Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com 22 Junio 2022 JOANN P. ORNELAS-BAUER CEO Dynamic Utility Solutions In 2016, Ornelas-Bauer co-founded Dynamic Utility Solutions, an electric utility construction contracting company in Carol Stream, Illinois. Dynamic provides union labor services to build the poles and wires of the electric distribution system in Illinois. It also responds for storm restoration across the country. Dynamic started with seven employees and six trucks. Today it has more than 110 employees (more than 30% diverse) in multiple disciplines and a full fleet of utility vehicles. Construction itself is a non- traditional career path for a Mexican-American woman. After receiving a bachelor's degree biology degree, she landed her first career job as a hazardous waste specialist in California. It was the start of a lifelong career in construction. BRIAN ORTIZ Founder Trinidad Construction Brian Ortiz founded Trinidad Construction in 2010. It is a full-service general contracting and facility maintenance firm specializing in complex projects within occupied facilities. Its client list includes 20 Fortune 500 corporations including Walgreens, Nicor/Southern Company, ComEd/Exelon, Davita, Mondelez, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's, JP Morgan Chase, United Airlines, and JLL. With a diverse workforce of construction professionals, the company is working in 13 states. It is nearing completion of a new $22 million office building. In 2020, Trinidad performed emergency repairs at 125 facilities during three weeks to help restore pharmacy and banking access to over 1 million Chicago residents. Trinidad has a fully-staffed facility service department that performs thousands of work orders for its corporate clients each year. JOHN PEÑA President & General Manager New Star Lighting Under John Peña's leadership as president and general manager, New Star Lighting, a division of 555 International, is a leading manufacturer with consistent year-over- year revenue and net earnings growth. The company makes luminaires for hospitals, airports, and cleanroom laboratories. Peña has grown and diversified the workforce by doubling the number of women working at New Star. He also focuses on hiring locally and has developed a workforce representing the surrounding Chicago neighborhoods of McKinley Park, Brighton Park, Back of the Yards, Little Village and Lawndale. In addition to a doctorate in applied mathematics from Stanford University, Peña holds an MBA in international business from Emory University and a bachelor's degree in industrial and mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois Chicago. RICK RIVERA Founder Reach Grow Exceed Rick Rivera founded Reach Grow Exceed Engineering (formerly R&G Engineering LLC) in 2005 and has grown the firm to 30 full-time engineers and support staff. As a key partner to leading engineering firms in Illinois, the company has successfully completed a variety of projects including: management and design of road and bridge reconstructions and toll plazas, commuter rail station construction management, and maintenance of traffic coordination. Prior to founding the company, Rivera held positions at Burns and McDonnell, Cotter Consulting, and Nicor Gas Co. He holds a bachelor's degree in general engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana- Champaign and is a licensed professional engineer in Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Indiana. EDUARDO RODRIGUEZ Founder & CEO San Jose Imports Inc. Eduardo G. Rodriguez is founder CEO of San Jose Imports Inc., San Jose Trading, Invescomex Corp., and Dulcelandia Candy Stores. In 1985 he started with San Jose Imports and two Centro Supermercado supermarkets in Chicago. When NAFTA was approved in 1994, Rodriguez launched San Jose Trading to import confectionary items to the United States. He developed a wholesale line of candy, Dulces Del Sol in Chicagoland. In 1995 he opened the first Dulcelandia Candy Store on Kedzie Avenue and today, along with his family, he owns and operates five Dulcelandia Candy Stores and manages the largest Mexican candy wholesale distribution company in the Midwest. Invescomex is a real estate corporation for the management, construction and redevelopment of new and existing sites. HORACIO RODRIGUEZ Founder El Encanto Products, inc Horacio Rodriguez immigrated to the United States from Mexico at the age of 16. After working as a dishwasher, delivering pizza and waiting tables in restaurants, in 2009 he founded El Encanto Products, Inc., a food distribution company that has since grown to service over 1,300 Hispanic stores in 11 states in the Midwest. With annual year-over- year growth of 20% in the past 5 years, El Encanto's revenue surpasses the 8-figure mark. Along with distributing leading national brands, he has developed his own El Encanto branded food line. Horacio is active in the Hispanic community in Chicago as a primary donor to the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago and sponsor of many soccer teams in the area. PATRICIA SALDAÑA NATKE President UrbanWorks Ltd. Patricia Saldaña Natke is president and design principal of UrbanWorks Ltd., an architecture, planning, and interior design firm in Chicago. She is responsible for the visionary design direction of the firm. Natke has a passion for cities, neighborhoods, and especially their most vulnerable populations. She firmly believes that design solutions are societal solutions. UrbanWorks has won over three dozen awards under Natke's direction. Crain's Chicago Business recognized he as one of Five Emerging Designers in 2014 and as a Notable Woman in Construction in 2020 and 2021. In 2018, she was named to the American Institute of Architect's college of fellows. She is currently a part-time professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology School of Architecture. MARIA DE J. PRADO Co-founder Prado & Renteria CPAs Maria de J. Prado is a co-founder of Prado & Renteria CPAs, a 30-plus-year- old firm that counts itself as the largest Hispanic-owned CPA firm in Illinois. The firm serves private businesses, nonprofit organizations and governmental bodies. Prado is responsible for the firm's strategic planning process and client relationships. Prado migrated from Mexico at the age of 12 along with her seven siblings. She obtained a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Illinois Chicago. She began her professional career as an Auditor at First National Bank of Chicago (now JPMorgan Chase). At 26, she co-founded Prado & Renteria. The firm began with a $10,000 contract and has achieved organic growth while maintaining business stability during the last 30 years.

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