Famous Padrons

Alicia Padron - Illustrator of Children's Books
I remember being a little girl and looking with such amazement and wonder at the images in picture books. I felt transported and lost myself in all the little details. I could spend hours, literally, looking at them. Nowadays, I get to illustrate the pictures for a living. Isn’t that wonderful? I love what I do! It is the best and most rewarding job. I enjoy creating sweet, cute and innocent characters specially animals and kids. I usually work in watercolor and finish the illustration digitally. Depending on the project, it can take me around two to three months to illustrate a children's book, sometimes more. When all the artwork is finished, I can deliver it very quickly uploading it to my own FTP site or the publisher’s if they prefer.

Rafael Padron - Classical Guitarist
Rafael Padrón has performed both solo and with orchestras in various cities in Cuba, Chile, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Japan, Spain and in the United States of America. He has performed as a soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of Matanzas, Cuba; the Grand Marshall of Ayacucho Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela; the Chamber Orchestra of Caracas, Venezuela; the Camerata Latinoamericana of Costa Rica,The Independence Symphony Orchestra in Costa Rica; The Panamerican Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C., The Bergonzi String Quartet, Venice Symphony Orchestra and with The Mancini Chamber Orchestra.. Mr. Padrón has taught classical guitar at the Jose Antonio and Carmen Calcaño Foundation of Caracas, Venezuela; at the National University of Heredia, Costa Rica; the Costa Rica University of San Jose,Costa Rica; The Paco de Malaga Guitar Gallery in Washington D.C.; The Olenka Music School, Columbia, Maryland, and The Levine School in Washington D.C., Bower School of Music of Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers. Mr. Padrón graduated from the Peabody Conservatory at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, where he has completed his Graduate Performance Diploma on a full scholarship, under the tutelage of world-renowned guitarist Manuel Barrueco. Mr. Padron accomplished his Masters Degree Diploma at the University of Miami in December 2005. Currently, he is part of the Faculty at the Miami Conservatory of Music, at The University of Miami and at the Florida International University.

Jose O. Padron - World Renowned Cigar Maker
Demaso Padrón, Jose Orlando Padrón’s grandfather, immigrated to Cuba from the Canary Islands in the middle 1800’s when he was a boy. As was designated in those days, the islanders or “isleños” were made to work in the tobacco fields. With what little money they had, the Padrón family brought a small farm in the Pinar del Rio region of Cuba, Las Obas. At that time they made $7 every 100 pounds of tobacco they cultivated in Cuba. From there, the Padrón family continued to buy farms around the Pinar del Rio region including a factory in Piloto, where the name of Jose’s company, Piloto Cigars, is taken from. Jose Orlando Padrón was born in 1926 in Cuba and grew up near the Pinar del Rio region, famed for its tobacco. His family has been working in the tobacco industry since the 1850’s, and, when Jose moved from Cuba in 1961 after his tobacco farm was nationalized by Fidel Castro, went to Spain, then New York, and then he brought over a century’s worth of tobacco knowledge to Miami. In Miami, Jose earned $60 every month from government aid to Cuban refugees. After a friend gave him a small hammer, Jose obtained a carpentry job. It was this job that enabled him to raise the $600 dollars to start his own cigar brand and business. To this day, the little hammer has been a symbol of Jose’s start as a cigar blender and manufacturer. Padrón produced 200 cigars a day, made in typical Cuban rolling style, with one torcedor. Padrón then came to the idea of making a new cigar, the “Fuma”. Made from completely Connecticut Broadleaf tobacco, many bought this cigar for its curly head cap, which resembled the traditional cigars from Cuba. It soon became very limiting to deal only with Connecticut broadleaf tobacco because of its long curing process. Padrón was approached by a man from a tobacco company in Nicaragua touring around for potential buyers, who asked him to inspect his tobacco for its quality. Padrón thought very well of his tobacco and told him to come back after his trip to Europe so he may travel to Nicaragua and inspect the tobacco and the fields. There, in the Jalapa valley of Nicaragua, Padrón found the tobacco he would use for his cigars. Jose Padrón began using the Nicaraguan tobacco in 1967, but due to inability to meet the demands of his consumers, he moved his company to Estelí, Nicaragua in 1970; a country with numerous political troubles at the time. Padrón tried to remain apolitical during his stay in Nicaragua however, after riots broke out and Padrón’s factory was burnt down, Jose began to search for another location for his business. The factory in Nicaragua was rebuilt soon after the disaster, and another factory was created in Honduras. After the Sandinista rebellion and take over, there was much uncertainty at the Padrón factory as to what the workers were to do. Padrón asked them to continue working, and eventually Padrón returned to Nicaragua where he spoke to a Sandinista official, who promised him there would be no more problems with his factory. A new problem arose for Padrón after making peace with the Sandinistas; the US blockade enacted by President Reagan on Nicaragua, and Nicaraguan products. Padrón scrambled to move as much tobacco and cigars from Nicaragua to Tampa, Florida during the 5 days allotted before the blockade took effect. He was later granted an extension by the U.S. government to continue to move his product for another 6 months, then, whatever stock he had left in Nicaragua, remained there. After the blockade lifted, Padrón shifted his main operation back to Nicaragua, where it still remains today. Now, both Jose Orlando Padrón and his son, Jorge “George” Padrón, run the family business. As President, Jorge is moving into the director’s position for the company; making more trips to visit the factories in Estelí and working on the business end of the company. It is the intent of the Padrón family that Jorge will eventually take the main leadership roll in the company one day.[3]

Daniel Padron - Jazz Musician
Daniel composes both jazz and Late Romantic/Impressionist "classical" pieces. His current CD release, Whisper To The Night, is a refreshing collection of solo piano works that encompasses both styles. As a soloist, Daniel plays mostly jazz, but also adds classical and popular tunes to the mix. The blend of genres makes him an excellent choice for performance in bars, restaurants, and private parties/receptions. Daniel has performed as a jazz musician for many years, with various artists in the Atlanta area. His talent for improvisation allows him to perform with flair. Shortly after graduating from college, Daniel formed a jazz trio named Wild Rice. The band has evolved over the years, adding Daniel's Latin jazz compositions to their repertoire and eventually growing to a 6 piece instrumental jazz band. Wild Rice has performed at venues all over Atlanta, including the 2003 Atlanta Jazz Festival.

Eduardo Padron, Ph. D. - President of Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College President Padrón is widely recognized as one of the top educational leaders in the world and he is often invited to participate in educational policy forums in the United States and abroad. In 1993, President Bill Clinton recognized him as one of America’s foremost educators. President George W. Bush nominated him to the National Institute for Literacy Advisory Board. During his career, he has been selected to serve on posts of national prominence by four American presidents. Internationally, Dr. Padrón’s accomplishments have been recognized by numerous nations and organizations including, among others, the Republic of France, which named him Commandeur in the Ordre des Palms Académiques; the Republic of Argentina, which awarded him the Order of San Martin; and Spain’s King Juan Carlos II, who bestowed upon him the Order of Queen Isabella.

Anza Padron - Arabian Stallion
When the Arabian Horse Association started up their promotional booth program, on loan to anyone free of charge in the industry, they contacted Margo Marbut and said they were designing a screen that could be used as a backdrop for the booth. They were putting only three photographs of Arabians on that screen — each of the three to represent one outstanding aspect of of the Arabian horse. They chose a photograph of Jim Stachowski riding Anza Padron to represent the outstanding performance aspect of the Arabian horse.

Few stallions are able to make their mark in history — and fewer still have the opportunity to make a real difference, to take the breed a step farther in its development. That is because being a “turning point” horse is about more than just an individual’s excellence; it is a matter of being in the right place, at the right time. For the past quarter of a century, the English pleasure division has seen its action elevated with the bloodlines of *Bask and Huckleberry Bey. Now, for the next generation of beautiful horses with motion to spare, where do serious breeders go? What is the complement that will continue such consistent success? The answer: the son of a legendary halter stallion and a mare with trotting credentials to equal the legacy of *Bask and Huck. A horse that circumstance and serendipity kept out of the breeding ranks for most of his life.

Joseph Padron, Certified Public Accountant
Mr. Padron received his Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, majoring in accounting, from Florida International University in 1976. In 1978, he earned his license as a Certified Public Accountant. He established a public accounting practice in the Miami area in 1978. During his twenty years as president of the firm, Mr. Padron has provided accounting and auditing services for a variety of clients including major corporations, small businesses and homeowners associations. Mr. Padron is a distinguished member of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.