Featured Member of MHCC

Maria is an Alumni member of Stanford Graduate School of Business of Stanford, CA and a mentor for the Stanford University Hispanic Entrepreneurship Program. She graduated from the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurs Leader Program in Cohort #3, winning Unlimited Recycling, Inc. 1st place in SLELP 2016 video competition.

Unlimited Recycling has been recognized by the State of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and the Macomb Regional PTAC for her determination, efforts, and success. In addition, she received excellent ratings from the United States Army for the completion of a 5-year waste and recycling contract. Unlimited Recycling graduated with honors from the SBA 8(a) program in 2012 and is currently a member of MDOT, Wayne County Airport Authority, WEBNC and Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dumpsterplus

Website: www.unlimitedrecyclinginc.com

Unlimited Recycling, Inc. – Stanford Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiNaLu5szX0

Our goal is to provide the highest level of service in the recycling and waste industry. Our one-stop-shop service provides a unique niche within the industry. We are expanding our food organic waste services to industrial, municipalities and government sectors.

Our team at Unlimited Recycling work with our customers to minimize their waste and maximize landfill diversion. Customizing the service based on the customer’s needs, consistently investing in new equipment as we grow. We design/create specialized containers and equipment based on industry standards to stay one step ahead of the competition.

A survey conducted by the NMSDC in 2016 revealed that nearly two-thirds of all MBE (Minority-owned Business Enterprises) were hindered in their ability to grow, hire an employee or compete due to a lack of access to capital. This impediment was the result of two primary reasons; either a lack of understanding of all financial options available or not having an established relationship with Finance or Investment Professional.

This is one of the reasons that the HBeX Program (Hispanic Business Excellence Program) was launched by the Michigan Hispanic Fund, the philanthropic arm of the MHCC, in July of 2015 with an endowment from the DTE Foundation. It was intended to assist HBEs (Hispanic Business Enterprises) with forming proper corporate structure, achieving operational efficiency, introduction to business and financial professionals as well as aiding in the procurement process. The objective has been to allow HBEs to increase capacity, grow, and hire with the intent to give back to the Hispano/Latino Community through economic development, training or philanthropy. So far the HBeX Program has engaged over a half dozen HBEs throughout Michigan. The companies ranged in size from $5M – $30M and work in diverse industries such as mechanical contracting, food services and manufacturing. Among those companies is Commercial Construction Incorporated (CCI), whose President and Owner is a long time MHCC Board Member, Robert “Bob” Garcia.

While each MBE company likely has a different set of circumstances that inhibit growth, CCI found itself among the two-thirds of all MBE companies that were hindered in its ability to grow because of a lack of access to capital. Throughout a two year period, CCI had to turn down some ambitious projects because of not being able to access an increase in working capital or line of credit. It’s at this point that Bob turned to his friends at the MHCC and relied on guidance being provided by fellow Board member Guillermo “Bill” Borquez, VP of Investments with Merrill Lynch, Darin Evans, VP Business Lending, Bank of America and HBeX business consulting company DWH (www.dwhcorp). Over the course of several months, CCI worked with these trusted advisors to position his company to be able to successfully increase his line of capital. Earlier this year CCI was successful in increasing their line of credit through Bank of America, who provided a line of credit that was nearly three times that of Garcia’s previous bank. Bob stated, “This was a game-changer [for CCI] and has positioned us to leap forward”.

The true measure of success for CCI will be gauged in the coming years but the outlook remains positive. While this Michigan summer is providing a great chance for us to get out and enjoy, Bob and CCI are busy working hard and 2018 is shaping out to be one of busiest and best years on record for the company. Bob credits his network at the MHCC and lessons learned through HBeX Program for positioning his company for the opportunity to be able to make a ‘leap forward”.

As long as opportunities for growth among the Hispanic Business Community are boundless, the MHCC and HBeX will work to help companies like CCI connect with trusted advisors and grow through operational excellence and access to capital so that fewer and fewer are inhibited from reaching their goals.

For questions regarding MHCC networking, business development or HBeX please contact Jorge Morales, Executive Director at MHCC.

Established in 1964, Bay Corrugated Container, Inc. operates as an independent corrugated manufacturer producing a wide range of custom corrugated packaging for many industries. We are a Hispanic woman-owned company devoted to providing quality products and services to our customers. Our ability to quickly adapt to change, create new and efficient solutions, and deliver excellent customer service has helped us stand out in the packaging industry.

Connie Reuther, Chairman, and CEO is at the helm of our family-owned business. She, along with our entire Bay Corrugated team, is dedicated to providing our customers with the highest quality products as safely and efficiently as possible while expanding and diversifying our business. Connie is committed to giving back to our community through projects that benefit many national and local charities, school groups, and churches. As a former Girl Scout, Connie is supportive of our local scouts. Bay Corrugated donates corrugated every year to the Boy Scouts Construction City event. This event teaches the children valuable team-building and problem-solving skills while having fun constructing bridges and buildings out of corrugated.

Connie’s proudest personal accomplishment has been raising two fantastic adult children and having them be part of the family business.

Connie’s biggest challenge has been growing Bay Corrugated while being able to maintain our high level of quality and service for our customers.

We are progressive, energetic and driven to continually improve. Through feedback-we evolve, adapt and take pride in delivering results for our partners. We incorporate loyalty, compassion, and trust to build better products and services. We exist to enhance the lives of all our stakeholders by providing innovative solutions.

Diversified Engineering & Plastics is a plastics injection molding company that works with you to provide a full-plastic injection molding service and engineering experience. While DEP has 50 years of experience as a leading injection molding manufacturer, we are committed to providing more than injection molded parts, our injection molding solutions are a value-added opportunity for success. As a Hispanic woman-owned business we pride ourselves on providing a one of a kind experience and plan to expand into other market segments that will highlight our expertise.

Laurie Sall & Associates is certified by the NMSDC and WBENC and proud to be 100% Hispanic and woman-owned. My membership in the MHCC allows me to work with diverse groups. This is my way of giving back to fellow business owners who may need my help.

My spare time is devoted to staying healthy by working out with my personal health coach in the areas of weight training, Pilates, and yoga. I enjoy working with young people who need my assistance in forging their way in the business world. I also enjoy traveling around the world and spending time with family.

Surviving and assimilating in the corporate world.

Succeeding and assimilating in the corporate world.

Dean’s instincts and creative expression turned a small start-up into a successful, full-service union landscape contracting company. Dean and his team at Heritage are industry experts in all areas of landscape construction with a focus on large scale commercial, industrial and institutional projects.

Heritage and Company has successfully participated in and completed projects for clients such as:

García is an expert in trial advocacy and his record for trial victories has made him one of the most sought after attorneys in the Detroit Metropolitan area.

Lawrence received his law degree from the University of Michigan and is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

His greatest concentration as a lawyer is the defense of personal injury claim, and he has successfully obtained no cause verdicts in many other types of cases as well.

Outside the courtroom, he counsels businesses and social service organizations on a wide range of concerns and takes great pride in his commitment to serve his community.

Having started in the insurance industry in the early 1980s, Regina specialized in commercial insurance and achieved her Certified Insurance Counselors designation in 1995. Regina continues her studies of the various insurance products through the CIC Graduate Study Program making sure that Goodman Venegas is always at the forefront of the insurance industry.

“Goodman Venegas is built on the foundation of 60 years of combined experience in business insurance, health benefits and personal lines of insurance, “Regina explains. “Our mission is to provide true value by helping both businesses and individuals protect their assets with today’s most efficient insurance strategies.”

As a recognized leader in the insurance industry, Regina is an active member of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a certified member of the Michigan Minority Supplier Diversity Council (MMSDC). She currently serves on the Accident Fund’s President’s Council to affect policy and improve services for their agents as well as their policyholders. In addition, Regina is a mentor at Winning Futures, a non-profit organization that empowers youth in the Detroit area to find a path into a meaningful career. In 2011, Winning Futures awarded Regina her most treasured honor, the “Mentor of the Year Award.”

Founder and President Brenda Arbeláez built PALS INTERNATIONAL from a one-person home-based business to a global business that specializes in language instruction, cross-cultural training programs, language translation, and interpretation. 

With a teaching degree earned in Bogotá, Colombia, Brenda spent ten years teaching in bilingual schools. Upon arrival in the United States in 1975, she soon became known as a particularly effective Spanish language instructor, teaching to private students in her home. As an immigrant who lived first-hand the experience of transplanting her family to another country – one whose language and culture was unfamiliar to her – Brenda brought a keen insight into the challenges and rewards of mastering a second language.

Brenda was fortunate to work for a private language school for five years realizing the importance of teaching foreign languages to executives going abroad for the automotive companies. She soon added instruction to groups of executives en route to assignments in Spanish-speaking countries. Because of her excellent teaching skills, her students encouraged her to start her own business. By 1983, she formed PALS INTERNATIONAL. 

Establishing a network that has grown to 2,000 professionals in over 100 countries, Brenda built the company with the mission to assist with the global needs of her clients. The vision and values upon which she has built PALS INTERNATIONAL set it apart in the global marketplace, incorporating her values and beliefs into its management style. 

Brandon Bordeaux grew up in a family business environment where he was taught core values, business ethics, and integrity. He learned to be loyal to his employees and treat everyone the same, with respect and dignity.

Brandon started at Caravan Facilities Management as a college co-op student in the Sales Department, and then was promoted to Purchasing Manager overseeing the Purchasing Department.

In October of 2005, at the age of 28, Brandon purchased 51% of Caravan, a minority-owned joint venture formed in 1997. At the time, the company had a workforce of about 200 employees. Over the course of 10 years, Brandon has expanded the company to more than 2,300 employees.

Under Brandon’s leadership, Caravan has built a strong customer base within the automotive industry, retaining long term contracts and achieving his facility management philosophy with the “Big 3”. Brandon’s main objective is diversifying the company into uncharted territory, including international growth supporting facilities of all industries. Caravan has serviced customers in the healthcare field, stadiums, theatres, restaurants, as well as educational campuses. Caravan operates in over 100 different sites throughout the United States.

Caravan’s purpose is to give customers the ability to manage their facilities without worry while standing by their motto “We’ll take care of that;” all the while guaranteeing customers their facility is in the best hands. Caravan’s vision is “To be the Leader and Best in our industry,” a vision that not only, motivates, promotes and drives forward success, but a vision that Brandon, Caravan employees, and customers stand behind. Brandon served a three-year term on the FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) Group’s Advisory Council, which supports strategic initiatives within the automotive industry in regards to facilities management suppliers.

Brandon is constantly reinventing, hiring competent people, updating the technology of the business, never saying “good enough,” and challenging himself and his staff to do better. He holds high standards for himself, as well as his employees, and always puts Safety first. Brandon believes that employee safety is the most important component of Caravan Facilities Management. He has implemented some key safety initiatives to involve and engage employees to keep them excited and to always have safety in the forefront of their minds.

Noel Cuellar is the CEO of Primera Plastics, a growing plastic injection molding company that continually strives to support and provide opportunity and an inclusive environment both in the workplace and in our local community. Founded in 1994 with just two custom injection molding machines and two employees, Primera Plastics now operates 30 presses out of our award-winning 106,000 square foot combined facilities located in Zeeland, Michigan.

Primera Plastics employs over 130 employees. Serving a variety of customers in the automotive, office furniture, and consumers goods industries, Primera Plastics is dedicated to providing the highest quality products and exceeding customer expectations.

Primera Plastics began 23 years ago as a small two-employee, two-machine plastic injection molding company. Humble beginnings? Perhaps. But for CEO Noel Cuellar, humility plus determination results in success, a lesson he learned from his parents early on.

Now, employing more than 130 employees and operating 32 presses, Primera Plastics serves a variety of customers in the automotive, office furniture, and medical furniture industries. As a commodity business, however, its challenge is to distinguish itself from the competition. Primera Plastics does so by defying expectations.

Noel fosters a company culture dedicated to improving the lives of its employees and others in the community. He underscores the importance of education and continual learning as a way to create opportunity and value.

Jeff Wyatt has been the CEO of Venchurs since 1998, with responsibilities including overall strategy, policy, objectives, initiatives, and ultimately the satisfaction of all customers. Founded by Wyatt’s father, John Wyatt, Sr. in 1973, Venchurs provides kitting, packaging, assembly and supply chain services to the automotive, agriculture, and construction industries. The southeast-Michigan based company is also an ISO-compliant, minority-owned business.

Through his leadership, Venchurs has won various industry awards, including the supplier of the year from CNH Industrial and Akebono Brake Corporation, as well as the MMTC Best Practice for Continuous improvement.