Rosen, president and COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, is the 2019 recipient of the James B. Greene Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Partnership to a local community leader.
Orlando, Fla. – The Orlando Economic Partnership (the Partnership) will host its 2019 Annual Dinner featuring the James B. Greene and Schwartz Innovation Awards on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando. These awards honor those who have made the greatest impact on the economy and community through innovation and service to the Orlando region.
Harris Rosen, president and COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, is the 2019 recipient of the James B. Greene Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Partnership to a local community leader. The James B. Greene Award, first presented in 1990, recognizes an individual whose work has contributed substantially to the economic prosperity of the region.
“Harris Rosen has been a true leader in our Central Florida community for decades,” said William T. Dymond, Jr., Partnership board chair, CEO and president of Lowndes and past James B. Greene recipient. “His dedication to the Orlando region and its residents is evidenced by a legacy of philanthropic impact that spans the educational spectrum, from the Tangelo Park Program offering access to free preschool to the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, which has grown into the largest college of its type in the nation.”
Rosen began his career at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City as a file clerk in human resources and worked his way through the ranks of the hospitality industry before joining the Walt Disney Company. In 1974, Rosen bought the Quality Inn International near Sand Lake Road and International Drive. Since that first purchase, he has become Florida’s largest independent hotelier with more than 4,000 employees currently.
In order to provide a specialized education in hospitality, he opened the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida, which now ranks No. 2 among hospitality colleges worldwide and is one of the fastest growing colleges in the United States, with more than 3,500 students enrolled annually. Rosen is also a champion for achievement through education and has demonstrated this through his commitment to provide free pre-school in the underserved Orlando community of Tangelo Park. Additionally, all students who graduate from high school in this community and plan to attend college or a trade school receive an all-expense paid college, vocational and technical education including books, tuition and room and board – all paid for by Rosen. He has now extended this same plan to the Parramore neighborhood.
FINFROCK, a vertically integrated, single-source design-builder, which allows owners to buy a building as a product rather than a series of services, will receive this year’s Schwartz Innovation Award for its breakthroughs in technology solutions that increase efficiency, productivity and profitability of precast/prestressed concrete manufacturers. The company developed the DualDeck® building system and in bringing the system to market created a 3D modeling and product tracking software and implemented laser technology for greater dimensional accuracy and improved productivity.
FINFROCK is one of the Orlando region’s fastest growing companies and largest employers with 800 employees. The company boasts a robust portfolio of commercial buildings in the multifamily residential, student housing, mixed-use, office sectors and is recognized as the largest design-builder of parking structures across the country.
“FINFROCK has been a part of the Orlando community for 75 years,” said Partnership President and CEO Tim Giuliani. “Three generations of the Finfrock family have led the company, continuing a legacy of developing revolutionary new building systems and improved processes that have benefited countless companies and organizations in our region.”
The Annual Award dinner is attended by hundreds of Orlando region business and community leaders. The price for individual Orlando Economic Partnership investors and Orlando Regional Chamber members is $260 or $2,500 for a corporate table. The non-investors/members price is $300 for an individual ticket or $2,900 for a corporate table of 10 (plus tax and service fees). More information is available in the events section of news.orlando.org. For questions or to RSVP, e-mail Events@Orlando.org or call 407.422.7159 ext. 286.
