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February 2012 – Fred Kaub, President of GFA International, Inc. was recently named a 2012 Top 50 Entrepreneur award winner from Business Leader magazine. Fred was honored at the official award ceremony February 20 at The Banker’s Club in Miami.

Mr. Christopher Pacitto, P.E. of GFA International, In. has been recognized in the Gulf Coast Business Review's 2011 40 Under 40 selections.

Each year, the Business Review selects 40 individuals under 40 years old from the business community. Carefully selected from nominations and original reporting, these individuals represent the best and brightest from Tampa to Naples.

In selecting this year's crop, the paper's editors looked for candidates who are entrepreneurial, even if they don't own their own businesses.

"There are a lot of publications that do similar lists each year," says Kat Hughes, Business Review managing editor. "We wanted our list to stand apart as a group of young professionals who aren't afraid to take charge and take risks in their business. They are willing to try new things and put their ideas into action. This to us is what it means to be a business leader, and we feel these 40 individuals embody that spirit."

Beginning in June each year, the Gulf Coast Business Review accepts nominations to begin its search for 40 Under 40 candidates. During the next three months, the paper's editors sort through nominations and look for other individuals who represent the next generation of Gulf Coast business leaders. The special issue comes out in October, and is available in print and online at review.net/40under40/2011. The Gulf Coast Business Review is a weekly business newspaper for business leaders from Tampa to Naples. It covers news on companies, trends, entrepreneurs and CEOs.

In addition to our professional services, GFA has been actively involved for over twenty-three years in numerous community charity organizations.

Frank and Laura Frione have been selected as Honorary Chairs for the 2012 Haven Day at the Races event.

Frank and Laura have been longstanding mentors to many of the Haven boys, as well as long time financial supporters of The Haven. Frank also serves as an Advisory Board Member and contributes his significant engineering expertise through his work on the Haven's Campus Expansion and Development Committee. Frank, Laura and their friends have also been great supporters and participants past Haven Day at the Races events and Laura has served on all of the previous Race Committees.

The Haven is an alternative home for boys located in Boca Raton, Florida.

GFA, along with the support of our generous team-members, continue our commitment to the Haven with annual financial contributions. In addition, Mr. Frank Frione (CEO) and Mr. Frederick Kaub (President) are both mentors to the young men in the comprehensive program.

GFA has also been a sponsor the Haven's annual trips to Universal Studios, as well as actively participated in annual fundraising campaigns for holiday gifts. Furthermore, GFA helped coordinate a national petition campaign to reinstate Florida funding the $17 million necessary to fund the RTI and Independent Living programs.

Creating a safe haven for Palm Beach County's runaway children was the goal of The Haven's founders in 1976. Today, The Haven's 14-acre campus in Boca Raton provides a home for boys ages 9-17 who have been removed from abusive and neglectful homes and placed in protective care by the State of Florida.

Although The Haven is based in Boca Raton, The Haven accepts young men from a wide area of Florida from Palm Beach County west to Fort Myers, north to Orlando and south to Miami-Dade County. The Haven is licensed to serve 36 boys, and annually serves approximately 52-60 unduplicated boys, who reside in homelike cottages, staffed 24/7 by a trained direct care and therapeutic staff.

Basic needs are provided as the boys attend school and work in the community. An expanded program incorporates daily life skills instruction, academic counseling and tutoring, individual and group therapy, transitional living skills, and enrichment activities to prepare the boys for independent living. This integrated approach ensures that the boys will acquire the necessary life skills, academic support and emotional health to reunite with their families, join foster families, be adopted or become self-supporting.

By midnight on his 18th birthday, every young man must leave The Haven, as mandated by Florida's Road to Independence Act. To ease the transition, The Haven partners with local organizations that provide ongoing support services and continue to empower the boys to become self-sufficient adults.

Seventy percent (70%) of The Haven's funding is provided by Medicaid and the State of Florida. The remaining thirty percent (30%) is funded through the generous support of friends in the community. The Haven is accredited by NonProfits First and is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation. In addition, The Haven is the recipient of five, consecutive 4-star ratings from independent charity evaluator Charity Navigator, ranking The Haven in the top 4 percent of all U.S. charities for its financial health based on organizational efficiency and capacity.

In 2011, Frank Frione was honored as a Tiffany Outstanding Volunteer of the Year nomination finalist. The award honors men who have improved the quality of lives around them through their work with non-profit groups.

Florence Fuller Child Development Centers, Inc. is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit offering affordable childcare, quality preschool (including the only Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Boca Raton), enriched afterschool and summer camp for low-income families. Comprehensive support services include a food program providing two-thirds of the children's nutritional needs, medical screenings and a clinic where mildly ill children are cared for by a registered nurse, alleviating the need for parents to take time off work. FFCDC is fully accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), is a Gold Seal childcare center, carries four-star ratings from the Palm Beach County Quality Improvement Rating System, and is accredited by Non-Profits First (formally the Center for Non-Profit Excellence). They have a four star rating from Charity Navigator.

Mr. Fred Kaub serves on the Board of Directors of the South Florida Chapter of The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF).

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) is the worldwide leader in funding research to cure type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that strikes children and adults suddenly and lasts a lifetime. JDRF is the leading funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes science.