Benefactor lays foundation for growth of FIU center

Paying tribute to his father with a gesture that will benefit generations to come, South Florida developer Sergio Pino on Dec. 22 announced a $2 million contribution to FIU to support and name the Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center .

The two-year-old center now bears the moniker of the 74-year-old Pino family patriarch, a native of Cuba who came to the United States in 1969 with his wife Helia and young sons Sergio and Carlos. The elder Pino only learned of the honor when he attended a reception at the home of FIU President Modesto A. Maidique and his wife. Included among the approximately 250 relatives and other well wishers on hand to mark the occasion was Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

L - R:  President Maidique, Gov. Jeb Bush, Eugenio Pino, Sergio Pino, Carlos Pino

“Eugenio has led his family to achieve the American Dream within one generation,” said Bush, who has known the family for years. “It’s a pleasure for me to share this day with people who have worked so hard and now are giving back to fellow Floridians.”

Sergio Pino had for several months kept secret his intentions in anticipation of surprising his father. The University likewise refrained from making the announcement public prior to the December celebration.

“My father gave me the tools to succeed in business and inspired me to fulfill my potential,” said Sergio Pino, chairman and CEO of Century Homebuilders and a member of the FIU Board of Trustees. “Nothing I can build, no investment I can make, will last longer than the legacy of this budding entrepreneurship center.”

The gift qualifies for state matching funds, which will bring its value to $4 million. It is the first major contribution to the center’s endowment, a pool intended to be invested and thereby provide annual financial support for programs and activities in perpetuity. The center focuses on helping family businesses by providing expert advice, making available networking and learning opportunities and fostering growth of new ventures that will make South Florida companies more competitive in the marketplace.

Alan Carsrud, executive director of the center, said the Pino gift is a positive sign of the health and vitality of the entrepreneurial community in South Florida .

“Here we have successful entrepreneurs leading the way for the next generation,” Carsrud said. “It is our hope that others will feel motivated and come forward to contribute to this dynamic entrepreneurial environment.”

Eugenio Pino found a job as a plumber’s assistant soon after his arrival in this country and within three years had saved enough money to start his own plumbing business. In 1977 he and Sergio established Century Plumbing Wholesale, which today is the largest plumbing wholesaler in Florida , with sales of more than $20 million a year. Carlos Pino now heads that company, where his father still comes to work regularly. Sergio went on to found Century Homebuilders, one of South Florida ’s leading residential developers.

For more about the center, visit www.entrepreneurship.fiu.edu.