Business and Industry

David and Craig Pearlman look over the inventory at their West Colonial Kane’s Furniture, 1984.
David and Audrey Pearlman moved to Orlando in 1957 and opened their first store on Orange Avenue
in downtown Orlando. Subsequently, they closed that store and opened stores on West and East Colonial Drive in Orlando, another in Casselberry, and two stores in Cocoa Beach. Son Craig and his wife Rhonda both worked in the business. In 1987, David retired, selling his stores to his brother-in-law of West Florida Kane’s. He continued to follow his two passions flying antique airplanes and volunteering at and donating to food banks.
Rhonda and Craig Pearlman

Murray Schwartz (left) trained his son Richard for the printing business, 2009.
Arriving from the Bronx in 1962, Arlene and Murray Schwartz founded Mercury Printing in 1969. Starting with three employees, they expanded to 46. Their son Richard joined the business in 1980. Commercial accounts, Jewish agency business and social printing were the engine of Mercury until it closed in 2008. Murray devoted time to important senior services and was Kinneret’s president. Arlene and daughter Lauren shared involvement at Temple Israel where Lauren was president. Lauren owned Brown’s Kosher Deli. Richard, Ohev Shalom Men’s Club Man of the Year, spearheaded their feeding the homeless program. His wife Sharan chaired congregational gala fundraisers.
Article by Stan Roberts in Small Business Opportunities-Start Your Own Business, Spring 2009

Bob Gamson in his “yard,” 1980.
Gamson’s parents moved to Orlando in 1953, but college and the army delayed Bob’s permanent move until 1960. Later, his employer Sealy Mattress Co. sent him to Atlanta where he met Elaine Gaeser. They married and moved to Orlando. In 1967, Bob established Aaron Scrap Metals, and, in 1980, with partner S. Goldman, he founded Surplus Steel and Supplies, a scrap metal business. A division of Surplus Steel, Iron Age, is the largest distributor of ornamental iron in Central Florida. The business meets construction needs for theme parks, government, developers and others. Both Elaine and Bob have served in leadership positions in Ohev Shalom, community agencies and the Jewish Federation.
Elaine and Bob Gamson

What’s bugging Chuck Steinmetz? 1992.
Miamian Steinmetz (with scissors) built upon his knowledge of farming and friendship with farmers from working with his father, a wholesale produce broker. An agriculture major at the University of Florida, he took entomology classes. A mentor at the pest control firm Orkin suggested he also take business classes. With degrees in entomology and business, Steinmetz worked with Orkin, which relocated him to Orlando in 1970. He began Middleton Pest Control in 1977 with three employees and had 2,500 when he sold it in 2005. He began All America Termite and Pest Control in 1982 and sold it to Sears in 1997.
Chuck Steinmetz

Stanley Hanin credits much of his success to his wife Frannie, 1983.
In 1973, after selling his tire business in Philadelphia, Hanin moved to Orlando with his family. When selling motorcycles didn’t work out, he started over in both a new business and a new marriage. Hanin married Frannie Mondry, and together they built Allied Discount tires, with advertising help from his friend Sam Behr. The business grew from one tiny store in 1976 to 41 stores in 1989 when he sold Allied to Dunlop. Stanley and Frannie retired but are now in the real estate business with their daughter Cheryl.
Frannie and Stanley Hanin

Sam Behr says, “Tires Ain’t Pretty,” c. 1985.
When Stanley Hanin asked his good friend Sam Behr to be the TV pitchman for Allied Discount Tires, Behr thought Hanin was crazy. Hanin convinced Behr that he was the man for the job. Fortified by a martini, Behr shot his first commercial. It was a hit, many more followed and he never,used a script! A shoe store owner himself, Behr sold tires on the air for Allied from 1980–1994.
Phyllis Kamenoff

Jerry Roth believes, “Today is the best day and tomorrow will be better,” 2016.
Roth, son of Nellie and Marvin Roth who came in 1953, grew up just a “normal working Jewish guy from Orlando.” After college, he worked for a small Tampa company and learned to understand markets. Roth said, “I was good at building companies and understood the pharmaceutical industry.” In the 1970s, he began his own company, Hill Dermaceuticals in Sanford, developing and marketing products for skin diseases. At present, his is the only company in non-generic pharmaceuticals in the US that has a single owner. A generous donor to the Roth Family JCC, Jerry Roth received a UCF honorary doctorate for his support of its academic and athletic programs.
Susan Rot

The Source, Central Florida’s first independent Jewish gift shop and bookstore, held its grand opening April 2–11, 1979. “The trouble with this town is that there’s no source for Judaica,” Nira Stein told her husband Arnold. So, after working in her synagogue’s gift shop, she founded The Source, located first in the Live Oaks shopping center, off 17-92 in Seminole County, and then on County Road 427 next to the Altamonte Springs City Complex. Stein carried a large selection of books, fine jewelry, Israeli imports. She sold Judaica and items for the Jewish holidays, eventually including wholesale book sales to religious schools throughout the southeast. After nearly 20 years, ill health forced her to close the store.
Heritage Florida Jewish News

Cooking was a family tradition for Amira Cohen, 2005.
Amira and Jerry Cohen arrived in Orlando in the 1960s. She began her cooking career at Kinneret housing and then expanded her catering business, moving to larger quarters and servicing local congregations and organizations, conventions and kosher meals for Disney. In 1988, the Cohens opened their market, followed by Amira’s Restaurant. She estimates she made 3,000 matzah balls every Passover. In particular, she says, “everyone loved my chopped liver and noodle kugel.” She was named to the Orlando Sentinel “Food Hall of Fame.” In 2009, the Cohens retired. Amira still does small catering jobs saying, “I enjoy cooking and making people happy.”
Heritage Florida Jewish News

W. E. Manny Adams, founder and licensed funeral director (left) and Samuel [Sammy] P. Goldstein, executive director, in front of Beth Shalom Memorial Chapel, 2016.
Miami-area funeral director Manny Adams envisioned an exclusively Jewish funeral home in Orlando. He opened Beth Shalom Funeral Home in 1984. Adams brought Goldstein along as public relations director. The first location was a house at 115 West Gore Street, formerly home to three generations of Nat and Pauline Berman’s family. When they needed to expand, Beth Shalom bought the building at 640 Lee Road and moved there in 1997. In 2006, Goldstein became executive director. Beth Shalom has served more than 3,400 families. They have been involved communally in Chevra Kadisha, JFS, Jewish Pavilion, HDS and all congregations.
Susan Bierman

Sandi Saft, Small Business Administration Person of the Year for North Florida, 2014.
Sandi and Allen Saft and their two sons moved to Orlando in 1982, along with Allen’s employer, Westinghouse (Siemens). Through a JCC program, Connections, Sandi began to sell window blinds for a retail fabricator. She founded Window Interiors to enter the emerging market providing window treatments for commercial use. Clients have included Disney World, Universities of Florida and Central Florida, Nemours Children’s Hospital and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Sandi’s volunteer activities have included Ohev Shalom president, JCC and Jewish Federation board member, Give Kids the World, Junior Achievement and Habitat for Humanity.
Sandi Saft

Jeremy Litwack’s motto is: “Live life to the coolest,” 2016.
Jeremiah’s Italian Ices help keep everyone in Central Florida cool. He opened his first shop in 1996 and has grown his business to 18 locations, hoping to eventually make it a national franchise. Hailing from Pennsylvania, this young entrepreneur’s sweet delights have customers lining up outside at his shops’ windows day and night, no matter the temperature. One of Orlando Magazine’s “most eligible bachelors” in 2014, Jeremy has worked hard to build his business and “loved every minute.”
Roberto Gonzoles