(FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.) — Peggy Nordeen, chief executive officer of Starmark International Inc., has been selected as Seafarers’ House 2018 South Florida Business Leader of the Year.
Nordeen will be honored at the 23rd annual South Florida Business Leaders’ Luncheon hosted by Holland America Line to benefit Seafarers’ House. The luncheon will take place Nov. 14 aboard MS Zuiderdam docked at Port Everglades.
“Peggy is well known in the South Florida community, not only for her longtime participation in the economic development of Broward County, but also for her company’s marketing of Port Everglades, various cruise lines and others in the maritime industry,” said Seafarers’ House Executive Director Lesley Warrick. “Peggy’s leadership extends beyond her renowned agency to significant service and leadership with a variety of South Florida community organizations, positively impacting countless lives in our community. As a female leader, I have watched her career with great interest and respect, learning by watching her example and drawing inspiration from her clear-eyed focus, her pragmatic approach and her unfailing kindness.”
Honorees for the South Florida Business Leaders Award are selected by their peers. Acknowledged leadership, entrepreneurial background, philanthropic contributions to the communities where they live and work, as well as long-term contributions to the success, diversity and breadth of the South Florida business community, are all considerations for this award.
“For many years, I have admired Seafarers’ House faith-based services for our crews landing in Port Everglades. Lesley Warrick has brought the organization to new heights of caring service and has an even greater vision with the Place of Welcome capital campaign for the organization's new facilities,” said Nordeen. “While I have not served on a commercial vessel, I have spent more than 4,000 hours on our oceans fishing and boating, sometimes traveling for 21 hours in rough seas before reaching a marina. I can tell you that on several occasions, prayers seemed to be the only thing that saved our lives and our sanity. The welcoming work of Seafarers’ House for crew members’ long-enduring hours, days and weeks at sea provides the supply of prayers and provisions they all need. God bless Seafarers’ House for all they do.”
Having established Starmark in 1978 in Chicago, the company launched its South Florida headquarters in 1998 to be close to the ocean and great fishing and boating. Her business partner and husband, Dan Estes, passed away in 2011, and the company has continued to grow under Nordeen’s leadership with partners Jacqui Hartnett, president; Brett Circe, chief digital officer; and Dale Baron, vice president/creative director. Starmark has a Central Florida office in Orlando and clients in the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as throughout South Florida.
Nordeen is active in the Marine Research Hub and TechGateway.org economic development initiatives. She is past chairwoman of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance and current vice chairwoman of the Broward Workshop. She also is involved in a number of nonprofit organizations including A Child is Missing and Boys & Girls Clubs. She’s received numerous awards and recognitions.
Nordeen joins the ranks of previous honorees including Bob Swindell, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance; Bob Moss, founder, chairman and CEO of Moss & Associates; J. David Armstrong Jr., president, Broward College; Nicki Englander Grossman, past president Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau; Denise Johnston, Resolve Maritime Academy/Resolve Marine Group Inc.; Betty Ann Rogacki, International Warehouse Services Inc.; Lynn Shatas, Florida Power & Light; Phil Allen, past port director, Port Everglades; Cliff Berry Sr. of Cliff Berry & Associates; William J. Burke, Paradise Bank; Joseph Farrell Jr., Resolve Marine Group; Robert Toney of National Maritime Services; and Joseph J. “Joe” Rubano of RPM Diesel Engine Co. and Diesel Services of America.
This year’s event chairwoman is Alexandra Anagnostis-Irons, president and founder of Total Marine Solutions.
