Saudi princess and leaving his birth name of Mark behind, Shareef laid the groundwork for impressive restaurant ventures, helping his father turn The Forge into the stomping grounds for A-listers from around the globe. The younger Malnik is currently vested in expanding The Forge’s success to international markets, with an outpost of the successful Miami restaurant opening in Dubai’s Ottoman Palace Hotel in spring 2009. Both Malniks are big advocates of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Martin Z. Margulies
Category Thinkers
Company Margulies Collection at the Warehouse
Industry Art
What Makes Him Haute With one of the most impressive collections of contemporary art in the world, Margulies began showcasing his pieces, which run the gamut from contemporary art and vintage photography, to video, sculpture, and instillations, to the public in 1999 in a 45,000-square-foot space in Miami’s Design District.

Dan & Claire Marino
Category Power Couples
Company Dan Marino Foundation
Industry Philanthropy
What Makes Them Haute The most famous Miami Dolphin in history, Marino’s NFL-record career passing totals of 61,361 yards, 8,358 attempts, 4,967 completions, and 420 touchdowns may never be surpassed. Dan and Claire established the Dan Marino Foundation in 1992 to support medical research, treatment, and outreach programs for children with chronic illnesses and developmental disabilities. The Foundation has raised more than $22 million to provide programs and services that have benefited hundreds of thousands of children and their families.

Pedro and David Martin
Category Originators
Company Terra Group
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Them Haute This father-and-son team is the brains behind Terra Group, which specializes in downtown Miami development projects such as 900 Biscayne Bay and Quantum on the Bay. These new locales set a trend of downtown condos on the strip north of The Grand. The two led their company in getting the most bang for its buck with low acquisition prices on the Miami properties.

Keith Menin
Category Originators
Company Sanctuary South Beach
Industry Hospitality
What Makes Him Haute This fourth-generation entrepreneur is home grown, with an eye for the upscale hospitality business. After opening Sanctuary in South Beach in 2005 when he was just 24, Menin has since launched three new hotels: The Raffaello Hotel in Chicago, the Mondrian Hotel in South Beach and another boutique-style, condo-hotel, Sanctuary, on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

Stuart Miller
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Lennar
Industry Construction
What Makes Him Haute Miller, who serves as president and CEO of Lennar Corporation, learned the family business from his father, the company’s founder. Miller joined the ranks after he returned from Harvard and began helping to propel Lennar into one of the largest home construction companies in the country.

Eric & Stacy Milon
Category Power Couples
Company Opium Group
Industry Nightlife
What Makes Them Haute Former model straight out of Paris, Eric is one-third of the genius behind South Beach’s most successful nightlife venues, and his beautiful wife Stacy is a staple at Miami’s hautest events.

Alonzo & Tracy Mourning
Category Power Couples
Company Alonzo Mourning Charities
Industry Philanthropy
What Makes Them Haute She created the Honey Shine Mentoring Program for at-risk girls, while he is a former Miami Heat NBA champion who founded Alonzo Mourning Charities, which has raised more than $6.5 million to assist in the development of children and their families. In March, Alonzo was the first Heat player to have his jersey (No. 33) retired at the American Airlines Arena.

Tom Murphy Jr.
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Coastal Construction Group
Industry Construction
What Makes Him Haute At age 19, Tom became Florida’s youngest-ever licensed general contractor. When he was 21, he co-founded Seaboard Construction, Inc., and, as president, brought the firm to a position on the ENR 400. After buying out his partners, Murphy sold Seaboard in 1989 to one of the largest builders in the world. Along with his brother, Murphy founded Coastal Construction and made it the go-to company for luxury construction throughout South Florida.

Gary Nader
Category Thinkers
Company Gary Nader Fine Art
Industry Art
What Makes Him Haute His gallery rejuvenated the Wynwood art district and has 55,000 square feet of exhibition space, making it the largest in the world. The gallery provides solo and group exhibits, catalogues, and expert services for private clients and museums that focus on the sale of a vast collection of contemporary Latin American art.

Chad Oppenheim
Category Originators
Company Oppenheim Architecture + Design
Industry Architecture
What Makes Him Haute In the eight years since its inception, Oppenheim’s firm has accumulated more than $6 billion in project work and has won more than 14 American Institute of Architects awards.

Don Peebles
Category Originators
Company The Peebles Corporation
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute Peebles is the owner of the largest African American development corporation in the United States. His $4 billion portfolio includes projects in Miami Beach, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas, and major news outlets rely on him as an expert source.

Jorge Perez
Category Originators
Company Related Group
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute Since its inception, Perez’s Related Group has built more than 55,000 apartments and condos, and currently leads South Florida as the top multi-family developer. Related Group reigns as the U.S.’s largest Hispanic-owned business, a fact that landed Perez on Time’s list of the top 25 most influential Hispanics in the United States. His recently-opened ICON Brickell is making national headlines, thanks to its sleek designs and unmatched locale.

Mike & Alicia Piazza
Category Power Couples
Company Piazza Auto Group
Industry Automobile
What Makes Them Haute Former Mets star and the best-hitting catcher of all time Mike Piazza and his wife Alicia are staples on South Florida’s scene, and are actively involved in the betterment of their South of Fifth community. While he retired from MLB in 2008, Piazza now owns a series of auto dealerships in the Philadelphia area.

Jerry, Sandi, & Jacquelynn Powers
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Power Play
Industry Media
What Makes Them Haute Jerry founded Ocean Drive in 1991 and turned it into one of the most successful regional publications in the country. He sold the publication to Greenspun Media Group in 2007 for $30 million, and stayed on as publisher. He recently resigned from the magazine, as did his wife Sandi, who operated as the fashion director, and daughter Jacquelynn, a staff writer. He immediately announced plans to start a new company called Power Play.

Brett Ratner
Category Originators
Company HSI Productions
Industry Film
What Makes Him Haute His blockbuster Hollywood films may have grossed more than a billion dollars worldwide, but Rater never forgets his Miami Beach roots, which can be traced back to The Forge where he worked in his youth as a promoter, earning $500 per week.

JR & Loren Ridinger
Category Power Couples
Company Market America
Industry Internet Shopping
What Makes Them Haute JR and Loren are the founders of Market America, a direct sales company with UnFranchise owners taking charge of their futures throughout North America, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Australia. The Ridingers have created an Internet marketing phenomenon that soon will be a billion dollar corporation with more than three million customers. Loren is a fashion icon, and her style (as well as her blog, myfashioncents.com), garnered the attention of Vogue, who named her one of the top 100 women in the U.S.

Pat Riley
Category Thinkers
Company Miami Heat
Industry Basketball
What Makes Him Haute Now in his 12th year as president and head coach of the Miami Heat, Riley led the team to its first NBA championship in 2006. Riley’s NBA career spans 38 years as a player, assistant coach, head coach, administrator, and broadcaster, and he has produced seven NBA championships.

Terence Riley
Category Thinkers
Company Miami Art Museum
Industry Art
What Makes Him Haute Riley served as the chief curator for New York’s Museum of Modern Art for more than a decade before being lured to Miami in 2006 by the MAM. Riley launched an ambitious permanent collection strategy while spearheading the museum’s fundraising program, and overseeing the planning and development of a new state-of-the-art Museum Park facility and sculpture garden on Biscayne Bay.

Craig Robbins
Category Originators
Company Dacra Development
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute South Beach, Lincoln Road, Española Way, and, most importantly, the Design District can all credit this innovate visionary for their transformative rebirth.

Marc Roberts
Category Originators
Company Miami Worldcenter
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute Roberts’ sports management company, Worldwide Entertainment and Sports, was the first to go public through an IPO. Today, he is working on the 30-acre Miami Worldcenter project, which aims to transform downtown into a live-work-play environment with retail, restaurant, entertainment, hotel, residential, and commercial components.

Stephen Ross
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Related
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute This Miami native realized the ultimate Dolphins fan’s dream when he purchased 50 percent of the NFL team, as well as Dolphins Stadium, in 2008-09. His success as an international real estate developer afforded him the bank for the multi-million dollar investment.

The Rubell Family
Category Thinkers
Company Rubell Family Collection
Industry Art
What Makes Them Haute The Rubell Family Collection, housed in a 45,000-square-foot warehouse in the Wynwood art district, is one of the leading collections of contemporary art in the world. Started in 1964 by Don and his wife Mera, the collecting group expanded when their children Jason and Jennifer joined in buying and collecting art. Recently Jason’s wife Michelle became a part of the collecting team. The museum features 27 galleries, a research library with more than 30,000 volumes, a film and lecture theater, a new media room, a bookstore, a gift shop, and a sculpture garden.

Mitchell Rubinson
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Integrated Equities, Inc.
Industry Investment
What Makes Him Haute Rubinson has a hand in the founding of a number of national companies, including Cache, Noise Cancellation Technology, Capital Brands (renamed ComScript), Armor Inspection Services, Drill Publishing LLC, and more. For almost 10 years, Rubinson was chairman of the board of International Fast Food Corporation, the exclusive developer and franchisee of Burger King Corporation and Domino’s Pizza for the Republic of Poland. He also has a number of real estate holdings and is involved with the Opium Group.

Paulina Rubio
Category Entertainers
Company EMI / Universal Music
Industry Music
What Makes Her Haute Known as the Queen of Latin Pop, Rubio is one of the most prominent crossover artists to come out of Mexico. She has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, and her songs are often No. 1 on the Latin Billboard charts.

Alejandro Sanz
Category Entertainers
Company Warner Music
Industry Entertainment
What Makes Him Haute Singing his way into music history, the Spanish Sanz is a global sensation, winning a record number of Grammy awards and the adoration of American and international audiences.

Warren Sapp
Category Entertainers
Industry Football
What Makes Him Haute The “QB Killa” was one of the most dominant forces in NFL history. He spent three years at UM, forgoing his senior year in favor of the NFL draft. Since retiring from the professional football, he has returned to Miami, which he now calls home. Along with dance partner Kym Johnson, Sapp placed second on the 2008 season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, and he also appears as an analyst on Showtimes’ Inside the NFL.

Stephanie Sayfie-Aagaard
Category Philanthropists
Company The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Industry Philanthropy
What Makes Her Haute The epitome of a South Florida socialite, Sayfie-Aagaard is absolutely driven in her quest to raise money for various causes, especially at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and The Buoniconti Fund, the world’s largest, most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center.

Lee Schrager
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Southern Wine & Spirits
Industry Alcohol
What Makes Him Haute In a recent profile, the New York Times wrote that “no one has ever done what Mr. Schrager does in the food world.” The director of media and special events at Southern Wine & Spirits is responsible for the creation of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which brings the most celebrated names from the world’s finest culinary institutions and revered wineries to the sands of Miami Beach for one weekend each February. Building on the festival’s extreme success, a New York event debuted in 2008.

Frances Aldrich Sevilla-Sacasa
Category Entrepreneurs
Company U.S. Trust
Industry Banking
What Makes Her Haute She dons a business suit during the day in her role as the president of U.S. Trust, and a gala gown at night to support the Miami City Ballet, for which she serves as vice president and board member.

Shakira
Category Entertainers
Company Pies Descalsos Foundation
Industry Music
What Makes Her Haute This seductive songstress (and Latin Grammy winner) is one of the most prominent crossover artists, and her songs, whether sung in Spanish or in English, are often racing up the charts. Her non-profit organization, Pies Descalsos (which means “barefoot” in English0, is aimed at helping Colombian children that have been the victims of violence.

Eric Sheppard
Category Originators
Company WSG Development Company
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute The self-made mega mogul grew up a few blocks away from the site of his latest project, Canyon Ranch Living, which is located at the historic Carillon Hotel. Sheppard said that he wasn’t even able to afford the valet parking at the former hot spot while he was growing up, and now he owns the updated hotel and the two new residential towers flanking it, as well as the site across the street. This says nothing of the other impressive properties and major projects Sheppard has under his belt in Miami and around the country.

Alina & Anthony Shriver
Category Power Couples
Company Best Buddies International
Industry Philanthropy
What Makes Them Haute In 1989, when he was still in college, Anthony Kennedy Shriver founded Best Buddies International to foster relationships between those with intellectual disabilities and those without. His Cuban-born wife serves as the company’s vice president.

Jeff Soffer
Category Originators
Company Turnberry & Associates
Industry Real Estate/Hospitality
What Makes Him Haute When debuting the $500 million makeover of his world-renowned Fontainebleau, Soffer descended the famous “stairs to nowhere” into hotel’s the lobby (which was packed with everyone who is anyone in Miami) flanked by a bevy of Victoria’s Secret Angels. If that doesn’t make him haute, we don’t know what would…

Don Soffer
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Turnberry & Associates
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute Soffer opened his first retail shopping mall with his father he was 24 years old. He then came down to South Florida and purchased almost 1,000 acres of marshland in northern Dade County in 1967, filled the area, and created what is today called Aventura, a planned community. Aventura is now a haven of activity, with golf courses, lakes, bike and exercise paths, exclusive condominiums, hotels, shopping centers, office buildings, and more.

Donald Trump
Category Originators
Company The Trump Organization
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute Trump purchased Mar-A-Lago and used the immense palace as his personal home for a number of years before turning it into one of the country’s most exclusive private clubs. He also has impressive condo and hotel projects underway in Ft. Lauderdale and Sunny Isles.

Dwayne Wade
Category Entertainers
Company Miami Heat
Industry Basketball
What Makes Him Haute Selected fifth overall in the 2003 NBA draft, Wade continues to wow the crowds with his athletic prowess. Equally impressive off the court, he has earned respect for his strong moral convictions and community involvement in helping at-risk youth.

Norm Wedderburn
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Make-A-Wish
Industry Philanthropy
What Makes Him Haute A philanthropic leader in high society, his annual Make-A-Wish Ball generates more dollars and headlines each consecutive year with its “who’s who” guest list of affluent South Florida VIPs.

Pharrell Williams
Category Entertainers
Company Virgin, Star Trak, Interscope
Industry Music
What Makes Him Haute This American music super producer, singer-songwriter, and rapper-turned-fashion designer has won three Grammys and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. Miami became his adopted home when he purchased Ugo Colombo’s penthouse in Brickell.

Michael and Bobby Yampolsky
Category Entrepreneurs
Company East Coast Jewelry
Industry Jewelry
What Makes Him Haute The father-son duo is the No. 1 retailer for Audemars Piguet and Hublot in America. Bobby made Palm Beach history by becoming the youngest storeowner on Worth Avenue at age 19. Today, their 20-plus year reputation in the industry means that East Coast Jewelry is the go-to for gold (and exquisite and rare timepieces) for luxury-lovers in the know. The Yampolskys also give generously to a number of Jewish causes.

Engin Yesil
Category Entrepreneurs
Company Core Development Holdings Corp.
Industry Real Estate
What Makes Him Haute After making his fortune by innovating the eyewear industry through a contact company now known as 1-800-CONTACTS, Turkish tycoon Yesil launched Iprepay, a pioneer company in delivering store value products such as prepaid wireless airtime, calling cards, bill payment, and more. His real estate holdings company is involved in Trump Istanbul.

Romain Zago & Joanna Krupa
Category Power Couples
Company Mynt
Industry Nightlife
What Makes Them Haute After acting as the VIP director, Zago took over Mynt and the club didn’t miss a beat, continuing to be the go-to locale for lovers of luxurious nightlife in a sophisticated setting. His supermodel fiancé graces the covers of magazines, making this couple the reigning king and queen of Miami’s haute crowd. She is also actively involved in PETA.

Sanford Ziff
Category Philanthropists
Company Sunglass Hut
Industry Philanthropy
What Makes Him Haute The founder of Sunglass Hut International is one of the region’s most active philanthropists, evidenced by the Sanford L. Ziff Jewish Museum of Florida on Miami Beach.

Haute Living Links:

SEAN WOLFINGTON

http://www.hauteliving.com/2010/06/haute-100-miami-update-sean-wolfington/

http://www.hauteliving.com/2010/06/serial-entrepreneur/

View Sean Wolfington on Linkedin

View Sean Wolfington on IMDB

By Aaron Glickman
SocialMiami.com

Eduardo Verastegui (actor), Tony Bennett (15 Grammys), Alejandro Sanz, (17 Grammys, most of any Spanish musician) and Sean Wolfington (financier + producer) gathered at Bella's NY party to celebrate Bella becoming the #1 Rated Film of 2007 by RottenTomatoes, the biggest film review site in the world. Bella was also #1 rated movie by Yahoo, Fandango and the New York Times Readers' Poll while in theaters. Alejandro Sanz made a song for the film and Tony Bennett presented the "Tony Bennett Media Excellence Award" to the filmmakers.

Miami is the “Gateway to Latin America,” so it is not surprising that the Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) has grown into a premier event for Latin-inspired works. One such film that is sure to make a splash at this year’s festival is Bella, a heartwarming story about life, relationships and our capacity for love in the face of the unexpected.

Bella, which was financed and produced by Key Biscayne’s Sean Wolfington, marks the directorial debut of Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Monteverde, and has already won the Toronto International Film Festival. MIFF marks the film’s East Coast premiere.

SocialMiami had lunch with Wolfington at the Ritz on Key Biscayne and later joined him at his home where we were met by the film’s leading actor, Mexican superstar Eduardo Verastegui.

Bella is Wolfington’s entrée into the film business, and the fast start echoes previous business success. By age 34 Wolfington had started two companies from scratch and sold them for more than $300 million. He was recognized by Ernst & Young as a top four finalist in their annual ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award, which was won by Wayne Huizenga the previous year. Now at age 35 Wolfington intends to use his technology background to participate in opportunities the internet is generating in film and television. He is creating two media companies – The One Media and Metanoia Films. But for now, Wolfington’s attention is on MIFF.

Sean Wolfington celebrates the NY Giants' Superbowl victory on the field with NFL Hall of Famer Frank Gifford

Producer of Today Show Hoda Kobb, Eduardo Verastegui , Kathie Lee Gifford, Tony Bennett, Susan Bennett and Sean Wolfington

“Following our success at Toronto,” said Wolfington, “we already have three offers on the table. So landing a distribution deal is not our goal at MIFF. Rather, we want to expose Bella to Miami’s Latin community. It’s a romantic drama about a relationship between an American girl and a Mexican guy that goes much deeper than romance. But what Latinos appreciate the most is how we portray the Latin male. We work against the negative stereotypes – drug dealer, criminal, Don Juan, etc – and show an everyday hero, an honest, hard working man who is willing to give his life for family and friends. We’re also taken into his family and see the Latin culture with all its warmth, family values and rich flavor. Latino leaders are promoting the film because it reveals a beautiful side of the Hispanic culture that is not typically seen in films.

Dennis Hopper, Eduardo Verastegui and Sean Wolfington

Another fascinating aspect contributing to the buzz around Bella is the praise received from the President of the United States. “The Director of Immigration gave the ‘American by Choice’ award to our director Alejandro Monteverde at the White House along with Mayor Diaz from Miami,” said Wolfington. “The award is given by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to immigrants who become citizens and have a positive impact on the country. In addition, Alejandro was invited as a guest of first lady Laura Bush to the State of the Union address. In all honesty, attention like this is humbling and the entire team is honored by the praise.”

After lunch and a quick golf cart ride, we arrived at Wolfington’s ocean front estate. The three-story modern residence was once the home of rock-icon Cher and now home to Wolfington, his wife and four children, and the occasional in vogue visitor like Bella’s lead actor, Eduardo Verastegui. Also visiting was fellow Key Biscayne resident, John Devaney.

Verastegui has a great fondness for Miami. Not only is Miami the city that gave him his professional start in the States – Verastegui recorded a solo music album in Miami after a successful career in Mexican telenovelas – but it’s a city that has a complete mix of all Latin culture. “Miami is the capital of Latin American,” he said. “There are around 19 countries where Spanish is the native language, and they are all represented in Miami. In Mexico, all of my friends are Mexican, but here I have friends from Guatemala, Cuba, Argentina. In no other city is this possible.”

But Verastegui is quick to point out that Bella should not be categorized simply as a Latin film. “Bella transcends culture,” he explained, “which is why it won in Toronto where there are few, if any, Latinos. It is Latin-inspired, but the message is universal. Yet Latinos will like the film because of the positive way in which we portray our culture. Latinos are hungry to see Spanish people portrayed in a positive light, and that’s what we have done with Bella.”

The Smithsonian Latino Center honored Bella with the Legacy Award in a private screening hosted by former governor Jeb and his wife Columba Bush at The Gusman Center for the Performing Arts. This poignant movie presents a universal story of friendship, family, struggle and triumph in the face of the unexpected.

Bella has already received numerous honors, including the prestigious “People’s Choice Award” at the Toronto International Film Festival, a distinction that puts it in the company of such Oscar-winning films as Chariots of Fire, American Beauty, Life is Beautiful, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hotel Rwanda. “Something bigger than any of us expected happened with this film and we could not be more excited,” said financier and producer Sean Wolfington who bet on Monteverde as a first-time director.

The making of Bella, with Producer/Financier Sean Wolfington, Writer/Director Alejandro Monteverde, Actor/Producer Eduardo Verastegui, and Actor Ali Landry.

Tony Bennett is one of the most celebrated music artists of our lifetime, and great supporter of the film Bella. During his decades-long career he has won numerous awards, including multiple Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is also an accomplished painter and supporter of fine arts.

Alejandro Sanz is an award winning, Spanish pop/ballad musician and singer-songwriter. Sanz is the recipient of 14 Latin Grammy Awards and two Grammy Awards. He became worldwide known in 2005 after his collaboration with Colombian singer Shakira for her hit La Tortura.

“The single partner that was the most responsible for our record year was Tier 10 Marketing.” -Brian Benstock of Paragon Honda

The most successful dealers implement well planned marketing strategies that promote all of their profit centers with integrated campaigns delivered through multiple tiers of marketing. The challenge is that most dealers have to work with an ad agency and many partners to execute a multi-tier strategy, but none of their vendors work together so the campaigns are not integrated.

“Our in-house agency handles our traditional advertising, but we had 8 different companies implementing the other parts of our marketing plan,” said Brian Benstock from Paragon Honda/Acura, this year’s Dealer of the Year. “It was confusing for my customers and my team because my TV and radio commercial had one message, direct mail had another, my Internet manager was sending sporadic emails with completely different offers and none of the above was mentioned on my website or social media sites even though over 80% of my sales originate online,” added Benstock. “We hired Tier 10 to handle it all so we could have one relationship, one strategy that was completely connected.”

Tier 10 is a holistic marketing company that delivers a comprehensive marketing plan that integrates all 10 tiers of marketing including, market research, traditional advertising, digital marketing, targeted direct mail, publicity, reputation management, niche marketing, in-store merchandising, and sales and service retention. “Their campaigns have the same messaging and look through all tiers,” said Benstock.

The owners of Tier 10, David Boice and Sean Wolfington, founded some of the most successful digital marketing and consulting companies in the industry, Automark and Cyber Car (sold to Reynolds and Reynolds in 2001) and BZ Results (sold to ADP in 2006). Their new venture, Tier 10, delivers all 10 tiers of marketing under one roof. One of the most complicated and important tiers, digital marketing, is a particular strong suit for these founders, who are amongst the digital pioneers who helped dealers migrate online over the last 15 years. “We have some clients who only work with our digital team, others work with our targeted marketing team, but most are 360 degree clients that we do everything for,” said Boice.

Tier 10 received a lot of national attention due to the success of their Cash for Clunkers Strategy. Since every ad agency in the country had the same opportunity to market the same program to the same consumers, many dealers have used Cash for Clunkers to evaluate how their agency stacked up against the competition.

Tier 10 implemented a multi-dimensional marketing strategy that included a national website (www.CashForClunkersInformation.org), online marketing, and a publicity campaign that educated consumers about the program before the legislation was signed into law. Customers qualified themselves on the website with their “Clunker Calculator” and were connected with a dealer. Celebrity spokespeople promoted the site on all the top networks, generating so much traffic that the site crashed on 4 different occasions and generated over 50,000 leads nationally. Large organizations like Rick Case (6000 leads), Paragon (5000 leads) and Penske (3500 leads) had to use Tier 10’s call center to respond to the overwhelming lead volume. Tier 10 also implemented a local campaign for their dealers that included a regional website, online marketing, traditional ads, publicity, direct mail campaign to the “Clunker List,” and in-store merchandising (view campaign plan and creative at www.ClunkerCampaign.com).

“They promoted www.CashForClunkersNY.com, a regional website they built for our dealership that generated 1000 leads in the first week,” said Benstock. As a result of the strategy, Paragon sold more clunker vehicles than any other single point Honda dealer in the country. “Dealers in my Honda Association asked to use our campaign, and I agreed.”

Level 5 Helps Regional Ad Association Double Market Share Over Competition

The New York Honda Association worked with Level 5 on their Cash for Clunkers marketing strategy, a marketing company owned by Boice and Wolfington that specializes in helping regional advertising associations. “We created Level 5 to work exclusively with associations,” said Boice. The regional campaign included a website, online marketing, publicity, direct mail to the Clunker List and in-store merchandising. The regional website that Level 5 built, www.NYCarsProgram.com, included a 3D tour of the 11 Honda vehicles that qualified and connected consumers to one of the 17 retailers that were closest to their zip code (view campaign creative at www.TheHondaCampaign.com).

The NY Honda Association doubled their market share, over that of Toyota’s, during the clunker campaign. After Clunkers abruptly ended, Tier 10 helped their dealers maintain the momentum by creating a privately funded national program called the Auto Stimulus Plan (www.AutoStimulusPlan.com), where consumers could get up to $4,500 of additional trade-in value toward the purchase of a newer, more fuel-efficient vehicle. The national program’s success was covered by the New York Times, Associated Press, Yahoo and many major networks. Tier 10 and Level 5 were subsequently recognized in Automotive News, Wards and Auto Success for their winning strategy and they emerged as the clear winner amongst marketing firms in what turned out to be the Super Bowl of marketing for the automotive industry.

Level 5 also works with many non-automotive clients as well, largely in the entertainment industry. They marketed feature films Bella, Blind Side, The Mighty Macs, and they architected the digital marketing strategy for Grammy Award winning music artist Shakira, who is also using them for her upcoming global tour in 2010.

Tier 10 built a proprietary online campaign management system that dealers use to research, plan, build, implement and measure their campaigns. The system generates a market research report that tells dealers exactly where to spend their money to get the best return on investment. The report identifies the ideal prospects that have the highest probability of buying or servicing based on the dealer’s 5 year sales and service history and local cross-sell reports. “Their research report defines exactly where my customers live, what they look like and who is in the market this month, they have it down to a science,” said Benstock.

The company’s leadership team comes from ad agencies like Zimmerman and in-house ad agencies of large dealer groups like Koons Automotive. The team has worked with 12 manufacturers, 75 of the top 100 dealer groups and over 4,000 dealerships in 18 countries. The company’s offices are in Washington, DC, and Miami, Florida.

Audio excerpt from Kathie Lee Gifford’s new book, “Just When I Thought I Dropped My Last Egg”. Kathie Lee Gifford is a television hostess, singer, actor, noted for her 15-year run (1985–2000) on the talk show “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee”, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin. She has received 11 Emmy nominations.

Sean Wolfington
CEO of BZ Results
Winner of Innovative Company of the Year and finalist of Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneurs of the Year Award

Announcing the Winners

Delivering the most innovative products and services for helping their clients generate measurable increases in profit while growing their own business and achieving excellent client satisfaction has earned SAP and BZ Results recognition as this year’s “Innovative Company of the Year.”

Under Wolfington’s leadership, BZ Results generated billions of dollars in automotive sales worldwide and they have organically grown 6,000% into an enterprise value of $125 million in only three years.

This award is reserved for the pioneers of the industry who innovate above the crowd and transform business through their innovations,” said Pat Luck, publisher of AutoSuccess. SAP is the world’s largest enterprise software company and the world’s third largest software provider. In the automotive industry, they work with 17 OEMs and 39 suppliers. BZ Results pioneered the use of technology and Internet marketing in the automotive industry and they currently work with nine of the top 10 “Internet Dealers of the Year.”

Wayne Huizenga
Founder of Blockbuster and Autonation and winner of last year’s Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Innovative Companies Need Innovative Leaders

Innovative companies always have innovative leaders who cast the right vision and lead the right people with the right strategy to success. Recently, SAP’s President and CEO, Bill McDermott and BZ’s CEO Sean Wolfington were named as finalists in Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year program. Ernst & Young created the annual Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award program in the United States in 1986 to recognize the most successful and innovative entrepreneurs in the world. Many of the Entrepreneur of The Year winners have become household names: Amazon.com, Southwest Airlines, and Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Wayne Huizenga, the founder of Blockbuster & Autonation, was last year’s winner.

Wolfington and McDermott were recognized among four finalists for being among the most successful entrepreneurs in technology today. “Few companies have the passion and perseverance to turn a bright idea into a brilliant business like the men and women recognized by the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® program,” explains Ernst & Young. For 19 years Entrepreneur Of The Year has shone a spotlight on the entrepreneurs who, through their vision and vigor, have created enterprises that blaze trails for others to follow. Both companies experienced dramatic growth while casting a new vision, developing new products and services and creating extraordinary growth for their customer partners. In the automotive industry SAP is the clear leader for providing enterprise application software products for suppliers and manufacturers. BZ is the clear leader for providing technology and Internet marketing solutions to improve dealers’ sales and service profits. Both companies have enjoyed 10 quarters of dramatic growth because they have a customer-centric approach aimed at generating value and creating a measurable ROI for their partners.

Sean Wolfington was the Chairman and CEO of BZ Results. In this position Wolfington was responsible for all of BZ’s business operations around the world. Under Wolfington’s leadership, BZ Results generated billions of dollars in automotive sales worldwide and they have organically grown 6,000% into an enterprise value of $125 million in only three years. In March 2006 Wolfington sold BZ Results to ADP, a $10 billion enterprise software and payroll company. Before BZResults, Wolfington co-founded Cyber Car in 1999 and led the acquisition of Automark, which was later sold for an enterprise value of US $200 million to the Reynolds & Reynolds Company. By the age of 34, Wolfington built and sold two technology companies for a combined value of almost $400 million. During his career, Wolfington revolutionized how manufacturers and retailers leverage technology and the Internet to improve their profits. Wolfington also owns two real estate investment companies, a media company called The One Media and a film production company called Metanoia Films, which recently produced their first film, “Bella.” “Bella” took the top prize at the world’s most prestigious festival, The Toronto International Film Festival. Winning Toronto is often an indicator of future Oscar nominations, with past recipients including best picture Oscar winners and classics “Chariots of Fire,” “American Beauty,” “Life is Beautiful,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Hotel Rwanda.” If Wolfington pioneers the use of technology and the Internet in these industries as he did in the automotive industry, he will be very successful.

William “Bill” R. McDermott
CEO and President of SAP America, Inc.

William “Bill” R. McDermott is the Chief Executive Officer and President for SAP America, Inc. In this position, McDermott is responsible for all of SAP’s business activities in the United States and Canada and managing the region’s more than 4,000 employees. Prior to joining SAP, McDermott served as the Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales Operations, of Siebel Systems, an organization responsible for supporting customers in 37 countries, where he led global sales and field operations. McDermott also spent 17 years with Xerox Corporation, where he became the youngest division president and corporate officer. He also served on the board of directors for two company subsidiaries. In 1997, through his leadership, McDermott’s division received the Baldrige Award, presented annually by the President of the United States to businesses judged to be outstanding in several areas. In April 2006, McDermott received the Merit Award from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. The award is presented to alumni whose professional leadership and accomplishments have distinguished their alma mater. In June 2005, McDermott was selected to Treasury & Risk Management’s 100 Most Influential People in Finance.

http://issuu.com/seanwolfington/docs/innovativecompanyoftheyear_sean_wolfington

Bella was the #1 highest grossing film of 2007 in its category and it was the #1 rated film by NY Times Readers Poll, Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes and Yahoo when it was in theaters. The film won RottenTomatoes “Golden Tomato” in 2007 for having the highest fan rated film of the year. Below are some of the reviews from the top film outlets in the world.

NEW YORK TIMES WEBSITE:
“A man whose life is about to be changed forever discovers that sometimes it takes losing it all to finally appreciate the things that truly matter in director Alejandro Monteverde’s emotional tale of self discovery.”
- Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide.

CHICAGO SUN TIMES:
“an emotional experience for a stunning exhibition of cinema art that unexpectedly won a Toronto International Film Festival award.”
-Robert Novak

REUTERS:
TORONTO – Bella, a romantic drama by Mexican director Alejandro Monteverde, was the surprise winner of the top award at the Toronto Film Festival on Saturday….. The prize is often an indicator of future Academy Award nominations, with past recipients including best picture winners “American Beauty” and “Chariots of Fire.” Last year’s winner, “Tsotsi,” won an Oscar for best foreign-language film. “I really hope that this is not a dream and that I don’t wake up at film school,” a visibly surprised Monteverde said at an awards ceremony. “This festival is my first festival, it’s my first film. it’s my first everything.”

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER:
Bella Wins
TORONTO – A trio of Mexicans triumphed at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday when their U.S. independent drama Bella captured the People’s Choice Award, voted on by festival audiences…. “These Mexican guys go to America and beat the American independents at their game — it’s impressive,” Toronto festival co-director Noah Cowan said after an awards luncheon.

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER:
The Story Behind Bella Winning in Toronto can be the first step on the road to Oscar and Golden Globes success. Bella could wind up following in the footsteps of such past Toronto winners as: “American Beauty,” which won five Oscars in 2000, including best picture and director, and three Globes, including best picture and director; “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which won four Oscars in 2001, including best foreign language film, was a best picture Oscar nominee and won two Globes, including best director for Ang Lee.

ABC NEWS:
A romantic drama….Mexican director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde’s Bella tells the story of two people whose lives converge and turn upside down on a single day in New York. It has won the People’s Choice Award, which is often an indicator of future Academy Award nominations.

FOX NEWS:
I am very pleased that the Toronto Film Festival chose Bella to win their top audience award over the weekend…. It’s incredibly charming, with terrific performances by Tammy Blanchard and Mexican star Eduardo Verástegui and Manny Perez. It’s directed by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde. It’s too easy to say this is the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” of this season, because Bella is far more complex and sophisticated while losing none of the humor. Whoever decides to release Bella will have a nice little hit on their hands. The freshness and lack of affectation in Bella must have appealed to audiences who had to endure a number of big-name films that seemed contrived, stale or calculated.

InCONTENTION.com:
Bella marks the debut feature of Alejandro Gomez Monteverde, a truly humble man in awe of the fact that he’s actually made it here. It’s better to know as little as possible about this film before going into it but let me tell you that it feels both sincere and loving. It’s great to see a film that legitimately moves the viewer without being drowned in sap. And it does this in just 90 minutes. If it comes your way, see it. You won’t regret it.