NextGen: the future

South Florida CEO,  Nov, 2004  by Rochelle Broder-Singer

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Raul G. Valdes-Fauli, 36

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Current Position: Executive Vice President, Union Bank of Florida

Background: The scion of one of South Florida's leading banking families says he "didn't really have a choice," about his career. "I kind of put a pinstriped suit on when I was born." He joined Union Bank as head of its lending team this year, moving from Colonial Bank, which is merging with Union Bank.

The Future: A long career in South Florida lending. "I'm a deal junkie," Valdes-Fauli says. "I've known that I wanted to stay in the lending arena, because that's where the action is."

Key Choice: He joined the Peace Corps right out of college. Working for them in the mountains of western Honduras, he accepted a banking job that brought him back to South Florida.

Recent Dream Come True: Seeing the Boston Red Sox win the World Series. "I recently saw a lifetime, passionate accomplishment achieved," says the Boston native. "It's an amazing day that I thought I'd never see."

Trae Williamson, 32

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Current Position: President, Williamson Cadillac-Hummer

Background: Earned a Columbia University law degree and embarked on a career in entertainment and intellectual property law in Los Angeles. Spent time living in Zen Buddhist monasteries, in upstate New York and California. At his parents' beckoning, he returned to South Florida and joined the company his grandfather had founded. Today he oversees one of the family's dealership groups.

The Future: "I'm not completely sure yet," Williamson says. He describes himself as a "quester, someone who likes to seek out new things and new opportunities."

An Opportunity Grabbed: "I definitely think that I've had a lot of opportunities. My parents have been generous to me," he says.

The Career That Might Have Been: Before law school, Williamson recorded and released a dance music album. "From childhood, singing had been my passion," he says.

Michelle A. Zubizarreta, 37

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Current Position: Chief Administrative Officer, Zubi Advertising Services Inc.

Background: "I was actually almost born into the nuthouse, because my mother [Tere Zubizarreta] founded the company," says Zubizarreta, who majored in psychology in college and worked as a substitute teacher and a guidance counselor before joining the company as a junior traffic officer. She now manages human resources, operations and finances.

The Future: "For as long as the company is around, I believe that my brother and I will be here, and we will continue to nurture the foundation and the legacy that my mom built," Zubizarreta says.

An Opportunity Grabbed: Spending childhood summers at the company. "It was like a double opportunity: to hang out at the agency and answer the phone or whatever I was doing, and also an opportunity to be with my mom," Zubizarreta says. "That absolutely shapes your life, when you're seeing your mother who is a businessperson."