These Young Floridians Are Well-Connected

The next generation of Florida leaders is honing its skills and making connections at young professional groups around the state. Here are some of those future leaders.

Barbara Miracle | 11/1/2008

Orbis

Michael Schimmel (left) and David Scileppi [Photo: Michael McElroy / Wonderful Machine]

“We are working hard to bring together people of like mind.”
— Michael Schimmel

Orbis (orbisusa.org)
Location: Greater Broward County (Boca Raton to Hollywood)
Co-founders:
Michael S. Schimmel, 30, and David C. Scileppi, 33, both attorneys with Gunster, Yoakley, Fort Lauderdale
Members: 530
Ages: Late 20s to 40
Formed: 2006
Dues: Free for basic membership, $25 for active membership (discounted admission at all Orbis events), $50 for committee members
Social networks: None

Fort Lauderdale attorneys Michael Schimmel and David Scileppi attended a number of south Florida meet-and-greet events before deciding to launch Orbis, a non-profit business group, in 2006. They didn’t like the hit-and-miss approach of business card exchanges and instead wanted to develop long-term relationships. Schimmel says of Orbis, “There is certainly a more sophisticated edge.”

The group meets five or six times a year to listen to speakers, volunteer or socialize. About 30 to 60 of the group’s 530 members attend any given event. At one recent event, Florida Atlantic University coach Howard Schnellenberger spoke, and each person in attendance helped support the American Cancer Society in honor of Schnellenberger’s son, who recently died from cancer. At another event, members volunteered at Tomorrow’s Rainbow, a center in Coconut Creek that provides interactions with miniature horses for children trying to overcome the loss of a loved one. While some events are just for fun, such as attending the Off-Broadway hit Tony & Tina’s Wedding at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Schimmel says, “We don’t want to be a matchmaking organization.”

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