15033: Hermantin-Sun-Sentinel-He's a master of all trades and leader (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Sun-Sentinel


He's a master of all trades and leader in S. Florida's Haitian community
By Doreen Hemlock
Business Writer

March 6, 2003

He's a doctor, a lawyer, an MBA, a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, owns a
health clinic and heads a 24-hour Haitian radio company. Plus, he's just
starred in a movie, is raising a family -- and all the while, finds time to
advocate for the Haitian community through business, government and
nonprofit groups.

What drives Rudolph Moise?

"My wife says I'm crazy," said the 48-year-old from his North Miami office
bedecked with university degrees and a model of a U.S. Air Force plane. "I
get bored if something's not challenging."

Prodded by a history teacher mom and accountant dad, Moise began his
challenges in the United States at age 17, arriving from Haiti speaking only
a few words of English. He dove into school, learning a new language and
obtaining bachelor's and medical degrees within a decade -- with a merit
scholarship to boot.

Next came internships in Miami and his own business, a medical practice he
purchased from a retiring doctor.

But as HMOs squeezed payments to doctors in the 1990s, Moise realized he
needed more grounding in business. He enrolled in the University of Miami's
executive MBA program, took a health law class he liked, and after getting
his MBA in 1994, stayed on to earn a law degree, too.

Haitian community leaders say Moise has helped his Haitian brethren all the
while: hosting radio shows in Creole on medical issues, providing services
for the poor at his Comprehensive Health Centers Inc. and spearheading the
Haitian-American affairs group at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce,
among other programs.

"He epitomizes the Haitian success story," said Gepsie Metellus, executive
director of Sant La, a Haitian neighborhood center in Miami's Little Haiti.
"He's one of those people who doesn't see his success individually but
rather collectively," noting Moise has helped her center with donations,
contacts and access to his radio station.

To squeeze in so much activity, Moise sleeps little. He generally rises
before 6 a.m., often to work out with a personal trainer, and tends to get
home after 10 p.m. after meetings for his own business, corporate or
community boards or simply, networking.

Inevitably, he's been known to miss some committee meetings, juggling so
many commitments to so many groups.

"It's hard for me to say no," Moise admits, amid a steady stream of phone
calls to his office.

Perhaps Moise's top challenge nowadays is Radio Carnivale, WRHB 1020-AM, the
24-hour Haitian radio station he leads in Miami. While not unique in South
Florida -- there's been a Haitian radio station for years in Boca Raton --
Moise's venture may well be the first aiming to go national and even
international.

Plans call for a radio network with programs in Creole, French and English
spanning stations in New York, Boston and other cities serving the 1
million-plus Haitians across the United States, in much the same way that
Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. serves U.S. Hispanics. The network also would
extend to Haiti, obtaining news first-hand from that Caribbean nation and
broadcasting there.

Moise is busy now trying to raise more than $1 million to buy the Miami
station that now leases radio time for Carnivale. He's also developing a
five-year business plan for the network and working with venture capital
groups to launch the project.

Radio is key for the Haitian-American community, because some immigrants
can't read, others don't know English and still others educated in the
United States in English have few sources of information on Haiti and
Haitians, Moise said.

Haitian business

Moise's international and long-term plans contrast with the bulk of Haitian
business in South Florida: small ventures such as groceries and barbershops
that serve mainly neighborhood clients. Few of Moise's colleagues seek to
branch out beyond South Florida's 200,000-plus Haitian community, often
deterred by language barriers, credit hurdles and reluctance to move beyond
their "comfort zone" and mix with the U.S. mainstream, Haitian business and
community leaders said.

"But if you don't mix, then you don't grow," said Haiti-born Daniel
Fils-Aime, president of Miami Mini-Bus Transportation Service.

Feuds over Haitian politics also stymie their growth, with some Haitians
unwilling to buy from ventures owned by supporters of a rival political
group, added Jean-Claude P. Cantave, who runs the Miami-based
Haitian-American Center for Economic and Public Affairs.

Moise is recognized, however, for helping bridge divisions, nurture small
business and mix with the mainstream, hosting radio programs and working
through the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and other mainstream groups.

"When there's friction, he's always the man in the middle trying to make
consensus," Cantave said.

Some Haitians wonder whether such skills will lead Moise into U.S. politics
too.

But running a clinic with 42 employees, serving in the U.S. Air Force
reserves and helping promote the new Haitian-American movie, Winds of
Desire, among myriad other tasks, Moise said elected office is one challenge
he's not taking on -- at least for now.

Doreen Hemlock can be reached at dhemlock@sun-sentinel.com or 305-810-5009.
Copyright © 2003, South Florida Sun-Sentinel






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