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January 30, 2012 • An Advertising Supplement to the Los Angeles Business Journal This special advertising supplement did not involve the reporting or editing staff of the Los Angeles Business Journal. LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER It is with great pride that we present to you our third annual celebration of what has become one of the most dynamic sectors of business today — the Latino business com- munity of greater Los Angeles! To get an idea of the impact that Latino- owned and managed organizations are mak- ing on our business landscape, you need look no further than the many success stories that appear across our pages in the Los Angeles Business Journal. It’s only natural that we feature a spotlight on these fascinating companies with great stories and terrific leaders. Whether they are emerg- ing companies, large established business institutions, or non-profit organizations, each plays a role in helping to keep the fabric of our collective community strong. So once again we have scoured through the many great stories to single out some of the organizations and leaders in the Latino business community who are setting an example that all of us doing business in the region can fol- low. The awards ceremony, along with the special supple- ment we produce within this paper, sharing our honorees’ terrific success stories and contributions to Los Angeles business as a whole, has fast become one of our most pop- ular annual events. This special section you are reading now spotlights the very special finalists we celebrated at our 2012 Awards luncheon on Tuesday, January 24th at the Omni Hotel Los Angeles. This year, six honorees are announced in this section in six categories – $25+ Million in Gross Revenue; $10-25 Mil- lion in Gross Revenue; $2-10 Million in Gross Revenue; Under $2 Million in Gross Revenue; Nonprofit Award and our first annual Latino Spirit Award. The Latino Spirit Award is a special designation created by the Los Angeles Business Journal to recognize an individual who is a distinctive and special inspiration to the Latin community of Los Angeles and beyond. We applaud each of our honorees, as well as the wonderful collection of finalists, also listed in these pages. We hope you enjoy this special section, which con- tains some insights on the creative ways in which some of LA’s leading Latino businesses have made prestigious names for themselves. Special thanks go out this year to our partners in this endeavor, the Latin Business Association, and to our pre- senting sponsor, California Bank & Trust. And again, con- gratulations to all the great Latino businesses in Los Ange- les who play such an integral role in our business commu- nity as a whole. Best regards, Matthew A. Toledo President and Publisher • City National Bank • Lockton Insurance Brokers LLC • Los Angeles Dodgers • Moss Adams LLP • National Latina Business Women Association - Los Angeles • Popular Community Bank • Wells Fargo Bank COMMUNITY SPONSOR: PRESENTING SPONSOR: LATINO BUSINESS AWARDS 2012 GOLD SPONSORS:
16

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Page 1: LATINO 2012 - OCBJ.com LABusinessJournal.com - SDBJ.com · 2020. 7. 13. · classified portal for U.S. Latinos with a top 12,000 Quantcast ranking. El Clasificado continues to buck

January 30, 2012 • An Advertising Supplement to the Los Angeles Business Journal

This special advertising supplement did not involve the reporting or editing staff of the Los Angeles Business Journal.

LETTERFROM THE

PUBLISHER

It is with great pride that we present to youour third annual celebration of what hasbecome one of the most dynamic sectors ofbusiness today — the Latino business com-munity of greater Los Angeles!

To get an idea of the impact that Latino-owned and managed organizations are mak-

ing on our business landscape, you need look no furtherthan the many success stories that appear across our pagesin the Los Angeles Business Journal. It’s only natural thatwe feature a spotlight on these fascinating companies withgreat stories and terrific leaders. Whether they are emerg-ing companies, large established business institutions, ornon-profit organizations, each plays a role in helping tokeep the fabric of our collective community strong.

So once again we have scoured through the many greatstories to single out some of the organizations and leadersin the Latino business community who are setting anexample that all of us doing business in the region can fol-low. The awards ceremony, along with the special supple-ment we produce within this paper, sharing our honorees’terrific success stories and contributions to Los Angelesbusiness as a whole, has fast become one of our most pop-ular annual events.

This special section you are reading now spotlights the veryspecial finalists we celebrated at our 2012 Awards luncheon onTuesday, January 24th at the Omni Hotel Los Angeles.

This year, six honorees are announced in this section insix categories – $25+ Million in Gross Revenue; $10-25 Mil-lion in Gross Revenue; $2-10 Million in Gross Revenue;Under $2 Million in Gross Revenue; Nonprofit Award andour first annual Latino Spirit Award. The Latino Spirit Awardis a special designation created by the Los Angeles BusinessJournal to recognize an individual who is a distinctive andspecial inspiration to the Latin community of Los Angelesand beyond. We applaud each of our honorees, as well as thewonderful collection of finalists, also listed in these pages.

We hope you enjoy this special section, which con-tains some insights on the creative ways in which someof LA’s leading Latino businesses have made prestigiousnames for themselves.

Special thanks go out this year to our partners in thisendeavor, the Latin Business Association, and to our pre-senting sponsor, California Bank & Trust. And again, con-gratulations to all the great Latino businesses in Los Ange-les who play such an integral role in our business commu-nity as a whole.

Best regards,

Matthew A. ToledoPresident and Publisher

• City National Bank

• Lockton Insurance Brokers LLC

• Los Angeles Dodgers

• Moss Adams LLP

• National Latina Business WomenAssociation - Los Angeles

• Popular Community Bank

• Wells Fargo Bank

COMMUNITY SPONSOR:PRESENTING SPONSOR:

LATINOBUSINESS

AWARDS 2012

GOLD SPONSORS:

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24 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL JANUARY 30, 2012

2012 HonoreesLATINOBUSINESSAWARDS

Large Private Company

$25+ Million in Gross Revenue

GAVIÑA & Sons has built its business by understanding the tastespreferred by various ethnic groups and then tailoring its coffeesto specific markets. But the 264-employee company is far froma niche player. Starting out making the kind of coffee he and

his family and friends wanted to drink, the company’s late founder,Francisco Gaviña, sold it in Cuban markets around LA. Gaviña, a formerCuban national who had left a successful coffee business behind andmoved his family to the US, was working as a dishwasher in LA in 1967.He started Gaviña & Sons with a roaster bought from Farmer Bros., a LosAngeles coffee producer, for $500. The company started with all of Fran-cisco’s children pitching in, and more than 40 years later, it’s still a fami-ly-run business. They sold $1,000 worth of coffee in their first year,before realizing that Italians like the same style of coffee, so the familystarted selling it in Italian markets. As they began making coffee for allthe different immigrants in L.A., the company started to take off. As con-sumer tastes have changed over the last two decades, Gaviña & Sons hasbeen bringing the coffees sold to smaller ethnic stores into larger chaingrocers, alongside its Don Francisco brand made specifically for main-stream grocery stores. The company now sells coffee in 20 states and insuch chains as Ralphs, Wal-Mart, Vons and Safeway. A fifth of its busi-ness comes from making and packaging private-label coffees brewed andsold at McDonald’s, 7-Eleven and Costco stores. And Gaviña & Sons is farfrom standing still. The company plans to continue broadening the lineof coffees it sells in grocery stores, both at big-name chains and mom-and-pop stores.

Francisco Gaviña

EL CLASIFICADO�

Medium-Sized Private Company

$10 - $25 Million in Gross Revenue

Alot has sprung from the business plan that Martha de la Torrefirst drafted in 1988 and talked her future husband Joe Badameto invest and fund. El Clasificado was designed to create a mar-ketplace for the Spanish speaking community of Los Angeles

with access to products and services and consumer friendly editorial tomake life easier for recent immigrants like de la Torre’s parents, whocame to the U.S. to find a better way of life. Although mostly a shopper,El Clasificado always includes editorials on health, education, familyadvice, consumer literacy and especially stories about local heroes androle models. Having served as CFO for La Opinion, de la Torre recog-nized the need for a free community publication in Spanish especiallywith job classifieds and services. With the advent of desktop publishing,she realized it was possible to launch such a publication with less than amillion dollars in capital. With the help of her husband, family, friendsand some business partners, El Clasificado was launched on May 4,1988. Today, El Clasificado is a successful multiplatform media companywith anticipated revenues in 2011 of $18.6 million. El Clasificado maga-zine, reaches 1.5 million Spanish speaking readers in California eachweek with over 470,000 copies. Elclasificado.com is the largest onlineclassified portal for U.S. Latinos with a top 12,000 Quantcast ranking. ElClasificado continues to buck industry trends by growing and expand-ing print revenues by over 12% in 2011. But the company is ready forthe future with digital revenues now representing more than 6% of totalrevenues. The future looks unlimited with planned new offerings inonline video ads and mobile applications.

Martha de la Torre

F. GAVIÑA & SONS

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THIS IS

CALIFORNIABANKINGCALIFORNIA BANK & TRUST

MEMBER FDIC

calbanktrust.com

DEEPER ROOTS

Black Oak, California

JANUARY 30, 2012 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 25

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26 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL JANUARY 30, 2012

2012 HonoreesLATINOBUSINESSAWARDS

GENESIS CONSULTANTS�

Under $2 Million in Gross Revenue

GENESIS Consultants is a 100% Latina-owned business specializing inworking with the underserved, uninsured and under-insuredminority communities. This is carried out by educating andinforming these communities of their options for accessible and

affordable healthcare coverage and service options. Community outreach isimplemented by providing health care screenings and information at healthfairs focusing on prevalent conditions such as diabetes, heart disease andobesity. Another area of expertise Genesis offers is the training and educationof health promoters and community members to properly offer enrollmentopportunities to the uninsured community. With a staff boasting decades ofexperience in the healthcare industry, ranging from business administrationand management, program development and implementation, strategic mar-keting, public relations, public affairs, coalition building, community engage-ment and grass-roots outreach implementation, Genesis Consultants alsospecialize in developing programs and strategies to work with non-profitorganizations in offering coalition building and community engagementtraining strategies. These training sessions offer these organizations an oppor-tunity to promote and further expand the respective services offered to bene-fit not only the non-profit organizations but the communities they serve andrepresent throughout California. Genesis Consultants effectively links itsclients with coalitions, affiliations and targeted audiences based on theclients’ goals and needs, helping expand the message of access to healthcare,preventive care and health education as a whole. Everyone at Genesis Con-sultants takes pride in the fact that they have a diverse set of qualificationsand expertise to meet the needs, goals and objectives of their clients, whichin turn provide important health education and services to the community.Continuing to serve and educate the underserved and hard to reach commu-nities is an ongoing and rewarding mission for Genesis’ staff.Georgina Maldonado and Rita Cruz Gallego, Principal Partners

LENNOVA�

Small Private Company

$2 - $10 Million in Gross Revenue

IN 2000, entrepreneur Leonard Ortiz, with his two stepsons Jack TonyGenova and David W. Genova, founded NovaCoat, a general contractingcompany specializing in epoxy & urethane protective floor coatings. Dur-ing its eight years of operations, NovaCoat’s outstanding performance as

a supplier to several of the Southern California Minority Business Develop-ment Council’s (SCMBDC) “Fortune-500” member corporations was recog-nized by winning the prestigious “Supplier of the Year” Award twice. In 2008,NovaCoat became Lennova, and its excellence was again recognized when itwon the “Small Business of the Year” Award from the 13th Annual RonBrown Business Summit of the California Black Chamber of Commerce — allthe more rewarding because Lennova was the first Latin-owned business toreceive this recognition. The following year, Ortiz was named “Small BusinessPerson of the Year” by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce in partnershipwith the U. S. Small Business Administration-Los Angeles District Office. Win-ning these awards is indicative of Lennova’s growth and success in the protec-tive flooring industry where it often competes against larger and more estab-lished companies. Lennova’s ability to consistently meet or exceed customerexpectation by providing quality products and services in a timely and costeffective manner regardless of technical complexity and other challenges dis-tinguishes it from competitors in the protective floor coating industry andhas been a critical factor in building a solid customer base. The rise of Lenno-va may be in large part due to Ortiz’s constant belief that success is onlyachieved when preparation meets opportunity and that to achieve true suc-cess one must stay focused on the goal. Indeed Ortiz’s “never quit” philoso-phy that has been instilled in all of his colleagues and employees at Lennovais surely a key to the company’s success.

Leonard Ortiz

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“ City National believedin my business.”

When I came to the U.S., I discovered the fashion industry and eventually started my own business. As my business grew, I neededto buy a factory and City National helped me finance a building. City National Bank always tailors their services to meet my needs.

I use City National for personal and businessbanking. I always refer friends and associates.

City National is The way up® for meand my business.

View Lourdes’s complete story atcnb.com/thewayup.

Lourdes Chavez Fashion Designer & Small Business Owner

©20

12 C

ity N

atio

nal B

ank

Experience theCity National Difference.SM

Call (866) 618-5179 or visit cnb.com to find a business banker near you.

City National Small Business Member FDIC

JANUARY 30, 2012 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 27

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28 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL JANUARY 30, 2012

2012 HonoreesLATINOBUSINESSAWARDS

PUENTE LEARNING CENTER�

Nonprofit Award

PUENTE Learning Center serves as a bridge to opportunity, helpingchildren, youth, and adults build strong educational founda-tions, find meaningful employment, and improve the long-termquality of life for themselves, their families, and their communi-

ties. Celebrating its 27th year in 2012, Puente provides education andworkforce training in Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles, two minori-ty communities with high levels of unemployment and poverty, lowlevels of educational attainment, and tremendous unrealized potential.Offering tuition-free, technology-enhanced classroom instruction to4,100 students annually, Puente has impacted over 85,000 individualssince its inception. The organization’s multi-generational approach setsindividuals of all ages on the pathway to college and a career. For chil-dren and youth, Preschool Readiness and Charter Kindergarten preparefour- and five-year-olds for academic success, and After School Enrich-ment and High School Tutorial support youth throughout their elemen-tary and secondary school years. Individuals needing to complete highschool receive personalized support to master key subjects and earn theirdiploma through the Adult High School Diploma program, and studentsgain stronger and broader options for college through SAT Preparationclasses. In Puente’s largest program, English as a Second Language, 1,330students progressed toward English-language fluency. Eighty of thesestudents completed the six-level program, and 553 were promoted by atleast one level. In the last four years, Puente has helped prepare morethan 12,000 men and women to enter the workforce and find meaning-ful careers so they can support themselves and their families. During thelast academic year, 4,151 residents of Boyle Heights and South Los Ange-les moved closer to their educational and career goals with the supportof Puente’s services. Luis Marquez, CEO, Puente Learning Center

Latino Spirit Award

JAIME Jarrín, “the Spanish Voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers” is amongthe most recognizable voices in Spanish language broadcasting andone of two current Dodger Hall of Fame announcers, alongside VinScully. The Quito, Ecuador native began working for HCJB in his

home country when he was just 16 years old and went on to become theannouncer for the National Congress of Ecuador. He came to the UnitedStates in 1955 and four months later, watched the Dodgers win their firstWorld Series, which was when he fell in love with baseball. Shortly there-after, he began working for KWKW in Los Angeles, where he was the newsand sports director when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958. From1962 to 1984, Jarrín called close to 4,000 consecutive Dodger games span-ning 22 seasons, never missing a game. The streak was broken only whenhe took charge of all Spanish-language radio coverage and production forthe 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Jarrín became a household nameacross the country in 1980-81 when he served as the interpreter for Mexi-can pitching phenom Fernando Valenzuela during a period known as Fer-nandomania. The left-hander became an analyst in 2003 and continues towork alongside Jarrín. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall ofFame on July 26, 1998 in Cooperstown, NY as the recipient of the Ford C.Frick Award. Named in honor of the former broadcaster and Commission-er of Baseball, the Frick Award has been given annually since 1978 to abroadcaster “for major contributions to the game of baseball.”

Jaime Jarrín

JAIME JARRÍN,LOS ANGELES DODGERS

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JANUARY 30, 2012 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 29

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Congratulations to each of the followinginspiring finalist organizations listed below,alphabetically by company name.

ABILITYFIRSTEAST LOS ANGELES CENTER

AbilityFirst is a leadingnonprofit organizationproviding programs andservices to children andadults with physical anddevelopmental disabili-ties including autism,cerebral palsy, andDown syndrome. Estab-lished in 1926 as theCrippled Children’s

Society of Southern California, its missionis to help individuals with disabilities real-ize their full potential throughout theirlives. In 1999, the organization adoptedthe name AbilityFirst to better reflect theirmission, their vision, and their commit-ment to celebrating the unique abilities ofevery individual. Under the leadership ofMonica Alcantar, the East Los AngelesCenter Director, AbilityFirst provides anoasis of possibility, embracing each indi-vidual for what is possible—rather thanfor what is not.

ACENTO ADVERTISING

Acento is the 7th largestindependent Hispanicadvertising agency inthe U.S. Headquarteredin Los Angeles, theagency’s dynamic teamof marketing profession-als, who hail from vari-ous parts of the U.S,Mexico and Latin Amer-ican countries, drive sig-

nificant bottom line results for leadinglocal-based organizations such as SouthernCalifornia Edison, Health Net, Albertsons,Time Warner Cable’s Western Region andToshiba. Through its smoking cessationefforts on behalf of the California Depart-ment of Public Health, Acento has literallyhelped to extend the lives of Latinos byreducing the incidences of smoking. Thefirm has also helped provide financial edu-cation to the Latino population on bank-ing services and well as health insurancematters and has spearheaded campaignsthat focus on promoting energy conserva-tion, as well as health and nutrition.

ALL ACCESS EVENTS LLC

All Access Events’ greatteam has successfullyplanned and organizedweddings, quinceaneras,galas, seminars, trainingsymposiums, weekendretreats, fitness bootcamps, holiday awardbanquets, CD releaseparties, companylaunch events, book

signings, luncheons, engagement andbirthday parties, showcases, and manyother kinds of events. All events aredesigned to be unforgettable occasionsthat the clients – often Hispanic families

and organizations – will be able to presentwith pride – on empathetic budgets thatwon’t break the bank! The All Access teamestablishes a reasonable budget and theneverything else is on them. They workhard to find each and every detail in thebudget allotted and all the client has to dois look beautiful and show up on theirspectacular day.

AMERICAN VETERAN INC.

American Veteran, Inc.,is a woman-owned,minority-owned, andservice-disabled veteranowned small businessproviding constructionand environmentalremediation services.The company is one ofthe fastest growing con-struction firms in Cali-

fornia. The company was founded in 2008by Maribel Mena, the daughter of Mexicanimmigrants and someone who had comefrom humble beginnings. Mena is a veter-an of the United States Navy and was hon-orably discharged with a service-connect-ed disability. She currently serves on theBoard of Directors of the Elite Service Dis-abled Veteran Owned Business (SDVOB)organization and promotes the advance-ment and education of fellow veterans.She has worked in the construction/envi-ronmental industry for over 10 years andis a well-respected member of the con-struction profession.

ANNA’S CLEANING SERVICE

Anna’s Cleaning Servicewas founded in 1999 byAnna Montiel who hadcome to the US in 1985,young, ambitious andfull of aspirations. As amother of 4, she soughtthe kind of financialindependence thatwould allow her tostand on her own two

feet. She resolved to start her own busi-ness. Determination and perseverance gother through to where she is today — abusinesswoman in her own right. Anna’sCleaning Service handles business profes-sionally, and its namesake continueslearning and growing more every year.Never forgetting how she began fromscratch, when Anna hires people, shelooks for people who show they have aninterest in learning, and moving forward.

AQUABIO ENVIRONMENTALTECHNOLOGIES INC.

As CEO and partner ofAquaBio EnvironmentalTechnologies, Inc. &AquaBio Aquatic Man-agement Division,DeAna Vitela-Hayashihas led her companythrough the research,development, & appli-cation of non-pathogen-ic microorganisms for

degradation of pollutants. Vitela-Hayashi

and AquaBio’s specialty is waste waterremediation and odor control using Biore-mediation, Phyotoremediation, and Bio-mimicry. Vitela-Hayashi and her teamhave consulted & provided expertise, forenvironmental, engineering, & remedia-tion firms, municipal & industrial facili-ties, waste treatment facilities, confinedanimal feed operations, landfill, compost,& greenwaste facilities as well as stormwa-ter retention basins, lakes, & aqua culturefacilities, in both fresh & marine environ-ments. Over the Years, Vitela-Hayashi hasalso participated in the research and devel-opment of treatment for pollutants inurban runoff, watershed and municipal &industrial waste water treatment.

THE BREAD FACTORY

The Bread Factory Arti-sans Inc., also known as“Pan Y Leche Bakery,”located in Wilmington,is a privately ownedcompany — owned51% by GuillerminaBermudez, President &CEO and 49% owned byHenry Bermudez, herhusband and Director of

Operations. In the true spirit of a familybusiness, the owners also employ theirchildren, Rosie and Henry Jr., in sales andmarketing positions. The Bread Factoryhas 35 employees working around theclock to fill orders for such wholesale cus-tomers as Food for Less and Smart & Final(the wholesale business generates themajority of the company’s gross annualrevenues). The Bread Factory also offers awide variety of Mexican pastries, cakes,bread & sandwiches. The owners havemore than 30 years experience as businessowners and also own the building wherethey operate their business.

CALIFORNIA COACHAUTO BODY INC.

California Coach AutoBody, Inc. was foundedin 1987 and has provid-ed tow service for Free-way Service Patrol forthe County of Los Ange-les since 1993. The com-pany leads the way withover 50 tow serviceunits and one superHeavy Duty Rotator for

those big rig tow recoveries on the LA free-ways. California Coach has a combinedstaff of over 70 employees in administra-tion, auto estimating, body, paint,mechanical repair and tow service techni-cians. Founder Andrew Lujan and his staffeffectively managed over 5.6 million incombined annual sales in 2010 with lowloss histories, excellent customer service,quality contractual relations with over 9government agencies, excellent employ-ment compensation and tested tow/stor-age polices.

CAMELO JELLO

Camelo Jello is a family owned businesssince 2007. Marisol Camelo established

the company alongwith her husband andthree daughters and thefamily has been work-ing hard for years atmaking their business asuccess. At the heart ofthe business is the fami-ly’s homemade styleJello snacks — Mexicanstyle! The Camelos

decided to bring out their roots by provid-ing people with delicious flavors that sendthe taste buds back to Mexico and a worldof unique Jello snacks and treats. The fam-ily started off in a small kitchen location,selling their product to people they knew.As the years have gone by, Camelo Jellohas grown and the Camelo family hasbeen able to reach out to local markets,restaurants, and vendors – all while main-taining their original sales base to peopleout of a small shop.

CORDOBA CORPORATION

Cordoba Corporation isa nationally recognizedengineering and con-struction managementfirm based in Los Ange-les and founded byentrepreneur GeorgePla. For nearly 30 years,Pla has provided theleadership and vision togrow Cordoba into one

of the top civil engineering and construc-tion management firms providing servicesto large public infrastructure projectsthroughout the Western United States.Cordoba is currently ranked by HispanicBusiness Magazine as one of the top ten ser-vice providers in California, one of the topfifty high tech companies in the countryand one of the fastest growing privatecompanies according to the Los AngelesBusiness Journal.

DUGALLY OBERFELD

Mauricio Oberfeld emi-grated to Los Angelesfrom Mexico City,Mexico. He went toschool at USC andgraduated in Architec-ture and Design. Sincethen, Oberfeld hasaccomplished the goalof many Latinos, tosucceed and to do

everything with heart. For the last 15years, through his firm, Dugally Ober-feld, Oberfeld has developed, built anddesigned many buildings within boththe public and private sector. DugallyOberefeld buildings designed by Mauri-cioOberfeld have been showcased inmagazines such as Architecture andDesign, luxe, Home Design, the Los Ange-les Times and others. The firm has beenrecognized by the President of Mexicoand other Mexican Authorities, as well asauthorities here in the US.

MauricioOberfeld

GeorgePla

MarisolCamelo

AndrewLujan

GuillerminaBermudez

DeAnaVitela-Hayashi

AnnaMontiel

MaribelMena

JanetRodriguez

RobertoOrci

MonicaAlcantar

30 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL JANUARY 30, 2012

2012 FinalistsLATINOBUSINESSAWARDS

Continued on page 32

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JANUARY 30, 2012 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 31

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DURA FLOORING INC.

Dura Flooring, Inc. has been in businessfor 25 years and has been serving theLatino community with quality cus-tomer service and quality flooring. DuraFlooring also provides quality flooringinstallation with highly experiencedinstallers. Dura Flooring, Inc.’s staff is100% Latino, giving the company anedge when attending to an almost 80%Latino based clientele. Dura Flooring isalso a direct to trade retailer selling allflooring materials direct to installers. Inthe past two years Dura Flooring hasreceived growing attention from localand national general contractors. Thecompany has also been able to retain allemployees during this challenging econ-omy and has not had any layoffs.

EAST VALLEY COMMUNITYHEALTH CENTER INC.

The East Valley Com-munity Health Center,Inc. is a one-stop healthcare provider for theuninsured and under-served communities ofLos Angeles, offering arange of medical ser-vices such as adult fami-ly practice, pediatriccare, women’s health,

HIV/AIDS care, dental, mental and prena-tal/postnatal care. In fidelity to their mis-sion, the staff at EVCHC also providesnutrition, care coordination, case manage-ment and pharmacy services. Annually,EVCHC averages 100,000 clinical contactsfor 33,000 patients. The health centershave become a tremendous source of assis-tance for the Latino populations in areasthey serve. Eighty-one percent of thepatients given quality medical care atEVCHC are Latino. The multicultural andbilingual staff of East Valley is sensitive tothe needs of the population they serve,making significant inroads in the treat-ment of diabetes and hypertension.

ECO-RICO ENTERTAINMENT LLC

Giselle Achecar is the cre-ator of EcoRico, an eco-lifestyle brand and multi-media company, whichincludes the online sen-sation EcoRico cookingshow, EcoSexy video tipsand the personal successprogram “Marry YourPassion with Your Pur-pose.” The EcoRico cook-

ing show is now seen on over 150 onlineoutlets. Giselle’s videos, recipes and blogappear weekly on the front page of LatinoVoices on the Huffington Post. EcoRico cur-rently has four content license partners –ifood.tv, UrbanoTV, FilmOn and Mi CasaBroadcasting. The show appears in 3 millionhomes through Comcast in Houston, Texaswith expansion to 20 more national mar-kets planned in the next year.

ENDPAK PACKAGINGINCORPORATED

Endpak Packaging Inc. was formed by

brothers Edgar and Carlos Garcia underdifficult circumstances. Back in 1993,Carlos, a Plant Manager for a paper bagmanufacturing company and Edgar, aFinance Director for a Teledyne Indus-tries subsidiary, were without work. Thebrothers joined their talents and decidedto launch their own paper bag company.Armed with 1 machine, $100,000 oftheir own money and a solid businessplan, the Garcia brothers were able tosecure a $150,000 SBA loan and begantheir operation in January 1993. Theirsolid growth strategies paid off with salesof just over $1,000,000 by the end oftheir first year. What started as a 4employee organization with $40,000 inmonthly sales, has grown to a companywith over 100 employees and$19,600,000 in annual sales.

HEATEFLEX CORPORATION

In 1998, an experienced executive fromthe technology manufacturing industry,Jorge Ramirez, founded Heateflex Corpora-tion and completed the purchase of Inte-grated Circuit Development Corporationthrough a management led buyout. Heate-flex Corporation provides ultra-pure fluidheaters and wet process equipment tohigh technology manufacturing compa-nies. Its products are shipped to its cus-tomers worldwide, most of which are wellrecognized makers of semiconductors, diskdrives, medical devices, and solar cells. InNovember of 2010, the company acquiredSafna. Now operating as a division ofHeateflex, Safna offers industrial water fil-ters and heat exchangers. Ramirez wasrecently granted a U.S. patent for co-inventing a Method and System for ReducingDeionized Water Consumption, with twoadditional patent applications pending.

HM CARPET INC.

HM Carpet, Inc. is aLatino-owned businessthat has been growingsince 1982. The compa-ny started as a two-per-son crew in HuntingtonPark; no bank financ-ing, no private investors— just sweat equity anddetermination. After afew years, HM Carpet

decided to expand, and continued theirfloor covering endeavors in Gardena. Fastforward to the present date, HM Carpet isat the forefront of floor covering services,epitomized by generating $11 million inrevenue for 2011. Boasting a personnel of24 employees and more than 15 part-time employees and independent con-tractors, HM Carpet’s mantra is simple,dedicated to offering customers competi-tive pricing, forming high companystandards, and most importantly, profes-sional customer service.

ISI TRANSLATION SERVICES

With his parents’ ownimmigrant experience inmind, George Rimalowerfounded ISI TranslationServices, Inc., in 1982. ISIhas grown steadily sinceinception, achievingrecord sales and robustgrowth even in the midstof a recession. ISI wasone of the first language

services companies to address the speciallinguistic and cultural needs of both non-and limited English-proficient communitiesof the United States. ISI is based in NorthHollywood and employs 20 staffers at itsheadquarters and another 700 translatorsand interpreters around the world. Most ofISI’s staff is proficient not only in foreignlanguages, but also in the specific terminol-ogy of each industry. In 2011, ISI saw itsrevenue increase by 60 percent, a staffexpansion, a move to larger offices and alarger client roster.

LAW OFFICES OF JUAN J. DOMINGUEZ

After getting his lawdegree in 1987, Cubanimmigrant Juan J.Dominguez decided toopen his own law prac-tice Under “Juan J.Dominguez, A Profes-sional Law Corpora-tion.” Since opening thepractice, Dominguezhas become a well-

known and respected attorney in the Lati-no community, frequently appearing onboth television and radio, informing thepublic regarding the law and individualrights. Dominguez has been successfulwinning many big cases and has recoveredover $200 million to injured clients in per-sonal injury cases. The firm gives back tothe community through sponsorship ofseveral local organizations, including pro-viding support to groups such as A PlaceCalled Home, a safe haven for underservedyouth in South Central Los Angeles andmany other worthy organizations.

LATIN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

The Latin Business Asso-ciation (LBA) is one ofthe most influentialbusiness associations inthe United States. TheLBA represents the busi-ness interests of over700,000 Latino-ownedbusinesses in Californiaand is the premier andlargest Latin business

organization in the nation. Since its incep-tion in 1976, the LBA’s mission has beento “Build Economic Wealth and Opportu-nity” for Latino and minority-owned busi-nesses and entrepreneurs. In doing so, theLBA has become the voice of Latino busi-ness, receiving significant national andinternational recognition. The LBA is arelationship-driven organization. Meetingother members proves to be an invest-ment of each member’s time that yieldsdividends for years to come. Participationin LBA programs, events and member

business functions translates to valuablebusiness opportunities and enhances thegrowth of member businesses.

LATINO DIABETES ASSOCIATION

The Latino DiabetesAssociation is a non-profit organization com-mitted to delivering cul-turally relevant diabetesprevention informationand self- managementeducation to the Latinocommunity. The organi-zation’s vision state-ment that is applied to

all of its activities is to reduce and preventdiabetes in the Latino community byaddressing health disparities through aculturally sensitive grassroots approach. Itis the LDA’s basic belief that through cred-ible, persuasive, timely information cou-pled with education and emotional sup-port, a person may successfully modifytheir lifestyle to prevent the onset of dia-betes or manage the impact of this oftenmisunderstood and poorly managed dis-ease. The leadership of the organizationalso believes that it is the right of all peo-ple to live in healthy and safe neighbor-hoods and have access to quality healthcare, medications, and wellness programs.

LOS DEFENSORES

In 1984, Maryann Walk-er Aguirre founded LosDefensores, which hashelped thousands ofLatino families through-out California accessquality legal representa-tion for 27 years. LosDefensores is a networkof attorneys dedicatedto helping Latinos in

need of legal help, especially in cases ofauto and work accidents, social securitydisability, and other challenging situa-tions. Los Defensores has grown to a net-work of over 100 law firms throughoutCalifornia and will expand nationally thisyear. The success of Los Defensoresprompted the creation of a second cooper-ative legal network called 1-800-THE-LAW2, which serves second and third gen-eration Latinos as well as English speakingconsumers. For the past four years, WalkerAguirre has served as the on-cameraspokesperson for the brand, appearing inmore than 50 television commercials.

MADALYN’S CUPCAKES

Known as a purveyor of“some of the best cup-cakes in the world…atan affordable price,”Madalyn’s Cupcakes is abusiness that Kris Larastarted on his own, andit has grown over thepast two years due tohis hard work, uniquelydelicious cupcakes, and

help from the Latin Business Association(LBA), which has taken the time to guidehim along the way. Growing up, Lara wasconstantly around the aroma of bakedgoods due to his mother’s love of baking.Lara’s inherited love of baking and his

Kris Lara

Maryann WalkerAguirre

RandyMuñoz

RubenGuerra

Juan J.Dominguez

GeorgeRimalower

HectorMontealegre

EdgarGarcia

CarlosGarcia

GiselleAchecar

AliciaMardini

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desire to start to start his own business ledto the creation of his business. Lara choseto offer not just a basic cupcake, but cup-cakes that would have unique mousse-based frosting, rich ingredients, andmoist, delicious cupcakes at the“gourmet” level.

MAIN STREET PERSONALFINANCE COMPANY

Main Street PersonalFinance Company is ledby its CEO, Manny Mar-rero, who was born inCuba in 1957. Marrerojoined Main St. PersonalFinance approximatelythree years ago and sig-nificantly increased rev-enues in his first year atthe helm of the Compa-

ny. He has improved operating efficiency,system capabilities, collection processesand reduced collection losses, whileachieving record profits. Cash flow profitshave improved from eight million dollarsto fifteen million dollars at the operatinglevel during historically poor economictimes. He has built and developed a strongsenior and junior management team andhas great banking relationships, with debtprovider, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

THE MERUELO GROUP

In 1986, Alex Merueloestablished a fast foodpizza restaurant, LaPizza Loca. By focusingattention on the needsof the Hispanic commu-nity, Meruelo grew thatbusiness into a maturecompany with over 50franchised and compa-ny owned outlets serv-

ing Latino communities throughoutSouthern California. Meruelo has investedextensively in residential and commercialreal estate throughout Southern Califor-nia, again primarily in Hispanic neighbor-hoods. Since 1999, Meruelo has focusedhis endeavors on the construction indus-try through Meruelo Enterprises, Inc. onmajor private and public construction pro-jects. With major recent investmentsunder his belt such as Fuji Food Products,Grande Sierra Resort and Casino andKWHY-TV under his belt, the sky seemsthe limit for Meruelo!

MGO

Certified public accounting and businessmanagement firm Macias Gini & O’Con-nell (MGO) has become one of the topLatino business in Greater Los Angeles.The firm consistently demonstrates bothexcellence in service and a passionate

commitment to diversi-ty in the region. MGOmaintains a reputationfor providing respon-sive, quality services toclients ranging fromstartups to middle-mar-ket public and privatecompanies, Hollywoodcelebrities, the world’slargest public pension

system and California’s largest local gov-ernments. Founded in 1987, the firm hasoffices throughout California and a staffof over 200 professionals. KennethMacias, CPA is MGO’s founder andchairman of the board of partners. Heestablished the firm in 1987 and built itover the past 25 years in an environmentthat has always had under-representationof minorities.

NATIONAL LATINA BUSINESSWOMEN ASSOCIATION –LOS ANGELES

The National Latina Business WomenAssociation, Los Angeles (NLBWA-LA)was created and launched in July of 2003to meet the needs of the growing ranks ofLatina entrepreneurs, executives and pro-fessionals from the Greater Los Angelesarea. The organization mission is toencourage Latinas to develop their busi-ness and professional skills and to meettheir career goals through education,business referrals and networking. Over

the past two years,NLBWA-LA has workeddiligently to develop aninfrastructure that isboth effective and effi-cient. The organizationalso developed a foun-dation so that sponsorsand members willreceive the highest levelof value possible.

NLBWA-LA gives its members access tothe largest network of Latina businesswomen in the nation.

NOPALTILLA LLC

Against a backdrop oframpant diabetesamong the Latino com-munity, Nopaltilla LLCis dedicated to manufac-turing and distributing anew nopal (prickly pearcactus) corn tortilla or“Nopal-(tor)tilla” thatsignificantly reduces aperson’s glycemic level

as compared to the traditional corn tortilla.Reducing the glycemic level or blood sug-ars is a critical step in reducing the risk ofdiabetes and/or managing the disease inthose who already have it. Also, Nopaltillais 100% organically grown and contains nopreservatives with 50% less calories.Nopaltilla is already conducting communi-ty outreach to neighborhood-based non-

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profit, Latino Health Providers to integratenopal-based products into the diets ofpatients at high-risk of developing dia-betes. Also, it is reaching out to non-profitgroups involved in treating autism, obesityand related health disorders.

PAISANO MEAT INCORPORATED

Paisano Meat Inc., is a food supplierbased in Gardena. It was founded by JoseLopez over 25 years ago. He incorporatedthe business in 2003. The company pro-vides beef, pork, and related food itemssuch as cheese to retail food markets,restaurants, caterers and “food trucks”throughout Southern California. AsPaisano Meat serves a niche market thatis primarily Hispanic, it is commonlyreferred to as a “carniceria.”

PARA LOS NIÑOS

Para Los Niños wasorganized in response tothe need of the childrenliving on Skid Row. Aformer false eyelash fac-tory came to life withthe presence of 45happy children—eagerfor a chance to learnand to succeed. Overthe next 30 years, Para

Los Niños expanded its offerings beyondEarly Childhood Services to include Char-ter Schools, Youth Development Services

for foster youth, Youth Workforce Ser-vices, Family Support Services, MentalHealth Services and after-school programs.Today, Para Los Ninos’ combined directand indirect services benefit 20,000 chil-dren, youth and their families throughoutLos Angeles and San Bernardino Counties.And these clients live on the margins ofour society. Para Los Niños staff membersstrive on a daily basis to combat illiteracyand stop the cycle of poverty.

POMONA QUALITY FOAM INC.

Pomona Quality Foam Inc. is an organiza-tion specializing in foam cutting services.It purchases bulk foam and cuts it accord-ing to customer specifications. The com-pany’s customers are mainly furniture andauto seat manufacturers in the US. Thecompany is a family owned and operatedbusiness started in 1983 by Salvador E.Gonzales and Armida N. Campos. Bothmoved to the US in the late sixties fromEl-Chante, a small rural farming village of2,500 people in the state of Jalisco, Mexi-

co. Armed with the desire to realize theAmerican dream, Armida and Salvador,started working out of a garage – and grewthe company to what is now a $6,000,000business employing 16 people.

PORTO’S BAKERY

Porto’s Bakery’s roots canbe traced back to the year1960, when the Portofamilyimmigrated from theirhome in Manzanillo,Cuba. Finding them-selves out of work in LosAngeles, Rosa Porto,always a talented cakemaker with a passion for

baking, entrenched herself in perfecting herrecipes and began selling her delicious cakesto friends and neighbors not realizing thatshe was also building herself a loyal cus-tomer base. Rosa continued on with her cakebusiness and when their home could nolonger accommodate the increased demand,opened a little 300-square foot bakery onSunset Blvd, in the Echo Park area. The yearsproved Rosa’s formula successful. With theentire family’s effort, expansion to a 20,000-square foot facility took place in the 1990’s.

PROAMÉRICA BANK

Proamérica Bank was formed to serve the LosAngeles business community and ultimatelyto become the leading financial services

provider for Latino entre-preneurs. As the first Lati-no-formed business bankto debut in downtownLos Angeles in the past 35years, Proamérica Bank isdedicated to buildingfamily wealth by empow-ering entrepreneurs withthe requisite financial ser-vices and capital infusion

for the success of their small to mid-size busi-nesses. To better serve Latino clients,Proamérica Bank provides bicultural service,not just bilingual service, financial educationand empowerment for both clients andfuture clients, as well as a conservative, yetflexible credit culture. Proamérica Bank worksto be a family-legacy driven organization,building relationships on service and trust.

PROMOSHOP INC.

PromoShop Inc. hasgrown from a smallentrepreneurial organiza-tion to a well-respectedcorporation in the pro-motional products andservices arena. Pro-moShop Inc. ranks in thetop 1% of all promotionscompanies in the UnitedStates and is a top 40

member in ASI (Advertising Specialty Indus-try) by dollar volume. Founder MemoKahan entered the promotional products

MemoKahan

MariaContreras-Sweet

RaulPorto

ArmidaCampos

SalvadorGonzalez

Giselle Acevedo

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industry in 1990, learning the supply side ofhis industry and earning a loyal client base.He opened PromoShop in 1998 and focusedon organically developing a team. As Pro-moShop grew, he put together a top tierexecutive team able to grow the businessinto one of the premier promotional agen-cies in the United States by focusing on ser-vicing the needs of complex clients whileoffering boutique style creativity.

ROLY’S TRUCKING INC.

Roly’s Trucking Inc. is a licensed andbonded freight shipping and truckingcompany running freight hauling businessfrom Irwindale to points all over the Unit-ed States. The company was founded byCuban immigrant Rolando Garcia, who,onvce receiving his commercial driver’slicense in the mid-90’s, started working asa driver. With a keen entrepreneurial spir-it, Garcia took out a loan, purchased hisown truck, and formed Roly’s TruckingInc. in 1997. Working hard to build hisbusiness, the company soon grew from aone-truck operation to a fleet of trucks,and in 2003, the company opened a fullystaffed operational terminal facility with15,000 feet of warehouse space. With $25million in revenue in 2011 and steadygrowth continuing, the sky seems thelimit for this American dream story.

SABER ES PODER INC.

Saber es Poder (“SEP”) is aSpanish-language mediacompany, focused onempowering the lives ofLatinos through a trustedbrand that is an estab-lished resource to thecommunity. Through itsmultiple platform net-works, SEP delivers educa-tional content on relevant

topics that improve people’s lives. In 2005, thecompany founders discovered that in order tobuild a social enterprise it had to be sustainedby an innovative business model. They envi-sioned a multiple touch point network thatwould consist of video, print, digital, mobile,and events—to carry SEP’s mission of inform-ing, connecting, and empowering Latinoswith information and solutions to helpadvance their lives. Their vision became a real-ity and SEP was re-born as the Latino Empow-erment Nework, allowing the company toreach and positively impact over eight millionLatino community members and generateover one billion impressions annually.

SAZON LATIN FUSION

Claudia Quihuis startedher Sazon Latin Fusionrestaurant with twoinvestors who bailed outonce the economy beganto falter in 2008. Quihuis’mother gave her thestrength to go on with herdream. About one and ahalf years ago, Quihuislost her mother to cancer.

At that time, Quihuis was 70 lbs. overweightand with a cholesterol through the roof andborderline diabetes. Her mother had inspiredher to continue the fight to bring healthyLatin food to her community – meaning

home-style cooked meals made with love.Practicing what she preaches, Quihuis hasnow lost those 70 lbs. and dropped her cho-lesterol to normal and works each day tofeed her customers delicious meals thatenable them to do the same.

SENSIS

With offices in both LosAngeles and Washing-ton D.C., Sensis is a full-service advertisingagency using digitalthinking to reach themulticultural main-stream. Servicesinclude full spectrumcampaigns, digitaladvertising, mobile,

social media, brand development, websitedesign, and application development.Clients include The US Coast Guard Acad-emy, The US Army, United Healthcare,Sempra Energy, and The Trevor Projectamong others. New clients include His-panicize (a robust web platform forbrands, marketing agencies, non-profitorganizations and government organiza-tions to connect with Latino bloggers andsocial media influencers), FEMA’sReady.gov (a part of the Federal Emer-gency Management Agency), the USDepartment of Commerce’s Minority Busi-ness Development Agency (MBDA), andUS Department of Homeland Security’sCitizenship and Immigration Services(Office of Citizenship).

SIGUE CORPORATION

Headquartered in Syl-mar, Sigue Corporationwas founded 15 yearsago by Guillermo (Bill)de la Viña for the pur-pose of providing moreservice oriented andmore economicalmoney transfer servicesfor the underservedimmigrant workers from

Mexico. Since that time, the company hasgrown to be the fourth largest company inthe global industry. With the acquisitionof Coinstar Money Transfer in 2011, Siguenow operates in 49 states in the U.S. andapproximately 145 countries around theworld. While the majority of Sigue wiretransfers still go to Mexico, the companynow has major channels to Europe, Africa,Asia and a number of Hispanic countriesin South and Central America. Sigue has adozen offices around the world and con-ducts wire transfers through its network oftens of thousands of retail senders, as wellas payers in receiving countries.

SOUTH CENTRALFAMILY HEALTH CENTER

South Central FamilyHealth Center (SCFHC)is a not-for-profithealth care providerand has been in busi-ness for 30 years pro-viding quality care forthe residents of SouthLos Angeles. Estab-lished in 1981, theorganization has made

significant strides in its development,particularly in its last ten years under

RichardVeloz

Guillermode la Viña

JoseVilla

ClaudiaQuihuis

Raul LomeliAzoubel

36 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL JANUARY 30, 2012

LATINO BUSINESS AWARDS 2012

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JANUARY 30, 2012 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 37

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current CEO Richard Veloz’s direction.As the landscape of community healthcare changes with the advent of healthcare reform, SCFHC is embracing a futurefilled with innovation and change forimproved efficiency and quality of life. AFederally Qualified Health Center,SCFHC provides services to the unin-sured residents of this medically under-served area. This status allows SCFHC toreceive reimbursement for a broad rangeof primary care services, including pre-ventive care, pediatric care, women’s andmen’s care, among others.

THE PRINTING CONNECTION

Henry Steenackers,whose parents are ofBelgian descent, wasborn and raised inArgentina and came tothe United States in histeens. He started hisprinting business at theage of 21 in Burbank in1983 as a printing bro-ker. In just a few short

years, he purchased some printing andbindery equipment and moved fromNorth Hollywood to Van Nuys. Sincethen, his company The Printing Connec-tion has grown dramatically, requiringSteenackers to grow his equipment list andexpand and add to the building, which henow owns. He has a wide client base andhis passion for providing his clients with ashared dedication for mutual success withlong standing accounts.

TOWER GENERAL CONTRACTORS

Based in Sun Valley,Tower General Contrac-tors specializes in pro-jects in education,health-care/biomedical,entertainment, retail,industrial, governmentand defense industries.The company has beenresponsible for some ofthe most complex and

high profile projects in the region such asthe Columbia Space Shuttle Museum,Beverly Hills City Hall, Gibson Amphithe-ater and Huntington Hospital. The mostrecent example is the completion of theLAX Theme Building, which has been

completely renovated and seismicallyresistant. Tower founder and Mexicanborn immigrant, Nato Flores has built uphis company to become one of the leadingconstruction entities in the very competi-tive Los Angeles construction environ-ment. He was elected to the AssociatedGeneral Contractors of California Board ofDirectors. He is also a member of the Soci-ety of Hispanic Professional Engineers.

VACO LOS ANGELES LLC

Vaco Los Angeles LLC isa consulting and execu-tive search firm co-founded six years ago byFrances Moreno for theplacement of CPAs,MBAs and IT profession-als in the Greater LosAngeles marketplace.Vaco, under Moreno’sstewardship not only

puts thousands of people to work, the com-pany also provides a shining model for howto attract and retain excellent employees,regularly being honored as Los Angeles’Best Company to Work For. Moreno grewVaco from zero to $20 million in revenuessince its inception in 2006. Since contin-

gent and contract employment are amongthe first to grow out of the recession, Vacois helping to restore the Southern Californiaeconomy in a very direct way by helping tolower unemployment, and placing goodpeople affected by the downturn back towork with their client companies.

VPE PUBLIC RELATIONS

VPE Public Relations, formerly known asValencia, Pérez & Echeveste, was founded in1988. The agency was created primarily toserve the needs of the growing Hispanic mar-ket. In 1990, the agency acquired its firststatewide account representing Bank ofAmerica; and in 1993 acquired its firstnational account, winning the McDonald’snational Hispanic assignment, which it hassuccessfully handled now for almost 20 years.

JohnEcheveste

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A Leader and an Inspiration to Our Community,

We congratulate Mr. Alex Meruelo (Meruelo Group) for being our favorite finalist for the Latino Business Awards!

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38 AN ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL JANUARY 30, 2012

LATINO BUSINESS AWARDS 2012

For information on sponsoring the2013 Latino Business Awards, call 323.549.5225

Continued from page 36