Franchisee Voices: Anthony Cruz of AdvantaClean

*Anthony Cruz was born and raised in Puerto Rico and has been working and volunteering since he was in high school. After graduating from the University of Puerto Rico with a degree in engineering, Anthony spent time working off the shore of Louisiana before his educational ambitions took him to France. His work for Halliburton took him all the way to Bangladesh, too.

In between there, Anthony’s desire to give back brought him to Kenya where he helped a local hospital construct a pipeline to deliver fresh water. Ready to settle down, Anthony came to Houston to make his nest near family and to open his AdvantaClean location with the hope to continue pursuing more volunteering opportunities, as part off the brand’s selfless business model. 1851 caught up with Cruz to learn more about his background and path to the franchising industry.

I grew up in Puerto Rico where I was born, but I have moved and lived all over including New York and Florida. I have always been a hard worker and I have had a job since high school. I played and taught baseball in Puerto Rico and while in high school I helped find teams for the younger kids to play on.

After high school, I went to the University of Puerto Rico where I obtained my certificate in environmental engineering, specifically working with underground contamination. In 2007, I moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, when I was 23 or 24-years old and I started working for Halliburton. There, I worked offshore in Louisiana for two years. I moved to Houston when I came back and then left Halliburton to study in Nice, France. That eventually took me back to Halliburton when I was sent to Bangladesh. I was in charge of hiring and training people there – from field supervisors to lab technicians.

I left Halliburton again to pursue a charity project in Kenya where I worked with Engineers Without Borders. I spent three weeks building a pipeline that would give a local hospital a fresh supply of water in 2011.

I moved back to Houston where most of my family had relocated and established homes. That’s where my father lives and where my sister goes to school. I was very aware of the market and I wanted to turn it into my home. There are a lot of opportunities to volunteer, too.

Once I got back to Houston, I began researching like crazy for a business model I liked online. There were plenty to like, but there was only one with a foundation like AdvantaClean’s. I want to team up with hospitals and I want to help people without attaching fees. This is in line with my values and I will be doing this full-time.

I would like to pursue other territories in San Antonio and Waco, eventually, but would like to perfect my first location before doing so.