SAN JUAN ------- By R.V. Baugus
FORWARD-LOOKING JORGE PEREZ MAKES AN ISLAND IMPACT IN PUERTO RICO’S RECOVERY
As the interview concludes in which Jorge Perez has shared his life story, his posi- tion as general manager of AEG Facilities-managed Puerto Rico Convention Center, and the role he and his venue played when the island was hammered last Septem- ber 20 by Hurricane Maria, he knows that one final question will be asked because, well, it has to be asked.
Are you doing anything on Septem- ber 20 to mark the one-year anniversa- ry?
“We know that media will be doing stories and understand that,”
Perez said. “It is not something that we will commemorate. From early on we have been focused on the future and the good things that are happening now and will be happening in the going forward. That is our concentration.” There is an old adage that the reason windshields are bigger than
rear-view mirrors are because we need to focus more on what is ahead than what is behind us. Jorge Perez embodies the straight- ahead narrative and has been doing so his entire life that has taken him to some interesting places and even more interesting jobs. The one common thread through it all is that he has made and continues
Entrepreneurial Dreams
Born in Quito, Ecuador, to a father, Fernando, originally from Cuba, and a mother, Elsa, from Quito where some family still re- sides, Perez was the sixth of six children from a blended family after Cuban, so I had a very diverse background,” Perez said. “We moved grade and then to Puerto Rico in 1978 when he became a general manager for M&M-Mars Candy. This has been home ever since.” Well, except for four accomplished and distinguished years that
culminated in 1991 when Perez was one of only 12 players named
Penn State University. Perez began playing the sport at age 12 and earned a position on the junior national team before being heavily recruited later at the collegiate level. As proud as Perez is of his accomplishments at Penn State, he speaks with special pride that the group of players who were fresh- men when he was a senior leader and mentor would win the school’s that point, no universities outside of California had captured a men’s national championship in volleyball. “I never won it all in my years but always wanted to be a leader for
the younger players,” he said. “There were other seniors with me who Armed with a bachelor’s degree in international business through the college of liberal arts, Perez had his own beliefs to copy his father’s career path and to become a businessman and entrepreneur. Many of his friends had already embarked on their professional careers throughout the world, and Perez was eager to carve his own niche. Before doing so, he played on the national volleyball team in Puerto Rico that participated in the prestigious Pan Am Games in Havana, Cuba, in 1991. “To experience the other cultures, I really started get- come from.” That experience only heightened his desire for what Perez knew
would be his calling and career. Until a detour took place.
Called Home While at Penn State, Perez was on a partial athletic scholarship.
The rest of his education was funded by his father. “On-campus recruiting was good at Penn State,” Perez said. “I
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