BURT CABAÑAS Founder and chairman of Benchmark, A Global Hospitality Company, was born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Florida. After establishing a successful career in the hospitality industry, he founded Benchmark in 1980. A graduate of Florida International University, Burt serves as vice chairman of the FIU Foundation Board and served as chairman of the Industry Advisory Board for the university’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. He is a founding member and past president of the International Association of Conference Centers, which has honored him with The Mel Hosansky Distinguished Service Award and the IACC Global Distinguished Service Award. Burt lives with his wife, Hermys, in The Woodlands, Texas.