Negocios Now

www.negociosnow.com 24 Junio 2023 Fortune Growers LLC. LUIS SOLARTE President & Owner Fortune Growers was established in 2005 to link produce growers in Mexico directly to the United States. Ten years ago, Fortune produced and distributed 1 million boxes of fresh produce annually. At the end of 2021, Fortune moved more than 8 million boxes of broccoli alone. Luis Solarte first worked with produce company owners Wayland and Julie Joe to source and supply broccoli from Mexico. Over the last 16 years Fortune Growers has invested directly in Mexico, focusing on food safety, training, precision farming, and interest-free financing programs for growers. Solarte's family came to the United States from Columbia. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Southern Illinois University and an MBA from DePaul University in Chicago. Franco Hauling LLC. JULY FRANCO President & Founder At the age of 17, July Franco asked her parents for their approval to join the United States Marine Corps, and she spent most of her adult life as a Marine, rising to the rank of gunnery sergeant. After her military career ended at the beginning of the pandemic, she joined with her older brother Hector to establish Franco Hauling LLC. Franco Hauling has partnered with several companies throughout Chicagoland, obtained numerous Illinois Tollway projects, and works hard on ensuring on-time delivery, communication, services, and building fundamental relationships. Franco Hauling is a certified service-disabled, veteran-owned small business, women business enterprise, minority business enterprise, and disadvantaged business enterprise providing construction hauling services in Illinois. La Galera Produce JOSE VEGA Co-owner Jose Vega, alongside his twin brother Francisco Vega Jr. and their father Jose F. Vega, started La Galera Produce in 2004. The company initially specialized in Mexican produce, then two years ago it expanded to include American products. The Vegas started in a small rented room and have grown their business into a multimillion-dollar empire with warehouses in the Chicago Produce Market exceeding 50,000 square feet. They have also grown their family brand Galera Fresh, which grows food on the family's farm in Mexico. The company is an active participant in the federal Foreign Verifier Supply Program, which ensures U.S. Department of Agriculture safety standards are met for imported produce. Group O GREGG ONTIVEROS Owner Turning Group O from a startup packaging business into the $500 million-plus diversified company it is today is due in large part to Gregg Ontiveros' entrepreneurial spirit. Group O has become one of the largest Hispanic-owned businesses in North America. Packaging remains a core business, but it has evolved with the company. Custom- engineered, sustainable packaging is in high demand and is credited for Group O's double-digit growth in North America. Group O continues that positive growth trajectory. Over the last two years, Group O has renovated a 117,000-square-foot facility in support of one of the world's largest silicone producers. Using state-of-the-art equipment and automation, Group O packages bulk silicone products and manages the fulfillment and distribution of orders. GSG Consultants Inc. GUILLERMO GARCIA President & Co-founder As president and co-founder of GSG Consultants Inc., Guillermo Garcia has led the transformation of the firm from a small asbestos service company of two people to a multi- faceted consulting firm with a staff of 130 specializing in engineering, environmental, and construction management. In the past year, the company has won new contracts with O'Hare International Airport and Metra, and collaborates with Illinois Tollway managers to identify design and construction issues. With corporate offices in Chicagoland, GSG is located to deliver services throughout the Midwest and beyond. Its engineers are licensed in 17 states. For 30 years, Garcia has worked to develop GSG into a leading provider of quality services in the transportation, building and facilities, and land development markets. Hispanic Housing Development Corp. HIPOLITO (PAUL) ROLDAN CEO Under the leadership of Paul Roldan Hispanic Housing Development Corp has become the most prolific Chicago-based affordable housing developer, and has achieved the following accomplishments: Grown to a staff of 278 employees; provided graduate scholarships to 26 Latino/Latina students in the real estate field; developed over 4,600 affordable units in 59 distinct projects with a value of $566 million; has grown to 72 corporate entities – generating $96 million in revenue per year; expanded its development activities beyond Chicago and Illinois downstate communities to Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Puerto Rico. Established Tropic Construction Corporation and Affordable Community Energy (ACE) as for-profit subsidiaries. Currently manages 8,068 apartments servicing over 12,000 residents Ibuilders Corp. MARCO A ROMERO President In July 2023 Ibuilders will celebrate its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of success and growth. Romero learned the value of hard work from his parents, who immigrated from Zacatecas, Mexico. He loaded trucks for UPS and was a union carpenter. After finishing a degree in construction management, he started Ibuilders. Some of the toughest challenges he faced after opening Ibuilders were gaining the trust of clients — because potential clients hesitate to entrust projects to unproven companies — and closing contracts. Romero learned the key to overcoming these challenges is networking to build rapport with individuals who may refer work to Ibuilders in the future. This is necessary when starting a business and equally important as a company continues to grow. LATINAS IN BUSINESS AWARD Cristina Villafuerte Berán C ristina Villafuerte Berán owns Chicago Voice and Data Authority, a telecommunications company with more than $10 million in annual sales. Villafuerte Berán was born and raised in Mexico City and emigrated to Chicago at age 10 with her parents. After finishing high school, she helped her brothers and cousins who worked in construction. She learned to place cables, switches and lighting fixtures, calculate amperage, and install power or heating. She became an electrician and began making her way in an industry often unfriendly to women. Later she realized there was a similarity between her trade and the installation of cables for internet, telephone, and security systems. Villafuerte Berán founded her company in 2015, and in fewer than five years, it had 50 employees, including 40 technicians in the field. The company already employs ten women. Villafuerte Berán would love to see more women in the industry and encourages them to build their own companies without letting prejudice defeat them. "We win contracts not because we are a minority company but because we know what we are doing," she said.

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