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Hispanic Entrepreneurs of Year Named

Tyler Paper
Article published Sep 14, 2007

- by GREG JUNEK, Business Editor

Juan Villanueva and Serafin Venegas took home Entrepreneur of the Year awards Thursday from the East Texas Hispanic Business Forum.

Both are restaurant owners; Villanueva owns King Torta at El Zarape on North Beckham Avenue, and Venegas owns La Enchilada Restaurant on Spur 364 and La Cuerda de Michoacan on North Beckham Avenue.

Jose Lucio, ETHBF vice president, announced the recipients' names during the forum's Fourth Annual Hispanic Entrepreneurial Reception at Don Juan on the Square.

The reception celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month, and the theme centered on the Hispanic Business Alliance, an initiative of the Hispanic Business Center at The University of Texas at Tyler, the Small Business Development Center at Tyler Junior College, the East Texas Hispanic Business Forum and the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce.Many of the speakers stressed a spirit of working together among organizations whose objective is to benefit the Hispanic community socially and in business.

Lucio said the forum board, when deciding the recipient of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, split in its vote between Venegas and Villanueva, so its members agreed to present each of the men an award.

"We opened our business four years ago," Villanueva said, with ETHBF President Flor Jones interpreting for him. "We hope you all can come to see us one day. It will be a pleasure."

Venegas, with Mrs. Jones as interpreter, also said he was appreciative of the honor.

"I want to thank you very much, and I want to thank the workers who work there," he said.

The forum honored Lisa Massar, executive director of Ninos de Promesa, with the Community Service Award.

Ms. Massar, speaking after the program, said Ninos de Promesa (Children of Promise) is a program to help teach English to 3- and 4-year-olds, most of whom are Hispanic."We help teach them English so that they can enter kindergarten and be successful," she said. "They have the language experiences that they need and the developmental experiences that they need to make them a success."

Ms. Massar said she was thrilled and surprised about the award because the more people who know about the program, the better it will be. She added that some day she hoped to see Nino's de Promesa grow to include other locations around the city.

The forum presented the Corporation of the Year Award to Bank of America.

Gay Smith, Bank of America president in Tyler, accepted the award. Referring to local partnerships among entities for the benefit of the Hispanic community, she said it was good to see them at work.

"Bank of America is proud of our commitment to the neighborhoods where our customers and our associates work and live, and we will continue to look for opportunities to serve," Ms. Smith said.

The reception, which celebrated National Hispanic Heritage Month, drew about 100 people to Don Juan's second-floor dining area, Mrs. Jones said.

Those who spoke during the afternoon function frequently mentioned how Hispanic groups have worked together to improve the community.

"In this past year, there is a real spirit of working together in the Hispanic community to benefit our whole community," said Tom San Miguel of the East Texas Hispanic Leadership Council.

He and others referred to Dia de las Madres, a day of free health screenings for Hispanic women at Bethesda Health Clinic, and Dia de la Familia, a day presented by the ETHBF to help Tyler-area chamber member businesses expand their market and help Hispanic families learn the products and services available to them, success stories.

Price Arredondo, director of the Hispanic Business Services Office, part of the Hispanic Business Alliance, told the audience his office aims to help both business startups and existing businesses.

As people grow in business, they begin to contribute to the community in many ways, Arredondo said. That is why it is important to nurture these businesses.

"Businesses grow, become profitable, creating jobs, but the leadership of that business becomes a part of the community, and that's what's important in the community," he said. "There is certainly going to be challenges, but I have no doubt that this community will be better served, will grow stronger economically and socially as well. It's important that we as individuals give back to the community."

Express Personnel Services, Austin Bank, Vincent Graphics & Supply and Southside Bank sponsored the entrepreneurial reception.