It’s a small world after all

Randall Vitale, Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust

FORT LAUDERDALE — Randall Vitale’s altruism and love of travel give him a unique perspective on business.

Vitale grew up in Miami and occasionally visited his mother’s homeland of Peru. But it was his university study-abroad stint in Spain that set his travel bug in motion. “That summer was transformative for me,” said Vitale. “I made a commitment to myself that I would make sacrifices in other parts of my life to make sure I could continue to travel.”

“Knowing people all around the globe makes this big ol’ world seem a little bit smaller.”

Vitale, CLUB2-1-1 member and Senior Vice President and Area Market Executive for Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust, set a goal to see one new country every year. He and his wife Kelly recently went to Argentina for their honeymoon. “That wasn’t my annual trip, though,” said a grinning Vitale. “I had traveled to Argentina before. Our new destination last year was Scotland.”

Vitale’s worn passport has stamps from more than 30 countries on four continents. Fluent in Spanish, Vitale says he still deeply identifies with the culture of Spain. “The culture, the arts — the people spend every minute enjoying food, family and life.”

Vitale says his travels have given him the confidence to do many things that he otherwise might not have had the guts to do. “Traveling has taught me that there’s a lot more to learn about the world,” he says. “It’s easy to make excuses, but I’ve learned if you’re willing to make sacrifices you can travel. In fact, if you’re willing to make sacrifices, and have a clearly defined goal, you can do almost anything you want to do.”

And he’s gained some life-long friends along the way; the people he’s stayed with, the people who have visited the United States because of his trip to their country, have made the planet shrink in his eyes. “Knowing people all around the globe makes this big world seem a little smaller.”

With dual degrees in Business Management and Multi-National Business from Florida State University, Vitale applies his extensive travel to his professional life by being able to have conversations about things he not only learned academically, but personally experienced. “Real business, real politics, real cultural norms. People who don’t get a broader view of the world don’t always see the opportunities in our differences,” he said. “But I’m accepting of our diverse experiences and opinions. I’m naturally curious and I believe my questions bring me closer to those I interact with.”

Travel isn’t Vitale’s only interest. Many of his other extra-curricular activities involve bettering the Fort Lauderdale community. “I work downtown; I live downtown. I love this city and I want to be a part of its success,” he said.

From his participation with Leadership Broward and Leadership Florida, Emerge Broward, Riverwalk Trust, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Junior Achievement, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, to the Community Appearance Advisory Board and many, many more, Vitale has an impressive non-profit board and volunteer resume.

By design, he says, he tends to find volunteer positions that overlap so that his contributions may benefit more than one organization at a time, creating an efficient synergy.

“I have been lucky to be involved in many things over the years,” he says. “But I try to be narrow and focused and deeply involved in only a few things at a time to have more impact than if I spread myself too thin.”

Vitale currently chairs the Fort Lauderdale Visioning Committee, a multi-year project that is using the momentum built by city’s centennial celebration in 2011 as a planning springboard for the next 20 or 30 years. “Last year, we reached out through the series of interviews and open houses to the city’s underserved and underrepresented residents to engage them in a community dialogue,” Vitale explains. “This gave us a pulse of the Fort Lauderdale area and a good initial idea of what the issues are.” He promises more input and activity in 2012.

Vitale is quite proud of his recent achievements with the Ghost Light Society, the new generation of patrons for the Broward Center for the Performing Arts that he helped co-found in 2009. He co-chaired the second-annual fundraiser for the Broward Center’s Arts and Education program which raised more than $25,000 to support more activities for public schools and give students better access to the arts. “Anytime like-minded people get together to work on something outside of business, good things will come out of it organically,” he said.

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, many of Vitale’s clients are leaders in the community and have aspirations to make significant philanthropic contributions. “We are professionally committed to our clients, and we work with them as they help to build our community as well,” he said of the Fort Lauderdale offices of Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust, the boutique private banking and wealth-management company that serves professionals, executives, entrepreneurs and other high net-worth individuals and families. “It’s our responsibility to help our clients achieve their goals by helping them make better financial decisions.”

All of Vitale’s personal, business and altruistic accomplishments made him the perfect candidate for CLUB2-1-1 membership. He learned about 2-1-1 by accepting an invitation to tour the facility and find out more about the types of calls 2-1-1 receives. “I was so impressed with 211 that I wanted to do anything I could to help this special organization succeed. I said, ‘Just show me where to sign up. I would highly encourage others to schedule a tour to learn more about 2-1-1.”

Vitale sums up his civic commitment this way, “We all have a responsibility, through our time, talent and/or money, to make our community a better place. I firmly believe that.”

* Vitale has also been recognized as a YOUNG HISPANIC CORPORATE ACHIEVER™ by the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) (May 2011), a “Rising Star” in Florida by Florida Trend Magazine (October 2009), was included in the “40 Under 40” by Gold Coast Magazine (November 2009) and was selected as a finalist for the South Florida Business Journal’s “Up and Comers” award (June 2008), recognizing the rising community and business leaders under the age of 40 in South Florida. In 2008, he was honored to be selected as a recipient of the Community Leadership Association’s 2008 Distinguished Leadership Award. Presented by Jim Collins at the National Leadership Conference, this award recognizes individuals who have made significant and notable contributions for the betterment of their communities.

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