Riverside Hotel’s Dobrikow is Business Leader of the Year

FAU's College of Business to honor Heiko Dobrikow, executive vice president at The Las Olas Company, general manager of the Riverside Hotel and chairman of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.

A seasoned hotelier with more than 30 years of experience and a business professional with extensive experience in all areas of property and asset management, Heiko Dobrikow is an expert in providing advisory support and solutions, such as developing successful management teams, ensuring revenue optimization, implementing service excellence and employee satisfaction. He is known for taking companies with vertical structures and flattening them by implementing a “servant leadership ideology.”


By james hellegaard | 10/12/2016

Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business will host the 25th annual Business Leader of the Year breakfast on Friday, Jan. 27, 2017 at 8 a.m., at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, 501 East Camino Real, in Boca Raton. This year’s program celebrates the accomplishments of Heiko Dobrikow, executive vice president at The Las Olas Company, general manager of the Riverside Hotel and chairman of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.

“For 25 years, FAU’s College of Business has celebrated the accomplishments of outstanding companies and their leaders through the Business Leader of the Year Award,” said Daniel Gropper, Ph.D., dean of FAU’s College of Business. “Heiko Dobrikow is an exceptional person, and his leadership of the Riverside Hotel and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce has been outstanding. Hospitality is a key industry for us in South Florida, and we are fortunate to have him as an integral part of our business community.”

A seasoned hotelier with more than 30 years of experience and a business professional with extensive experience in all areas of property and asset management, Dobrikow is an expert in providing advisory support and solutions, such as developing successful management teams, ensuring revenue optimization, implementing service excellence and employee satisfaction. He is known for taking companies with vertical structures and flattening them by implementing a “servant leadership ideology.”

Founded in 1935 by Chicago brothers Preston and John Wells, The Las Olas Company is a long-standing family owned and operated real estate development company vested in Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale’s most prestigious shopping and dining district. The Wells family opened the Riverside Hotel in 1936. The only hotel on Las Olas Boulevard, this 12-story historic property mixes Caribbean style with old Florida charm and features 219 guest rooms and sweeping views overlooking the city skyline and the New River.

Prior to joining the Las Olas Company and the Riverside Hotel, Dobrikow worked at resorts such as the Fisher Island Hotel & Resort in Miami, the Casa Marina Resort in Key West, the Mayfair Hotel & Spa in Coconut Grove and the Hilton Palm Beach Oceanfront Resort. A strong believer in community involvement, he is the 2016 chair of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance and executive committee member of the Winterfest Boat Parade.

Dobrikow has received awards such as South Florida General Manager of the Year from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI); the Chairman’s Award from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce; Broward’s Best Leaders Award from South Florida Executive magazine; and HSMAI’s South Florida’s Tourism Legend of the Year.

Sponsorships for the event are available, including a corporate table and event admission at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. A portion of the sponsorship dollars raised from the Business Leader of the Year event will provide scholarships to FAU students. These awards are granted to students enrolled in the College of Business at FAU who have strong academic achievement and demonstrate leadership qualities.

Since 1991, FAU’s College of Business has presented the Business Leader of the Year award, honoring the work of outstanding contributors to the overall business climate of the southeast region of Florida and the state. Dobrikow joins other honored recipients of the award, including Naren Gursahaney, Jeff Stoops, Jordan Zimmerman, Wayne Huizenga, Jim Robo, Mike Jackson, Ronald Assaf, Alexander Dreyfoos, Jim Moran, Carl DeSantis, Bud Paxson, Jerry Levin, Pat Moran, Jeb Bush, Alan Levan and Mike Maroone.

For more information, contact Tonya May at 561.297.4732 or tmay@fau.edu

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