Book reviewers: I want to thank the individuals who volunteered to read an advanced copy of the manuscript and provide valuable feedback. Mario Avalos, Jaime Mitrani, Anna Cook, and Lina Sekkat.
Book contributors: I want to thank all of the successful entrepreneurs who contributed to the book by allowing me to draw out and tell their stories for the benefit of the readers: Flor Mayoral (medicine), Anthony Lopez (law), Anthony Fasano (engineering), Daphne Gurri (architecture), Philip Shechter (accounting), Jaime Mitrani (business), James Tate (construction), George Haj (media relations), Mario Avalos (real estate), Walter Aleman (photography), Juan Carlos Bermudez (politics), Ana VeigaMilton (philanthropy), and Frances G. De La Guardia (the significant other).
Alvaro Diaz-Rubio: I want to thank Alvaro for his great talent and patience in creating the original illustrations used in the book. You can see his work at the beginning of Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the book.
Susana (Susy) Alvarez-Diaz: I want to thank Susy for agreeing to write the foreword for the book and for trusting me to judge and mentor so many of her students’ business pitches. I enjoyed all the interactions with her and her students.
Michael Phang, PhD, P.E.: Thank you, posthumously, for believing in me, for understanding my situation, and giving me a second chance at life. I am forever grateful to have met you and learn from you both in the classroom and in life. It was a true honor when your equally talented and successful daughter, Katie, invoked my recollection to her of how you handled my academic case, when I was a university student who was lost and in need of help, as an example of your influence and kindness to all who came to see you off. You would have been so proud of her. Rest in peace knowing that you have made an indelible and positive difference in so many people’s lives during your time here on earth. That is the truest measure of a person. I am not the only person who can attest to that, of that I am sure, but I am ever grateful to you, that I can so attest. To Katie, I hope you take some solace in knowing how much he did for so many people.
Humayoun Farooq, PhD, P.E. and Peter Iglesias, P.E.: Both individuals, whether they knew or know it or not, were very influential in my eventual path to engineering and entrepreneurship. Both were mentors. One was a strict boss; the other a strict building official. Thank you both for the learning opportunities and confidence you showed in me as a young engineer and eventual entrepreneur.
Frances G. De La Guardia: My wife Frances, a very successful professional in her own right, was instrumental in not only nudging me to follow my dream of opening my own firm, but was an avid supporter of and investor in the company. She has made countless sacrifices along the way, without which I would not have been able to realize my dream. I am forever grateful for her love and support. You will learn more about her in Chapter 8.
Carmen L. De La Guardia and Rodolfo H. De La Guardia: I am who I am today because of my mother and father. Carmen Leysis De La Guardia and Rodolfo Humberto De La Guardia. My mother provided most of the love and nurturing for our family and still does to this day. She is the perfect example of sacrifice in the name of, and for the benefit of, her children. My father instilled most of the discipline and taught us the necessary life skills. I am the second child of four. I have an older brother, Rodolfo Humberto De La Guardia, Jr., and two younger siblings, Gustavo Adolfo De La Guardia and Ana Matilde De La Guardia-Paiz. My mother has made, and continues to make, untold sacrifices to make sure her children are well taken care of. I am eternally grateful to her for that.
When it comes to my professional career, that, I owe all to my father. I honestly feel, despite all the hard times we went through growing up, that I would not be successful today if it were not for the lessons he taught me. You see, my father was a strict man, but he was also a smart, hardworking man. He was shot and paralyzed in the 1980s while working a typical late night at a gas station he owned, next to a business he had setup, after a full workday at his day job. He did all of this to put all his four children through private school and college. There are people in this world who say they love you and then there are people in this world who show you they love you. My father was the latter. My father died in 2009 from complications after his assault, and I never got to say goodbye or thank him for all his sacrifices. I grew up with an internal resentment due to his strict form of discipline, and I never learned to cope with it. I never understood him. Even as he was dying, he maintained his stubborn beliefs and did not reach out, or let others reach out, and let me know of his condition. He felt that if I were told of his situation, that I would feel pity and reach out solely for that reason. He was wrong in thinking that; I was wrong in not reaching out more. But, he died thinking I did not care about him. Dad, I do love you, very much and I miss you. Thank you for all your sacrifices, for all your hard work, and for the examples you taught us. I dedicate this book to you. Te quiero mucho!