Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com Junio 2021 13 ALICIA MORALES AGENT Allstate Insurance Co. JOLIET Morales is a lifelong Joliet resident originally born in Mexico. She was the first in her family to attend college, earning a bachelor's degree in organizational management and human resources and an MBA. She's the mother of two sons and has two granddaughters. She is the first Latina elected to America's first community college, Joliet Junior College, and the first Latina elected to the Joliet Township clerk position, and she is the precinct committeewoman for her neighborhood. S U B U R BS CHICAGO'S CHICAGO'S S U B U R BS 1 1 RIGO VALLE AGENT State Farm JOLIET Valle was born in Michoacan and arrived in Chicago at age 14 where he started working at a restaurant. In 2014, he found the opportunity to really make a difference helping families with their insurance needs. After four years of working with State Farm, he decided to open his own agency, with corporate support, in Joliet, which had no Hispanic agent. The office opened in April 2020. He hopes to add a second location. LAKE ZURICH TANYA LAWRENCE OWNER OPERATOR McDonald's Corp. LAKE ZURICH Lawrence is a second generation franchisee, who started her McDonald's career in 1991 as a crew person working at her family's first McDonald's restaurant in Harwood Heights, Illinois. She became an approved Owner Operator in 2005. During her 29-year career with McDonald's, Lawrence has helped grow the family business to its current size of 13 restaurants located in Chicagoland with 550 employees. In 2016 the business received the Fred Turner Golden Arch Award, awarded to the top 1% of operators worldwide. JOLIET Kaitlin Soto Owner Flourish Juice Co. Soto is dedicated to educating others about how to improve their lives through nutrition and respecting the environment. She graduated college with honors and received a bachelor's degree in nutrition from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. She has received awards for nutrition education, community education, volunteerism, and nutrition advocacy. Her 5-year-old son is the company's marketing manager in the hope he will encourage other children to eat and drink healthier. Flourish started as a restaurant on paper and branched off into healthy and organic drinks bottled in nontoxic glass. The company offers incentives for customers to return bottles, which diverts waste from landfills. The customers in turn receive discounts and a wealth of gratitude and praise. Deadline: September 24 Issue Date: October 3 Supplier Diversity & Inclusion Negocios Now's very own way to celebrate our diversity in the Hispanic Heritage Month Special Edition & Reception

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