10 Questions for 1 Alumnus: Jose Gonzalez '91
(This article first appeared in the Belen Jesuit Alumni Magazine, Summer 2020 edition)
Q. What was your experience like at Belen?
A. It was a close-knit experience where I made lifelong friends, even though I wasn’t there as long as some of my classmates. While some people have a different point of view on this issue, my Belen connection was stronger than my college connection. The bond of being a Belen alum, having that ring, and making memories with your brothers for four years stuck with me stronger than the college relationships I made.
Q. What type of student were you?
A. Honestly, not the best student. Coming into Belen in ninth grade, the ‘Belen way” wasn’t instilled in me and I had to catch up. I was able to fit in though. Belen taught me how to quickly improvise in order to survive. I was one of those guys that was friends with everybody. Our grade, ninety-six students strong, was pretty united, and everyone knew everyone. We still had a few smaller groups, but I had friends in all of them. Those friendships are what I most take from Belen to this day.
Q. Can you describe one funny moment while you were a student?
A. It’s tough to think of stories you can publish! I think the best memories I have came from the Encounter Towards Christ (ETC) after Junior year. We didn’t usually have sleepaways, so it was a big first time thing over a weekend. It was impactful, and we spent the two days all together as a class, which really reinforced our brotherhood. Some more light moments though were the
A. It’s tough to think of stories you can publish! I think the best memories I have came from the Encounter Towards Christ (ETC) after Junior year. We didn’t usually have sleepaways, so it was a big first time thing over a weekend. It was impactful, and we spent the two days all together as a class, which really reinforced our brotherhood. Some more light moments though were the
annual end of the year jump off the South Beach pier, which I don’t think exists anymore, or the Senior Scavenger Hunt. Regardless, there were lots of events, but each good and bad brought everyone together, and it brought the relationships between my brothers and me closer.
Q. What is one thing that you will never forget that you learned in school?
A. What I’ll never forget that I learned in school was the patience all my teachers had. I can think of two examples. I remember going on CloseUp with Mr. Collins and experiencing leaving Miami in a time when travel like that wasn’t really a thing. He had all of these young men who wanted to always test the limits and he kept his cool even when we were not on our best behavior.
A. What I’ll never forget that I learned in school was the patience all my teachers had. I can think of two examples. I remember going on CloseUp with Mr. Collins and experiencing leaving Miami in a time when travel like that wasn’t really a thing. He had all of these young men who wanted to always test the limits and he kept his cool even when we were not on our best behavior.
I also remember Ms. Hewitt, my ninth grade algebra teacher, who did not just teach me algebra, but also what it meant to be a Man for Others and live it. She gave me a sense of duty and service, which has stayed with me to this day, as I sit on the Board of Directors of various charitable organizations, still with that same need to serve others.
Above all, the examples set by those teachers that stick with me were those of love. No matter how good or bad we were to them, they had the patience to teach and form us. We tried to see how far we could push them sometimes, but they never pushed back. They took it all and continued to form us into the men we are today. I will always cherish those teachers and those life lessons.
Q. Who made an impact in your life?
A. My wife has made the biggest impact on my life. God steers me, and my wife whispers in my ear. Funny enough, I met my wife simply by chance – I was working at Miami-Dade County, and I worked with her mother, who told me that her daughter needed a prom date. She was just going to go with her friends, but when they all got dates, she figured she needed one too. I accepted as a blind date, met her for the first time there, and the rest is history. I’ve also been very blessed to have great female role models, including my mother, grandmother and sister, who all laid a path of perseverance and pushed me to succeed.
A. My wife has made the biggest impact on my life. God steers me, and my wife whispers in my ear. Funny enough, I met my wife simply by chance – I was working at Miami-Dade County, and I worked with her mother, who told me that her daughter needed a prom date. She was just going to go with her friends, but when they all got dates, she figured she needed one too. I accepted as a blind date, met her for the first time there, and the rest is history. I’ve also been very blessed to have great female role models, including my mother, grandmother and sister, who all laid a path of perseverance and pushed me to succeed.
Career-wise, I’d definitely have to say that Armando Codina and Rafael Rodon have made a huge impact on my life. Even though we do not work together any longer, we still remain friends. They gave me my first big opportunity in real estate with the development of Dolphin Mall. They remain constant mentors. I’ve also been fortunate enough to work with Jeb Bush, who helped me grow my leadership skills before he became the Governor of Florida.
Q. What is the difference between a Jesuit education and other forms of education?
A. The difference was really that Belen taught me how to be a critical, independent thinker. Belen helped me think on my feet and figure out solutions. That skill set has helped me in my career as I plan real estate projects and navigate through the various governmental hurdles.
Additionally, the brotherhood that comes from a Jesuit education is very important too. I remember one story – I was at FIU, completing my degree and trying to get my transcripts from the Dean’s office. I had been getting blown off, so I went in person to the secretary to ask for an appointment. She had been telling me that the Dean was not available, as one man walked past me and saw me wearing my Belen ring. Seeing I graduated from Belen, he let me
right into his office – it just happened to be that he was the Dean, and he was also a Belen alumnus. That’s the amazing thing about Belen’s education: we were in different classes, but just seeing that Belen ring and knowing it’s another Belen alum, creates an immediate connection. That’s the difference.
Q. What prompted you to go into the real estate market?
A. It was really less of prompting and more of just opportunities lining up perfectly for me. After I graduated from Belen, I went straight to work at the Building and Zoning Department for Miami-Dade County, while I studied part-time at Miami-Dade College. From there, I went to work in the director’s office of the County's Department of Environmental Resource Management (DERM), managing the environmental hearings. Then in the late 1990s, I was hired by Mr. Codina to manage the permitting and regulatory development of Dolphin Mall, and that’s really where I found my niche. Today, I’m the Executive Vice President of Florida East Coast Industries. I am responsible for business development, regulatory planning and strategic vision for the company. Our largest project is the $5 billion development of the country's first private passenger rail system from Miami to Orlando known as the Brightline train.
A. It was really less of prompting and more of just opportunities lining up perfectly for me. After I graduated from Belen, I went straight to work at the Building and Zoning Department for Miami-Dade County, while I studied part-time at Miami-Dade College. From there, I went to work in the director’s office of the County's Department of Environmental Resource Management (DERM), managing the environmental hearings. Then in the late 1990s, I was hired by Mr. Codina to manage the permitting and regulatory development of Dolphin Mall, and that’s really where I found my niche. Today, I’m the Executive Vice President of Florida East Coast Industries. I am responsible for business development, regulatory planning and strategic vision for the company. Our largest project is the $5 billion development of the country's first private passenger rail system from Miami to Orlando known as the Brightline train.
Q. How do you make a difference in that industry?
A. When my kids ask me what I do for a living, they always tell me that what I do doesn’t seem to fit into one job. I tell them that I help plan and make an impact on our community, and that’s how you make a difference. I like to work quietly, be efficient, and get things done at a large scale to help communities. When I worked on the Dolphin Mall project, the best thing about it was how big of an impact it had on the area – it was a catalyst for economic growth, created
jobs, and created a better community. It was as true then as it is today. Making a difference in the real estate industry for me is about planning creative projects that can succeed for themselves and also transform the neighborhood around it. Also, getting involved in your professional industry is critical. Currently, I am the President of the Builders Association of South Florida, a seventy-five-year-old group that advocates for the real estate and building
industry at the local, state and federal levels.
Q. What do you hold most dear?
A. Family. That’s it. My wife and kids are everything to me, and I’m very blessed to have them, as well as my grandmother and mother, to support and push me throughout my life. Second to family, though, is my Belen family, that has always been there for me (and I’m there for them!). For both my Belen family, and my family, though, I think I’ve always done a good job of not taking them for granted, and that’s important. They’re more valuable to me than anything else.
A. Family. That’s it. My wife and kids are everything to me, and I’m very blessed to have them, as well as my grandmother and mother, to support and push me throughout my life. Second to family, though, is my Belen family, that has always been there for me (and I’m there for them!). For both my Belen family, and my family, though, I think I’ve always done a good job of not taking them for granted, and that’s important. They’re more valuable to me than anything else.
Q. What advice do you have for the current students?
A. Stay involved and give back to Belen. As a student, I was really just focused on myself, working very hard to get to where I wanted to get in life, but I also left with a sense of wanting to do more at Belen and regretting missing out on some of those events. Finding a balance in life is important, and knowing that there’s more to life than just work or sports. That balance is very important – that’s why Belen asks you to practice your faith and do service.
Give back to your community, remember that you're pretty lucky to be where you are in life and there's always someone who can use a helping hand. Finally, do something in life that you love because if you enjoy going to work, it does not feel like work.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba, by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school's property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.