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NEWS ARCHIVES 2009
DECEMBER
Juan & Maria’s Empanada Stop Member Spotlight of the Greece Chamber of Commerce.
Juan & Maria’s Empanada Stop, Inc. are December's Member Spotlight of the Greece Chamber of Commerce.
The article in the GCC newsletter highlights the story of Juan and Maria Contreras from their beginnings in their location at the Rochester Public Market to making their business the only restaurant in Upstate NY to offer homemade authentic Empanadas served in a fast food environment. Juan Contreras is RHBA Business Person of the Year 2007.
This article is also scheduled to be published in the December Greece Post newspaper.
Read the entire article (PDF)
Rochester Hispanic Business Association Seeks to Brighten Holidays for Hospitalized Children
The Rochester Hispanic Business Association has donated more than 50 toys to the Golisano Children’s Hospital for staff to give to children who are patients there during the holiday season.
This is the third year that the Rochester Hispanic Business Association, an affiliate of the Rochester Business Alliance, has made such a donation.
Read the complete press release.
RHBA Member Firm Featured on The Demochrat & Chronicle
This week LaBella Associates, P.C. was featured in the business section of the Democrat & Chronicle as part of the series the newspaper is doing for the Top 100 Companies in Rochester.
The article interviews Sergio Esteban, President and CEO of LaBella Associates and RHBA Board member, who talks about the history of the company, pointing its involvement with the community, its reputation and ability for problem solving as key elements of its success.
Read the article in the Democrat and Chronicle "LaBella Associates has grown into full-service company"
RHBA Member Luis A. Martinez Talk at TEDx Rochester Available Online.
Luis A. Martinez (Getting There) was a guest speaker in the first TEDx Conference in Rochester, NY. Luis talk was about "What Drives You?", a sweet and moving story about his $7 sneakers and what drives him to do his very best. Now the video of his talk is available online if you were not able to attend the conference live.
Read more about Luis Martinez talk and TEDx Rochester
NOVEMBER
RHBA Members Present at the Top 100
RHBA board members Sergio Esteban (LaBella Associates), Hiram Hernandez (First Capital Payments), Kelly Tovar Mullaney (Working Art Media) and Grace Tillinghast (The Battery) as well as RHBA members Dr. Emeterio Otero (MCC) and Daisy Rivera Algarin (City of Rochester) attended the luncheon at the Riverside Convention Center in honor of the Rochester Top 100, list sponsored by the Rochester Business Alliance and KPMG.
Over 1,800 people joined community leaders in the celebration of the 100 fastest growing private business in the nine county area. Three RHBA member companies were among the 2009 Top 100: Auction Direct USA (#1), Fibertech Networks LLC (#13) and LaBella Associates, P.C. (#83).
View photos of the event.
Read the article on the Democrat and Chronicle.
View the complete list of the Rochester Top 100.
RHBA Members Speak at Rochester Social Media Today Conference
RHBA members Ana Roca Castro (Premier Social Media), Luis A. Martinez (Getting There) and Kelly T. Mullaney (Working Art Media) were speakers at the first Social Media Today Conference in Rochester, NY. Ana is also the founder and main organizer of SM2Day. The conference featured nationally known social media speakers Chris Brogan (Social Media Labs) and Jeffrey Hayzlett, (Kodak) among others.
RHBA Members Present at the Upstate NY Latino Summit
RHBA members Sergio Ruffolo (JR Language Translation Services) and Kelly T. Mullaney (Working Art Media) were presenters at the Upstate New York Latino Summit that took place in Syracuse, NY.
Sergio Ruffolo presented about Latinos in Business and Kelly T. Mullaney presented about Social Media for the Small Business.
Jackie Ortiz elected member of the Rochester City Council
RHBA member Jackie Ortiz, the 2009 Hispanic Business Person of the Year, has been elected to serve in the Rochester City Council. Ms. Ortiz will be the only Hispanic member of the council.
Click here to read article about local elections from the Democrat & Chronicle
OCTOBER
RHBA Member Firms Recognized as Rochester Top 100
Congratulations to LaBella Associates P.C. and Fibertech Networks, LLC, included in the Top 100 List of fastest growing companies in our region. Sergio Esteban, RHBA member and President and CEO of LaBella Associates P.C. - Engineering, Architectural, Environmental, Survey and Planning - will be representing the firm at the ceremony.
Mario Rodriguez, RHBA member and Director of Government Affairs & Facilities Access at Fibertech Networks will also be present at the luncheon.
View the complete list of honorees.
RHBA Member Luis A. Martinez to speak at TEDx Conference
RHBA member Luis A. Martinez (Getting There) was invited to speak at the first TEDx Conference in Rochester.
TEDx Rochester focus on the Western region of New York State and what we bring to the world. Visit TEDx website for more information about the event.
RHBA Member Sergio Esteban Presented at ASICMA Conference in Spain
Sergio Esteban, one of our members and President and CEO of LaBella Associates, was recently invited to make a presentation in Madrid, Spain, at a conference sponsored by ASICMA (Association of Spanish Consulting Engineering Companies) on the topic of "Market Opportunities and Requirements to Do Business in the U.S."
RHBA Board Members Elected to the Board of the RRCCC
Mario Rodríguez, Sergio Esteban and Grace Tillinghast have been elected to the Board of Directors of the Rochester Riverside Convention Center Corporation.
20 Years of the Rochester Hispanic Business Association
RHBA recognized all those who were honored as Hispanic Business Person of the Year during the last two decades and who were present at the luncheon:
Hiram Hernandez (2008), Alfred Burgos (2005), Bera Jurado (2002), Augustin Melendez (2001), Eduardo Navarro (2000), Roberto Colangelo (1998), Armando Santiago (1992), Luis Rivera Velez (1999), Juan Contreras (2007) and Grace Tillinghast (2003)..
The keynote speaker, Paul Speranza, Jr., Senior Council, US Chamber of Commerce, and VP. General Counsel and Secretary, Wegmans Food Markets, gave a sinopsis of his work at Wegmans and how the company does well by treating employees and customers fairly.
The 2009 honoree, Jackie Ortiz, gave an inspiring speech after receiveing the award. Ms. Ortiz is the third female to receive the distinction and the youngest ever. She gave a different meaning to the word 'networking' by recognizing all those in the community, from her family, her neighbors, her friends, her teachers and coaches who helped her along the way to allow her to become who she is. (Click here to read her speech.)
The new elected board of directors of the RHBA officially started their two-year term at the event.
Grace Tillinghast gives presentation at the Sam's Club
Grace Tillinghast, RHBA Chairperson, was invited by Sam Club's managers to talk about the Rochester Hispanic Business Association and the celebration of the Hispanic Heritage Month. The audience was very receptive to the information shared and many were surprised to learn some facts as how much Hispanic influence there is in the US, from the names of states to the names of cities, to popular music to sports figures to every day food.
SEPTEMBER
Grace Tillinghast Elected Chair of the Hispanic Business Association
The Rochester Hispanic Business Association has elected Grace Tillinghast chair of the 20-year old organization.
Tillinghast is co-owner of The Battery, a baseball and softball training facility in Gates. She is a charter member of RHBA and has been their Membership Chair for the last two years. In 2003, she was named Hispanic Business Person of the Year.
Tillinghast, a native of Argentina, is a former college professor and former Eastman Kodak Company executive. She is very active in the Rochester community and serves in several local boards.
Joining also RHBA Board of Directors as a new Member at Large is José Santana, from Hahn Automotive Warehouse. José is also member of the RHBA Networking and Events Committee.
Read Grace Tillinghast Bio
View the current RHBA Board of Directors
"On the ladder: Mom's survival was career inspiration"
Oscar Pedroso (Rochester General Hospital) was featured on the Sunday section of the Democrat and Chronicle on September 13th in the article "On the ladder: Mom's survival was career inspiration".
The article is part of a weekly series featuring Rochester Young Professionals. Oscar is also Chair of the RHBA Networking and Events Committee.
Read Article in the Democrat and Chronicle
View video
AUGUST
Daisy Rivera Algarin (City of Rochester), was honored with the “175 Empowered Women in Rochester’s History” award by the ladies of the Rochester Genesee Valley Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs Inc.
Daisy is an Economic Development Marketing Specialist for the City of Rochester, where she works with local small businesses, and she is also the President of Latinas Unidas.
JULY
Jacklyn Ortiz Named Hispanic Business Person of the Year
The Rochester Hispanic Business Association has named State Farm Insurance Agent Jacklyn Ortiz, their 2009 Hispanic Business Person of the Year. She will be honored at the association's 20th anniversary luncheon and Hispanic Business Expo on October 1.
Ms. Ortiz, a native of Rochester, is a graduate of Wilson Magnet High School and holds a BS in Business Management and Marketing from Cornell University. Prior to becoming owner of an insurance agency, she was assistant marketing manager for S.C. Johnson in Racine, Wisconsin, and marketing manager for Birds Eye Foods in Rochester.
Jackie is very active in the Rochester Hispanic community and serves in several local boards.
Read Jackie's bio.
Read news announcement in the Democrat and Chronicle
JUNE
Photographer Manuel Rivera-Ortiz featured in new book
The writing of photographer Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, recognized internationally for his images of poverty throughout the world, will be featured in the upcoming book Colombia: Percepciones en Blanco & Negro (Adéer Lynad, Colombia). The new book features 110 emerging photographers working throughout Colombia, South America. As a recognized photographer Rivera-Ortiz was asked to write the introduction to this significant new book.
The new book is due out in Colombia in the coming month. Plans are in the works to release an English version of the book in the United States also containing the introduction by Rivera-Ortiz.
A Blast at the June RHBA Networking and Social Event
The first of the networking events series organized by the RHBA Events Committe was quite a success. Even with the weather, and the fact that there were other events happening at the same time, including the Rochester Jazz Festival, we had a very nice number of attendees to the event.
Guests to the event had the opportunity to exchange business cards, learn about each other's businesses and professions, listen and tell their stories, in a warm and friendly atmosphere, all this complemented by the tasty hors d'oeuvres and the excellent customer service of the people of Tapas. We are quite happy by the very positive feedback we received, so we decided we'll meet again in the same location. Click here to view photos of the event.
Mark your calendar, we hope to see you at the next one... Thursday September 17, 2009
This event was sponsored by First Capital Payments.
Rochester Hispanic Business Association and RHBA members present scholarships during the Hispanic Scholarship Endowment Fund Awards Annual Gala
In the frame of the Hispanic Scholarship Endowment Fund Awards Annual Gala hosted by Ibero-American Action League on June 13th, RHBA board member Sergio Ruffolo (JR Language Translation Services) presented this year's scholarships to Amanda David-Ramos and Yeira Liz Rodriguez on behalf of the association. Also participated during the ceremony, RHBA Membership Chair Grace Tillinghast (The Battery) and RHBA Website Chair Kelly Tovar Mullaney (Working Art Media), members of the Scholarship Selection Committee.
We want to especially recognize the efforts of RHBA Membership Chair Grace Tillinghast, who as Chair of the Scholarship Selection Committee gathered additional organizations that this year joined this event to present their scholarships to our local Hispanic scholars, for a total of over 1.3 million dollars.
RHBA board member Hiram Hernandez (First Capital Payments) presented scholarships to two students from James Monroe High School. RHBA member Jackie Ortiz (State Farm Insurance) presented a scholarship to a student from Thomas Jefferson High School. Jackie Ortiz was the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Click here to view photos of the event.
Read related articles from the Democrat & Chronicle from Saturday 6/13 and Sunday 6/14.
MAY
RHBA Membership Chair, Only Hispanic to serve in MCC Board of Trustees
Grace Tillinghast, RHBA Membership Chair, and co-owner of The Battery, was confirmed as the newest member of the Board of Trustees of Monroe Community College. Mrs. Tillinghast was nominated by Monroe County Legislature President Wayne Zyra, and was appointed for the seat by the County Legislature vote on their May 27 session.
Mrs. Tillinghast is the only Hispanic serving in MCC Board of Trustees. The appointment is effective until June 2013.
Grace Tillinghast Bio.
Click here to read the news note from the D&C for her nomination.
Click here to read the news note from the D&C for Legistature session.
RHBA Awards Scholarships to Hispanic Students
Two area Hispanic students are the 2009 recipients of RHBA scholarships:
Amanda David-Ramos attends East High School and plans to continue her studies at SUNY Buffalo majoring in Fashion Design and Marketing.
Yeira Liz Rodriguez is currently a student at Franklin High School and will pursue a degree in nursing at St. John Fisher College.
The awards will be presented at the Annual Gala and Scholarships Awards Dinner on June 13.
RHBA Board Member and Membership Chair Grace Tillinghast is the Chair of the Hispanic Scholarship Endowment Fund Selection Committee. RHBA Board Member and Website Chair Kelly Tovar Mullaney is also a member of the committee.
APRIL
RHBA Donates Toys to Golisano Children's Hospital
The Rochester Hispanic Business Association has donated toys for the young patients at Golisano Children's Hospital. This is the second year the group provides toys for the children. They will be distributed by hospital staff on Easter morning.
MARCH
RHBA Starts Reading Partnership with Rochester City School # 9
Members of Rochester Hispanic Business Association have volunteered their time to make possible a reading partnership with kindergarden students at School #9 on North Clinton Avenue. They will visit the school weekly to read to the young boys and girls. This is the first such partnership between the Rochester Central School District (RCSD) and RHBA.
RHBA members launch new websites for their businesses
Sergio Ruffolo, COO of JR Language Translation Services announced the launch of their newly redesigned website: www.JRLanguage.com. They provide high quality professional translations and localization services in more than 45 languages, specializing in the Hispanic market.
Hiram Hernandez Sr., CEO and President of Fist Capital Payments announced the launch of their new website: www.FirstCapitalPayments.com. Directly registered with Visa and MasterCard Association, they provide credit card processing services for small businesses at wholesale rates.
In Memoriam: Valerio Kusminsky
Past RHBA Chair, member of the Board and friend Valerio Kusminsky lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday March 10.
Valerio was a fundamental force in the beginnings of the RHBA. He thought of what the future could be for the Hispanic community and worked with dedication for it. He will be dearly missed by all. Our hearts and prayers go to his family.
Click here to read the article "The incredible life of Brighton's Valerio Kusminsky" written by Denise-Marie Santiago at the Democrat and Chronicle (PDF).
Click here to read obituary from the Democrat & Chronicle
New member of the RHBA Board of Directors: Hiram Hernandez Sr.
We are pleased to welcome Mr. Hiram Hernandez Sr, CEO of First Capital Payments, as the new Member at Large of the Hispanic Business Association. He is an active member of the Hispanic community, he coaches a youth baseball team during the summer, and participates in the Rochester Works Youth Program. He has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Rochester Hispanic Youth Baseball League. Mr. Hernandez was 2008 Hispanic Business Person of the Year.
M&T Bank Offers Hispanic College Fund Scholarship
For the eleventh consecutive year, M&T Bank partners with the
Hispanic College Fund in looking for scholarship recipients. Scholarships of up to $5,000
are granted to qualified, Hispanic college students or applicants.
Read the official press release from M&T Bank.
FEBRUARY
Kelly Mullaney, president of Working Art Media, was a guest columnist in the D&C Sunday column "Women at Work". This issue of the column, titled "Social media a great way to
connect with clients", Mullaney wrote about the social media phenomenom, with tips and examples to get you started.
Read the column at the Democrat and Chronicle.
JANUARY
In a special edition of the Democrat and Chronicle's Letter to the Editor "What the Obama presidency means to me", the editors requested several local leaders to submit their thoughts. Among them, Eduardo Navarro, CEO of EIC Electronics and RHBA Chairperson.
Read the article at the Democrat and Chronicle.
Have a Send us your news announcements to hola@RochesterHBA.com
Read the News Archives for 2008
Read the News Archives for 2007
