Over the past few months, life has come at Lisa Cruz with the force of a tidal wave.
Whoosh—her new business takes off.
Whoosh—a sinking economy adds an undertow.
Whoosh—juvenile diabetes sends her family reeling.
Cruz has managed to ride out each surge, while holding tight to her polished red high heels.
Cruz, who in June opened Appleton’s Red Shoes PR with Jessica Dennis, has taken some impressive first steps. She’s quickly established a solid business with some high-profile clients and has become a go-to source for social media such as Twitter and Facebook.
“For me it’s always been about the relationships,” she says. “That’s what’s brought the most success.”
Cruz’s upbeat personality and a positive outlook have made an impression on her clients. At Miron Construction in the town of Menasha, a meeting with Cruz and her staff is something to look forward to.
“It’s actually fun when we see it on our calendars here at Miron that we have a meeting with Red Shoes,” says Corey Brumbaugh, vice president of business development at Miron. “They come in and bring fresh ideas and have so much enthusiasm it gets the entire place energized.”
Cruz doesn’t stop when she sees an issue that needs tackling. When stories of layoffs began to get her down, within an hour she and her staff had put together a seminar to help people looking for work.
“She just has this can-do attitude,” Dennis says. “There’s never anything that gets in her way that’s too big for her to overcome.”
