Prof. Alex Rodriguez is an associate professor, marketing enthusiast and an entrepreneur in heart and mind. In 2008, co-founded the Center for the Development of Entrepreneurs in Spanish "Centro de Desarrollo de Emprendedores" (CDE) at the Inter American University Metro Campus. Since 2009, he has directed the CDE and advanced the entrepreneurship concept in the Metro Campus community. In 2018, co-founded InterEmprende, the first centers for entrepreneurs network established by a university in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
He is a Grupo Guayacan Fellow (since 2008), collaborating to expand entrepreneurship throughout the Island, 1st Puerto Rican to receive the 2015 Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Education, Ice-House Certified Instructor, member of the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association Education Committee and Echar Pa’Lante Education Committee. Also, he is a Pi Sigma Epsilon Marketing Professional Fraternity
life member, Golden Key International Honour Society, and Chief Marketing Officer Council member. Prof. Rodríguez is an entrepreneurship and marketing professor (twenty-five years of experience) offering courses such as entrepreneurship fundamentals and entrepreneurial business plan development, mobile marketing, strategic marketing, advertising, promotion, small business, electronic commerce, personal selling, retail selling, graphic arts and marketing.
Founder and mentor of the Entrepreneurial Students’ Team association in Spanish, “Equipo de Estudiantes Emprendedores” (EEE) and the International Entrepreneurship Association (IEA). He is also mentor of the Roots & Shoots Metro Campus Chapter (R&S) and the 1st Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA-PBL) chapter at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico. During the last seven years the CDE, the EEE, and more recently, IEA, R&S and FBLA developed, collaborated and executed over three hundred seventeen (317) entrepreneurial activities including local and international congresses. The results include: over 28,340 university and high school students and 1,258 professors and teachers impacted, 17 business startups and social initiatives in Puerto Rico started, and cash and in-kind raised for approximately $834,760.00 (including in-kind and cash). In terms of entrepreneurial competitions, he has worked directly with over 225 students and individuals, winning 12 of the most important business ideas and plans competition in Puerto Rico, including Enterprize Business Idea (2009, 2011-2012), Enterprize Next Building Business Competition (2013), Sam Walton Business Plans Competition ( 2010), Tiger Venture Competition (2011, 2013, 2015), Premio Santander (2011and 2013) in addition to 3 additional prizes in Premio Santander (2013), and Justas Empresariales Universitarias (2014), winning 3 out of the 5 prizes against 13 universities. In 2015, organized, mentored and participated in the first international competition arriving 2nd at the Network International Business Schools Business Plan Competition (NIBS) over other nine well-known universities from Europe, United States and South America. As EEE’s advisor, assisted EEE students to achieve several prestigious awards such as the Metro Campus Distinguish Student Awards (2009), TOYP Award for Oustanding Young Person of the World (2010), and John W. Harris Award (2012). In addition to assist the EEE to be recognized as the most entrepreneurial association for six consecutive years in the Metro Campus (2009-2015).
His work directing and developing an entrepreneurial community through the CDE has been recognized by Metro Campus’ Administration, Future Business Leaders of America Puerto Rico Chapter, Stanford University, Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation, Freedoms Foundation, and local and international entrepreneurs and peers. His advisory work strengthening the EEE students association, has been noted every year after sharing with the students the most distinguish association award (2010) and the most entrepreneurial association award (2011-2015) at Metro. He collaborated with students to start 14 start-ups. As a social oriented person he has created, developed, collaborated and worked in multiple social, environmental and students problem solving initiatives such as “Recíclate” Metro’s recycling awareness campaign, “Artesanos al Mundo”, to capacitate Puerto Rican artisans into entrepreneurs, “Árbol Familiar”, a family and environmentally oriented initiative that impacted 850,000 families in Puerto Rico, and InterMaps and Cerofila ( Web mobile student problem solving applications). In 2015, organized the Jane Goodall’s Gathering of Friends at three universities in Puerto Rico together with Compinche Verde, two “Junte ECHAR PA’LANTE para comerciantes de Caguas” (workshops), and designed, programed and utilized the 1st business idea and micro-business competition mobile evaluation platform used at the 1st Expo Emprende Puerto Rico 2015 organized by Echar Pa’lante.
In terms of his professional career, he has over twenty-seven years of experience as communications consultant, marketing promotion expert, interactive media specialist, and former gas station owner. He developed innovative and pioneering projects on advertising and sales promotions for over 50 companies in Puerto Rico, including Ford Motors PR , Coca-Cola PR, Puerto Rico Telephone Co., Banco Popular of PR, AT&T of PR (1st Touch-screen promotion in Puerto Rico- 1990 and 1st Virtual Reality Interactive Promotion in Puerto Rico-1991), InterMaps (1st vitual location search map for a campus in Puerto Rico-2013), and Echar Pa’lante (1st business competition mobile evaluation platform-2015). Founder of several marketing and technology integrated companies focused on advertising, promotion, communication, and marketing interactive services to clients involved in real estate, banking, communication, retailing, and automobile industries in Puerto Rico. He also worked for several outstanding companies and organizations such as Badillo Saatchi & Saatchi (Account Executive and media planner), UNIVERSIA initiative (Marketing Consultant), Inter American University (Part-time professor) and is actually working at the Inter American University, Metropolitan Campus (Professor and CDE Director).
He has a doctorate degree from Northcentral University, and a MBA in Business Administration with a Major in Marketing and a BA in Business Administration from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico.