The Minority Business Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. honored former City of Miami Manager, entrepreneur and philanthropist Joe Arriola at its sixth annual awards dinner at the Morgan Center of UCLA in Los Angeles, California on May 11, 2010. The award recognized Mr. Arriola for his continuing commitment to minority business development. Past inductees include Earl Graves, Sr., founder of Black Enterprise magazine, James Lowry, Partner at The Boston Consulting Group, Reginald F. Lewis, Chairman/ CEO of TLC Beatrice International, and Maynard Jackson, Mayor of Atlanta.
Mr. Arriola has long been involved in service and civic programs in Miami-Dade County. In 2002, Mr. Arriola was asked by Mayor Manny Diaz to serve as the City Manager for the City of Miami. He accepted the position serving from January 2003 until August 2006 and was an instrumental force in Miami’s economic rebirth. Mr. Arriola was also a supporter of Barack Obama’s 2004 US Senate Campaign and an early supporter of Obama’s 2008 Presidential Campaign. He served as an active advocate for the President-elect Obama, serving as a speaking surrogate on Spanish language media for the Obama presidential campaign.
Aside from his work with the City of Miami, Mr. Arriola was the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Avanti Press, one of the most successful printing and graphic arts firms in the country, which he led from 1972 to 2001. Based in Miami, Florida the company specialized in high-end catalog and annual report graphic design, photography, production, printing, and distribution.
Mr. Arriola has served as trustee, officer, and volunteer for several local and national civic organizations including Our Kids Foundation, Goodwill Industries, Camillus House, the National Minority Supplier Development Council, and the United Way. As Chairman of the Miami-Dade United Way he was successful in raising a record $52 million. Mr. Arriola also has been a strong advocate for education for many years, serving as an unpaid advisor and administrator to the Dade County Public School Board in 2002 and serving as a member of the University of Miami's Board of Trustees since 1993. Arriola currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Perry Ellis Corporation, a publicly traded corporation.
Arriola was born in Havana, Cuba and moved to the US in 1960. He and his wife Lourdes have been married for 42 years and have five children and two grandchildren. They reside in Coral Gables, FL. Arriola continues his lifelong commitment to many civic programs and business initiatives.
The Minority Business Hall of Fame & Museum, Inc. was founded in April 2004 to spotlight the achievements of individuals and institutions deemed pioneers in enhancing equal access for business owners of color. The hall chronicles the vision, tenacity and courage of the inductees for future generations. The mission of the MBHF&M is to honor and show appreciation for those blazed the trail for today’s entrepreneurs. MBHF&M is a non-profit organization, established in Dallas, Texas. The MBHF&M is the collaborative effort of John F. Robinson, president of the National Minority Business Council; Don McKneely, president and chairman of the Business News Group; and Carol Daugherty Foster, president of Carol and Company. For more information, visit www.mbhf.org.
