MBA学生, small business owner wins $15,000 scholarship

〇圣安东尼奥 Entrepreneur and MBA学生 Jairo Cruces has been selected by the 德州商业名人堂 as the recipient of the 2020 H-E-B奖学金 worth $15,000.

的 德州商业名人堂 recognizes the professional contributions of business leaders in the state and the impact they have on their communities. 的 organization also invests in students through its Future Legends Scholar Award Program, which awards scholarships to 36 college students throughout the state annually. 的 H-E-B奖学金 is presented to one 校本 student each year.

Cruces, who is currently pursuing his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance, earned his 管理学学士 from the University of the Incarnate Word in 2017.

“It’s a privilege and an honor to receive this award. For me, it’s another milestone in my entrepreneurship journey,” Cruces said. “Being recognized by a prestigious group of individuals who recognize entrepreneurs who are trying to make a difference in the community and in Texas.”

Cruces is the owner and founder of Cruces Cedar Clearing in Ingram, Texas, near Kerrville. 成立于2018年, his company works with businesses and landowners to help manage their properties through services like land clearing and tree trimming and removal. 的 company also repurposes cleared cedar trees in several ways, including using them as posts for fencing construction. Cruces hopes to use his new ties to the 德州商业名人堂 network to expand his business by securing funding to purchase machinery to produce and distribute mulch, which would ensure another use for the materials they clear from properties.

As a student at the H-E-B School of Business Administration, Cruces serves as the vice president of communication for the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (首席执行官)uw. 的 student-led organization meets regularly under the direction of faculty advisor Dr. Adesegun Oyedele to establish an entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University through mentor partnerships and startup business initiatives.

“As the advisor and coordinator of 校本’s Pitch Competition, I had the privilege to work with Jairo and a group of highly motivated individuals recruited by Jairo to develop a business idea. Jairo’s outstanding leadership allowed his team to reach the final stage of the Pitch Competition,” Dr. Oyedele说. “Jairo’s exceptional work ethic, 组织技能, analytical abilities and interpersonal communication skills distinguish him from his peers.”

In his role as VP of communication for CEO, Cruces works 关闭ly with other students to help them cultivate their business ideas into reality. He tells students to take in as much advice from their mentors and peers as they can.

“Continue to strive and not give up. I actually applied for this scholarship last year and I wasn't the winner at that time. It gave me a reason to keep on pushing and establish myself more,” Cruces said. “Because eventually their time will come, like it did for me.”

Cruces places an emphasis on building connections and genuine relationships with his clients and the communities in which his company operates. 已经是企业家了, he is determined to continue growing his business and giving back to his community and University.

的 德州商业名人堂 hosts an induction ceremony each fall to honor new inductees. 等, the inductees for 2020 include Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Randall Stephenson, AT的董事长兼首席执行官&T. Scholarship recipients are honored at a luncheon prior to the induction ceremony. Both events have been postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.