User:Rjrodriguez1948/Richard Joseph Rodriguez

Richard Joseph Rodriguez is an American Businessman who became well know in Chicago as the Founder of RJR Systems Inc. and for his involvement with Not-For-Profit Organizations.He was incorporator for Chicago Access Corporation and one of the co-founders of Hispanic Alliance Career Enhancement (H.A.C.E.) He was also a member of the first class of Leadership Greater Chicago (LGC).

Early Life Richard Joseph Rodriguez was born May 23, 1948 into a Puerto Rican family in New York City. His Mother Maria Dolores Morales migrated to the Mainland from Puerto Rico in 1930. His Father David Mercado Rodriguez met his mother in 1946 and they married in 1947. Their son Richard was born in Manhattan. At the age of 5 he attended P.S. 57 and in 1958 they moved to the South Bronx. Richard attended Alexander Burger Junior High School in 1960 and in 1962 he was accepted into Brooklyn Technical High School and graduated in 1966. At the age of 11 he joined the Boy Scouts of American and in 1966 he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. The first Eagle Scout in 35 years from his District in the Bronx. At the age of 15 he spend the entire summer attending Camp Echo's Pioneer Program where he spend the entire Summer camping out and living in the woods. His respect and enjoyment was both solidified with his involvement with the Boy Scouts and Camp Echo.

Career Richard received an B.A. from Fordham University, M.B.A. Harvard University. He graduated from Fordham University in 1970 with a major in Sociology and History and in 1973 from Harvard Business School with a concentration in Finance and Marketing.

Richard began his career in Business as a Financial Analyst for CBS working initial for WCBS-TV in New York City. He then joined Royal Dutch/Shell with his initial assignment as assistant to the President of Materials for Asiatic Petroleum. Later he was promoted to Executive Assistant to the President and then to Manager Strategic Planning. Projects that he worked on included the Development of Energy Saving Business. Overseas assignments included Venezuela,the Middle East and the UK.