Meet Ruben, mild-mannered BioTeknica Principal, Co-Founder, and Senior Quality Engineer. Think you know him? Think again.
When you talk to clients about Ruben Capo, you hear things like he “provided the insight, expertise and leadership in leading the process validation effort,” or he “is very knowledgeable and an excellent consultant for regulatory matters.” While it’s true that to every project he brings extensive years of biomedical engineering and manufacturing experience and has expertise in design, development, installation, process, and large-scale equipment validation, he is all those things and more.
Flight to Freedom
Ruben’s parents and grandparents fled from Castro’s Cuba when he was five years old on one of the Freedom Flights, one of the largest resettlement programs of political refugees ever sponsored by the U.S. government. In danger, the family left a comfortable life to enter an unknown and uncertain future. They settled in Miami and following the trajectory of most immigrants, began their American journey. Ruben attended Florida International University and was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. He is married and has two children.
Mitt Romney, Ruben & BioTeknica
Early in his career, Ruben worked for American Dade, currently known as Dade Behring, where he met and developed a close friendship with future BioTeknica co-founder Braulio Ortiz. Meanwhile, halfway across the country, Mitt Romney (yes, that Mitt Romney!) had started a global private equity firm, Bain Capital, that purchased Baxter Diagnostics in 1994.
After the buyout, Ruben decided to start his own company. In February 1996, he launched Control Concepts, an automation, engineering, and validation services firm. Jorge Rodriguez, a friend, and fellow Baxter co-worker, would moonlight with Ruben on several projects. As business began to pick up, Ruben and Jorge approached Braulio, and invited him to join the new venture. In June of the same year, these three friends launched BioTeknica, an engineering, quality, and regulatory compliance consulting firm.
Entrepreneur, Outdoorsman & Competitor
During the past 24 years, Ruben, his partners, and expert team of over 100 skilled regulatory professionals, engineers, and scientists have worked with hundreds of the world’s top life science manufacturers to provide engineering, quality, and regulatory solutions. But the apparent daily pressure and adrenaline rush of getting clients to compliance on a timely basis was not enough for him.
A skilled hunter and fisherman, he stays sharp out in the field. “Many of the skills that I fine-tune while hunting and fishing are also critical to finding regulatory solutions – prioritizing safety, persistence, and expecting the unexpected,” said Ruben. “And of course, having lots of patience and a sense of humor is just as important,” he chuckled. He relishes the peace and solitude of the outdoors.
Ruben also engages his creative juices when he’s competing … in dance competitions. Several years ago, upon returning from a business trip, he realized that he had forgotten to buy his wife an anniversary gift. Driving home, he noticed a sign for Arthur Murray Ballroom Dancing and thought it would be a fun gift idea. The dance lessons paid off! Within a few years they were competing and have won amateur awards including third place in Arthur Murray World, first place in Regional Ballroom competitions, as well as taking second place in the prestigious United States Dance Championships (USDC), a national competition. His favorite dance style? The rhythmic and sensual Latin dances, of course.
Typically a reserved individual, his persona completely changes at the sight of his four-year-old granddaughter, Lexie. She has him spinning, twirling, and laughing. At the company’s holiday parties you can find him dancing with his favorite partners, Ana, his wife, and daughter, Jessica, while his son, Ruben Alejandro, looks on. Following in his father’s entrepreneurial footsteps, Ruben Alejandro has started his own business creating innovative hair care products.
When asked about his entrepreneurial growth over the last couple of decades, Ruben says he went from a shy, mild-mannered guy who “had no idea what I was doing in the beginning but learned a lot over time.” Because of his commitment to his team and clients, Ruben reflects, “Eventually, I transitioned into more of a people person, and hopefully am better able to serve them both.”
Immigrant, successful entrepreneur, outdoorsman, family man, and ballroom dancer, Ruben is doing it all!
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