Erwin Cruz

Erwin Cruz is an executive leader with specific focus on intellectual property strategy and management at W. W. Grainger, Inc.

In this global role, Erwin is responsible for leading and managing a subsidiary, an intellectual property holding company through the development of robust intellectual property practices and asset creation that aligns and protects the intellectual capital of the organization’s strategic initiatives ensuring overall alignment to emerging trends and corporate strategies.

Erwin has over 30 years of MRO (maintenance, repair, and operations) industry experience and have held a variety of leadership roles at W. W. Grainger, Inc. which includes; sales, customer service, supply chain, information technology, ecommerce, business development, strategy, innovation, research & development, product development, human capital management, and in his current role of intellectual property strategy and management. Erwin is also an inventor of United States Patent and Trademark granted patents and is recently recognized as a 2018 IAM (Intellectual Asset Management) World’s Leading Intellectual Property Strategist.  Erwin earned multiple graduate degrees in business, technology, and law and is currently a doctoral candidate where his research will focus on emergent technologies.

Erwin is passionate about the rapid pace of technologies and the emergence of new business models where the intersection of business/technology/law is becoming more profound and critical to an organization’s strategic advantage. Erwin’s professional experience and educational background has given him the opportunity to lead many industry initiatives from conception to commercialization allowing him to align emerging trends into organizational execution effectively.