Gonzmart to Receive Award From UT Center for Ethics Oct. 16

Richard Gonzmart, president and co-owner of the Columbia Restaurant, will receive the Tampa Bay Ethics Award from The University of Tampa Center for Ethics at a breakfast and ceremony on Friday, Oct. 16. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. in the Vaughn Center Crescent Club on the UT campus, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd.

The Columbia Restaurant is the oldest restaurant in Florida, with seven locations throughout the state. The Gonzmart family has owned the Columbia Restaurant since it’s opening in 1905, and continues to expand their legacy with restaurants such as Cha Cha Coconuts Tropical Bar and Grill and native-inspired Tampa restaurant and brewery, Ulele.

In addition to serving on of the UT Board of Fellows, Gonzmart’s civic and community involvement includes Moffitt’s Advanced Prostate Cancer Coalition and the Visit Tampa Bay Advisory Board. The Gonzmart Family Foundation and charitable initiatives, such as the annual Columbia Restaurant Community Harvest Program, and “Richard’s Run for Life” 5K, have raised millions of dollars for nonprofit organizations throughout Florida.

Gonzmart has received numerous civic and business awards throughout his career, including the Alumnus of the Year Award from Jesuit High School, the inaugural Luminaries Award from the Junior League of Tampa and WEDU, and the prestigious Civitan Citizen of the Year Award. Gonzmart was inducted into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame, the inaugural Florida State University Dedman School of Hospitality Hall of Fame, Jesuit High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the third class of the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame.

The UT Center for Ethics will honor Richard Gonzmart at the 25th annual Business Ethics Breakfast. The center conducts many programs throughout the year that combine education and business services, and is supported by an advisory board of business and community leaders.

Former winners of the ethics award include former Florida governor Bob Martinez, Freddie Solomon, John Sykes, A.D. “Sandy” MacKinnon and James Ferman. Nominees for the award must live and work in the Tampa Bay area, and must demonstrate high ethical character in the course of their everyday lives. They must promote and encourage ethics and integrity in the workplace or other organizations and exhibit respect, trustworthiness and fairness.

Individual tickets are $25, a table of eight is $150, and a corporate sponsor table is $750. For more information or reservations, go to www.ut.edu/TampaBayEthicsAward or call the Center for Ethics coordinator, Jessica Luce, at (813) 257-3039.