(Mayor Walsh joins Cruz Companies President and CEO John B. Cruz, III and Cruz Management Director Justin Cruz. Photo: Eric Haynes)
(3rd from left, Barbara Cruz celebrates with members of her wine club and emcee Karen Holmes Ward 2nd from right. Photo: Eric Haynes)
(Melvin B Miller, publisher and editor of the Bay State Banner speaks about the Cruz family legacy. Photo: Eric Haynes)
BOSTON – On Sunday, September 15, 2019, Cruz Companies was joined by Mayor Martin J. Walsh and members of the community at Franklin Park to celebrate 70 years in business for the region’s oldest and largest minority-owned construction and development firm.
“Times change, but the one consistency in Boston for the past 70 years has been Cruz Companies,” said Mayor Walsh. “It is not just a company that employs people and builds things, it is part of our DNA in the City of Boston. Congratulations to the Cruz family for this incredible success.”
Founded in 1948 as a Black-owned carpentry subcontracting firm, Cruz Companies is now a third-generation, family-owned business, responsible for landmark projects, jobs and economic opportunity for diverse residents across the region.
“My father ‘Bertie’ started this company at a time when blacks were known to be last hired, and first fired in the construction industry,” said John B. Cruz, III, president and CEO of Cruz Companies. “Now 70 years later, we’re fulfilling my father’s legacy and proudly entering the third-generation of our family’s business. My thanks go out to all of our family, staff and community members who made this possible.”
Karen Holmes Ward of WCVB-TV Boston emceed the event, which featured bands, dancers, lawn games and a display of Cruz Companies’ history. Other honorees included Melvin B. Miller, publisher and editor of the Bay State Banner; and the family of Walter Williams, former director of Contractors Association of Boston.
More About Cruz Companies: Cruz Companies’ mission is giving back to the community through providing employment and career opportunities to area residents, hiring local minority contractors and businesses, and increasing affordable and market-rate housing. For more information, visit www.CruzCompanies.com.
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