Stay Tranquilo - Living the Cuban American Dream with Sam Verdeja - Author & Former CEO of Hispanic Publishing Group

Episode Date: October 8, 2024

In this episode of the Stay Tranquilo Podcast, powered by Stay Tranquilo, special host Victoria Verdeja, interviews her grandfather who escaped Cuba to create a better life in America for his family. In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, we got to showcase a true Cuban American dream and what it meant to escape a Communist regime in Cuba. Check out the full conversation and let us know your thoughts! #staytranquilo Episode brought to you by: Vic Garcia World: https://vicgarciaworld.com/ Curaleaf FL: https://curaleaf.com/dispensary/florida Johnny Cuba Beer: https://www.johnnycuba.us/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

But once you were, in my case, once the airplane took off and the pilot came on and says, this is flight such and such, I can remember the number now of Pan Am. Pan Am Airlines, who was still flying from Cuba. And he says, you're in a free country, you can say whatever you want to. Everybody started singing. So he said, he said, welcome to Pan Am flight, whatever. And then he said, you're now free. You can say whatever you like. Yes, and then everybody started singing the national anthem and crying. Wow. That's still kind of a good issue. Welcome to the next episode of Stay Tranquilo. This is a special edition. Obviously, I'm not Andre. My name is Victoria Verdeja, guest turned host for this very, very special

episode. My guest today is Sam Verdeja. We bear the same last. name because he is my grandfather. And beyond that, he is a distinguished author, historian, ex-professor. I'll let you, I don't want to give too too much away yet, but, you know, welcome to the podcast, Abel. Thank you. Thank you for having me. So we'll start off by understanding a little bit about what it was like for you to leave Cuba or your experience in in what led up to leaving Cuba. And I want to start there because I think that is, or was the driving force that became all of this, right?

So why don't you walk us, walk us through your experience, maybe, with university? Okay. I left Cuba for the U.S. in 1956. Normally we call him B.C. before Castro. And I came to school and I went to school. and I went to Louisiana State, LSU. I got a degree of mechanical engineering. And when I graduated in June 1960, I had the decision to make.

Castro had been in power for a year and a half. And my parents were saying, why don't you stay in the United States? But I was thinking, well, the old folks don't understand the revolution. So I decided being young and liberal. to return to Cuba. So once I arrived there,

suddenly I'm in the middle of the government because I started working for a person that was hired to also be part of a brand new organization who was a Cuban Central Planning Committee. What was that called? You told me what it was called? Juse Plan. Juna Plan.

Yes. Junta Central de Planification. And so to me, it was good and best. was good from the point of view that it led me going to the heart of what the government was saying and and was doing actually what they were saying and the other one was professionally in those two years I learned a lot. So you were hearing just so that like I mean I've heard this story so many times that I feel like every time I do I learn something else.

When you were you were working for what became the regime, right? Yes. Wow. Before you knew. Yes. And it was an interesting thing. One of the first meeting was with Ernesto Che Guevara who was in charge of who's a plan in charge of everything.

So you started learning about those characters pretty good. So I realized that what was saying in the press by casting and everything and what was happening inside the government were two different things. So I went back to Cuba to help to go out to do. help to go to the democratic government and, you know, for the betterment of the people. But I was immediately saw that we were going into communism. So, and that's when... What were the signs?

How, so when you say that you immediately knew, what were the things that were off to you? Yeah, it was a very quick thing. Once we got hired, we had a training session. And who came in to train us? First was Gevara, who came in to introduce Che Guevara. And everybody with him were from the Czechoslovakia. Today it's broken into Czech Republic and Slovakia, but Czechoslovakia. And what they brought in two things for us to learn.

One was the book Le Capitad, Garth Marx, and the second one was how Czechoslovakia went into communism. So pretty soon it was very clear. very deadly. So and then that was that like was that what they were selling in in in when Fidel was running was that not something that he was selling essentially as part of well he wasn't running because they have been in power since January of 1959 a year and a half when I went back to Cuba they have been empowered but he didn't win like an

election or anything butista left and he took over the government. Okay. So there was no no elections or Nothing like that. It hasn't been an election, real true. Free election for 64 years, but, yeah. So was Batista the last? No, the last elected president was Carlos Pryos-Ocarras in 1948, 48 to 52. Yes.

And then Batista came in. As a dictator? Yeah, as a result of recudita. Okay. So going back to where you left off, it became very obvious with the characters and with the literature that they were having you read, that this was headed towards communism.

And then a few things happened very quickly. One, my dad's business was confiscated. He had a small, you know, floor tiles factory. And then I got married to my sweetheart from high school who had waited for me for four years while I was going to school. Her name was Delia. She passed away and part of a year and a half ago.

And so we got married on March 4th, 1961. A month later, to come, the Bay of Pigs invasion that failed. During the invasion of my dad, who lived in Cuba, his business had been confiscated. He was looked at probably an enemy of the government, so he was put in jail for two weeks

in a concentration camp. Then they let him go. Then my brother, who was an engineer, the shale oil company. He was picked up, put in jail. And he was held in a firing, like against a firing squad, right? Well, he, no, what happened is, well, he was at La Cabana Fortress. That's where they had the firing squads.

So he saw a lot of people. So he was in, he was in the prison, a political prison, basically, where... And a lot of people from that prison were executed. So... What did that, I've heard, Didn't Che Guevada bring the concept of those types of executions? Well, he didn't bring the concept, but I don't know who brought the concept, but the truth is he did a pretty good job at it.

Yeah, I mean. But. So how would you, how many people would you say were murdered by the government, you know, in that, let's say, five, ten years span? Oh, hundreds. Hundreds. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

And then what happened is we decided that, hey, we need to live the country. It's because either you were in favor of the government or you were against the government. You could be neutral. Right. So we decided to leave. Who's we? The family? My wife was the first one to live with my niece, my brother's 18 months old baby.

A baby. But after that, I had a very rough time in getting permission to leave. Right, because you knew too much. I was an engineer. I was in the middle of the... Cleveland Central Planning Committee the housing plan and but finally they let me go and and so I arrived in these states I want to take I want to just take a minute to here because when we were working on your book your I don't know however many

ninth book at this point probably um there is a part of it that really struck me and I don't know if you remember, but when we were working on it together and I was editing it, I started crying. I don't know if you even realized it. But it was the point at which the, you were on the plane and the pilot's voice came over the loud. So walk us through that. Okay. What happened is the guy who was in charge of the immigration said that I would not leave. So finally they, he was not in Cuba. When I went last time to see if they let me, go. I had the permission from anybody, from everybody, except that guy who didn't, kept saying, I would go. So I arrived at the airport, you know, my dad, I'm a friend of

mine, took me to the airport. They couldn't stay there. So I finally took the plane. And so everybody, nobody looked at one another. It was very tense. So as soon as it goes. Because everybody was scared, right? Well, it was scared because they used to, once you are inside the plane to normally two policemen came into secret service and they say such and such and such and they took you down and was there any rhyme or reason or it was just like mental warfare yeah it was part of uh just keep uh i don't know mental warfare basically telling people they had no control to the very end so but once you were in my case once you know the airplane took off and the pilot came on and says this is flight such and such and i can remember the number now

of Pan Am Airlines, who was still flying from Cuba. And he says, you're in a free country, you can say whatever you want to. Everybody started singing. So he said, he said, welcome to Pan Am flight, whatever. And then he said, you're now free. You can say whatever you'd like. Yes, and then everybody started singing the national anthem

and crying. Wow. Yes. That still kind of gives me the show. So did you even look to your? you're left and right. At that time, I realized who I got next to me and we, you know, we embrace and it was a very motivated to say. Cubans from my time, from my group, from that era, I remember two things, two dates, one the date that you were born and the other one the day you left

Cuba. Yeah, that sounds about right. So, okay, so I know you get, you know, you get to Miami, You move around. You were doing engineering for a little bit. But I want to get to the point where you find yourself with an opportunity at the Miami Herald. Because that was pivotal. Yeah. What happened is I got a job in Atlanta, Georgia, with Western Electric, part of the Bell system, the phone company of those days. And so I spent there four years.

But we realized in the 66, 66, 67. that in 66, that a Kennedy Khrushchev pact, that they, written between the United States and the Soviet Union, that the U.S. will not invade Cuba or will not allow the exiles to invade Cuba, and the Russians or Soviets will remove from Cuba some missiles they have installed with, with atomic bomb sanity. So that was part of what is called the missile crisis of 1963.

But nobody knew that had been a pact or an accord or whatever between the two countries. But it leaked out. So we realized that now we are here to stay because all of us came with the idea to return to Cuba. We didn't come to stay here or as an immigrant. As a matter of fact, I graduated here and went back.

Right. So, and we called that period until we were ready to return to Cuba, La Maleta, the suitcase, because everybody got a suitcase ready to go back to Cuba. That's interesting. So. Oh, wait. Okay, go ahead. Go ahead.

To answer your question. So I would say, I want to move closer to Miami. Let me see. Why? Because my family was here. I mean, Deliaz and my wife's family was here. my friends, everything. And so I started buying the Miami Herald Sunday in Atlanta.

And I saw an ad and I sent my resume. And it was the Miami. It was a blind ad. So I got a resume. Do you know what the job was for? Yes. They say, no, no, no. I didn't know the company or it says in Miami,

but it didn't say what it was. Okay. And what he had is they were looking for an engineer with all this type of thing. And it really matched me. And so they called me, offered the job. I came for an interview, and I started two weeks later. It started in January in 1867, and the Miami hero as an engineer. What does an engineer do in a newspaper?

Well, in our case, it was a combination with industrial engineering on how to improve the systems, how to get new equipment that makes everything more, more productive, more smooth. So is that when you wrote that the printing distribution system? Yes, yes. That was part of my... I spent four years as an engineer.

Part of that, as the chief of the engineering department, I end up as the head. And then I was sent to Philadelphia with a team of four people from the Miami Herald to take over a newspaper they have purchased, who was the Philadelphia Enquirer, one of the largest paper in the country. This is all still McClatchy, right? No, no, no, no, no.

That was Knight newspapers, and then they became Night Writer. Does that have to do with Knight Foundation? Yes, that's the Night Foundation. The money from the two brothers, Knight and Jim Knight, John and Jim Knight, is the money millions of dollars a day, but to create this foundation, and that's the Knight Foundation. Very cool.

Okay, and they're doing a lot of good stuff here. Yes, they are. We'll get into that later. Okay. So you went to Philadelphia, the Philadelphia, what was it called? When did I go? The paper. What was it called?

Philadelphia Inquire. And you took a team there from the Herald. Four people, yeah. And you did what there? Like installing the systems using the Miami Herald. That's why you have so many copies of that process? Well, that was part of it. Those processes.

If anybody wants a printing process, we've got about 1,000 copies in the garage. No, it's a bit, but, yeah, we install the systems management and production and all that the Miami Herald used in Philadelphia. Okay. So then how, at what point do you shift, because it's kind of an odd shift from engineering to marketing? Yeah, because I wanted to go to management. and the business side, not just the plane engineering. And I was going at night to work on a master's degree at the Florida Atlantic University of Bocardotan.

But when I was sent to Philadelphia, that stopped me almost at the end of that and I ended up not graduating or finishing. But then I was moved because I had to request it, and they did it. They moved me to the business side, to the distribution of the papers and all that. So that's when, and I started then really getting involved in community things, a lot, very heavy.

As a matter of fact, my first community job was in Atlanta with junior achievement. I was at Western Electric, but where you taught young people in high school how to run a business, how capitalism work. So how much later did you get that community proclamation? Oh, no, years later. Years? Why don't we show it's the, it's under. No, the other one. I think it's this one. It's one of money. This is the proclamation of the day, right? Oh, the day, yes.

What is it? Tell us. Well, what happened is they gave me a proclamation that this is the Miami Day County. Alex Penelis was the mayor and it says, what are we celebrating on May? On May 24th, they declared that day. They declared that day, Sam Verdeha Day. It was a very beautiful thing. We got to celebrate this year. Yes. I don't think we ever have.

Okay. So, you go from engineering to marketing because you want it, well, okay, we haven't even gotten to marketing yet. You go from engineering to wanting a piece of the business side of things. How do you segue to marketing and newspapers? Because now we're getting into the first couple of things. The first couple of books that you published, you wrote. Yes. Okay. The thing is, in 1980, in 79, 78, 79, we got invited about an inter-American press association,

which is all the newspapers in South America, in the U.S. and Canada, as an association of newspapers. And they had some seminars, and then they decided to invite me to talk about, marketing and to my friend Armando Gonzalez who was at the Herald to talk about Isn't that Pipples name Armando Gonzalez? It's is Armando Formando Scandalo? No, no. Wrong one?

Yes. He went to LSU with me in Armando and he came to the heralds and engineer. And he was the one talking about the the production side equipment and all that. So we have been invited. by the Inter-American Businessmen Association, and then me by the International Newspaper Marketing Association to talk on their seminars. And I end up talking about over 40 cities

from Canada to Argentina to Spain. And so it was a very exciting thing. Part of that is, while I'm talking, I received a person from the University of Navarra in Spain. In 1980. You received a what? A visit at the Miami Herald. Oh.

And the guy comes in and it was looking for me. And so, well, I received the guy, you know, it's from Spain, it's looking for me, it's from the University of Navarra, which I didn't know at that time. Later on, I find out it's one of the best universities in Europe and in Spain. And so he told me about a program they had in communication. and all that I heard that we talked about and we say well we'll put a plan together and we can go there and do a seminar or something for your students so we went there in 1980 and we did it for 27 years consecutive 27 years so the herald sent a team every not the team this is now me as an individual and armado's an individual okay so you both went for 27 years the Harold knew about them they were happy that we were invited got it and and and

And we did that for 27 consecutive years. And that's when I wrote the first book, which is called Marketing, It Heston Periodicals, which is called Marketing and Newspaper Management. So this was like the first PR book before PR was called PR, right? Yes. Well, it was a very interesting book.

And as a matter of fact, any time I went to a country in South America to speak, normally there were one of two people there who got the book. I wanted me to sign her or something because they have learned about the book. Abbas, so does it make you proud that I do PR? Yes.

You could have just taught me. You would have saved Dad a lot of money on school. So, and that's how I end up doing. And as a matter of fact, then the Miami Herald, anytime they had somebody from a newspaper in Latin America, especially a newspaper owner, who says,

I would like to see if I can send such and such, and such to the paper so your guy can help him training a little bit. They say, no, no, no, wait. We have two people here that we can, they can go and do it for you and you just make an arrangement with them. So we created a consulting company parallel to the Harold, but the hero was the one who told us who the people were. What company was that?

We called that, well, it's just a consulting company. that I had for years until 2008, 2010. Yeah, I had newspapers, client newspapers. How old was I in 2000? I was old enough to know what that was. Well, I had clients in Venezuela, El Universal, Notti Tard in Valencia, in Venezuela, in Maracaibo.

I had it in Ecuador. I had it in Spain, in Santo Domingo in Dominican. But we had newspapers that we did consulting for them for years. So, okay, but 2008 is well after you left The Herald. So just going back to your experience there, what would you say, and we'll get into face in a minute, but what would you say was your most, impactful experience while at the Herald.

And I know you had many. All right. Well, technically some, of course, you know, things you did to make the paper more productive and all that. But the other one was the El Miami Herald that later became El Nuevo Herald. That's in a Spanish paper. And this was in 1975.

1975, now I'm in the distribution side of the paper. I'm in charge of half a million subscriptions every day. And we knew that as Cubans were moving into a neighborhood, the normal subscription dropped. And fortunately... Because of the language. The language probably. Well, this was a combination, particularly of language, to start with.

So, and then we put together, they had to put together a task force. And there were two people in charge when, was the director of production, Ray, and me to come up with ideas and solutions. So we came up with the idea of having a supplement in Spanish to be printed every day and inserted into the newspaper. And I thought it was not going to fly the idea because now the newsroom was going to be responsible

or in charge of a product that they didn't understand. Right. It was coming out every day. Would you still say it was very, like, American? I'm sorry. Those who were running the paper at the time? Oh, yeah, yeah, everybody, everybody. So they didn't understand the Spanish language edition, basically?

No, no, no. Probably, probably I was the highest Cuban in the company at that time. Okay. Okay. Okay. Yeah, and so that, that came. out in April of 76. But we thought it was going to be a prolet for about 25 years. Life. You thought it was going to be what?

It had a life of 25 years that product because we thought that Cubans will learn that the one who stayed in the United States will learn English. Castro was long gone from government. Mariel was not going to happen. Mariel both lived with 125,000 Cuban, that thousands of of Nicaran once we're going to come to Miami, thousands of Colombians and from all Latin America. Miami to become then the gateway to America, to Latin America. So all those things happened.

So in 1987, the company decided to, from an insert to make a bigger insert, from 25 to 25 news people to go to 100 people. So I produced something really bigger, the full newspaper. And that started, and they brought, A very friend of mine, which I really loved, was Roberto Suarez. He was probably the highest Cuban ranking person in American newspapers.

He was the president of the Charlotte Observer in North Carolina. And they brought Roberto to be in charge of the El Nuevo Hero. And he, I was part of the team, he and Cesar Pizarro and a bunch of other Cubans. We all put together El Nuevo Hero. and still, well... 25 years, is that what you gave it? How long has it been now? I was since 87.

I haven't, 87, 87. I'm not, we do words, we don't do math. So it's interesting. But one thing, it happened in the meantime, you know, since I love to be involved in the community, I joined the immediate by some of my friends that came after me and said, you have to join this and that.

There is Zubisarretta. which I loved. Which, who founded a very popular agency still to this day, right? Yes, well. Zubi advertising. And Tere and Leslie Pantin, Sr., they were like my mentors going to the Cuban-American, Cuban-American organizations, and they put me into the Inter-American Businessmen Association, Association Inter-American Altona Ombuds Enpresza. And in two years, I became the president, in two and a half year, three years.

three years. And after that, I, the Red Cross asked me to join them. And I was, I was chairman of, of the Inter-American Businessmen from 80 to 82, president of the parallel president of the, of the American Red Cross. In 82, we created right after. You even know that. Yeah, after that, we create a creative face facts about Cuban exiles. And I want to spend some time talking about that one. But then organization kept calling me to join and do things. And the hero was delighted because, you know, we had at the head of fights with the Cuban. I mean, Cubans who would understand the herald, and the Harold didn't understand the Cubans.

So in 85, we had a new publisher that was the name of Dick Capen, Richard. And he had the opening. of vice president of community relations. And so he called me and says, you know, you're doing all this on your own time, on your own thing. Why don't you become the vice president of community relations and you really for the hero? And you really have, all the time I work for the Miami hero,

not El Novo. Right, right, right. And then he says, why don't I, don't you do this? That's your job. Full time, yeah. Full time. I was in 85. I said, yeah.

So I did it, and I did it from 85 to 96. But in the meantime, I got the, what is well, the marketing part of the Herald. So I became VP of Community Relations and Marketing Services. And until 96, which is when I left the Herald. By then I have been in, I don't know how many organizations. and so on. Chairing and board and I was in the board trustees of United Way.

I was in that and the this is where I get it from. The Baptist Foundation and the board and the board of the Zoological Society of Florida. A lot of organizations, beautiful organization, which I'm proud of being able to work. That's why you have a whole day. Yes.

With your name on it. Yeah. So in that period of time, when was the Maria Boatlift? Because I know that that's... 1980. Okay. So that, am I wrong here?

Does that not have a lot to do with why you founded FACE? Yes. So let's start. It was the reason that you founded FACE. So FACE, Facts about Cuban Exiles is a nonprofit organization that you founded in what year? You founded along with... Yes. I'll tell you a story.

real quickly. I was trying to give you some time to have some more. No, no, I did, I did. What happened is this. Until 1980, we, Cubans, exiles, were in all these magazines throughout the country, we were the best immigration that has happened to the United States. I think that was a little bit exaggerated,

but we were doing well. There comes from a real. 125,000 refugees come to Florida, to Miami, and the Keys, in six months. And Castro, what Castro did to, among those, he sent in about 3,000 people who were in jail, who were real bad people, criminal, bad people. Yeah. Or mental people who were mental.

Why do that? To tell the, like, the people who wants to leave Cuba, they are bad people. Yeah, to make Cuban exiles look bad, basically. Trying to make the group who wanted to live Cuba look bad and create chaos. And you think his goal, well, so I think the goal then was two parts to create chaos in the U.S. Yes. And then also to discourage Americans from wanting exiles to come. Yes. For example, they were so crazy there that if you were homosexual, they thought you were a criminal.

So they started. Is that still true in Cuba? Is that still true in Cuba? I don't know. I haven't been in Cuba later. But at that time, it was horrendous. And they went out, you know, if they thought you might be. And they put you in a boat and sent you over.

So, I mean, that was real crazy. Sad. Okay. But now, we are in the news again. But now for the wrong reason. Right. There comes Time Magazine or Time or, I thought it was time. With Miami Paradise Lost.

That was the head. Paradise loss. Yes, that was the cover. And we were being clever all over. The Cuban exiled community. The successful Cuban exiled community was just being run through there. The image was really, really. So I called three friends.

I call Theresa Zubisarretta from Zubiavanizing. I call Luis Botifold, who was the chairman of Republic National. Bank, the Republic was a, they helped tremendously in the development of the Cuban businesses here. And Luis was a heck of, he was like the old man of the community for the Cuban community. I loved the guy. And my extremely good friend, Armando Cotina. So these three people and I had lunch and we, I say, hey, well, we have been killed. And I think we have to learn from our friends, the Jewish people. They have this call at the Anti-Defamation League. And they

fight for their image. I think we're to do the same thing and they say yes. I say I volunteered to go and talk to our title bomb which is in charge of the Deformation League and I'll see how they're organized and how they can help us. So you can learn and basically emulate their but not to emulate but see what they were doing and say what can we do for our own purpose. Got it. And Teres who says, Rhett in that meeting says hey I got the name if we do this. It's face. facts about Cuban exiles face. And that's the name. And it gives a face to it.

And the organization has been going on for 42 years. Oh, I became the first chairman in 82. And I did it for about three years. And then Louis Potipo came in and then there and so on. And the organization have been going on for 42 years. Yes. So who are some of the most notable past presidents or chairman? Oh, a lot of people about default.

Mike Fernandez. No. More recently? No, no. Sorry, Frank Carreras. Frank Carreras. You have been Tony Argyz. Tony.

I have been Aida Levittan. A lot of well-known. Eddie Garcia. Oh, that's right. Eddie Garcia. A lot of Muray, René Murae. attorney. Was Remedios ever president?

No, no, no. But a lot of well, well-established, well-known Cuban exiles that have helped to shape Miami as we know it. Have been members, have been award recipients, and have served on the board for face. In the board, it was Jorge Mas canosa, for example.

I mean, a lot of... Moss, right? Jorge Mas, Canosa. Okay, Moss. Yes. So that's how I end up on doing a lot of community work. So you hope found that. Yes.

Then in 96, I wanted to do what my dad did all his life. He was an entrepreneur. And I wanted to do something on myself. As a matter of fact, we had a lot of parallel businesses from real estate to being a consultant to my wife Delia used to run an equipment. used equipment, they bought, use equipment in the United States and shipping to Latin American and all that. I had no idea. All kind of business.

But I always wanted to do something on my own. And Therese Ubi and another good friend of my, Anna Maria Fernandez Hart, who also had another company, a public relations and marketing company, they were after me, you have to go on your own, you have to do this. know that. So one day I decided I'm going to do it. So and we oh we had a we brought in the the Westina watches where we got all kind of I'm not wearing

mine today we had all we had all kind of of the else going on and so we decided to go on our own I talked to your dad at Neal my son and I say hey I would like to go my own and have a create Verdeja marketing group he says I'm on So he started the company before a few months. I talked to David Lawrence, who was at the time the publisher, the Miami Arrow. And I say, you know, I'm going to retire. And he says, oh, give me a year. And I say, okay, okay, I'll give you a year.

At the end of the year, I'll let you know. So at the end of the year, I came. And they give you a package and all that. you know, and they say, I'm leaving, you know. And he said, okay, I'm going to do one thing. I'm going to have a party for you in my home for 200 people. And I'm going to bring to that party the top people in this community so they might be your clients.

And I'm going to give you, although you got a package, I'm going to give you a two-year contract with the Miami Harrow. You're going to be, we're going to be your first client. I need a friend like David Lawrence. Yes. Honestly, he was really, really nice. Not only that, when you retire for a large company, You go to a conference room and they give you a cake.

So he gave me a big party. And on top of that, I was in the front page of the business side, San Fernando is creating a new company. And in El Nuevo Herald, San Diego Herald, San Diego is creating a new company, Verdeja Marketing. I was all over the newspaper. And then in the, unbelievable. What?

Can I have a piece of that? So, and then I asked. He laughs. He doesn't say yes. I got to earn it. Then I run the company for Vernejo Marketing with Neil and my son, Eddie. The godfather. Yes.

And then what happened is Neil went to work for a friend and another company. He got a good job. And Eddie wanted to run the real estate company, the family real estate company, and he took over. So in the meantime, I met this guy. Well, I met him in Cuba, but I saw him here in Miami. We're talking, whose name was Fred Estrada, which is. And Fred had some magazines, or a magazine called Hispanic magazine, the largest Hispanic magazine for, was in English.

In the world, right? Well, all in the United States. In the U.S. In English. I'm getting a lot of these things wrong. Yes. No, no, in the States. But maybe it wasn't the world.

I don't know, but in the States. And so his son was running the business, but his son wanted to do something else. And we talked about, he says, why don't you run the magazines? The magazine. And he got another magazine, Vista, but he was doing something, somebody else would do it.

And I say, okay, that's interesting. As long as I can keep my consulting company, keep my trips to Spain, and talk about my company, talk when I get invited in all these countries. Yeah. Yes. And I say, if I can keep that and, you know, I'll be happy to do it.

And we have agreed. And then he said, well, but I would like to sell the company and say, okay, I'll put the crew together. And I talked to my friend Armando Cotina, and I got Armando Codina, Jorge Perez, of the Paris Museum. And I got really, really interesting, L' Bartow Pettus from Metro Ford, and I got Robert Osweiras, and a heck of a group, Ricardo Mayo. Then I got the publisher of the newspaper in Madrid,

and the guy, I know they're a Spaniard from the Interne Arefé. Casual. I mean, people really put a heck of a board. Bought the magazines. There comes the group of Mexican companies, a large company called Televisa. And they say, we love that magazine. In the meantime, I had started another magazine called Hispanic Trends,

business in English too, and Hispanic online. And then they come and says, we'll love to buy your company. We say, well, let's make a deal. In five, we sell you half, in five years, we buy the rest. In about two years, we say, would you buy the rest for this? And they say, yeah. And we sold it. And we were very lucky because we sold it in 2006.

And after that, you know, what has happened to the print medium, unfortunately, but newspapers and magazines. So speaking of print, I want to talk a little bit about what's in front of us here. Because there are some giant books that I spent a lot of time typing in high school. not as much as the other guy, but tell us a little bit about I guess so we talked about his marketing and his talent in Paris Legos, but I want to get into the books

that benefit face. Okay. So we've got, I'm going to hand these to you if you don't mind. I want to start with what? The first edition? This is the first edition. Cubans an epic journey. Okay.

And who are your friends that designed this beautiful cover? Okay. This was from company, which today is Republica. Republica, Havas. A group of young people, as you know. And they designed this beautiful cover, really, which is very emblematic. It has the Statue of Liberty on top and in the bottom, the Freedom Tower in Miami. The view about this book is that we put together a team and Sam, me and Guillermo Martinez, my friend, we put together a team and of total 31 people we were.

29 Cuban Americans and two American Americans, you know. Anglos as well as you would call me. Yeah, if you want to. Okay. And it was a labor of love because we would really work our people with a lot of talent, but they were not writers, some of them, but they knew this stuff. Right. So it's if you go through the book and you look at who wrote the chapters, you see people that you recognize. Yes. I mean, I know people's dads and... Yeah. Yeah. Okay. What we did is the first part of the book is why we're here.

why the Cubans came. Right. What caused it? So the first chapter, as a matter of fact... It's like a history book. It is a history book. It's the first part is... The first chapter is Cuba in the 50s before God through.

Mm-hmm. And the second chapter is Miami in the 50s before the Cubans. Okay. And that's where the Americans came in that were helping you write it. Yeah, I brought in... They helped to write that piece. Howard Climate Road. that one.

They're from the Miami News. He was the editor of the Miami News. Of the Miami News. The Miami News. Who was part of the- different agreement with the Miami Hero. Yes. And we were friends, very close friend.

We worked together for a while. Then after that, Howard Clynberg asked us, can I write some more chapters? And we gave in the Bay of Pigs, invasion to Cuba. So he ended up writing three articles. We put him together with a lot of people who have been on the invasion and all that. And he did a heck of a job.

So we end up with the team of 31 people, beautiful people. Then the second part of the book is once the Cubans left Cuba and primarily in the United States, although we talk about a little bit about maybe Venezuela, Spain or whatever, what they have done. And then those chapters are group on specialties, like bankers. Like industries. Yeah, doctors, science people. Media. Media, the media.

They wrote about you in that chapter? Yeah. So it's a beautiful thing. And then the third part of the book had to do. They got pictures too. But the third part of the book had to do with information on numbers, you know, what the Cubans are, what they have done, and so on. And this book for me...

800 pages. 800, that's it? So I read... This book for me is special, and this is what I was telling you guys when you were in New York. Because I remember very clearly, it was before I had a car. And you guys would pick me up from high school. or Abi would pick me up and you'd sit with me

and the portions of the book that you wrote you wrote on a legal pad by hand in English well written and I remember you would sit and dictate it to me because you had to give me the backstory

for everything and I remember I would type it because you can't you don't type super well so I would type it and I remember every single day Avi would when we were done Abby would say,

today, today you ganaste a door, today you ganaste a window. And I remember being like,

what the heck is she talking about? And that's after that summer, I got back from Warrior Week after,

I think it was my junior year at Westminster or in the beginning. And I remember my parents opened the garage door and you

guys had bought me my first car as a thank you. So this is, this is very special to us. I think. And I think that beyond why it's special to me, it's even more special because you didn't, you haven't earned a penny from this. This is this, every, all the proceeds from the

sales of this book have gone to face, right? Yes, correct. Not, none of the people who have worked here by their penny. They all go to the organization. It really was a labor of love. Yeah. And as a matter of fact, we got a lot of help. Like we got grants from the Knight Foundation that you you asked before. And the money used to print a book and send it to schools, send it to libraries, send it to people that we wanted to have a copy, you know, especially Americans, so they'll learn.

And so this, this took us the team close to five years, a lot of work. Sorry, go ahead. Yeah, and this was, it came out in 2011. Right. Then 2015, came the book translated. We went for a longness to translate the whole thing to Spanish,

which is... You guys were a little backwards there, huh? You did English first and went back, translated Spanish. Well, because we didn't know if we were going to do it in Spanish. But you wanted to reach people that didn't necessarily know the story, and you knew that a lot of the people that knew the story, you spoke Spanish. Yes. Okay.

Well, that in Howard Clymering's role in it, obviously. He didn't speak Spanish. No, no, but everybody here, they could write in English. I mean, they were, you know, yeah. But then we came with a book, which is this one here, which is in Spanish. Here, I'll hold that up.

And then we came out with the second edition of this in 2022, with the second edition of this in 222. And then... The second edition is 2011 until 21, correct? Yes. So here's the second edition. Yeah. Looks the same.

And then... Then the last baby... But about 2017, like that, more or less, Leonardo Rodriguez and I, Rodriguez was a Florida International University, a vice president, and also a Dr. Rodriguez, he was an assistant dean of a school of business.

And Leonardo and I spent five years working in that book, which is called Cuba, a Cuba chronological history. And we were back, we went back to 1454, when the father of Isabella of Spain, the old man died and her brother took power in Spain, and then he died and Isabella became the queen. She married Fernando of Aragon,

The two, they were called the Catholic kings. They got a guy by the name of Christopher Columbus. I don't know how you remember. And then it's the history. And this book, the beauty about this book and the difference between, which is through December 31st, 1922, the beauty is that as you look at the cover here,

it has the Spanish ground then they have the eagle from the United States in the bottom and Cuba in the middle. Because it's the story of Spain, the things that happened there, how impacted Cuba, or the things that happened in Cuba that impacted Spain, and then it came to the United States, and then you have the three countries parallel in the book and things that were related.

So you and I had a lot of fun designing this cover. Yes. About two years ago. Yes. Yes, that was pretty cool. So that's the history of the book. And as you say, all the proceeds goes to face facts about giving access. So we're kind of getting to the end here.

And I really would like to hear from you, you know, given everything we've said about face, the fact that it's still, I mean, you just received a grant from the Knight Foundation, right? Recently? We got a big one to create a new project which is called the oral history. They selected 20 some people to interview for about an hour and a half, more or less like we're doing it right here and tell your story. So it's not lost when the people pass away. And I was happy that they selected me one of the 20-some and I just did it and it would be

available that soon. So given that and all this, what's your dream for what's your dream for young people for the descendants like me of Cuban exiles? Because the culture, it's sad, but it's almost like a dead, dying culture

because the culture in Cuba now is not the same as the Cuban. that you experienced. And so what, you know, if you could, in a perfect world, what would you see happen? How could, how could I, how could my generation and those after help to carry forward the culture? Okay. The thing is that you have to dream. And part of your dreams should be to be proud of your group.

of your roots, to have values on our work, dedication, give back to the community, be thankful to God and to whatever you believe in it, to your family. You know, I'm so proud of, I was very lucky with the women I married for 63 years. Woman. Women.

You married one woman. Okay. Women, women that I'm married. We were married for 62 years until she passed away. And we were lucky to have three great children, you know, your dad, Neil, Eddie, and Maritare, Marie, and you live in Tampa. And then seven grandchildren. You know, you are the oldest, I shouldn't say that, but you are. I know. I know.

Followed by Megan and Amanda. and then the four from Eddie. No, three from Eddie. You forgot my brother. I mean, your brother, Daniel, that's right. No, no more. No more one. And then the, yeah, the three from Eddie, Thomas, Andrew and Alexandra.

And Alexandra. And Alexandra, Isabelle. But the family, you know, I mean, and I have been extremely lucky because, you know, they have asked me, what is the American dream? And to me, the American dream is when they give you the opportunity to dream, as I say, to have goals, to have the freedom to work on those things. Some work, some don't. Life is not a straight line. It's a line like the stock market almost up and downs, up and downs.

When you're down, you're crap and go up. And you just keep going and keep dreaming. I was asked, do you think you have achieved the American dream? And I say, well, I know what I achieve, I think, is a Cuban dream in America. Because I stay as a Cuban. I'm very proud to be of my roots. I'm very proud to be an American and to

and to for this country to do anything because that give us all the opportunities and the but the opportunity is there but it's not for sure you have to go after it and you have to work for it and you have to achieve it

by hard work, perseverance, do well, do good to other people you know So that's to me the most important thing. If you ask me, of my life, what is the most important thing? Is the relationships that I have developed, first with my family and then with my friends.

And third, because many have the same with the communities. So did you achieve the Cuban dream in America? To an extent, yes. although I don't think it's as finished. That's why I keep writing because I... And drinking good wine. Yeah, because that's what I'm doing now is what I, fortunately at the end of my life, you know,

after I retired, I start doing things that I enjoy. You've always done things you enjoy. Yes. No, I, one thing is I have enjoyed every work in my life and everything I've done in my life. and I'm the eternal posit, optimist. Yes. And I have had rough times like everybody. But again, you know, I know that there's got to be something else after this

and I keep going at it. Just the chance to have it is what matters. Yes, the opportunity to have it, a chance and so on. So I want to wrap up by asking you, Andre likes to do this. thing where he asked you three rapid-fire questions. The first is you have a gallery in the other room over. I call him the ego room. The ego room?

Yes. Your ego room is right there. It screams at us from here. And in that room there is a wall full of photos of you with celebrities. I want to know which is your favorite photo, and I know the answer, but I want them to know. Which is your favorite celebrity photo with you? Come on. Well, she's still on television.

And her name is? I forgot. Cindy Crawford. He's so proud of that. I'll show you up there. He's so proud of him and Cindy Crawford. So did I get it right? Is that the one?

There are a lot of interesting people there. Let me tell you that. Yeah, there's, no, there really are. They're setting up for my birthday. I'm not mad about it. Okay, okay. Second photo. What's your favorite bomb?

of wine? The one that I haven't drank yet. But I love silver oak. We have the silver oak here, and you have the bottle of silver oak in the back. So I love silver oak. This is not a paid promotion. He really does like it.

No, that's not a paid promotion. And third question. And the third question. So this was my birthday present from my friends. They allowed me to interview them, interview you on their platform. So I'm going to ask what advice do you have for me and for others turning 30?

Feel young. Learn from me. I mean, I still feel young. And a dream, as I said before, have goals. Don't believe that every goal is going to be achieved real quick. Some are longer. But you can ask your dad and everybody every year, through the years, on December, I sit down and say,

what are the things I want to accomplish next year in three or four areas? And then I keep looking at them. And if not, I forgot. And everybody forgets that these are the things that you want to do because there are other things that take away your time. But do that and dream and work. work hard at it. Sounds like a plan. Bye.