Executive Board of Directors
Rodney Barreto, Chairman
The Barreto Group
Rodney Barreto is President and CEO of The Barreto Group, Inc. a diversified company specializing in corporate and public affairs consulting as well as real estate investment. Our consulting division is well-positioned to represent a wide array of clients on issues that affect you right here in South Florida.
Mr. Barreto is also the founding partner of Floridian Partners, LLC with offices in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and Tallahassee. Floridian Partners LLC is a strategy management firm that develops and manages effective corporate and public affairs strategies designed to achieve specific business results. Recognized by policy makers as one of the top public affairs firms in Florida, our team has achieved measurable results for dozens of companies based in Florida and throughout the United States. From Fortune 500 companies, to small businesses, to professional sports franchises, our firm develops winning strategies.
The Barreto Group's real-estate division handles land acquisition, zoning and development. The Barreto Group has deep roots in our community and a history of proven performance on behalf of our clients and business partners. Our firm has a reputation for effective results, and is uniquely qualified to buy, hold or sell property in agreements, and on schedules, that benefit the community and maximize returns to our partners.
Floridian Petroleum Developers was established by Mr. Barreto in 2007 and has since identified, purchased and is developing more than a dozen gas station sites throughout Florida. We have partnered with industry experts to specialize in creating and refurbishing sites into state of the art gasoline stations and convenience stores.
Rodney Barreto grew up in South Florida and is proud to give back to the community he loves. He's chairman of the 2010 South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee and has also chaired the 2007 South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee. During his tenure, Mr. Barreto helped raise more than $12-million dollars to support Super Bowl XLI, held February 4, 2007 in Sun Life Stadium. During the Super Bowl, Mr. Barreto ensured that South Florida shined in front of the thousands of dignitaries and media who came here for the game. Mr. Barreto's been involved with the Super Bowl for many years. Super Bowl XLVI is the 5th South Florida Super Bowl with which he has been involved.
Mr. Barreto has twice chaired the Annual U.S. Conference of Mayors when it was held in Miami. He's also been Chairman of the 1999 Breeder's Cup Championship held in South Florida and was the Chairman of the 1999 Sister Cities International Convention in Miami. He was co-chairman of the City of Miami Centennial celebration in 1996. Mr. Barreto also created the Big Orange New Year's Eve celebration in Downtown Miami, a Miami tradition that still takes place each New Year's.
The Miami native also finds time to protect wildlife in the Sunshine State. As a youngster, Mr. Barreto fished Biscayne Bay and hunted the Everglades, activities he now enjoys with his wife and children. He's currently serving his second five-year term on the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Mr. Barreto was appointed to that position by Governor Jeb Bush and re-appointed by Governor Charlie Crist. Mr. Barreto is now serving his fifth term as chairman of that Commission having been elected by his fellow commissioners in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Mr. Barreto is a board member for US Century Bank, one of the fastest-growing and best-capitalized community banks in Florida. Locally-owned and headquartered in Miami, the bank was rated one of the top three strongest banks in Florida by theStreet.com, a New York based financial news and analysis company. He currently chairs the CRA and Compensation Committees for the board. Additionally, he is a member of the Florida Council of 100 and sits on the board of the Baptist Hospital Health Foundation. He was state finance co-chair for the gubernatorial campaign of Governor Charlie Crist and is the annual event chairman of the Governor Charlie Crist Fishing Event in Key West.
Mr. Barreto has received numerous awards and accolades, including being presented the key to the County by Mayor Stephen P Clark. In 1999 and 2006, Mr. Barreto was named one of the top 100 most powerful people in South Florida by South Florida CEO. The Latin Builders Association named him "Consultant of the Year" in 2004. In 2005 the Coastal Conservation Association of Florida presented Mr. Barreto with their Conservation Award. He has also received special recognition for his outstanding contributions in the establishment of a Research Natural Area in Dry Tortugas National Park to restore, protect and preserve the park's pristine subtropical ecosystem. In 2005 and 2008, Mr. Barreto was inducted into the Miami Dade College and Immaculata La Salle High School Hall of Fame. In 2009, the Yamaha Contender Miami Billfish Tournament awarded him with the Captain Bob Lewis Perpetual Memorial Award for his conservation efforts.
Prior to his career in public affairs and real estate, Mr. Barreto was a City of Miami police officer. Mr. Barreto earned his Associate of Arts degree from Miami Dade Community College and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional Studies from Barry University. Mr. Barreto is married and lives with his wife Shelia, and two children, Brittney and Bradley in Miami.
Bruce Jay Colan
Holland & Knight
Bruce Jay Colan practices in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate law and sports. His work involves the professional sports (including team acquisitions and sports facility development, management, operation and finance), tour operator, hotel, real estate development, entertainment and other industries. Among other things, Colan led a team of Holland & Knight attorneys in drafting and negotiating development, management, operating and financing agreements for The Miami Heat with Miami-Dade County for the American Airlines Arena. He annually lectures to the students in the University of Miami Law School's graduate real estate program on public/private sports facility partnerships.
Colan is a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, as well as counsel to its Board of Directors. At the Chamber, Colan chairs the Chamber's New World Center (Downtown) Committee, founded and co-chaired the Chamber's Cuba Committee and is co-author of The Trade Impact of A Free Cuba, a publication of the Chamber.
Colan is general counsel to the South Florida Super Bowl XLI Host Committee, a member of the Orange Bowl Committee and Counsel to the Board of Directors of the New World Symphony where he is a member of its Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Colan was also Vice Chair of the Florida Governor's Cuba Commission.
A member of the Business Law and Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Sections of The Florida Bar, Colan served as Chairman of the Corporation Committee. He is also a member of the American Bar Association and the New York Bar. Colan earned his B.S. in finance from Pennsylvania State University, where he was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, and his J.D. from Harvard University.
Nicki E. Grossman
Greater Ft. Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau
Nicki E. Grossman was named president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau in June, 1995. Grossman's responsibilities include the administration of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, the sales, marketing, promotion, advertising, and publicity arm of Broward County's convention and tourism efforts. She oversees a budget of $28 million including the operation of the recently expanded 600,000-square-foot Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.
The hospitality industry is Broward County's largest, employing more that 107,000 and generating more than $8.59 billion in annual revenues by 10.14 million annual visitors. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau is financed by a dedicated "tourist development tax" collected by all hotels, motels and inns in Broward County.
Grossman was elected to the Hollywood, Florida City Commission in 1978. She was elected to the Broward County Commission in 1982, serving twice as that body's chair. She has served at Chair of the Broward Tourist Development Council and is Vice Chair of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee. She is an appointee of Governor Jeb Bush to the Florida Commission on Tourism, where she was elected Vice Chair, and serves on the American Coastal Coalition Board of Directors. Grossman was named by Travel Agent, one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Tourism - as a result of her leadership in the post September 11th, 2001, recovery. In 2005, she was named one of the Top 25 Marketing Minds by the Hospitality Sales and Management Association International.
Nat Moore
During his 13 years as standout member of the Miami Dolphins, Nat Moore broke almost every career receiving record for the team and remained the all-time leading Dolphins receiver until the 1991 season. After playing college ball for University of Florida, he was a third round draft pick for the Dolphins in 1974. Nat played in Super Bowls XVII and XIX, started the 1977 Pro Bowl, and still stands second on the Dolphins all-time career receiving touchdowns list with 74.
He carried his success in football over into his personal life by giving unselfishly of his time to many charitable causes in South Florida, where he grew up and went to Miami Edison High School. Establishing a reputation on and off the field led Nat to be named the 1984 NFL "Man of the Year," an honor bestowed on the player who gives outstanding service to his community, and earned him the 1986 Byron White Humanitarian Award for his service to his team, community and country.
Since retiring from professional football in 1987, Nat has dedicated himself to giving back to the community where he grew up and found tremendous support throughout his career. In 1998, he founded The Nat Moore Foundation as a means to support children-oriented groups that didn't have the necessary platforms to raise adequate funding for their missions. Since its inception, the Nat Moore Foundation has dispersed more than $1 million to various youth and social service organizations in South Florida, primarily through revenues from the Cannon Florida Classic. This celebrity golf tournament partners area residents with sports and entertainment greats for a day on the golf course, as well as a weekend of memorable events including a party and auction.
Retirement has not taken Nat away from football. He continues his work with the Miami Dolphins as the Director of Alumni Relations & Special Projects and is a broadcast analyst during Miami Dolphin pre-season games on WFOR, Miami's local CBS affiliate. Nat also is a color analyst on Sun Sports Breakfast with the Gators Re-Broadcast during University of Florida football season. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Pro Bowl Youth Football Clinics; he brings NFL stars and children together for fun, football, and education.
Nat also serves on a number of boards across South Florida, including SunTrust Bank NA, Orange Bowl Committee, FCAA, SMF Energy Corp. and the South Florida Golf Foundation. In spite of his busy schedule, Nat still finds time to enjoy a good golf game and spend time with his wife, Pat, and his five children.
William D. Talbert, III
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
As President & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) for the past six years, and as Chief Operating Officer for the prior eight years, William D. Talbert has distinguished himself as a highly respected visitor industry and community leader.
Talbert's fourteen years of experience at the GMCVB include major accomplishments such as assisting with the passage of the Food and Beverage tax to fund the GMCVB's advertising budget, negotiating inter-local government funding agreements and preparing three successful Super Bowl and POW WOW bids. He played an integral role in the re-engineering of the GMCVB, decreasing overhead to put more money into much needed advertising for the destination. He led the GMCVB as the first Bureau in the country after 9/11 in the market with a fully funded post 9/11 message and the first to adjust its administrative budget after 9/11 while increasing promotional efforts.
Talbert's professional affiliations include Chair Elect of the International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus' Board of Directors, past chairman of the Florida Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus, past Chair of the IACVB Foundation Board of Trustees, Professional Convention Management Association (Chair, 2001 Annual Meeting Host Committee), American Society of Association Executive, Meeting Planners International, Orange Bowl Committee, Mayor's Marketing Council, Visitor Industry Council, Community Improvement Authority, Board of Directors of Florida National Parks and Monuments Association and SKAL (an organization of industry professionals promoting tourism and friendship worldwide). He is also a board member of the World Trade Center Miami, Greater Miami & the Beaches Hotel Association (GMBHA), the South Florida Workforce and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.
Talbert holds a master's degree in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University and bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida.
Bryan J. Wiedmeier
President/Chief Operating Officer/Miami Dolphins
Entering his 28th season with the Dolphins, Bryan Wiedmeier was named President and Chief Operating Officer of the team on January 10, 2006. In that role he is responsible for directing the franchise on a day-to-day basis. He serves as the team's primary representative in National Football League affairs and is a visible representative of the club in the South Florida community. He works closely with Bill Parcells regarding the team's football operations and Bill Pierce of Dolphins Enterprises in managing the team's business affairs.
With more than a quarter century of service to the Dolphins, Wiedmeier is uniquely qualified to provide leadership in both team and league affairs. He served as the team's Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer from 2002-05, where he was responsible for the day-to-day management of the business operations, football administration and all labor areas. In addition, he serves on a number of NFL committees, is an original member of the NFL Management Council's Working Club Executive Committee and is a Trustee of the NFL Player Insurance Trust.
Wiedmeier's professional career with the Dolphins began in 1981 and he has served in a variety of front office roles of increasing importance with both the team and the stadium since then. He was named Assistant General Manager in 1990, and was promoted several times to reflect his expanded responsibilities with the club, first to Vice President - Administration from 1995-1999, to Senior Vice President - Business Operations through 2001 and finally to Executive Vice President - Chief Operating Officer before assuming the team's presidency. He earned his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law and is a member of the Florida Bar. He received his B.A. from Carroll College, which he attended on a football scholarship and served as a team captain in his senior year. He was the starting center for the school's 1978 undefeated Hall of Fame team.
He is married to Mary K. They have five children, Lauren, Victoria, John, Danielle, and Matthew, ranging in age from 15 to 21.
