Jorge Mas

Jorge Mas is a business leader, entrepreneur, philanthropist and an active defender of human rights.

Business

Mastec

Mas is currently the Chairman of the Board and Co-Founder of MasTec (NYSE:MTZ) and has been involved in all phases of the firm’s development since its creation in 1994. Mas began his career at Church and Tower, MasTec’s predecessor in 1984.^[1]

Neff Corporation

In 1990 Mas founded Neff Corporation (NYSE:NFF) a provider of rental construction and utility equipment.^[2] He led and oversaw this business’ growth from a single store in South Florida to over 80 branches nationwide, becoming one of the five largest firms of its type in the United States until its sale in 2005.

Private Equity

He is the managing partner of a private equity group with investments in the fields of aviation, banking, commercial real estate, healthcare, and fixed income trading market makers.^[3] He has served on over a dozen corporate boards and has lectured on topics relating to entrepreneurship, corporate strategy and how to develop and motivate leadership teams.

Cuban American National Foundation

Mas is Chairman of the Board of the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF),^[4] an institution founded in 1981 dedicated to the promotion of a free and democratic Cuba. The CANF supports the principles of respect for human rights; freedom of thought and expression; freedom of religion; the right of people to freely elect their government; the right to private property; free enterprise; and economic prosperity with social justice. As chairman, Mas has taken a more moderate position on Cuba than did his father, a vehement opponent of Castro,^[5] who founded CANF.^[6]

Advocacy

As Chairman, Mas directs the CANF’s general programs- recognized and respected nationally and internationally- promoting freedom and democracy in Cuba, while enlightening public opinion on issues of concern to Cubans, including the defense of human rights, the promotion of cultural achievements, and fighting bigotry. Under his leadership as Chairman, the CANF has spearheaded efforts to develop an independent civil society inside Cuba, promoting a nonviolent democratic transition and economic and social development in international forums such as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Polish Solidarity Labor Union, and the Civil Society World Assembly sponsored by CIVICUS, the World Alliance for Citizen Participation. In his travels on behalf of a democratic Cuba, he has met with multiple heads of state including Prime Minister José María Aznar of Spain, President Lech Wałęsa of Poland, President Álvaro Uribe of Colombia, President Leonel Fernández of the Dominican Republic, President Carlos Menem of Argentina, President Julio María Sanguinetti of Uruguay, President Martín Torrijos of Panama, President Óscar Arias of Costa Rica, President Alejandro Toledo of Peru, Presidents Violeta Chamorro, Enrique Bolaños, and Arnoldo Alemán of Nicaragua, and Francisco Flores of El Salvador, advocating the release of political prisoners in Cuba and the establishment of democratic institutions. In addition, he attended the swearing in ceremonies of President Enrique Bolaños of Nicaragua and President Alejandro Toledo of Peru as part of the official delegation and has met with Nobel Peace prize recipient Václav Havel. Recognizing that the values of freedom, respect for human rights and the protection of institutions are above partisan politics, Mas has met with Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama. Mas is a founding member of Consenso Cubano, established in Rome in 2005.

Mas has appeared on national television programs, including Dateline NBC, the Early Morning Show with Bryant Gumble, Fox's Equal Time, Frontline, Larry King Live, The McNeil-Lehrer Report, One on One with John McLaughlin, and Sixty Minutes, among others. He has written articles that have been published in the Washington Post and the Miami Herald. Among his charitable and civic activities, he is Executive Director of the Mas Family Foundation, which currently manages a $5 million endowment funded by the Mas family that supports a vast array of charitable organizations. Conscious of the importance of an educated society in the preservation of democratic principles, Mr. Mas and his family are committed to excellence in education through the Mas Family Scholarships, a private scholarship fund for meritorious Cuban-American students of limited financial resources, of which he is Executive Director.^[7] Since its creation in 1996, the Mas family has awarded scholarships in excess of $1.2 million benefitting over 160 young men and women.

Community

Mas currently serves on the Board of Overseers of the University of Miami School of Business and has been active in lectures and presentations to students across the country about self-empowerment and the challenges and opportunities awaiting them in the global marketplace.

Awards

Mas has been recognized as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States by Latino Leaders Magazine. He is the past recipient of the Simon Wiesenthal Center National Community Service Award for his contribution toward freedom. He has also received the Bravura Award for his defense of free speech.

Education

Mr. Mas graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1984 and a master's degree in Business Administration in 1985.

References