BOSTON–Cruz Companies, the nation’s largest 100% Black-owned construction and real estate development and management firm, announced an expansion of its leadership team with several strategic hires, as well as the opening of its new corporate headquarters.
Headlining these moves is the hiring of Jodi Case, an experienced real estate professional who joins the organization’s Cruz Management division as Vice President, Asset Management, and Terence T. Stretch, who joins the John B. Cruz Construction Company as Vice President.
Additionally, Cruz Companies also announced the hiring of Seitia Harris, who joins the organization as Compliance Manager.
As 2025 ramps up, these appointments also add to several key project milestones for Cruz Companies, including the official opening of its new corporate headquarters within the firm’s Michael E. Haynes Building, an award-winning mixed-use apartment, office, and retail complex in Boston whose residential portion debuted in 2024.
Consolidating Cruz Companies’ construction, development, and management divisions and its charitable arm, Cruz C.A.R.E.S., in a single setting for the first time, the 8,137-square-foot workplace forms a crucial component of Cruz Companies’ long-term growth strategy. A formal opening event will take place on February 19th.
Other upcoming milestones for Cruz Companies include a mixed-use, 170-unit complex set to break ground this year with a five-story affordable wing plus a 10-story condominium in the Roxbury, Mass. Nubian Square district, as well as a new 86-unit affordable senior housing community in College Park, Md. also anticipated to begin construction in 2025.
Underscoring this growth trajectory and consistently expanding influence, longtime Cruz Companies leaders have also taken on significant roles within the broader real estate industry and business world heading into 2025. Highlights include the firm’s Senior Vice President of Development, Daniel Cruz, Jr., who has been named Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation (MHIC) and was recently a featured speaker at the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association’s Developers Forum, as well as Cruz Companies Chief Operating Officer Justin Cruz, who was recently invited to join the board of the National Grid Foundation.
According to the COO Justin Cruz, the firm’s new hires, the opening of its new headquarters, and the industry recognition for key leaders highlight an increasing momentum that has built continuously over Cruz Companies’ 75-plus years.
“We’re excited to enter 2025 with a robust and growing portfolio of multifamily and mixed-use developments, a larger presence in cities across the Eastern Seaboard and beyond, and an enduring commitment to diversifying the building trades at every level from the project site to the boardroom,” notes Cruz. “And with the debut of new corporate headquarters as we strategically build and deepen our leadership team, and expand our representation in key industry advisory positions, Cruz Companies is accelerating its growth trajectory and looking confidently towards a bold and successful future.”
Cruz Companies has also released additional information on the new hires, who are valuable expert sources on a range of topics related to business innovation and leadership, and affordable housing and mixed-use, development, construction, and management — and more. (See below for detailed executive bios.)
“As our organization continues to grow at a faster pace than ever before, deepening our leadership team and expanding our pool of talent is an essential building block for this next phase,” concludes Cruz Companies President and CEO John B. Cruz III “These professionals exemplify the range of skills and expertise that has long made Cruz Companies a valued partner in the communities we serve, and having them on board will enable us to achieve even more.”
