Jorge A. Plasencia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jorge A. Plasencia
Jorge A. Plasencia
Born	June 13, 1974 Miami, FL
Nationality	Cuban American
Alma mater	Miami Dade College Barry University Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management
Occupation	Chairman and CEO of Republica Havas

Jorge A. Plasencia (born June 13, 1974) is a Cuban-American businessman and community leader from Miami, Florida. He is the chairman and CEO of Republica Havas, a company that helps other businesses with their creative ideas, media, and communication. He started this company in 2006.

Jorge Plasencia also helped start and is the chairman emeritus of Amigos For Kids. This is a non-profit group in Miami that helps children and families who need support. He used to be the board chair of UnidosUS, which is the biggest national organization in the United States working for Hispanic civil rights.

Jorge Plasencia's Career Journey

Jorge Plasencia started working very young. When he was just 14, he was an intern at a radio station in Miami called Radio Mambí. By the time he was in his last year of high school, he was already the Promotions Director for the Spanish-language station.

Working with the Miami Marlins

In 1996, Jorge Plasencia began working in professional sports with the Miami Marlins. He was the first director of Hispanic Marketing for the team. He managed all their sales and marketing programs for Hispanic fans. His work earned him the Hispanic Marketer of the Year Award in 1997. This was the same year the Marlins won their first World Series championship!

Time at Estefan Enterprises

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Latin music became very popular. During this time, Plasencia worked at Estefan Enterprises. This company was founded by superstar Gloria Estefan and her husband, producer Emilio Estefan. As a vice president, Jorge Plasencia handled all marketing, public relations, and business plans for the company. He also helped launch the career of pop singer Shakira in places like the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Leading at Univision

Before starting his own company, Republica, Jorge Plasencia was a corporate vice president and manager at Univision Radio. Before that, he led marketing and public relations for Univision. While at Univision, he worked to help many different groups of people and customers across the country.

Starting Republica Havas

Jorge Plasencia and his business partner, Luis Casamayor, started Republica on November 13, 2006. They named the company Republica to honor Jorge's late father, Jorge R. Plasencia. His father had worked for 30 years at a bank called Republic National Bank.

Jorge's father was a writer who wrote a book about Cuban culture. He was born in Cuba and came to the U.S. in 1961. After his father passed away, Jorge's mother found a letter from 1968. It was a rejection letter from an advertising company, saying they couldn't hire his father as a writer. His family never knew he had tried to work in advertising. When Jorge told this story to Luis, they decided to name their new company in honor of Jorge's father.

Over the years, Republica Havas has become one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. It has also been named one of the top multicultural agencies in America. The company has won many awards for its creative work and strategies. In 2018, Republica joined with Havas and changed its name to Republica Havas. It now works as Havas’ main partner for multicultural advertising in the U.S.

You can read more about Jorge Plasencia and Republica Havas in a Fortune Magazine story called "Jorge Plasencia's República: Mad Men, Miami-style.".

Producing Big Events

Throughout his career, Jorge Plasencia has helped produce many important events. These include:

• "The Last Goodbye," a tribute event for September 11 at the White House.
• Super Bowl XXXIII
• The 1997 World Series
• Shakira's MTV Unplugged show
• The Latin Grammy Awards
• The funeral of the "Queen of Salsa," Celia Cruz

Helping the Community

In 1991, when he was 17, Jorge Plasencia helped start Amigos For Kids. This group helps children and families who are in need. Jorge is now the chairman emeritus of Amigos For Kids. His work with the organization has earned him awards, including the March of Dimes' Humanitarian of the Year award. Amigos For Kids also gave him their highest honor, the Lollipop Award, which remembers a child named Lazaro Figueroa who was sadly abused.

Jorge Plasencia has been called one of America's most important Hispanic leaders. He was the chairman of the board for UnidosUS, the largest Hispanic civil rights group in the country. He was the first Cuban American, the first person from Florida, and the youngest person to hold this position.

He also helped start the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI). He was the former chairman of the Cuban American National Council (CNC). He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Florida Council of 100. In 2004, President George W. Bush nominated him to serve on an advisory board for Cuba broadcasting, and the U.S. Senate approved it.

In Miami, he is a trustee for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. He also used to be the vice chair of the Miami Dade College Foundation. In 2020, Jorge Plasencia joined the board of the Friends of the American Latino Museum. This group is working to create a Smithsonian Latino Museum in Washington, D.C.

Awards and Recognition

Jorge Plasencia has received many awards for his work. Some of these include:

• Being named one of PRWeek's "40 Under 40" in 2012.
• Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year® CEO of the Year.
• Ultimate CEO by the South Florida Business Journal.
• The Florida Association of Women Lawyers' Child Advocate Award.
• The UNICEF For the Love of Children Award.
• The HPRA 2019 ¡BRAVO! Pioneer of the Year Award.
• The NFL Hispanic Leadership Award.
• Miami Herald’s "20 under 40."
• Barry University’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
• The Public Relations Society of America's Royal Palm Award.
• The first Goya Hispanic Achievement Award in 2012. This award recognized his contributions to the growth of the U.S. Latino community and the advertising industry.

Education Background

Jorge Plasencia earned his bachelor's degree with honors from Barry University. He is also part of the Miami Dade College Hall of Fame. He attended a special program at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He graduated from Immaculata-La Salle High School in Miami, Florida.