Forbes Interview

Member Spotlight: Jose De La Paz

by Regan Castle | Feb 18, 2019 | Member Spotlights

Jose De La Paz, Member of Forbes Technology Council, is the co-founder and CEO at VisibilityOne. He’s a family man, with five sons, and is highly focused on community. Through his entrepreneurial pursuits and leadership roles, Jose has created hundreds of jobs and mentored many young people.

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Below, we catch up with Jose to hear his thoughts on technology and innovation.

On Innovation

My earliest memory of technology is a Christmas gift I received as a child. In the early 1980s I received a Commodore 64. The keyboard attached to my parent’s television and I would spend hours coding and tinkering with it. So, early in life, I built an interest in what would ultimately be my lifelong passion.

After being in the communications industry for over 20 years, I noticed that video conferencing technologies had made significant advancements, but the tools to monitor and manage an ever-growing video conferencing ecosystem had not. So last year my business partner, Von Bedikian, and I decided to launch VisibilityOne. We made it our mission to make video collaboration management simple.

The best part of the work I do is being able to invent and create new technology that addresses the challenges companies are facing. Along the way, the patents that we achieve validate the uniqueness of what we create.

My journey continues, and I don’t think I will ever retire. I will continue to invent, create, and dream of ways to push the boundaries of technology.

Jose De La Paz is an energetic executive with international experience and has been in the technology sector, focused on Internet and communications, for over two decades. He held executive and C-level positions at VisibilityOne, GBH Communications, Easynet, FOX Interactive Media, RCM Technologies and BT Group.

On Success

Although I have not said this before, my mother has been my biggest inspiration. As a single parent, she raised five children. I remember her working hard, studying every night, trying to improve herself to succeed for us. She learned English, started as a cashier, and within a short time, she became general manager for one of the top 50 food franchises in the United States. I look at what she was able to overcome, and I draw inspiration from her daily.

I measure success in three ways.

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Family: I know I’m succeeding when I look into the eyes of my children, and I see pure joy. There is no greater feeling than knowing that the success I have in my role as CEO opens a world of opportunity for my children.

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Freedom: Being able to do something that I’m passionate about and not be bound to a job due to financial reasons is liberating.

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Community: Helping others by paying it forward in the form of guidance, advice, support, jobs, and mentorship to help them achieve their dreams.

Tidbits:

What’s on your desk beside your computer?
"Right now, on my desk is a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila. As a certified expert in tequila, I serve as an advisor to the Academia Mexicana de Tequila (Mexican Academy of Tequila). So, tequila bottles are a common sight in the office."

Favorite dessert?
"My two favorite desserts are flan and crème brûlée. But on a cold night, I enjoy a hot chocolate made with Mexican Abuelita and a toasted bolillo with butter."

Favorite artist?
"Everyone that knows me, knows I love art. To stimulate my technology creativity, I grab a blank canvas and spray paint pop or abstract works. Art is all about expressing yourself and capturing a moment or emotion. I have much respect for the story Banksy is telling through his art.