AW Spotlight
Juan Cocuy of Cocuy, Burns & Co.
Chairman-Elect of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches
By Krista Martinelli
When I heard that one of our advertisers, Juan Cocuy of Cocuy, Burns & Co., was the incoming chairman of the board of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, I wanted to know more. I have heard great things about this Chamber from fellow business owners who found lasting relationships and new leads.
According to Cocuy, who will be sworn in this November 10, 2010 at the “State of the Chamber” luncheon, there are numerous benefits that come along with being a member of the Hispanic Chamber. In addition to the customary benefits that you would expect, members are very effective in networking with each other and capitalize on the PR that the Chamber attracts. There are a handful of activities to choose from each month, including the breakfasts (“Café con Leche”), the professional networking events and the special events.
Just to clarify, Cocuy says, “It really isn’t an exclusive club for Hispanics – it really is inclusive.” A number of non-Hispanic members have found great camaraderie and business leads by joining the Hispanic Chamber. While things might have been different originally, today the Chamber includes large businesses like PNC Bank, FPL, Wal-Mart and Costco. “The Hispanic market is the fastest growing segment in our county and our country,” says Cocuy. So even more important than a question of language or culture is the simple question, “Who’s buying stuff?” And in the future, the answer will be the Hispanic community – more and more.
The “swearing in” ceremony for the new Chairman is usually a lovely ceremony Last year the Hispanic Chamber was proud to have Judge Jorge LaBarga (of the Supreme Court) to administer the oath. The Chairman’s term lasts for just one year. In February of each year, they hold a very special dinner/ dance called “Triunfo” (which means “triumph” or “success.”) The event benefits Hispanic students in Palm Beach County. Students are awarded scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $3,500. Even though many of these students come from disadvantaged homes, they manage to get an excellent G.P.A. and are doing good things in our community. It’s an exciting celebration where the new board of directors is honored and the students are rewarded.
When asked about his plans as Chairman of the Hispanic Chamber, Cocuy has a lot of good ideas. “I’ve been the treasurer for the last couple years and I’ve worked to bringing it up to standards, in terms of policies and procedures. That’s what I’ve had to offer, making sure that we’re organized. Also, I’d like to continue to grow the membership from the current 300 members (approximately), and grow it to 1,000 people in our community.” He’d like to reach a bit further geographically – going up to Jupiter and down to Boca Raton. He also aims to develop systems to measure the Chamber’s impact so we can accurately communicate performance outcomes to our members and the community. Perhaps because he’s an accountant, Cocuy wants to focus on better reporting, so members can really understand what they are getting.
The biggest challenge facing the Hispanic community, in Cocuy’s eyes, is the economy, maybe even more so than in other parts of the population. “The effects of a recession tend to really magnify in a community that’s growing and trying to better itself,” says Cocuy. Unemployment is extremely high, so the first priority is finding jobs and getting people back to work. “Eventually we want to have businesses that provide high-paying jobs – not just the typical positions in hospitality or landscaping. We need bio-tech jobs, hi-tech jobs and other high level service and professional jobs that will bolster our segment of the economy.”
As far as a little family history, Juan Cocuy’s family came from Colombia in 1964. His parents came to America for better opportunities and better education for their children. “We’ve been here so long now, we seem more American than Hispanic,” he says. His wife, Carmen is Cuban and their holiday meals consist of a combination of Colombian and Cuban fare. While their children did not retain as much Spanish as they had hoped for, they did inherit a family sense of closeness and a good instinct to watch out for one another.
Juan Cocuy and his wife are proud of their 23-year-old daughter, Christina who’s getting a graduate degree in accounting at FAU, and their 19-year-old son, Juan Jr., who studies film and TV at N.Y.U. Juan’s wife has been an occupational therapist at St. Mary’s Hospital for 18 years.
Cocuy is also pleased with growth his accounting firm Cocuy, Burns & Co. has seen since he joined in 1995. The largest firm in Wellington with 14 employees, Juan and his partner Tom Burns give clients the advantage of their combined “big firm” experience while giving the attention to detail and feel of a “small firm” at the same time. Both Juan and Tom are Ernst & Young alumni. Their many services range from individual tax returns all the way up to services for publicly traded companies.
“Our specialty has been the health care industry and physician groups over the years,” says Cocuy. They have also attracted a lot of not-for-profit organizations and have done audits for a number of these organizations in our community.
Diversity is another advantage that distinguishes Cocuy, Burns & Co. over other firms in the area. On their staff, they have staff from Peru, Columbia, Brazil Belize and Greece. “In this equestrian community, we can speak Spanish, Portuguese, etc. and really communicate with those who are part of the seasonal, equestrian crowd.”
Being the new Chairman of the Hispanic Chamber will keep Juan Cocuy very busy. His current community activities keep his plate quite full as it is. He’s on the board of the Lakeside Medical Center (formerly known as Glades Hospital). The hospital has come a long way and now has 73 private rooms, state-of-the-art diagnostics and is doing well financially.
He’s also been on the board of the Boys and Girls Club for 22 years, the United Way of Palm Beach County; Finance Committee of the Health Care District and Finance Council of the Diocese of Palm Beach. Cocuy is also in his tenth year as a baseball coach at Cardinal Newman High School. When his daughter was a freshman in 2001, he ran into his old coach, Jack Kokinda, and asked if he could help. The coach took his comment far too seriously and invited him to coach JV. “I wanted to help out, but didn’t expect to help to this extent,” Cocuy laughs. And he’s been happily coaching ever since.
And that’s the great thing about Juan Cocuy. He takes all of his commitments seriously, whether it’s coaching JV baseball or advising a Fortune 500 company or expanding the reach of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He wears many hats in our community and makes things a little better each time he gets involved.
Cocuy, Burns & Co., P.A.
12400-A South Shore Blvd.
Wellington, FL 33414
561-793-1927
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches
809 North Dixie Hwy, Second Floor
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
561-832-1986