Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com 18 Junio 2022 CESAR DOVALINA JR. Founder Cristina Foods Inc. Cesar Dovalina Jr. grew up in Chicago's Marquette Park neighborhood and graduated from Marist High School. He studied accounting at St. Norbert College but returned home to start a family and work full-time in his family's popular La Margarita Mexican restaurant chain. He worked most every position in the restaurant, giving him the experience and confidence to explore his entrepreneurial spirit. In January 1989, using personal savings, a used box truck, and his home's garage as the bodega, Dovalina founded Cristina Foods Inc. Today the company services hundreds of public and private sector customers throughout metro Chicagol and northwestern Indiana. Operations are housed in the country's first LEED platinum food distribution facility, located in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood. BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Juan Gabriel Moreno President JGMA J uan Gabriel Moreno is an award- winning architect and president of JGMA (Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects). Moreno was born in Bogota, Colombia, studied architecture at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and also lived in Florence, Italy, where he studied under Superstudio founder Christiano Toraldo di Francia. In 2010 he launched JGMA with the purpose of positively impacting Chicago's diverse communities. Since then, JGMA's designs have brought an architecture of dignity and profound transformation. These award-winning works include the Northeastern Illinois University El Centro Campus, the UNO (ACERO) Soccer Academy, and the Esperanza Wellness Campus, which was recognized as Building of the Year by American Architects in 2021. Now in its 10th year, JGMA has become one of the largest Latino- owned architecture firms in Chicago and plans to expand to other locations. In 2020 JGMA broke ground on its first project in Colombia, the Bogota Arena, which will become the largest music venue in Latin America when complete. JGMA's work has been described by Crain's Business as "transforming Chicago's architecture." Architect magazine named the company as one of the Top 50 Design Firms, and the American Architecture Prize named it Firm of the Year in 2017. PABLO ENRIQUEZ CEO Enriquez Produce Inc. Pablo Enriquez grew up in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, where he worked in the produce market. He came to Chicago, and after years as a produce buyer he opened his own wholesale produce distribution business in 1989. Enriquez started with one location on Blue Island Avenue and 19th Street and in 1996 he moved to his current location on Blue Island and Damen avenues. He brought along his original team of employees, and offered employment to local residents. As CEO, he directs the purchases of avocados and general produce from Mexico while also overseeing the overall daily operations of the business alongside his wife Agustina and four of his children. JAVIER DIAZ Founder Seven D Javier Diaz is the founder of Seven D, a family-owned construction company founded by seven brothers. A native of Huandacareo, a small town in the state of Michoacan in Mexico, Javier is a living example of an immigrant's evolution from working in agriculture and earning English to owning a reputation-building business in the city of Chicago with participation in projects between 5 to 85 million. During his long business career, he has received multiple awards, including Entrepreneur of the Year from the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA), City of Chicago Outstanding MBE Contractor of the Year and 2011 City of Chicago Outstanding Contractor of the Year. RAFAEL DIAZ President & Co-founder Diaz Group LLC Rafael Diaz is president and one of three founders of Diaz Group LLC, a grounds management company. With well over 20 years of experience in the field, he has built the company from four employees to a $25 million business. In 2019, Diaz established company-wide training and education to give employees to a more active role in moving the company toward its goals. In 2020, in the midst of the global pandemic, Diaz Group migrated to a paperless operating system. The company has begun a planned expansion into new regional territories. Diaz also created sister companies, part of his vision for a group of companies including two operations in Mexico: a landscaping materials importer and a provider of business support services. JOSE DUARTE Founder Blackwood Group LLC Jose A. Duarte established Blackwood Group in 2007, and the company now offers design-build, pre-construction and value engineering, and construction management, among other services. Blackwood maintained consistent growth through the great recession of 2008 and the recent impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has successfully completed a variety of projects throughout Chicagoland. Blackwood is currently co-developer and lead general contractor for the $60 million-plus Back of the Yards development program known as United Yards. The first in his family to attend college, Duarte received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a master's degree in project management from Northwestern University. He is a licensed professional engineer in Illinois.

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