Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com 12 Abril 2022 Age: 38 Title: US Market President Name of Organization: BMO Harris Bank As the U.S. retail ban- king market manager for the St. Charles market, Ibarra manages 12 retail branches with $1 billion of deposits and 89 full-time- equivalent employees. He has held this position sin - ce January 2020. Ibarra started with BMO in January 2016, and during this time he successfully managed the Carpentersville Kennedy branch, the Joliet Main branch, and the US Head - quarters branch at 111 W. Monroe St. in Chicago. He has 19 years of pro- gressively responsible ex- perience in banking and has managed a wide array of branches. He also has experience in high-net- worth markets. During his career in banking, he has held roles as a univer - sal banker, mortgage loan officer, business develop- ment officer, and as an in- store and traditional bank manager. Ibarra is the past chair for the Illinois Latino Alliance, a BMO emplo - yee resource group. Prior to becoming chair, he served on the national board for the alliance as the membership engage- ment officer. His efforts helped the alliance align its strategy and goals to that of the enterprise. He has also been a line- of-business sponsor for the Gary Comer summer intern program. In that role he helps mentor, gui - de and supervise college students from the Gary Comer Youth Center. He was born and raised in the Little Village neigh- borhood in Chicago. He earned an associate's de- gree from Joliet College. He resides in Plainfield, Illinois, with his wife Na- dia and their three chil- dren. He enjoys playing basketball, watching and occasionally coaching his kids' sports, and spending time with his family. Age: 31 Title: Founder Name of Organization: El Nopalito Delivery Mila Johnson Perez is a business owner in the cannabis industry and founded a delivery service to help people during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. A native of South Side Chicago, Perez is an entre - preneur, cannabis advoca- te and community leader. As the founder at Nopalito Creatives Inc. she is focu- sed on promoting diver- sity and representation in cannabis, launching cul- turally reflective cannabis ancillary products and creating a digital hub for street vendors and small businesses. At the height of Co - vid-19 she launched El Nopalito Delivery Service, a service for small busi- nesses, restaurants and food initiative efforts that provided free delivery of personal protective equip- ment, produce, and other supplies to families in need. The company also delivered and administe- red COVID tests to those who were not able to travel to a testing site. Prior to diving into entrepreneurship, Perez gained experience in te - chnical support, logistics, operations, data analytics and fraud/risk prevention at large startups such as Uber, Venmo and Fetch Rewards. She has been a panelist on several webi - nars discussing entrepre- neurship and the impor- tance of representation in the cannabis space, inclu- ding the ESDC, Little Villa- ge Chamber of Commerce and Chibizhub. Outside of the office, she is a member of the Illi- nois Women in Cannabis committee, dedicates time to community outreach efforts in Chicago, and spends time with her three dogs. Age: 30 Title: Founder Name of Organization: Purpose in Grace LLC Tiana "Tia" Juarez is a serial entrepreneur who has started two busines - ses, one to help people change their mindset and pursue their dreams, and the second to share the blessings she has received and to help other people struggling with difficult si - tuations. Growing up in Mexico, Juarez, learned the value of perseverance and hard work from her parents. She graduated from De - Paul University with a bachelor's degree in busi- ness leadership and mar- keting, and she had her first taste of small business working with a real estate and immigration attor- ney at a family-owned law firm. She was then inspired to launch Mpresaria LLC, an inclusive small busi- ness consulting firm that empowers others to chan- ge their mindset, follow their dreams, and break generational poverty. She truly believes that this ge- neration is the one meant to break free of negative generational cycles and begin healing. After facing stage 4 lymphoma during the height of the pandemic, Juarez found a new life through her faith and decided to share her ex - perience and testimony through social media as she was undergoing che- motherapy. This led to her current passion project: Purpose in Grace, a faith- based brand that focuses on sharing God's miracles through events, faith-ins - pired merchandise, and the Blessed in Purpose coaching program, which empowers others to dive deeper into their faith to have more joy and live a purpose-driven life. In late 2021, she laun - ched the first event of her I AM Blessed Tour, a plat- form meant to inspire, uplift, and give hope to people going through dark times. Part of the proceeds help families facing a can- cer diagnosis. Jorge L. Ibarra Mila Johnson Perez Tiana Juarez Money master Delivering service Champion of hope

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