Paul L. Cruz: Soaring to greater heights

Paul L. Cruz, of Portugese-Chinese descent,  was born in 1934 in Shanghai, China. As a child, he lived through World War II, witnessing in its aftermath the growing number of the poor and the homeless, the uneven distribution of wealth, and the lack of food distribution infrastructure. After the war,  his father’s work was moved to the Philippines which led to their family’s relocation to the country in 1948.

Paul enrolled at De La Salle High School in 1948. As a studious student with keen interest in mathematics, college physics, thermodynamics, hydraulics, and machinery, he got in the Mechanical Engineering program at De La Salle College in 1952. Fascinated with aviation, he also took few summer courses in aeronautics at FEATI University. He also got into sports as a member of the track and field and swimming teams.

After graduating with a BSME degree, Paul tried to find a job in engineering related to aviation, which was then non-existent in the Philippines. He immigrated to Canada and was hired by Lucas Rotax Ltd. in Toronto where he tested and designed jet engine fuel control valves and systems.

He got married in Toronto when his college girlfriend, Concepcion Yupangco (UP ’56), immigrated to Canada in 1959.

When his job contract in Canada got cancelled, he applied and got accepted in the USA. He worked for three aircraft control companies that further honed his knowledge in aircraft control valve design and manufacturing.

At age 40, Paul started his own company whose mission was to design and manufacture valves for the aerospace industry.

The company, Valve Research and Manufacturing Company, is located in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and it employs 150 people with growing annual sales of approximately 25 million USD supplying control valves used in major aircrafts like Boeing 737, 747, 756, 777, 787; Airbus 319, 320, 330, 350; and US military aircrafts V-22, F-18, F-22 and F-35.

“I made a resolution after the tragic images of World War II, that one day if given the opportunity, I will get involved in making some change.” Paul joined their parish church ministry, the St. Jude Hunger Program, by collecting non-perishable food, and financially supporting five local soup kitchens and six foreign projects. He also supported one of the foundations here in Pasay City, the Parish of Our Lady of Sorrows Church.

With the growing success of his venture, “it’s pay-back time where I am now contributing to the creation of future generations of Filipino youth to mechanical engineering careers.”

Paul established the Paul L. Cruz Scholarship Grant at De La Salle University in 2017 to support four mechanical engineering scholars every year. Currently, he is supporting 9 scholars.

With the help of his three children, Patricia, Mike and Steve, who all hold key management positions in their company, Paul at age 86 still looks after the company he started more than four decades ago and hopes to have a professionally managed charitable trust fund that can be passed on for generations.

“I have been privileged to be educated in the Philippines by the Christian Brothers who dedicated their lives to Catholic education,” Paul shares.

With his wife Conchita (deceased), three children, and nine grandchildren, his fond aspirations is for his DLSU scholars to be fortunate enough to create their own new businesses in the Philippines. “Others may go abroad for new opportunities for themselves and/or creating new jobs in other countries to generate wealth to support a growing world population.”

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