LOU PLASENCIA
CHAIRMAN & CEO, PLASENCIA GROUP, TAMPA
The Plasencia Group provides acquisition, disposition, asset management, construction management and investment banking services to hotel and resort owners across North America. Plasencia, who emigrated from Cuba and grew up in a one-room apartment in Ybor City, started his career in hospitality with Hyatt Hotels and founded the Plasencia Group in 1993 to bring owners and investors together. He has served on the board of the Florida Council of 100, as chair of Visit Tampa Bay and as a member of the Hillsborough Tourist Development Council.
EDUCATION: Loyola University (BA), Indiana University (MS)
FIRST JOB: Our family had been growing tobacco and making cigars in Cuba for over 100 years until communism forced us to leave our homeland. We were blessed to come to the United States where my father picked up where he left off, working in the cigar industry in the Connecticut River Valley. My first paid job was to assist him in curing tobacco leaves that would be used as wrappers for cigars. Today our family is the second-largest manufacturer of hand-rolled cigars in the world!
SOMETHING SURPRISING: Very few people know that I have a master’s degree in university administration and served as an associate dean of student affairs before entering a career in hospitality. One of my first jobs in education was as an intern for Phyllis Marshall, a pioneer in student activities for whom the Student Union is named at the University of South Florida. Phyllis was one of the most thoughtful people I have ever met.
MENTEE IMPACT: I had the opportunity to counsel a young man who, like me, came from Cuba with very little. As a recent high school grad, he was seeking direction on his college path. I tried to provide guardrails for him, always cognizant that he should decide for himself what direction he would take. Today, he is a highly successful marketing executive who is also influencing high school-aged men and women as a mentor to them.
NONPROFIT PASSION: As a family, we support elementary and secondary education. A student’s grade school and high school provide the foundation for that person’s future. There are a lot of young women and men who haven’t had the good fortunes that my parents gave me, so we’ve tried to support those in need, be it with scholarships, school materials, clothing or other things they may need to have a positive learning experience just like other students.
