When it comes to the concepts of hard work, perseverance, patience, leadership, and dedication, Frank Cruz demonstrates the characteristics of a true success story.
Frank Cruz, 50, Vice President and Operations Manager of Guam Fast Foods Inc., has spent the last 30 years of his life dedicating his services for our island’s community. Cruz has been involved with many non profit-organizations such as Kamalen Karidat and the American Red Cross.
In addition to his affiliations with various organizations, he manages and operates the KFC Guam franchise. He was also part of a public-private sponsorship that came together to build the Guam Basketball Training Center in Tiyan, a facility that will help train current and future athletes alike. The sponsorship was in part of a collaborative effort between the Guam Parks and Recreations and the Guam Basketball Confederation. Other community partners including KFC, Triple J Auto Group, and Pay-less Markets Inc., also helped with the issuance of these tax credits that were approved by the 32nd Guam Legislature.
Cruz also coaches and manages a youth basketball club called the Central Mavericks on the weekends.
“We have about 250 kids ages six all the way up to 18,” Cruz said. “I kind of give back to the sport that helped me stay out of trouble when I was younger.”
Aside from coaching and training youths in the summer, Cruz also manages and officiates local referees, which is part of an association called the Guam Basketball Confederation.
In the weekends, Cruz enjoys playing golf with friends either at Starts Golf Resort in Yigo, or Windward Hills Country Club in Talofofo.
When being asked how he is able to balance all of the pressure on a day-to-day basis, Cruz added, “Prayer, basketball, golf and family is what you need,” Cruz said. “You definitely need to have some mix in there in order to keep stress down.”
Cruz was born in Pensacola, Florida but he has spent most of his adolescent life growing up in different parts of Japan and the United States. His father was in the Navy.
Towards the end of his father’s retirement, Guam became their final home, where Cruz began to further his career.
At the age of 18, he became an assistant store manager at one of the village locations. A little over a year later, he became a restaurant branch manager or RGM.
Frank Cruz also purchased a portion of stock in the company during the middle stages of his career, which eventually helped promote him to operations manager. Cruz is from the village of Chalan Pago.