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Founder Steps Down - Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. in Miami named Jack Williams as president, replacing Edwin Stephan, president and co-founder of the company. Stephan, 65, remains as vice chairman. Williams, 47, spent 23 years with American Airlines, most recently as vice president and general sales manager in Dallas.
Three days after Williams'appointment, a 10-count felony indictment by the U.S. Justice Department alleged that Royal Caribbean and two crew members illegally dumped waste oil and falsified logbooks in 1994. Royal Caribbean placed the two crew members on administrative leave and declined further comment.
New Employee Leasing Firm - Wackenhut Corp. tapped Daniel S. McHenry, 36, to be president of Oasis Outsourcing, the security company's recently formed employee leasing subsidiary. McHenry sees the new subsidiary as an extension of the company's core business. "We're helping our client base be more competitive within their own industry," says McHenry, noting that by outsourcing payroll, benefits administration and other human resource functions, businesses can concentrate on core products and services.
McHenry, once a certified public accountant with Price Waterhouse, was a co-founder of National Business Solutions, a St. Petersburg employee leasing company acquired in 1996 by Paychex Inc. of Rochester, N.Y. Oasis has offices in Florida and Colorado.
At The Corner Grocery Store - Former Albertson's executive Ronald E. Dennis takes over as Food Lion's hand-picked choice to run its recently acquired subsidiary, Kash n'Karry Food Stores. Dennis spent 20 years at Albertson's, most recently as a division vice president overseeing the Idaho-based food retailer's 94 Florida locations. He replaces Kash n'Karry's former president, Ronald Johnson, who resigned in mid December.
From New Cars To Used - Lawrence S. Rich, a 20-year veteran of Toyota kingpin JM Family Enterprises, was named president of AutoNation USA, Wayne Huizenga's new chain of used car superstores. Rich, 53, who was chief operating officer at Deerfield Beach-based JM, helped Huizenga and AutoNation CEO Steven R. Berrard, develop the auto superstore concept.
A New Chairman - Sam Whitney, 73, stepped down as chairman and CEO of Plant City-based Food Technology Service Inc., due to recurring medical problems. E.W. "Pete" Ellis takes over as CEO and Gordon Shirah, who founded the food irradiation company with Whitney in 1985, was named chairman.
H. Wayne Huizenga's At It Again - Less than two months after his Republic Industries acquired Alamo Rent-A-Car, it agreed to buy National Car Rental System. The deal, worth $600 million in stock and $1.7 billion in assumed debt, gives Republic two of the country's five largest car rental companies. They'll operate under their own names and feed Republic's used car chain, AutoNation USA.
Workers'Comp Rating Firm - Workers'compensation industry lawyer Michael Camilleri will lead Insurance Data Resources, a new Fort Lauderdale-based workers'comp rating bureau and consulting firm. Camilleri, 43, spent 13 years with the National Council on Compensation Insurance, the well-established rating firm in Boca Raton.
Nuke Chief Out - Florida Power Corp.'s top nuclear officer, Percy M. "Pat" Beard Jr., 60, will retire April 1. The announcement came on the heels of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission assessment that found "an overall decline in performance" after a two-week evaluation of Florida Power's Crystal River nuclear plant.
Hotels To Boats - Guy C. Bising, 50, takes over as executive director of the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, a 12-year-old non-profit group that promotes boating and marine enterprises. He previously was corporate VP and director of sales and marketing for Hotels of Distinction, a hotel management company in Palm Beach.
