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He Found His Calling
Eddie Cruz (B.F.A. '93, M.B.A. '98) never forgot his roots.
Unlike many established communications executives, Cruz realized that New York's booming Hispanic population needed more services tailored to their culture.
Eager to fill the void, Cruz in 1998 launched Sky Media Corp., which publishes the only Spanish-language telephone directory in the New York area.
The directory is a certified hit and enjoys 40 percent profit margins, according to Advertising Age magazine. Moreover, Sky Media's revenue will rise a robust 30 percent this year to $3.5 million, Cruz estimates.
Cruz's original business plan took shape while he was in NYIT's M.B.A. program. Dr. Abram Poczter, professor of marketing, assigned a project in which students had to develop a new product or service from the ground up.
"That class helped me develop a strategy for The Spanish Yellow Pages," says Cruz. "Now, nearly 2 million people per year consult our print and online editions."
Still, Cruz isn't resting on his laurels. He plans to launch a nationwide French Yellow Pages and the first Hispanic business-to-business directory for the New York metro area. Both directories will premiere in 2003.
Looking back, Cruz was drawn to NYIT in 1990 after reading about LI News Tonight-a newscast successfully operated by NYIT students and professors.
"I was greatly impressed by that program," he says. "I decided to visit the Old Westbury campus and quickly discovered that my most ideal courses of study were taught by industry professionals. That visit began an eight-year educational journey that launched my career."
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