M.L. Chamber hosts new and retiring managers

Before joining the ranks of the fire department, Edward Pidermann was a certified mortician, conducting the preparation of a deceased person for funeral and burial arrangements.
“I found it not to be inspirational,” Pidermann quipped. “I made a career change and with the help of a friend, I spent 30 years as a Miami firefighter.”
Pidermann’s three decade public service career meticulously prepared him for his new role as the new town manager for Miami Lakes.
The Town Council tapped Pidermann, who previously was an assistant chief of management service for Broward County’s fire department, to replace Alex Rey, who’s retiring to take advantage of the government Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP).
Rey passed the torch on to his successor at last week’s Miami Lakes Chamber of Commerce membership meeting at Don Shula’s Hotel, where the two were the guest speakers for the event.
Pidermann’s official start date is Monday, February 4, and Rey agreed to stay on as a consultant until March.
Pidermann, 56, was conceived in Cuba but born in Miami.
He said his mother and father were unaware she was pregnant when they left the communist country.
“I was made in Cuba and born in Miami,” Pidermann said.
Pidermann said he was raised in Hialeah and moved to Miami Lakes in 1992.
He graduated from Monsignor Edward Pace High School, Miami Dade College and St. Thomas University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree.
He earned his Master’s in public administration from Florida International University.
Pidermann said he initially retired as a firefighter following a 30-year career, but accepted a friend’s job offer to join him as his assistant chief in Broward County.
“I came out of retirement after a friend was appointed the fire chief and I accepted it,” he said.
Since he moved to Miami Lakes, Pidermann has been active in the community, serving as coach at the Optimist Club of Miami Lakes, where he coached his kids in baseball, softball and basketball.
He was the first member of the Miami Lakes Youth Activity Task Force and served on the original Miami Lakes Charter Committee, which crafted out the town’s own constitution.
As the new town manager, Pidermann said customer service is his top priority.
“The industry that I came from, customer service was No. 1,” he said. “I want to make it the top priority here. Whatever we can do to help our customers, we will do it.”
Pidermann also said the residents’ participation is a big part of his vision in moving the town forward.
“I want residents to be very involved with participating in our town’s affairs,” he said. “Decisions involving people, they should be involved in the decision-making process because that produces the best results.”
Rey, the town manager for more than 16 years, said Pidermann is up to the challenge to keep Miami Lakes moving in the right direction.
“I think he will work real hard to make the community a success,” Rey said.
Rey highlighted the town’s accomplishments during his tenure as town manager.
He said the entire stormwater drainage system, and other infrastructure built as part of the original Miami Lakes community, has been all upgraded.
Rey said Miami Lakes took over the streets and recreational parks, and the special taxing districts for street lighting, pocket and picnic parks, security guard gates and lake maintenance from Miami-Dade, and developed a relationship with the town’s committees, the Miami Lakes Optimist Club and Miami Lakes United Soccer Club that created recreation programs for more than 1,000 kids and 100 town events for residents.
He said the Veteran’s Day Parade, the Fourth of July celebration and the new Food and Wine Festival Tasting are popular among residents and visitors.
“The community participation has been amazing,” Rey said.
Rey said the town completed its upgrade projects at Royal Oaks Park, and the facility was so impressive that Club Atletico Penarol, the 127 year-old Uruguayan soccer team, which is ranked among the top 50 greatest soccer club teams in the world, has decided to make the recreation facility its practice home.
Under Rey, the town renovated the Mary Collins Community Center and built a basketball court at the park, and built two new facilities, the Youth Center at Picnic Park East and the clubhouse for the Optimist Club.
“Is the job done? No,” Rey said. “Are we moving in the right direction? I think so.”
Pidermann praised Rey for a job well done and plans to establish a similar but different administration to help accomplish his goals.
“It’ll be a little different from Alex Rey but produce the same results,” Pidermann said.