Attorney & businesswoman Román Sánchez launches bid for CUD presidency

Attorney Cynthia Román Sánchez, founder and managing partner of CRS Law Office LLC

By THE STAR STAFF

Attorney and entrepreneur Cynthia Román Sánchez formally announced her candidacy for president of the Centro Unido de Detallistas (CUD by its initials in Spanish) earlier this week before an audience of business leaders, colleagues and merchants gathered at Campo Bravo at the Río Bayamón Golf Course.

The election is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13 during the organization’s annual convention at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar in Río Grande.

Running under the slogan “A Voice for Every Small Business, a CUD That Defends You,” Román Sánchez outlined her vision for a stronger, more accessible CUD focused on delivering measurable results for its more than 6,000 members.

“The CUD needs a president guided by service and committed to achieving results for its members,” she said. “I come to serve, to place the organization and its people above any personal agenda, and to be the voice and defender of every small business. I know this institution from the inside, and I understand what it takes to establish and grow a business in Puerto Rico. That is the leadership I offer and the commitment I make today.”

Román Sánchez is the founder and managing partner of CRS Law Office LLC, a boutique firm established in 2011 that serves small and mid‑size business owners in corporate law, estate planning, business succession, contracts and regulatory compliance. She is also co‑host of the business podcast “Black Table.”

Her candidacy is supported by her institutional knowledge and her work within the organization. A CUD member since 2021, she has served for two years as treasurer of its board of directors.

Román Sánchez presented a strategic plan built around 10 pillars for the 2028-2030 presidential term, developed after consulting more than 160 business owners across Puerto Rico. Among her proposals are “CUD Te Defiende,” an initiative focused on member advocacy; the creation of a business network to promote commercial exchange among CUD members; training programs centered on artificial intelligence; and a leadership initiative aimed at uniting Puerto Rico’s business organizations behind an economic development plan to be presented to the Financial Oversight and Management Board and the Legislative Assembly.

Román Sánchez’s announcement drew public support from several business and professional leaders, including former CUD presidents Lourdes Aponte, Enid Monge and Rubén Piñeiro, as well as Félix Aponte, founder of Supermercados Agranel Inc. and president of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Food Marketing, Industry and Distribution, or MIDA.

Additional endorsements came from Muriel Lazzarini, president of the Puerto Rico Association of Public Relations Professionals; attorney Miguel Rodríguez, executive director of the Puerto Rico Bar Association; and CPA Luis Llompart, former president of both the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce and the Puerto Rico Society of Certified Public Accountants.