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William H. ‘Bill’ Kerdyk, Jr. is an American entrepreneur, politician and international golf tournament organizer.
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Early life
Kerdyk was born in Doctor’s Hospital in Coral Gables, Florida to William Kerdyk, Sr. and Marlene Schulte Kerdyk. His father, Bill Sr. was raised in Gloversville, New York, the son of a direct immigrant from the Netherlands. His mother, Marlene was the child of German immigrants, from Mankato, Minnesota. Kerdyk was raised in Coral Gables, graduated from Coral Gables Senior High School and earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Real Estate from Florida International University. In 1985, Kerdyk joined the family-owned business, Kerdyk Real Estate. He purchased the business from his uncle in 1993.
Kerdyk Real Estate
Kerdyk is President and CEO of Kerdyk Real Estate, a full service real estate brokerage company headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida. In addition to its residential and commercial division, the company also focuses on its management portfolio and the disposition of REO and distressed properties through its Division of Bankruptcies and Foreclosures. Kerdyk is also president of Kerdyk Referral Services for licensed real estate agents. Kerdyk Real Estate is involved with several professional and service organizations:
First American Bank/Bank of Coral Gables
Kerdyk was the founder and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Coral Gables, a community bank that he and a group of investors founded in 2006 with $20 million in capital In December 2014, First American Bank, a full service bank headquartered in Elk Grove Village, IL with 49 branches throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and assets of $3.5 billion, received regulatory approval to merge with the Bank of Coral Gables, located at 2295 Galiano Street in Coral Gables, Florida. Kerdyk led the merger negotiations and has joined the Board of Directors of First American Bank.
Toyota Junior Golf World Cup
Kerdyk, an avid golfer, founded the Toyota Junior World Cup with Japanese business partners Yasmasa Tagashira and Eiji Tagashira in 1992. This junior golf tournament was formed to allow the finest junior golfers in the world the opportunity to compete in an international team event.
More than 70 countries participate in qualifying tournaments held throughout the year in North and South America, Asia, Europe, Oceania and Africa. The winners and second-place finishers in the qualifying tournaments are invited to participate in the finals held in Japan. Toyota and Japan Airlines are the major sponsors of the tournament.
Some notable junior golfers who have participated in previous tournaments and later gained prominence include 2013 US Open Champion Justin Rose, 2011 Masters Tournament Champion Charles Schwartzel, 2010 British Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen and 2008 Masters Tournament Champion Trevor Immelman. The tournament qualifying system is modeled after the World Cup soccer tournament, where regional tournaments are held to allow countries to qualify and play. Kerdyk also chaired the Junior Orange Bowl Golf Tournament in Miami for several years, one of the premier invitational amateur golf tournaments in the world.
In 2014, the championship announced a girl’s event as part of the tournament.
Political career
After serving for 20 years, Kerdyk stepped down from public office in April 2015 and was bestowed as Vice Mayor Emeritus by the City of Coral Gables in recognition of his many years of service. He served as a Coral Gables Commissioner on a citywide, nonpartisan basis starting in 1995 and was subsequently re-elected in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. He served as Vice Mayor in 1999, 2001 and from 2007 to 2015. In April 2015, in recognition of his longstanding career as a public servant, the 3.5 acre Riviera Park, located at 6611 Yumuri Street in Coral Gables, was renamed ‘William H. Kerdyk, Jr. Family Park’. At a Coral Gables City Commission meeting held in April 2015, the following video commemorating the Kerdyk legacy was broadcast: [1]
Stands
Kerdyk had four major stands as a Coral Gables Commissioner, which include support for strong zoning codes, fiscal conservation, strong advocacy for ‘best in class’ city services and quality of life issues for residents
Programs
Throughout his political career, Kerdyk has initiated several city programs:
Political Organizations
Kerdyk has served on numerous political organizations affecting Miami-Dade County and the State of Florida:
Personal life
Kerdyk and his wife, Lynn, a clinical child psychologist at the University of Miami, have three children – William H. Kerdyk, III, Lindsay Kerdyk and Leigh Mason Kerdyk.
Philanthropy
Kerdyk founded the Kerdyk Family Trust Scholarship Fund in October 2002 in memory of his father, William H. Kerdyk, Sr. who shared his love of music with his own children and grandchildren. A financial scholarship is given annually to a graduating senior that lives in Coral Gables who has shown an interest in music during high school. To date, more than $40,000 has been awarded to deserving music students.