Emerald Torch Awards Gala
The annual Emerald Torch Awards Gala brings Palm Beach State College and the community together at a glamorous green and gold affair to benefit students and scholarships.
Come celebrate and support Palm Beach State College in its role as an engine of opportunity for Palm Beach County.
2025 Event Details
Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 6pm
SoFi Center | Palm Beach Gardens campus
3160 PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
Campus Map & Driving Directions
For the purchase of a table of 10, organizations can have their logos included in promotional materials and recognized on signage and social media on the evening of the event. Individual tickets are also available for purchase. Thank you for supporting PBSC!
Premier Venue: SoFi at PBSC
Palm Beach State College’s 2025 Emerald Torch Awards Gala welcomes guests to the SoFi Center, the exclusive home of TGL, the new professional golf league from TMRW Sports and in partnership with the PGA TOUR. TGL presented by SoFi fuses advanced technology and live action to create a unique experience at this first-of-its-kind venue.
Launched by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and TMRW Sports CEO Mike McCarley in January 2025, TGL tees off in December for season two at the SoFi Center, a 250,000 square-foot, purpose-built complex that boasts a data-rich virtual course, five-story simulator and tech-infused green, and a rotating turntable powered by nearly 600 hydraulic jacks to alter the contour of all 18 holes.
SoFi Center provides an extraordinary backdrop for Palm Beach State’s 2025 Gala, a one-of-a-kind experience, showcasing state-of-the-art technology, dazzling LED displays and cozy hospitality lounges frequented by high-profile celebrities, media executives, and players and owners from the world of professional sports.
Amid the excitement, we’ll shine a spotlight on individuals who lead the way for excellence, opportunity and transformation in our community. From an inspiring awards presentation to an elegant dinner and specially prepared menu to the fellowship of leaders, visionaries and changemakers, the Emerald Torch Awards Gala is where the who’s who of Palm Beach County come together to celebrate the impact of higher education and the spirit of community.
Palm Beach State College is delivering exceptional education through innovation as TGL has reimagined golf through innovation, broadcasting live on ESPN from Palm Beach State College’s Palm Beach Gardens campus.
Join us at SoFi Center for this historic evening as we honor achievement, build connections and ignite the future — together.
Master of Ceremonies
News anchor Jim Grimes will serve as the master of ceremonies for the 2025 gala. He co-anchors CBS12 News
at 5, 6 and 11 p.m., covering stories impacting families and communities around South
Florida. Grimes is deeply committed to public service and community engagement. He's
excited to celebrate the achievements of Emerald Torch awardees at PBSC's green and
gold affair.
2025 Awardees
Lifetime Achievement Award: Gary Player
Gary Player is a South African professional golfer who is one of only six men in history to capture the career grand slam - winning all four of golf’s Major Championships. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 1974, and during his career, Player won nine Major Championships on the Regular Tour and nine Major Championships on the Senior Tour. He is the only golfer in history to complete the career Grand Slam on both Tours. He has won more National titles than Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer combined, and he has won the most tournaments of any professional golfer alive today.
Nicknamed the Black Knight, Mr. Fitness, and the International Ambassador of Golf, he is also a renowned golf course architect with hundreds of design projects throughout the world. Player has authored or co-written 37 books on golf instruction, design, philosophy, motivation and fitness. In 2016, he captained the South African Olympic Golf Team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Player has received numerous accolades including the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award, the PGA Tour's Lifetime Achievement Award, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in the United States.
Gary’s life was profoundly shaped by his childhood experiences. After his mother passed away when he was young, Gary found refuge and strength in his school in South Africa. His father was working in the mines, and his brother was off at war, leaving Gary feeling alone. Yet, his school was a safe haven—a place where he was able to thrive, belong, and find hope for the future.
The work of the Gary and Vivienne Player Foundation began many years ago on the Player farm and continues today in South Africa as the Blair Atholl preschool. After the passing of Gary’s late wife, Vivienne, Gary and Vivienne established the foundation in the United States, driven by a shared desire to give back. Upon learning that 1 in 6 children in this country live in poverty — with millions at risk of homelessness, hunger, and neglect — they felt called to act. The foundation was re-named and re-established to focus on providing vulnerable and underprivileged children with a safe, nurturing environment where they can thrive.
Gary and Vivienne wanted to give back to the communities that contributed to Gary’s incredible journey and success. The GVPF’s mission is to lift children out of poverty through targeted education, health, and housing initiatives. Over the past three years, the foundation has touched the lives of more than 36,000 children. The needs are great, and the work is vital.
At the Emerald Torch Awards, we celebrate the man and the incredible dedication and impact of the Gary and Vivienne Player Foundation — an organization driven by love, hope, and a shared commitment to change lives.
Emerald Torch Award: Wolfgang Brunet (PBSC alumnus)
Wolfgang Brunet is the founder and CEO of Ideal Nutrition, a leading Florida-based company specializing in fresh, healthy, ready-to-eat meals. With a strong vision for making convenient nutrition accessible, Brunet transformed Ideal Nutrition from a small operation into a multimillion-dollar enterprise with retail stores, a central kitchen and distribution networks that serve customers across Florida.
Before entering the food and nutrition industry, he dedicated seven years to serving as a police officer, an experience that shaped his leadership, discipline and commitment to community well-being. Drawing on this background, Brunet has built a company culture centered on accountability, professionalism and service.
Under his leadership, Ideal Nutrition has grown to employ over 300 team members and generates more than $45 million annually in sales. The company is recognized for its high standards in food quality, operational efficiency and customer service. Brunet has also overseen key innovations, including extended meal shelf life, expanded delivery services and the opening of multiple retail locations throughout Florida.
Brunet’s hands-on leadership style and dedication to excellence have earned Ideal Nutrition a place on the INC 5000 list, solidifying its reputation as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States.
Beyond business growth, he is passionate about promoting healthier lifestyles and empowering his team to embody the company’s mission: to make healthy eating easy, affordable and enjoyable for everyone.
Brunet completed his Associate in Arts degree in Business Administration and Management at PBSC from 2005 to 2008 before going on to Florida Atlantic University to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and a Master of Arts degree in Marketing.
Emerald Torch Award: George Gentile (PBSC alumnus)
George Gentile is a senior partner and a principal of Gentile Holloway O’Mahoney 2GHO Inc., where he is responsible for the daily management, operations and marketing of the firm as well as managing and participating in all project design and direction. Gentile has over 48 years of experience in landscape architecture, land planning and environmental consulting.
He continues to represent projects before public agencies and has had principal responsibility for the implementation of these projects as well. His extensive experience in the professions of landscape architecture and planning continues to provide valuable input to both public and private projects alike.
After graduating from Suncoast High School in 1971, Gentile obtained an Associate in Arts degree in Architecture from Palm Beach Junior College in 1973. He then got married and moved to the University of Florida where he obtained a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree in 1977. A year later, he obtained his license to practice landscape architecture after passing the State Board of Landscape Architecture exam. His most memorable projects include the Palm Beach County Dyer Landfill reclamation design and recently the design of the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jupiter.
He also served on the board of the PBSC Foundation from 2013 to 2019, acting as its Chair from 2015 to 2019. Even after his formal service ended, he remains a close friend to both the Foundation and the College.
