PAUL MENDEZ—BIO
My name is Paul Mendez and with my wife Carol, we are proud resi- dents at Frenchman's Creek since 2019. I graduated from Bucknell University with a degree in Accounting and earned an MBA in finance from Columbia University. My career began in finance at large public corporations where I spe- cialized in financial analysis, long term-term planning, budgeting and mergers and acquisitions.
I later founded, and for over 45 years, grew a business into the largest electronic and software fire- systems company in New York City, serving commercial buildings and office spaces.
My leadership included taking control at two different times of two public companies, restructuring them, taking them private, and ultimately merging them together - work that required rigorous financial over- sight, contract negotiations, operational restructuring and employee retention. My management philosophy is collaborative and accessible. I maintained an open-door policy so employ- ees at every level could raise issues directly with me. That team approach encouraged quicker problem identification, collective problem solving, and stronger implementation - principles I bring to community service. After retiring in 2022 and while recovering from back issues, I sought out ways of getting more active at Frenchman's Creek. Reviewing community data, (1100 members; 450 golfers), revealed an unmet need for non-sport activities. I established the Community Activities Committee with the support of then Board President, Mike Azeez. Today that committee has over 400 registered members participating in 17 activities, all run by enthusiastic Frenchman ’ s Creek volunteers - a testament to what neighbors can ac- complish together! More recently I recognized the need to engage the GenZ population on issues of anti-Semitism, hate and bullying. I created the program, with the support of the nonprofit Insight for Education, that asked stu- dents to develop social media projects demonstrating how to combat hate. This was implemented by the Palm Beach County School system this fall that resulted in 250 student videos.
This experience further reflects my belief that effective communities are built through outreach, educa- tion, and member participation.
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