His parents fled from Cuba as political refugees, seeking asylum from a raising Fidel Castro. With nothing but a $20 dollar bill and his accounting degree hidden in his shoe, Ed’s father found opportunity in New York working at the Chevrolet factory, one of the only places that would hire him despite not speaking English. At the same time, Ed’s mother was sent to New York to live with family, where she would work odd jobs to make ends meet. There, the two met and were immediately united by their desire for a better life. They got married a year later and had Ed in 1967.

Feeling a strong sense pride for his country, Ed decided to serve in the United State Marine Corps immediately after graduating high school. His six-years of active duty took him to San Diego, CA, Pensacola, FL, Adak, AK and Misawa, Japan. Ed began higher education after being honorably discharged. While completing his undergraduate, Ed worked full-time as a programmer. It was during this time that Ed also met his wife, Mari, and they started a family together.

Shortly after, Ed was recruited by Visa International, a difficult decision that would relocate them to Miami, FL. This would become a trend in Ed’s career: outstanding professional performance; resulting in companies seek him out. During his thirty-five years in business, Ed would pioneer chip cards and home banking at Visa, direct a team that recoded all travel software for the year 2000 at American Express; and transform a small Canadian-based payments company into a global industry leader worth several billion dollars. All the while, Ed was continuing his formal education by completing his master’s degree and attending Harvard Business School.