ALFONSO FERNÁNDEZ, JR. - President
afernandez@Ivyport.com
Obtained a Bachelor’s degree from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University (1978), a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (1982) and a law degree from Columbia University (1982), where he was selected for the International Fellows Programs sponsored by Columbia University’ School of International and Public Affairs. While at Georgetown he spent his Junior year at their International Business Program in London, England.
From August 1982 to April 1985 worked as an attorney in the corporate banking department of McConnell Valdes Kelley in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 1985 he joined Prudential-Bache Capital Funding Puerto Rico, Inc. working primarily in the corporate and municipal finance areas as well as in the development of a variety of new products. In that capacity, Mr. Fernandez obtained his Series 7 license as Registered Representative and has been affiliated to a number of broker-dealers in Puerto Rico
In February 1990 when already a Senior Vice President, he established IVY Investment Group, Inc. together with Miguel D. Lausell. In July 2002, he acquired the operations of Swissport P. R., Inc., now operating as Ivyport Logistical, www Ivyport.com, which provides a variety of services to aviation related companies.
During his tenure at Pru-Bache, Mr. Fernández participated in transactions exceeding over $4 billion dollars marketed both in the US and Puerto Rico markets. Among them, the $1 billion Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bond issue, chosen as the 1989 Public Finance transaction of the year by Institutional Investor Magazine. Mr. Fernandez was also a member of the firm's national resource-energy recovery practice group.
Mr. Fernández has authored an article titled “Puerto Rico’s Banking Systems: Descriptions and Analysis of the Unique Puerto Rico-United States Relationship” published in the 1984 issue of the University of Puerto Rico Law Review ( reprinted in the Banking Law Anthology) as well as co-authored an article titled “Securitization of Real Estate Projects: New Investment Opportunities” in the Winter 1986 issue of Business Puerto Rico.
In the tourism industry, Mr. Fernández has participated in a number of hotel financing and acquisitions including the Normandie Hotel and The Colonial Beach Resort, among others. He has also acted as tourism financial consultant to the government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Mr. Fernández has acted and was qualified as an Arbitrator for both the New York Stock Exchange and the National Association of Securities Dealers. He is a former Chairman of the Board of Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico and serves on a number of corporate boards. He served as a founding member of the Puerto Rico-Israel Chamber of Commerce. In 1995 Governor Pedro Rosello named him to the Governing Board of the Caribbean Basin Facilities Financing Authority an affiliate of the Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico, a post requiring Senate Confirmation.
In April 1989 he was elected to the Board of Governors of the Georgetown University Alumni Association where he served until 1996 and also headed its Regional Club Council (1994-1996). He is currently an Alumni Senator. In 1996, he was named recipient of the William Gaston Award conferred on Georgetown Alumni whose efforts have been significant in the development of the Main Campus. In addition, he served on the Steering Committee of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Center for Latin American Studies´ Puerto Rico Program.
Mr. Fernández has also participated as panelist on the topics of Tourism, Housing Finance, Investment Banking and Caribbean Basin Investment Opportunities and Financing seminars held in the US Virgin Islands, Chicago, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico sponsored by the National Real Estate Development Center, Coopers & Lybrand, the Galbreath Company and the Puerto Rico Savings and Loan League, respectively. Mr. Fernández has also been interviewed on Puerto Rico financial aspects by local as well as national magazines, including Business Week and Forbes Magazine.
In the aviation sector, Mr. Fernández has been active participant in major industry conferences in the ground handling, passenger, and cargo areas including Ground Handling International Conference in Rome, Miami and Amsterdam’s Air Cargo Conference, the Airline CEO Conference and founding member of the Wharton Aerospace Group. He has also acted as yearly source contributor to Ground Handling International magazine published in the United Kingdom on the state of Latin American and Caribbean aviation.
In 2008, Mr. Fernández has become active in the insurance industry and is duly licenced by Puerto Rico’s Insurance Commissioner as property and casualty producer and acts as consultant to AON Risk Services of Puerto Rico, Inc. a major multinational insurance broker.
Mr. Fernandez was admitted to the Puerto Rico Bar in 1982 is also a Notary Public. He is a member of the Puerto Rico Bar Association, and the American Bar Association, Air and Space Law Section.
He currently is a member of the Interamerican University Bayamon Campus Business Advisory Board, and teaches courses in Aviation Law and Airline Management at Interamerican’ School of Aeronautics.
In his spare time, he acts as an adviser to Puerto Rico’s under 18 Water Polo National Team and serves as a Catholic Chaplain at a Juvenile Detention Facility.