“Alligator” Ron and Ali Bergeron to be Honored with NSU’s President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service
FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – He is a Broward County native son, growing up in the Town of Davie back when it had around 500 residents. His ties to the South Florida community go back eight generations. Today, you can’t think of Broward County or the Town of Davie without thinking about Ron Bergeron.
Ali (L) and “Alligator” Ron (R) Bergeron
Over the years, “Alligator” Ron and Ali Bergeron have made an indelible imprint on South Florida – from both a business and philanthropic standpoint, and it’s because of this that Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is very proud to bestow upon them the 2023 President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service.
“When looking for people who truly embody what the President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service is all about, I looked no further than the Bergerons,” said Dr. George Hanbury, President and CEO of NSU. “We all know and love Alligator Ron and his Ali; their legacy in South Florida and Broward County is truly remarkable.”
The Bergerons will be honored at NSU’s Annual Celebration of Excellence Gala. The invitation only event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, February 11, on NSU’s Fort Lauderdale/Davie Campus, 3300 S. University Drive. in the Don Taft University Center’s Rick Case Arena. The reception begins at 6 p.m., with the dinner program immediately following.
The Bergerons join an impressive list of honorees across South Florida who have received NSU’s President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service that includes Bertha Henry, James and Kathy Donnelly, Wini and Joe Amaturo, Ron and Kathy Assaf, Mike Jackson, David Horvitz & Francie Bishop Good, Lorraine Thomas, and Rick and Rita Case, just to name a few.
NSU’s Celebration of Excellence also recognizes donors whose cumulative giving to the university reaches $1 million or more. Each of these benefactors is welcomed into the NSU Fellows Society “Shark Circle” and receives a limited-edition maquette replica of the mako shark statue located in front of the Don Taft University Center.
This year, the donors NSU welcomes into the Shark Circle are:
- Bien-Air Medical Technologies
- Health Foundation of South Florida
- Robert E. Dooley Trust and Mrs. Janice Sheppard
President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service Honorees
Ron Bergeron
When you talk about “Alligator” Ron Bergeron, sure, the first thing people know about is his business acumen. After all, his is one of those true “American Success Stories.”
The Businessman & Entrepreneur
Leaving home at 18 with just over $200 in his pocket, he set out to carve his own path through life. He began cutting that path in 1954, literally, with a machete, a rope and a 1954 Mercury truck as he worked to clear the land. In just a few years, he launched Bergeron Land Development, and after the land clearing work slowed down, he pivoted and bought his first bulldozer.
That was when he switched from building driveways to building one of the largest contracts in Florida at the time, the I95 – I595 and Sawgrass Expressway, I595 – I75 Interchanges. He is now one of the most successful and largest site development & roadway contractors in Florida, with Bergeron Land Development continuing to be among Florida’s Top 100 Contractors in Southeast Construction Magazine every year.
The Gladesman
One thing Bergeron never lost sight of is where he came from.
Sure, he created numerous successful businesses over the years, but ask him and he’ll tell you that he is a Gladesman. What, exactly, is a Gladesman? Well, it’s someone who is very passionate about and has fallen in love with the environment of the Everglades.
According to Bergeron, he raised his children the way he was raised, to respect the land and also be a part of the environment. He is truly a steward for the South Florida ecosystem, believing the area’s resources should be managed and respected. He is passionate about providing today’s and future generations access so they can fall in love with our natural environment and protect it forever.
“We don’t want people to be limited to seeing this great wonderland from behind a glass wall, as sort of a ‘see but don’t touch theme park’,” said Bergeron. “Folks need to be out in it and learn to respect and preserve it for their future generations.”
The Philanthropist
One needs to look no further than Bergeron’s childhood to see where his commitment to giving back to his community took root. When he was a child, his parents allowed the local church to meet in their small store. From an early age he realized the importance of not just living in a community but being part of that community.
That approach continues to this day. He and his wife Ali are involved in a host of causes and organizations that spans the gambit across South Florida. From NSU to the Boys and Girls Clubs to the Susan B. Anthony Center for Recovery to Junior Achievement, the Bergerons have left a legacy few others have.
As impressive as Alligator Ron is, his wife, Ali, has just as an incredible story, and she’s an NSU alumna, too!
Ali Bergeron
Ali Bergeron emigrated from Cuba in 1959 and grew up in Coral Gables. She has lived in Broward County since 1982, where she attended Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law. Ali has been practicing law in Fort Lauderdale since 1985, and her two children (Jackie and Steven) are both lawyers who practice law in her firm.
Over the years she has served on numerous boards – she served as chairperson of the Broward County Commission on the Status of Women and co-chaired the Broward County School Board Desegregation Task Force. She served on the board of the United Way, Hispanic Unity and Broward House. In 1994, Ali was appointed by Florida Governor Lawton Chiles as the first woman to sit on the Florida Boxing Commission and was later reappointed by Governor Jeb Bush.
Ali considers one of her most significant accomplishments the comprehensive report generated for the Broward County School Board to bring educational equity to the school system. The report made recommendations that removed educational barriers based on race, while promoting equitable policies that provided all children with equal educational opportunities regardless of race, religion or ethnicity.
She served on the executive board of Broward Partnership for the Homeless and helped raise the money to build a homeless center in Fort Lauderdale that would assist residents to find housing and employment opportunities with a goal of becoming self-sufficient.
When you look at the history of service to the South Florida community, truly no one is more deserving of NSU’s President’s Award for Excellence in Community Service than Ron and Ali Bergeron.
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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): At NSU, students don’t just get an education, they get the competitive edge they need for real careers, real contributions and real life. A dynamic, private research university, NSU is providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree levels. Established in 1964, the university includes 14 colleges, the “theme park” for start-ups, scale-ups , and entrepreneurs, the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, the private PK1-12 grade University School, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, one of Florida’s largest public libraries. NSU students learn at our campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, and online globally. With more than 200,000 alumni across the globe, the reach of the NSU community is worldwide. Classified as having “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 59 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information.
