What makes a powerful person, powerful? Many agree with the timeless 17th Century maxim, “Knowledge is power.” But someone else observed, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know, that makes the difference,” and certainly power is often defined by one’s networking influence. Of course, there is also the interesting twist on the Golden Rule, “He who has the gold, makes the rules.” Undoubtedly, financial resources are a source of power – ask the Chinese or the Saudis.
When considering powerful people, it is how one uses their knowledge, their influence and their resources that makes them truly powerful. We defined a “powerful person” as an individual who, because of his/her influence, character, accomplishments and position is able to shape the opinions, goals and direction of our community in order to stimulate action and cause positive results. Spacecoast Business polled a broad spectrum of people within our community to identify the ‘100 Most Powerful People on the Space Coast.’ So, though we have compiled the list, it is the leaders in our area that have identified who the most powerful truly are.
First Name | Last Name | Title | Company |
Kim | Agee | Owner | Agee Consulting |
Thad | Altman | Senator, District 24 | Florida Senate |
Mark | Balmer | Pastor | Cavalry Chapel of Melbourne |
Jim | Barfield | President | Luke and Associates |
Bob | Baugher | President | Cocoa Beach Surf Company |
Brian | Binggeli | Superintendent | Brevard Public Schools |
Michael | Blake | Mayor | City of Cocoa |
Mary | Bolin | County Commissioner, District 4 | Brevard County Board of County Commissioners |
David | Brock | President/CEO | Community Credit Union |
Kim | Brown | Chief Financial Officer | Coastal Mechanical Services |
Chris | Burton | President | Christopher Burton Homes |
Robert | Cabana | Director | Kennedy Space Center |
Anthony | Catanese | President | Florida Institute of Technology |
Dr. Silas | Charles | Founder | Cancer Care Centers of Brevard |
Frank | Coles | President/CEO | Globe Wireless |
Richard | Covey | President/CEO | United Space Alliance |
Carol | Craig | President/CEO | Craig Technologies |
Steve | Crisafulli | Representative, District 32 | Florida House of Representatives |
Bill | Cunningham | Senior Partner | Business Advisers International |
Rev. Glenn | Dames | Pastor | St. James A.M.E. Church |
Frank | DiBello | President | Space Florida |
Roger | Dobson | Partner | Ocean Partners |
Dr. James | Drake | President | Brevard Community College |
Tracy | Duda Chapman | Chief Executive Officer | The Viera Company |
Bill | Ellis | Government/Industry Relations | Health First |
Scott | Ellis | Clerk of the Court | Brevard County |
Richard | Ennis | Executive Director | Melbourne International Airport |
Betsy | Farmer | Executive Director | Brevard Business Leadership Network |
Phil | Farmer | Retired CEO | Harris Corp. |
Lee | Feldman | City Manager | City of Palm Bay |
Bunny | Finney | Community Volunteer, Philanthropist | |
Robin | Fisher | County Commissioner, District 1 | Brevard County Board of County Commissioners |
Nina | Gadodia | Community Volunteer, Philanthropist | |
Mitch | Garner | President/CEO | Symetrics Industries |
Larry | Garrison | EVP, Chief Operating Officer | Health First |
Pam | Gatto | President | Gatto’s Tire & Auto Service |
George | Geletko | Florida Government Affairs Director | Waste Management, Inc. |
Carey | Gleason | Assistant VP, Advancement & Community Relations | Florida Institute of Technology |
Joe | Glover | Owner | Glover Oil Co. |
Myra | Haley | Community Volunteer, Philanthropist | |
Paul | Hanson | VP, Operations & General Manager | Bright House Networks |
Mike | Haridopolos | Senator, District 26 | Florida Senate |
Randy | Harris | Project Manager | IOMS |
Debbie | Harvey | President/COO | Ron Jon Surf Shop |
Bjornar | Hermansen | Entrepreneur, philanthropist | |
Tony | Hernandez | Attorney | Law Offices of Tony Hernandez, III |
Dr. Heider | Heshmati | Executive Director | Brevard County Health Department |
Charles (Chas) | Hoyman | Managing Director | Hoyman Dobson |
Steve | Johnson | President | The Viera Company |
Darcia | Jones Francey | Community Volunteer, Philanthropist | |
Robert | Jordan | School Board Member, District 1 | Brevard Public Schools |
Franck | Kaiser | EVP, Chief Executive Officer | Home Builders & Contractors Association of Brevard |
Chris | Kennedy | President/CEO | Viera Hospital |
Dale | Ketchum | Director | Spaceport Research and Technology Institute |
Dana | Kilborne | President/CEO | Prime Bank |
Malcolm | Kirschenbaum | Attorney | Gray Robinson |
Jim | LaHam | Partner | Berman Hopkins Wright & LaHam CPAs |
Christine | Lance | Community Volunteer, Philanthropist | |
Howard | Lance | Chairman, President/CEO | Harris Corp |
Dr. Richard | Levine | President | Space Coast Cancer Centers |
Ann | Luke | Area President | Wachovia Bank |
Ali | Majeed | County Court Judge | Brevard County |
Joe | McClure | Chairman, CEO, President | MIMA |
Mike | Means | President/CEO | Health First |
George | Mikitarian | President/CEO | Parrish Medical Center |
Mark | Mikolajczyk | President and Publisher | Florida Today |
Emil | Miller | President/CEO | Wuesthoff Health System |
Kendall | Moore | Attorney | Johnson Law Center, P.A. |
Chuck | Nelson | County Commissioner, District 2 | Brevard County Board of County Commissioners |
Al | Neuharth | Founder | USA Today |
Sam | Pak | Chief Executive Officer | Appliance Direct |
Jack | Parker | Sheriff | Brevard County Sheriff’s Office |
Stan | Payne | Chief Executive Officer | Canaveral Port Authority |
Tom | Poehailis | General Manager/Area Director | Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront Resort |
Bill | Posey | Congressman | U.S. House of Representatives |
Rob | Rains | President | United Way of Brevard |
Lisa | Rice | President | Brevard Workforce |
Jim | Ridenour | General Manager | Residence Inn Melbourne and Courtyard by Marriott Melbourne West |
Shay | Rowe | Owner, General Manager | Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi of Melbourne |
Doug | Samuels | President/CEO | Space Coast Credit Union |
Sandy | Sanderson | Area Manager, East Central Florida | Florida Power & Light |
Ed | Scott | Entrepreneur, philanthropist | |
Mike | Shah | President | Southeast Petro Distributors and All American Oil |
Jeff | Shuman | VP, Human Resources & Corporate Relations | Harris Corp. |
Bernie | Simpkins | Entrepreneur, philanthropist | |
Scott | Sorensen | President/CEO | Sorensen Allied Moving & Storage |
Jason | Steele | Chairman | Brevard Republican Executive Committee |
Jim | Stivers | President | Certified General Contractors, Inc. |
Alfredo | Teran | President/CEO | AJT & Associates |
Laurilee | Thompson | Owner | Dixie Crossroads |
Howard | Tipton | County Manager | Brevard County |
Frank | Tsamoutales | Owner | Tsamoutales Strategies |
Rob | Varley | Executive Director | Space Coast Office of Tourism |
Tom | Vice | Sector Vice President & General Manager | Northrop Grumman |
Lynda | Weatherman | President/CEO | Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast |
Ken | Whittaker | Principal | Whittaker Cooper Financial Group |
Mike | Williams | President | M.H. Williams Construction |
Shellie | Williams | Executive Director | Brevard Cultural Alliance |
Jimmy | Zhao | Owner | Red Ginger Asian Bistro |
Milo | Zonka | Councilman | City of Palm Bay |