Sam Ellison to Receive Award from UT Center for Ethics Oct. 7

Sam Ellison, chairman of EWI Construction and former CEO of Beck International, will receive the Tampa Bay Ethics Award from The University of Tampa Center for Ethics at a breakfast and ceremony on Friday, Oct. 7. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. in the Vaughn Center Crescent Club on the UT campus, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Leading the construction market as the No. 1 general contractor in the Tampa Bay area, Ellison’s company built UT’s Vaughn Center, Straz Hall, Brevard Hall and parking garage. Other notable Tampa Bay area structures include Howard W. Blake High School, Hillsborough County Services Center downtown, Rivergate Tower and Air Terminal C at Tampa International Airport.

Ellison has supported many local charities such as the American Cancer Society, the Tampa General Hospital Foundation, Boy Scouts of America and the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation. He served as chairman of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, president of the University Club and a member of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.

Ellison has been inducted into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame, the UT Athletic Hall of Fame and was recognized as the Tampa Bay Business Man of the Year. Ellison was named the Distinguished Citizen of the Year by the Florida Gulf Region of the Boy Scouts and International Business Person of the Year by the Tampa Bay Women in International Trade.

The UT Center for Ethics will honor Ellison at the 26th 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, James Ferman and Richard Gonzmart. 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.

The event is free for UT students, faculty and staff. Individual tickets are $25, a table of eight is $150 and corporate sponsorships range from $750–$1,500. For more information or reservations, go to www.ut.edu/TampaBayEthicsAward or call the Center for Ethics coordinator, Jessica Luce, at (813) 257-3039.