Real Estate Law Is A Key Focus For Attorney Matthew Lupardo

Born and raised in New York, attorney Matthew Lupardo worked on Wall Street as a financial analyst for several years after earning his undergraduate degree from New York University. But Lupardo wanted to have a more personal experience when he worked with clients and decided to earn his law degree.

Heading south, Lupardo moved near family in Wellington and began his law practice, where he has been since 1999. He devotes much of his practice to real estate law for his clients in the Wellington area.

“The firm has progressed into a general practice law firm, but we concentrate on real estate,” Lupardo said. “We’ve done very complicated real estate transactions and moved our way through the real estate process.”

Lupardo can help people in a number of areas at his practice, but he finds that he has been of great help to people in the community through his devotion to real estate law.

“I was particularly helpful to people during the real estate crash because I defended a lot of foreclosures,” he said. “On the flip side, I also helped a lot of people get fabulous deals through short sales… and clearing cloud of title.”

Through his understanding of homeownership rules and regulations, Lupardo has helped people clear titles on homes from any debts they may have accrued during the recent recession and other difficult financial times.

“During foreclosures, you’d have a house with two or even three mortgages, homeowners’ association liens, village code violation liens,” Lupardo said. “There would be all these liens on this house, and in order to sell it, I’d have to clear that.”

Lupardo was also able to help people get into positive situations with homes in the community.

“People during a foreclosure crisis, who bought properties, they’ve appreciated quite substantially since then, especially in Wellington,” Lupardo said. “People who bought short sales in Wellington; there was a big swing in prices up. So, we were able to clear titles.”

Being a member of the Wellington community, Lupardo has long been involved with the equestrian community, and also has the ability to process horse purchases and sales, he said.

“We also help people out with contracts when people build or renovate houses and/or barns,” he added. “We review the contracts and help them out with the contractors.”

In addition, Lupardo is able to draw bridle easements for his clients who need better access around town for themselves and their horses.

“Let’s say there is a property blocking a direct access to the show or to the road or whatever you need. You may have to go around with your horse,” Lupardo said.

So, Lupardo is able to make access around town easier with the ability to draw these riding paths legally.

Lupardo is licensed to practice law in New York and Florida. He received his degree from St. John’s University School of Law. Family ties are what brought him to Wellington.

“My brother and my sister moved here around 1989, and I was coming down from 1989 to 1998 on vacation, and the place was so lovely that I was always coming on vacation,” he recalled. “When I was in New York, I was thinking about being in Florida, so I said, ‘Why don’t I just move to Florida?’”

Lupardo has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of Westside West Palm Beach for many years, and he looks forward to attending meetings at the new Wellington chapter that became active recently. He is a parishioner at Our Lady Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church in Royal Palm Beach. He is also a member of both the Wanderers Club and the Wellington National Golf Club.

Lupardo has been living and working in the community now for close to 20 years, and he sees himself and his practice as standing the test of time.

“People know we’re reliable. We do very good work, and we’re going to be here down the line. So, if you have a question, you can come back in a year or two,” Lupardo said.

Lupardo finds enjoyment in his office, neatly located near the lake in Royal Palm Beach off Royal Palm Beach Blvd. “Look at that, there’s a powerboat. How many people get to have an office with a powerboat doing doughnuts right in front of the window? There’s nothing better than this,” Lupardo said.

Having a great office view and enjoying his location are just some of the small things that keep him here and loving the community he serves.

“I’m very grateful to my clients, who allow me to make a living here and be able to enjoy everyone else’s fellowship,” Lupardo said.

Matthew F. Lupardo P.A. is located at 685 Royal Palm Beach Blvd., Suite 104, in Royal Palm Beach. For more info., call (561) 204-2988 or visit www.lupardolaw.com.

Marcelo Montesinos Focuses On ‘Fighting For The Underdog’

Attorney Marcelo Montesinos was raised in Palm Beach County. Growing up and going to school in the urban parts of West Palm Beach, he discovered a sense of responsibility to represent people who needed help.

Originally a public defender, Montesinos transitioned to build his own personal injury law practice.

The Law Office of Marcelo Montesinos is devoted to personal injury, wrongful death and car accidents, which involves trucking and motorcycles as well.

“It’s making sure that when [clients] are injured, they receive the highest, best-possible compensation for those injuries,” Montesinos said, explaining that insurance companies will often fight even the most justified of claims.

His office handles other areas of personal injury law, but trucking and automobile accidents always stay at the forefront of his focus.

“If people have slip and falls, we’ll help them because we know how to do it. If there is a medical malpractice, we can take it, but our focus is auto and trucking cases, motorcycle cases, cases that deal with [a person being] a victim of someone else’s negligence,” Montesinos said.

Montesinos received his law degree from the Seton Hall University School of Law in New Jersey. His connection to family and the area brought him back to Palm Beach County.

“I returned, even though I probably could have stayed in the Northeast, but just because of family ties — my mother, my father and my sister — I returned. And, I worked in downtown West Palm Beach as a public defender,” Montesinos said.

Montesinos spent time while growing up in Wellington, but, at the time, the village didn’t have its own public high school, so he attended Twin Lakes and Palm Beach Lakes high schools in West Palm Beach.

“I live here now. I’ll probably continue living here. My friends are council members now. It’s unbelievable to see people you know, either as friends or colleagues, who now have a seat at the table, if you will,” Montesinos said.

Going to school with people closer to urban communities in Palm Beach County, Montesinos noted that many youngsters don’t have the same luxuries and guidance from parents and community leaders the way they do in places such as Wellington.

“When I became a lawyer, unfortunately, some of these people sometimes got in trouble,” Montesinos said. “Someone said, you can either be a prosecutor or a public defender, and I chose to be a public defender. I think that was the right choice.”

He did that for close to three years. In 2001, Montesinos decided to establish his own practice, which he eventually would focus on personal injury law.

“Instead of fighting against the government, you’re fighting against huge insurance companies,” Montesinos explained. “It’s my job to prove to them that you’re hurt, through the help of doctors, other professionals, chiropractors, your family and your friends.”

Montesinos said he has felt very successful in his field and area of law. He found it was a great transition from criminal defense to personal injury — often sticking up for the little guy in both cases.

“It was important for me when I moved on from criminal [defense] to personal injury to take that same kind of focus and say, ‘I will continue fighting for the underdog,’” Montesinos said. “The underdog is the individual, fighting against a huge insurance company.”

With his success, Montesinos is able to give back to his community. His law practice donates more than $5,000 worth of backpacks and school supplies at the start of every school year.

“For two or three weeks, we put radio ads on five or six stations, and honest to God, we get so many kids who come, and we’re cleared out. And that’s one of the benefits, if you love what you’re doing and you become successful,” Montesinos said. “Success is sometimes measured by accolades, by money; but whatever it is, nothing is greater than giving back to your community.”

Montesinos is the sole attorney at his law firm, although he does have lawyers who assist him part-time.

“The decision-making process becomes a little more diluted when there are more people,” he said. “However, over time, I’m probably going to have to bring on board, full-time, a couple of associates.”

Montesinos continues to practice law and serve people in the communities he was raised in.

“For me, I’ve always felt like the underdog, and I’m fighting for the underdog,” Montesinos said.

To contact the Law Office of Marcelo Montesinos, call (561) 721-1600 or visit www.montesinoslaw.com.

Communication Is Key For Attorneys At Greenstein & Lubliner

Blanca Greenstein and Richard Lubliner of Greenstein & Lubliner LLP have been practicing law partners since 2014. Originally, Greenstein founded the firm, but she soon realized that she was in need of a litigation partner. Greenstein and Lubliner knew early on that they would make a great pair to serve clients in Palm Beach County and beyond.  Today, the law firm that Greenstein and Lubliner operate together is committed to communication with its clients.

“One of the largest complaints that clients have for lawyers is that they’re not responsive enough, that they don’t hear from their lawyer,” Lubliner said. “We impress upon our associates and our support staff that connectivity and following up with clients is critical.”

Both Greenstein and Lubliner are, of course, licensed to practice in Florida. In addition, Lubliner is licensed to practice in New York. Among their associates, the firm is also licensed to serve clients in California, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.

“We also have a national network of local counsel, so some of our clients hire us to serve as a regional counsel or a national counsel and manage overseas cases in different parts of the country,” Greenstein said.

Greenstein’s experience working for a large loan service provider has added to their ability to serve current and future clients at the firm, Lubliner added.

“We’ve taken what she learned and expanded upon it, so we oversee or act like outside-inside counsel for various companies,” Lubliner said. “We provide strategic advice just to make sure that their objectives are being obtained, so we’re also like an oversight counsel as well.”

Locally, in Wellington, Greenstein and Lubliner are devoted to serving the equestrian community and managing real estate.

“In Wellington, the focus is naturally equine-based from a transactional and litigation perspective, but also a lot of real estate work emanates from our Wellington office, because Wellington has experienced extraordinary growth in its real estate development in the past few years due to the investment of outside sources and the equestrian community,” Lubliner said.

The law firm has multiple locations in Palm Beach County, and there is a New York location as well.

“We give very customized attention to our clients. Whether they are an individual or a corporate client, they are all treated with the highest level of customer service, accessibility, high level of communication, respect and kindness. Those are our core values,” said Greenstein, who has lived in the same Wellington home with her family for the past 14 years.

Originally, it was her parents who asked her to consider practicing her craft in Florida after she received her juris doctorate at Capital University Law School in Ohio. “After I got my law degree, I took the Florida bar, and I got an apartment right down from my parent’s apartment in South Palm Beach,” Greenstein recalled.

Originally from New York, Lubliner lives in Boca Raton with his wife, who is a teacher in the area. He received his degree from the Emory University School of Law. “I have a wealth of experience working on billion-dollar workouts, reorganizations and restructurings. In about 2006, I realized that I wanted a change. While I loved practicing in New York, I decided that I wanted to relocate,” Lubliner said.

Greenstein and Lubliner became partners at their present-day firm in 2014, changing the name of Greenstein’s original practice, the Law Offices of Greenstein & Associates, to Greenstein & Lubliner LLP.

Greenstein enjoys being involved in the community and serves on the board of directors for the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. “The chamber has given me a lot of very good business experience because we’ve organized speakers that have taught me about branding, public relations, marketing, writing a press release and giving me confidence as a business leader. A lot of that came from the education of the chamber,” Greenstein said.

Lubliner is a member of Leadership Palm Beach County. “We go throughout Palm Beach County to tour various areas and industries… to see where the public and private sector can work together to come up with creative solutions to complex problems,” he explained.

Greenstein and Lubliner believe there is a great benefit to being able to serve different individuals and businesses through Palm Beach County.

“I think our ability to be throughout Palm Beach County enhances our ability to represent our clients in a multitude of their different businesses,” Lubliner said. “We have clients, obviously, who have maybe a business in Wellington or they live in Wellington, and they own horses, yet they have a business that they own in Boca Raton or in West Palm Beach. So, they don’t have to feel like they need to retain an attorney in each city. It allows us to give them full coverage.”

Greenstein & Lubliner LLP has several offices, including one in Wellington. For more information, call (561) 222-2222 or visit www.greenstein-law.com.

Attorney Anthony Barbuto Expanding His Wellington Law Practice

Anthony Barbuto is licensed to practice law in three different states, but he settled in Wellington and has been practicing his craft here since 2008. “The law is not what brought me to Florida. Family is what brought me to Florida,” he said. “I liked it, and I stayed. I took the bar, and I stayed.”

While Barbuto Law & Associates P.A. has been around for some time, he more recently formed Barbuto & Johansson P.A., a practice devoted to personal injury law, with fellow attorney Carly Johansson.

“The thousands of clients that I have, they’ll call me up and say, ‘Hey, Anthony, I had an accident,’ or, ‘I know someone who had an accident; can you help me?’ and I wasn’t really focusing on that area,” Barbuto said. “But now I’m going to keep helping my clients in this particular area.”

Barbuto Law & Associates still remains the general practice, managing civil litigations, estate planning, wills and trusts, probate, family and equestrian cases. Clients will still go to Barbuto’s current location at 12773 W. Forest Hill Blvd. in Wellington for those types of queries, but now can meet specifically for personal injury cases there under Barbuto & Johansson.

“Carly has worked with me for several years. She has some background as well in personal injury, and it’s a project that we decided to be partners on,” Barbuto said. “She has a strong litigation background… and I worked for an insurance defense firm, so we decided we have very good synergy together.”

Barbuto has been a Wellington resident since 2008, when he succeeded longtime community lawyer Ann Porath at her firm’s practice upon her retirement.

“I came to Wellington from Fort Lauderdale, working for an insurance defense law firm,” Barbuto said. “Ann was the first lawyer to practice in Wellington on a full-time basis back in the 1980s. She was preparing to retire, so I came and took over her practice.”

Born and raised in Wayne, N.J., Barbuto is licensed to practice law in Florida, California and New Jersey. He took each state’s bar exams, one after the other.

He is proud to be a resident in Florida, and even more so a member of the Wellington community. “I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else in Florida,” he said.

Barbuto does have a home away from home. He and his wife, Rovena, and son, Leonardo, spend at least six weeks each year in Florence, Italy, where Barbuto met Rovena, who is a native of Italy.

“I still work, but I do very much enjoy traveling to Italy,” Barbuto said. “We have family there, and we’re trying to raise my son, when he starts talking, to be fluent in the Italian language.”

Many of Barbuto’s clients live in the equestrian communities of Wellington.

“We’re very busy with equestrian law. We do equestrian-related issues, ranging from agricultural classification applications [to] lease agreements for stalls or barns,” he said. “We do equestrian litigation when there are disputes relating to maybe misrepresentation of the sale of a horse [and] disputes relating to the ownership of a horse. We do horse issues in probate. There are horse issues in divorces.”

Barbuto has also helped clients from Wellington who own homes in Italy.

“I have a lot of Italian clients. I have clients in Italy who are involved in the equestrian business and have business interests or real estate interests here in the U.S., so I do still work there, not only work from Italy for my clients here, but I still generate business and meet with clients in Italy,” he said.

Barbuto is a member of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. He does community service work throughout the year through the village’s adopt-a-street program. He is also a member of the Florida Bar’s Animal Law Section.

“If someone is interested in tax law, there are certain sections of the Florida Bar where a lot of the tax attorneys get together,” Barbuto explained. “So, the section that I’m involved in is animal law and the real property and probate law.”

Barbuto is also a licensed roofing contractor. The license is useful when he deals with construction cases at his practice.   

“It’s something I obtained around 2001. My father is in the commercial roofing business,” Barbuto said. “I renew it each year, but I don’t actually have a [roofing] company.”

No matter where Barbuto is in the world, he is devoted to his practice and the people he serves.

“I really love Wellington for many reasons,” he said. “I’m a resident of Wellington. I’m a homeowner in Wellington. I live in Binks Forest with my wife and son. I love the community and the people. I’m very grateful for that, so I don’t plan on leaving.”

To contact Barbuto Law & Associates, call (561) 798-2907 or visit www.barbutolaw.com. To contact Barbuto & Johansson, call (561) 444-7980 or visit www.injurylawfirm 4all.com.

Alec Domb Enjoys Being Active In The Wellington Community

Alec Domb is a lawyer by trade, but he has also been a community leader in Wellington for many years who continues to run his law practice locally and seek ways to stay involved in the Wellington community.

The Law Office of Alexander L. Domb P.A. is focused on real estate, guardianship, probate, estate planning and the litigations associated with those areas of law practice. “In Florida, there are more guardianships for adults than there are for children,” Domb explained. “The guardianship revolves around their mental capacity, whether it involves dementia or Alzheimer’s. Can they manage their own affairs? Do they need a private guardian or a professional guardian? Can one of their relatives do it, or does it have to be a professional?”

Domb said he believes that there is a great importance to work with a practiced lawyer when it comes to personal assets in life.

“There is a set of documents that every Florida resident, citizen should have, including a will, a durable family power of attorney, a healthcare surrogate designation, which covers HIPAA issues, and a living will. You need these four documents,” he said. “These are the essential elements, and, of course, the higher up you are in years, the more urgent it is that you have these documents, because something could happen to you.”

Domb works to protect people’s liberties when he manages a guardianship case.

“My job is to make certain that their rights are protected in that proceeding, and that the person who is petitioning to be the guardian is actually qualified… and it is in the best interest of the allegedly incapacitated person for that person be their guardian,” Domb said.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, N.Y., Domb made his way to South Florida, where he attended the University of Miami and earned his law degree at Nova Southeastern Law Center. He initially started his firm with a partner and took any case that came to the office.

“My law practice has evolved over the years,” Domb said. “I started out as a litigator and went into private practice from school with a partner. We practiced ‘door law,’ which is anything that walks in the door, and we went from there.”

Domb was involved in real estate up until the downturn in that market 10 years ago. He still owns a title company and continues to help homeowners with their documentation.

“There isn’t a title problem I haven’t seen or had to work through over the last 31 years,” he said. “I’ve seen them all. I’ve worked them all. I’ve fixed them all.”

He has lived in Wellington with his wife, Melody, since 2005. He enjoys what the village has to offer socially and continues to look for new ways to be involved. He particularly enjoys the equestrian aspect.

“I’ve lived in a few places, and I like it here. I like the people. I like the community. I’ve met a lot of really nice people,” Domb said. “I’ve gotten involved to do what I think is right and help people to accomplish what I think is right. There are an awful lot of people who have never been west of 120th Avenue, who have no idea what goes on out there. It’s all fabulous, the horse show, the dressage arena, [the International Polo Club] and all of the ancillary places that feed all of that.”

Being a former president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Domb believes there are many benefits and experiences that come from involvement in village life.

“You can get nothing out of the chamber, or you can get a whole lot out of the chamber. It depends on how much you choose to involve yourself. I ran the total immersion program,” Domb said.

Since his term as a board member with the chamber came to an end, he has remained active in community organizations, helping develop Wellington Cares, a nonprofit organization that helps seniors in the community.

“I did the 501(c)(3), the tax exemption status and all that for them,” Domb said. “I joined the Palms West Hospital Board of Trustees because I knew a few people on it, and they asked me, and I think I can do some good and help people. I’m happy to do that.”

Along with continuing his law practice in Wellington, Domb plans to continue to involve himself as an active member of the Wellington community.

“I’m going to continue to be involved in some way because I feel it’s important that if you live in the community and work in the community, you should be involved in the community,” Domb said.

The Law Office of Alexander L. Domb P.A. is located at 11199 Polo Club Road, Suite 1. For more information, call (561) 578-8900.

Laurie Cohen Brings A Unique Perspective To Her Role As The Village’s Legal Advisor

After four years on the job, Village Attorney Laurie Cohen signed a contract for another two years in the post last month. That means she will continue to bring her unique perspective to her position as Wellington’s in-house attorney.

Cohen has worn multiple hats during her almost two decades in Wellington. She started off as a wife, mother, neighbor and friend when she moved to Wellington with her family in March 1998, when her oldest son, Stuart, was not quite one year old.

“I was looking for a community that felt like home and a place where my children could actually grow up and have the same feeling about where they grew up that I had about where I grew up,” she said.

Cohen grew up in Maryland, attended the University of Maryland for her undergraduate degree and worked in New York for almost 10 years before attending law school at Nova Southeastern University, graduating in 1995. Within a few years, Cohen was looking for a place to settle down.

“I wanted a place that had good schools, I wanted a place that had great family neighborhoods and I wanted a place that felt safe,” she recalled. “When I drove into Wellington, I immediately knew that this was the place that we needed to be.”

The Wellington of 1998, however, was quite different from the Wellington of today.

“At the time, there was no mall. It was very much still a small town. You didn’t have any of the stores and restaurants and things that you have now,” she said. “The equestrians were here, but it wasn’t as noticeable as I think we have now. There has been a tremendous amount of growth since I moved here.”

Between her work as an attorney and raising a young family, Cohen didn’t have much free time. However, when a seat become vacant on the Wellington Village Council in 2003, she put her name in for appointment. She was elected to a full four-year term on the council in 2004, serving until 2008.

Cohen has utilized her relationships, connections and experience gained as a councilwoman with her work as village attorney, a title she has held since 2013.

“Although that experience is helpful to me as the attorney, I try very hard to keep my role as the village attorney separate from my prior service as a councilwoman,” she said.

Her current role, she said, is now advisory for both the council and the village. “I advise council when questions arise on matters that are coming before them. I try to help them navigate the rules of ethics and the Sunshine Law. I try to give them my best legal advice without injecting my own, personal opinion as a resident,” Cohen said. “I try to help them understand all of the nuances of the various matters that come before them, because it is so varied. It could be contractual, it could be land use, or zoning, and some of these things can be quite complex… I spend a fair amount of time talking with them about applications that come through and really just trying to be an advisor to the council and to the various departments.”

Cohen deals with many issues while advising Wellington’s various departments, be it purchasing, engineering, platting, human resources, code enforcement, bid protests, ethics, land use and more.

“You have to know a little bit about a wide variety of issues that come before you, because it is extremely varied,” she said. “All of these things come before you, and you’re just constantly dealing with one issue after another.”

With a background in commercial litigation, where litigation focuses on a wide variety of matters that attorneys often have to learn about as they are litigated, and cases are worked on from start to finish, municipal law is different, but similar.

“What is extremely different is the pace at which you have to be able to think and react,” she said, likening municipal law to being a general practitioner.

In her role as village attorney, Cohen addresses issues that come up in the course of doing the daily work of the village and constantly shifts gears to focus on an issue, provide advice, and then return her focus to what she was working on previously.

Cohen’s time on the council, and longevity in the community, have served her well. She was already familiar with many of the major issues of the community, the parties for pending lawsuits and many of the lawyers who come before her regarding various matters.

Even as Wellington has grown, it still retains the small-town feel that drew Cohen here in the first place.

“I love the fact that I can go to the grocery store and see people I know and see my kids’ teachers and all of that. I love that about this town,” she said.

Over the years, just as Wellington has grown, so has Cohen’s family. Stuart is now 20, and her younger son, Eric, is 17. Family friend Joshua, 19, is also living with the Cohens. Between the three boys and her husband, Irwin, Cohen finds herself surrounded by men, she joked, although the family dog and cat are both female.

Cohen was honored to have her contract as village attorney renewed for another two years.

“This is a wonderful job,” she said. “I love my job. I’m very pleased to be working with the village, and I’m excited about the next two years. I think there are some interesting things that the council will be dealing with. It’s exciting to be involved in those issues and to be advising the council and the departments.”

As Wellington evolves, Cohen sees the community continuing to be a great place for families to raise their children.

“There will probably need to be some redevelopment of various areas within the community, but that’s not unexpected. We are getting to be an older community now, and many of the neighborhoods have existed prior to incorporation,” she said. “I think there will be opportunities for redevelopment, and those will be interesting and exciting things for the council to consider. I hope that we continue to have great schools and great neighborhoods like we’ve always had.”

Part of what makes her role as village attorney so special is her team and colleagues.

“I work with great people,” Cohen said. “I feel extremely honored and proud to be working with these people who are so well qualified for the jobs that they’re doing. It’s not often that you actually wake up looking forward to going to work, and I have that feeling every day. I really do love the work that I’m doing and the people that I’m working with. I have a great respect for all of them. It’s such a privilege and a pleasure to come to work every day.”

Women Of Wellington Reach Out To  Help Animals, Children And More

The Wellington Chamber of Commerce added its WOW factor — the Women of Wellington committee — back in 2013 to help women connect with each other and share new business opportunities. But, as so often happens when women get together, the group soon began reaching out to help others.

The group has helped a number of nonprofits over the past several years, and in March, WOW conducted a highly successful adopt-a-thon in conjunction with Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control.

“Twenty amazing women came out to film segments with an adoption-available dog or cat at Animal Care & Control,” said Michela Green, executive director of the chamber. “Elizabeth Harfmann, community outreach manager at Animal Care & Control, made this all possible. She met with our group daily and provided us with a dog or cat to showcase.”

Harfmann provided all the pertinent information, such as the pet’s breed, age and personality, and then a WOW member filmed the video, introducing herself and the pet she was showcasing.

The initiative began on March 1, with a new video posted each day on the chamber’s web site. In addition, the pets’ photos and bios were distributed through social media and an e-mail blast to chamber members.

Green set the goal at 31 pets, hoping to have one pet adopted for each of the 31 days in March. By the end of the month, WOW had successfully found homes for 26 — but no one was stopping there. Calls continue to come in.

“This was a new initiative, never before done by our group,” Green said. “Last June, I adopted a beautiful 5-year-old dog, Flower, from Animal Care & Control and was able to see how many incredible dogs and cats were available, and how fantastic the volunteers are and how hard they work to get the dogs and cats adopted.”

As it turned out, seeing photos of adorable furballs in need made quite an impact among Wellington’s business professionals. “I think this affected every person who received the videos and photos — not only those who got to be part of the initiative,” Green said. “We received numerous phone calls and e-mails from members who shared an interest in pet rescue and wanted to help.”

And let’s not forget about the 26 success stories, each with its own tug at the heartstrings.

“There was one that I was able to personally witness,” Green said. “I was speaking about the program at a local restaurant, and a staff person overheard me talking about what we were doing and actually met me the next day. She and her husband adopted a dog! It was amazing to see the process and how much they loved him at first sight.”

Following the success of the Adopt-a-thon, WOW is turning its eyes toward children in May. The women are taking part in National Foster Care Awareness Month by supporting Place of Hope, a state-licensed children’s organization providing family-style foster care, family outreach and intervention, maternity care, safety for victims of sex trafficking, transitional housing and support services, foster care recruitment and support, as well as hope and healing opportunities for children and families who have been traumatized by abuse and neglect.

“Throughout the month, we will be utilizing social media to grab the attention of people with the posting of statistics, ways to get involved, and how people within our community are making a difference,” said Brittany Russell, co-chair of WOW. “Then, in mid-May, we will have a luncheon coordinated by the WOW committee and hosted by Place of Hope.”

The mission of the luncheon is to invite local women to the Place of Hope campus, allowing them to see firsthand the outreach and services offered there.

“The guests will tour the campus and learn about the various programs that are making a difference within our community,” Russell said. “Then we will create a call to action in order to facilitate and encourage engagement in whichever way best fits their abilities to get involved.”

Over the summer, the WOW members will meet to develop outreach plans for next season.

“We have exciting summer socials and idea-sharing initiatives planned to help prepare for the launch of our 2017-18 agenda,” Russell said. “We love to get together with other like-minded women throughout the impact, as well as gain new insights and stay relevant.”

Next season’s kickoff will take place in August, the beginning of a new series of networking opportunities that go far beyond the chamber.

“We are going to be very intentional in creating a call to action for each cause we work alongside in bringing awareness to their mission,” Russell said. “Our goal is to really focus on being a liaison, to connect women with organizations that spark their interest and to help them follow through in any way they are able to help — whether it is by volunteering, raising awareness or donating.”

The Wellington Chamber of Commerce itself presents a golf tournament each October, Winterfest in December, the ColorFest community to plan out our goals… This allows us to bond as a strong council of women eager to make a positive

5K run in February and the Flavors Food + Wine Festival in April. New on this year’s agenda is a fashion show, slated for September.

And if you’re thinking about adding a furry family member, Green is standing by to help out.

“Adopt, don’t shop!” she said. “I will personally meet anyone who is interested in adopting a pet at Animal Care & Control.”

For more information about the Wellington Chamber of Commerce or the Women of Wellington, call (561) 792-6525 or visit www.wellingtonchamber.com.

Gay Polo: The Best Party In Town:

Annual International GPL
Tournament Returns This Month
When the Gay Polo League first arrived in Wellington in 2010, it brought a new dimension to the polo match and tailgate concept. Traditional tailgating at polo entails a bunch of polo players and fans clad in jeans and T-shirts sitting in the back of a flatbed truck, polo team logos adding the only touch of glamour to their attire.

GPL tournament tailgates involve months of planning, inventive and colorful décor and costumes, and a spirited passion for enjoying polo while cheering at the GPL polo matches that draw gay and straight polo players and fans alike for a rousing day of fun in the Florida sun. In 2017, the GPL is stepping up its game once again by adding a philanthropic aspect to the best party in Wellington.

According to Chip McKenney, GPL’s founder and president, there are now GPL members in nine countries, making the polo club truly international. This year’s event will take place April 7-9 and features the traditional GPL Polotini Party at the Wanderers Club on Friday, April 7. Saturday, April 8 will be the highlight day of polo matches and tailgating revelry on the exclusive Isla Carroll field at the International Polo Club of Palm Beach.

Participants who are still standing after the full day of tailgating and polo will wind up the weekend with IPC’s luxurious Sunday brunch at the Mallet Grill with front-row seats at the U.S. Open matches at IPC.

The GPL recently added raising money for charity to its organizational mission. The league has obtained 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, and all proceeds from this year’s tournament after costs will be donated to selected charities that advance the cause of aiding at-risk LGBTQ youth and support the inclusive acceptance of all people regardless of sexual identity — a key component of the GPL’s mission statement.

“The first seven years we worked to build a great event within the LGBTQ community,” McKenney explained. “Now that the tournament is established, thanks to phenomenal support from our corporate and private partners, the next step is to make a difference in the lives of our community, especially LGBTQ youth.”

GPL members are big fans of the unique tournament. “I love the crowds, the tailgates, and I love the energy of the people on the field,” three-time participant Tiffany Busch said.

A professional player and one of the highest-rated women playing polo, Busch won the 2016 Women Championship Tournament last April, and recently was on top of the podium at the Tabebuia Cup at the Port Mayaca Polo Club in February.

“It makes me feel part of something big to play in the GPL. On a personal note, what Chip McKenney and Mason Phelps have put together here is amazing because is allows people like me to take a stand and be who we are, whether that is gay, straight or transgendered,” Busch said.

Busch is excited that the GPL tournament will be contributing funds to charity this year. “Charity-related events are one of the best ways to showcase polo and give back,” Busch said.

Now that the GPL has obtained its nonprofit status, the league will have another tool to spread the message of acceptance and empowerment, McKenney said. He explained that the league’s charitable efforts will have a dual focus on alleviating homelessness among LGBTQ youth and providing scholarships for higher education.

Meanwhile, GPL members will be leveraging the international aspect of the league into additional opportunities to raise awareness and pride for people of LBGTQ identity to a worldwide audience.

For example, the GPL hosted its first-ever tournament outside the United States in December, in Argentina. The teams of Phelps Media, Cedar Crest and RSM journeyed to El Remanso Polo Club and Bautista Heguy’s Chapa Uno Polo Club, where they had the experience of playing with four-time Argentine Open champion Eduardo Heguy and several other professional polo players.

When they were not playing polo, the GPL members went into Buenos Aires to watch the Argentine Open matches live at the “cathedral” in Palermo.

Mark Bennett, a Realtor from Palm Beach, loved the trip to Argentina. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and experience,” he said. “For someone like me, who is not a billionaire, to get to play with players from one of the top polo families in the world is incredible. Being part of the GPL opens up amazing opportunities.”

Bennett also complimented his Argentine hosts.

“Eduardo Heguy, his wife and his family were extremely welcoming, warm and friendly,” he said, relating how Heguy invited the GPL members to visit the private team tents at the Argentine Open in Palermo, and then took the time, despite the stresses of competing, to make sure that the GPL players were having a good experience at Palermo.

“Eduardo went out of his way to introduce us to people at the Argentine Open,” Bennett said. “For my first trip to Argentina, I could not have done it in a better way.”

After experiencing the success of the GPL’s trip to Argentina, McKenney is open to creating other GPL events around the world and is evaluating the next opportunity for an overseas event.

Tickets for the 2017 International Gay Polo Tournament events are available at the league’s official web site. The GPL’s new nonprofit status means that donations to the GPL are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.

Information on joining the GPL or getting tickets to this month’s tournament can be found at www.gaypolo.com.