Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com 4 Julio 2019 BUSINESS READ THE COMPLETE BIOS AT NEGOCIOSNOW.COM ARABEL ALVA ROSALES, President and CEO Latino Fashion Week Rosales is president and CEO of AAR & Assocs Ltd., a full-breadth technology firm. Her company uses technology to transform private and public entities into exceptionally run organizations. Arabel is also co- owner and co-executive producer of Latino Fashion Week, the only full week dedicated to Latino fashion in the country. She is on the Chicago Transit Authority Board of Directors, City of Chicago Affirmative Action Advisory Board, Women's Business Development Council Procurement Department and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber Of Commerce board. DAVID R. ANDALCIO Founder/CEO Wynndalco Enterprises, LLC A respected corporate executive with 30 years of success in manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, systems integration, and electrical businesses, Andalcio has years of experience in international and corporate real estate holdings. He recently founded Wynndalco Enterprises LLC, which focuses on information technology integration, warehousing and logistics, professional engineering and professional consulting as well as consulting with school districts regarding the federal E-Rate program. As CEO, Andalcio has made Wynndalco Enterprises into a rapidly expanding company. CRISTINA BERAN Founder Chicago Voice And Data Authority Website: www. cvada.com Beran founded Chicago Voice and Data Authority in 2015. It is a low-voltage technology systems company providing voice and data cabling, audio-visual, fire alarm, fiber optics, and other services. The company is signatory with IBEW Local 134 and a certified MBE/WBE/DBE. Beran focuses on diversity by recruiting minorities and women into the field through training programs and sponsorships in the union. She won Contractor of the Year from Hispanic American Construction Industry Association in February. GEORGE BURCIAGA Managing Partner IGNITE CITIES Burciaga is an expert in digital transformation, government efficiencies and smart-city modeling. He launched elevate DIGITAL in 2012, a software firm to transform citizen engagement at street-level. In 2018, Burciaga launched IGNITE CITIES, a global consulting practice designed to create a connected city by placing people at the center of their purpose. He has been honored in Washington D.C. by two U.S. Presidents and frequently presents at the U.S. Conference of Mayors. HENRY CÁRDENAS President and CEO Cardenas Marketing Network, Inc. Cárdenas is a music magnate, philanthropist and soccer enthusiast. He founded CMN in 2002 after 16 years at the helm of Cárdenas/Fernández & Associates, the largest Hispanic production company in the U.S., specializing in music and sports. In 2012 Cardenas co-founded the Maestro Cares Foundation with international superstar Marc Anthony, and they now have education initiatives in Peru, orphanages for boys and girls in the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Mexico, and projects underway in Puerto Rico and Bolivia. ELIZABETH COLON President and Founder Metaphrasis Language and Cultural Solutions LLC Colón is a passionate language advocate, speaker, driven business owner, and a leader in the industry. Metaphrasis is a national interpreting and translation company that partners with organizations and governments to enable growth through proper compliance, improved communication and increased human connection. She was named 2015 Woman Business Owner of the Year 2015 by The National Association of Women Business Owners, and she co-authored the book "Today's Inspired Latinas: Life Stories of Success in the Face of Adversity." EDITH DE LA CRUZ Founder, CEO & President Antigua Construction Inc. Cruz is a highly motivated and energetic entrepreneur with significant diversified experience in completing projects through strong management, leadership and effective scheduling of personnel. Her expertise includes construction and project management, contract negotiations, bidding and estimating, purchasing and procurement, and training and coaching. She has excellent interpersonal and communications skills, is bilingual in English and Spanish, and is an analytical problem solver. Antigua provides commercial, institutional, public, corporate construction, and management services in the Chicagoland area. CESAR DOVALINA JR. President Cristina Foods Dovalina founded Cristina Foods in 1989 as a wholesale food service distributor that is dedicated to quality, service, and sustainability. In 2011 the company settled into what is currently the only LEED Platinum food distribution facility in the country, located in the heart of Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood. He is a member of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Aurora Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council. JORGE ESCARPITA President Escarpita Construction Co. Escarpita runs a full-service walls and ceilings specialty contractor focusing in the health care, educational, commercial, transportation and institutional sectors. After eight years in project management and senior management positions in the construction industry, he saw the opportunity to launch Escarpita Construction with a motto "to leave a legacy of a better worker, a better community, and a better construction experience." In 2014 Escarpita was given the Contractor of The Year Award by the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association. PHIL FUENTES Franchise Owner/ Operator McDonald's Fuentes has been an owner and operator of McDonald's franchises since 1989. He is a member of the McDonald's Hispanic Owner Operators Association, the National Museum of Mexican Art board and Capital B board. He is a longtime member of El Valor, chairman of the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council and was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics. Camerino González es la historia viva del corazón emprendedor de La Villita. Y sus restaurantes, Los Comales, todo un emblema en su comunidad. Abrió el primero en 1973, en plena la calle 26, cuando en el barrio confluían aun polacos y mexicanos. Emigró de la Ciudad de México y trajo consigo "el sabor y el estilo de los tacos del DF", con su tortilla pequeña y la buena carne. Era una novedad en aquella época, dice. "Entonces había muchos mexicanos y polacos, estos últimos empezaron a salir, mientras la población latina ya crecía significativamente, y me dije 'aquí cabe una taquería'. Cuarenta y seis años después Camerino está aquí para contar la historia de un negocio que evoluciona tocado por la magia de la tecnología. Antes se buscaban esquinas donde había movimiento de gente para abrir un restaurante, ahora la tecnología te ayuda con todo. "Ya me quedé atrás, muy lejos, sonríe. Ahora son mis hijos, más jóvenes y preparados en universidad, los que mueven el negocio", dice el octogenario y dadivoso emprendedor. Porque a través de los años, el fundador de Los Comales también es famoso por sus donaciones a iglesias, escuelas y a su comunidad. El empresario que dio alrededor de 2,000 cartas de recomendaciones a inmigrantes para acogerse a la amnistía migratoria de 1986, el hombre que ha entrenado tantas mujeres como cocineras, que hoy superan a los hombres en sus restaurantes. Es el hombre que ofrece a sus mejores trabajadores la oportunidad de convertirse en un dueño de los restaurantes Los Comales, convertidos hoy en una suerte de franquicia. "Vivo orgulloso de vivir en este barrio, de mi comunidad", dijo. Dan Arce runs the family business that his father started in 1971 and expanded to multiple stores throughout the Chicago area. He has worked at Tropical Optical since he was 14. "When my dad came from Mexico, he started working for a major chain in the late '70s. He saw a need in the Hispanic community for optical vision care, and he decided to open an optical shop in Little Village," he said. Arce speaks with admiration of his father Eusebio, who faced the challenge of being an entrepreneur in an era very different from today. "It's a big difference from when my dad started. Back then, La Villita was more Lithuanian and Polish, and now it's 100 percent Mexican," said Arce. "They used to hand grind the lenses. It's a big change from the old days. Now everything is automated. One machine can take care of the work that five people used to do." Right now the company has five locations, one in South Chicago, one on 47th and Kedzie, one in Little Village, one in Logan Square on the north side, and one in Cicero. For Arce, the key to success is listening to his customers in the Hispanic community. "The business just keeps on growing as long as you cater to them and meet their needs," he said. "I owe the success of our company to being involved with the community." CAMERINO GONZALEZ Fundador del Restaurante Los Comales LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD Dan Arce CEO Tropical Optical

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