About the founder 

 

Juan Manuel Caldera is of half Nicaraguan and half Anglo/Irish decent.  Well-recognized for his diverse work as a freelance sound technician and field producer for companies such as National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and PBS, as well as ABC, CBS, NBC, and ESPN, he has had more than twenty years experience working in Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. 

Born in Nicaragua and educated in Nicaragua and at Boston College, Juan, who is bi-lingual in Spanish and English, began his career in 1984 with NBC News with the coverage of the Nicaraguan Contra War.  While working with NBC, he covered high-profile stories in the Caribbean and Latin America, including the US invasions of Panama and Haiti.  While working with CBS during Desert Storm, he was with newsman Bob Simon’s team when they were captured, imprisoned and tortured by the Iraqis for 40 days. Undeterred, he also covered the Persian Gulf War II for NBC.   

Though in his professional life he has seen more than his share of excitement, Juan is a gentle soul whose true passion is the renaissance of Nicaragua,  – “the land of lakes and volcanoes”. With a twinkle in his eye, Juan will eagerly talk about how Nicaragua, although deeply damaged by both natural and political disasters, is now emerging as a future tourist hot spot, with its pristine beaches, active volcanoes, world-class surf breaks, rainforests, lakes and rivers, sea turtle nesting sites, enormous cattle farms and cool mountainous regions. It is a land of interest not only to tourists, but also to foreign investors in land and development.  While wanting to aid investment in Nicaragua, Juan also wants to preserve Nicaragua’s incredible natural beauty.  Thus, he devotes all of his free time to projects that will create more interest in investing in Nicaragua while at the same time ensuring the responsible development of this country of his birth.   

Juan currently divides his time between Managua and San Juan del Sur, serving as an intermediary between foreign investors, the local landowners, businesses and politicians.  His contacts with business executives and with government officials in Nicaragua are extensive, and he has an exhaustive list of references.