Meet Edward Pimentel | Platinum Ballerz President and Head Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Edward Pimentel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Edward, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The reason or thought process behind starting our own business was to help underprivileged kids in the community get to college thru baseball. This way most of them would become first generation college students as opposed to a product of their environment. We feel that at the end of the day higher education is the key to financial freedom.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was born and raised in NYC and of Dominican heritage. Grew up poor and in a broken home. In the inner city of Washington Heights NY. Growing up was a struggle and baseball is what kept me out of trouble. I pursued a career in baseball without the support of a dad or a male role model in my life. This allowed me to be the man I am today and created a passion and desire in me to give back to the community and the young generation of today. I am proud of who I have become thru my hard work ethic and a never give up attitude. Nothing in life comes easy, you have to sacrifice in order to see results and have success. Having the support of your family is what drives you to overcome any and all challenges and obstacles. The main lesson is that you are not a victim of society, what you put in is what you get out just like a bank account. I want the world to know that nothing is impossible in life regardless of what you may be going thru, the book “Ignored Truth” by Ron Knight talks about my story as well as overcoming adversity at the highest level. When you see or hear about Platinum Ballerz you will know that we bring a full diversity of cultures along with a certain swag and attitude that represents not only Miami and the “305” but a part of New York as well. Although our brand has been successful in certain aspects the community support is still somewhat of an obstacle!! The city of Homestead where we are located is less than 70k members of which only 8% are hispanics, and the challenge lies there within. We don’t have the proper resources such as baseball fields to practice on or opportunities to have scrimmages with other leagues and this is where the community support is really needed. With such support the sky is the limit for our kids thru Platinum Ballerz. What sets us apart from others is that we are able to see thru any and all shortcomings that these children have and we focus on each one’s individual talent and cultivate it to allow them to see their own value and as a coach I do all I can to make them believe in themselves as much as I believe in them. Therefore we are creating a positive contributor to society and how ironic that a game of baseball can do this for these individuals all by proper leadership and the love of the game. They call this a game of baseball but for all of us at Platinum Ballerz this is a way of life and teaches us the proper work ethic!!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If we had family or friends visiting for a week we would take them to see the Florida Keys which is minutes away from homestead, we would take them to Robert is Here for the best milkshakes on earth here in our own back yard. They would then be taken to eat a one of our favorite local spots for breakfast, “Royal Palm Grill” which has been opened since 1950, and for lunch we would go to either “Mario’s” or “Havana Spice” for authentic cuban food. During the week we would definitely go see a Marlins game at Loan Depot Stadium and enjoy the sites and sound of the game in the dome as well as the diversity of food. After the game we would go to “Calle Ocho” in Little Havana or visit Wynwood.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a shoutout to my dedicated family for all the support and all the kids that have allowed me the opportunity to plant a seed in their lives as a coach. They are the driving factor in all that we do on a daily basis

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