The Rotary Club of Gainesville named Jorge Villalobos as its 2026 Ethics in Business Award winner on Tuesday.

According to a Rotary Club release, Villalobos, who owns three local businesses, was selected at the Rotary’s meeting held on Tuesday at the Cade Museum Garage.

Villalobos is the owner and operator of The Best Restoration, LLC, Area Rug Masters, LLC, and Gainesville Turnover Specialists, LLC, with locations in Gainesville and Ocala. He was born in Colombia, South America, where he worked in the finance and banking industry.

In 1999, Villalobos came to the U.S., speaking little English and seeking a safer place to live and raise his family, according to the release. He initially worked for a carpet cleaning company in Fort Lauderdale before acquiring a van with carpet-cleaning equipment and moving to Gainesville in 2004.

With the one van, Villalobos grew The Best Restoration, LLC into a company with 30 employees and the three companies. The Best Restoration, LLC earned a 5-star accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was named the Distinguished Latin-Owned Business of the Year in 2023.

The Rotary Club of Gainesville’s Ethics in Business Award “Recognizes members of the community who exemplify the Rotary’s longstanding commitment to integrity, fairness, and ethical leadership in every aspect of professional life,” according to the release.

Each October, the Rotary Club’s Ethics in Business Committee takes nominations from across the Greater Gainesville community. After the nominations are received, the University of Florida’s Ethics Ambassadors conduct formal interviews with each nominee and give their evaluations to the Ethics in Business Committee. The award recipients are selected based on both the Ambassadors’ recommendations and the Committee’s review.