.
Donald
E. Lefton is the founder, co-owner and Vice Chairman of the Continental
Companies (T.C.C.), formerly Carnival Resorts and Casinos, a Miami-based hotel
development and operating company having operated hotel and resort properties
throughout the United States, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Mexico and South
America.
Lefton
graduated from the school of Business at Ohio Sate University in 1953 and Case
Western Reserve University School of Law in 1955. He practiced law in Cleveland, Ohio until 1969, when
he moved to Miami and founded The Continental Companies and entered the
hospitality business on a full time basis.
Before that time, however, he handled the merger of his client’s
hotel company with International and Telegraph (ITT) and thereafter
became special counsel and consultant to ITT in the hotel field.
As such, he traveled extensively throughout the United States,
Canada, Europe and North Africa negotiating hotel acquisitions and
inspecting sites for hotel developments both before and after ITT’s
acquisition of Sheraton Corporation in 1967.
The
Continental Companies began its operations in 1970 with one hotel and grew to
a company with over 70 hotels in 18 states and seven countries, with hotel
sales of over $560,000,000, nearly 17,000 rooms under management and
approximately 15,000 employees, operating more than 1.9 billion dollars in
total assets. He just completed
and opened the luxury 5-star, 500 room Ritz-Carlton hotel on Key Biscayne.
For
the past 30 years since his arrival in Miami, Mr. Lefton has been involved in
numerous civic and philanthropic endeavors, both on a local and national
basis. On a local level, his
present and/or past recent involvements include: Vice Chairman of the Florida
International University’s Foundation Board of Directors; Executive
Committee of National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), (formerly
the National Conference of Christians and Jews); Board of Directors of
Performing Arts Center Foundation of Miami; Vice President of Southeastern
Florida Holocaust Memorial Center; Chairman of Concert Association of Florida;
Board of Directors of United Way of Dade County; Vice Chairman of Florida
Congressional Committee; Board of Temple Beth Sholom; Board of Miami Coalition
Against Drugs; Chairman of Pow Wow 94 (international tourist conclave in
Miami); Board of We Will Rebuild (Hurricane Andrew); Chairman of
Task Force for Convention Expansion Facilities; Chairman of Task Force for
One Community One Goal; Executive Committee of Partners for Progress (Black
Boycott of Miami); Chairman of Greater Miami and the Beaches Tourism
Council; Board of Directors of Jewish Family and Children’s Services;
Board of Trustees, Alliance for Ethical Government; President of American
Friends of Hebrew University (Miami Chapter); Board of Mid-life Services
Foundation.
Additionally,
two particularly significant local organizations that he served as chairman
were the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau (the Primary
organization responsible for promoting and booking conventions and tourism in
Miami); and President of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation (the Central
address of the Jewish community). He
is still on their executive committees, a member of their boards and actively
involved in the workings of both organizations.
On
the national level, he was Vice President of the Council of Jewish Federations
(New York City); Vice President of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (New
York City); Board of Trustees, Hebrew University (New York City); Board of
Trustees of Pritikin Research Foundation (Los Angeles); and Board of the Joint
Distribution Committee (New York City); past chairman of National Conference
on Soviet Jewry (New York City); Big Brothers Association (Cleveland).
He
has received numerous awards and recognition including the prestigious Silver
Medallion Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews;
his induction as a Member of the Society of Fellows, Case Western Reserve
Law School; Community Service Award from the Advertising Federation of
Miami; Leadership Award from the State of Israel Bonds; Founder’s
Award from Hebrew University; Founder of Mount Sinai Hospital;
and awarded a Fellow of Brandeis University in Massachusetts.
