Carlos de la Cruz
| Carlos de la Cruz | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Carlos M. de la Cruz, Sr. Havana, Cuba |
| Education | Phillips Academy |
| Alma mater |
University of Pennsylvania University of Miami |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | De la Cruz Collection |
| Title | Chairman, CC1 Companies, Inc |
| Spouse(s) | Rosa Rionda de la Cruz (m. 1962) |
| Children | Carlos Jr, Isabel, Alberto, Rosa, Alina |
Carlos M. de la Cruz, Sr. is a Cuban-born American businessman and, chairman of CC1 Companies, Inc. which include Coca-Cola Puerto Rico Bottlers, CC1 Beer Distributors, Inc., Coca-Cola Bottlers Trinidad & Tobago, and Florida Caribbean Distillers, LLC. The companies together employ 2,500 people and have annual sales of $1 billion.
Early life
Born in Havana, Cuba,[1] he lived in New York City and Madrid, Spain before moving to Miami, Florida where he has been a resident since 1975.
De la Cruz received his high school diploma from Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts in 1959; a bachelor's degree in Economics, an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania in 1962 and 1963; and a juris doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law in 1979.[1][2]
Career
He is a senior trustee and former chairman of the board of trustees of the University of Miami from 1999 to 2001.[1] He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. From 1993 to 1995, he was chairman of United Way of Dade County and campaign chairman in 1991. He has been on the boards of Georgetown University, Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Florida International University, the Dade Foundation, the Business Assistance Center, and Miami Partners for Progress.
A supporter of interdisciplinary studies, he endowed the de la Cruz-Mentschikoff Professor of Law and Economics chair at the University of Miami Law School and the de la Cruz Doctoral Candidates Fellows in Behavioral Finance at the Wharton School.[2]
In 1990 the African American community in Miami initiated a three year tourism boycott of tourism that ended with an agreement signed by sixteen African American boycott leaders and local business leaders that included de la Cruz. He was later involved in the agreement's successful implementation.[3]
In 2000, he intervened to moderate the polarization differences that was driving U.S.-Cuba policy to the detriment of the Cuban Americans in Miami. The arrival by raft of Elian Gonzalez precipitated a controversy between the US Justice Department and the Miami Cuban community. In April 2000, he formed a committee to dissuade Attorney General Janet Reno from taking the boy by force. (6) Subsequent to the INS raid, he co-founded the Cuba Study Group which conducted polling that showed the attitudes of the Cuban American community in Miami were not monolithic and were consistent with a moderate policy.[4] [5]
Personal life
He and his wife, Rosa Rionda de la Cruz, have been married since 1962.[2] They have five children and live in Key Biscayne, Florida.[6]
They have been continually included in the list of top collectors by ArtNews and ArtNet.[7][8] In 2009 they opened the De la Cruz Collection, a 30,000 square foot private museum which shows their contemporary art collection in the Design District of Miami. [9] The museum is open to the public free of charge and conducts educational programs.[2]
Awards
He has received the Alexis de Tocqueville Award from United Way; the Silver Medallion Brotherhood Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews; the Distinguished Service Award from Florida International University; the Joseph Wharton Award from the University of Pennsylvania; the Social Responsibility Award from the Urban League; the Simon Wiesenthal Foundation Award; the Presidential Medal from Georgetown University; the Lawyers in Leadership Award from the Center for Ethics & Public Service of the University of Miami; the New American Award from Catholic Charities Legal Services; and the Humanitarian Award from American Red Cross.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 Miami Magazine. "Cruz Control". Miami Edu. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Carlos M. de la Cruz". Pa59ers.com. 1941-07-18. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
- ↑ Graves, Earl G. (Aug 1993). "Empowerment Agreement Ends Miami Boycott". Black Enterprise. Vol. 24, No. 1: 19.
- ↑ Alvarez, Lizette (April 24, 2000). "Raid in Miami Opens New Front in Struggle Over the Cuban Boy". NY Times: Cover.
- ↑ Bardach, Ann Louise (Oct 6, 2009). Without Fidel (illustrated ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 62–63. ISBN 9781416580072.
- ↑ "Alive and Well and Working in…Miami". Whartonmagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-10-21.
- ↑ "Rosa and Carlos de la Cruz | ARTnews". www.artnews.com. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ↑ "The artnet News Index: Top 100 Collectors, Part One". artnet News. 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ↑ Spence, Rachel (November 25, 2016). "Philanthropy: Carlos and Rosa de la Cruz, in search of a collective soul". Financial Times.