Prospera Honors Successful Hispanic Business Owners

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Three Tampa Bay business owners were honored at the 2017 Prospera Success Stories Luncheon. Four hundred attendees—including Prospera clients and volunteers, government, business and community leaders---gathered to celebrate Hispanic entrepreneurship and raise funds that help sustain programs delivered for free to entrepreneurs throughout the year. Besides reiterating their gratitude to sponsors, Prospera's leaders emphasized the importance of small businesses and the positive impact of Hispanic entrepreneurs in our economy.

The 2017 Success Stories Honorees were selected among entrepreneurs who have received Prospera services, based on business growth and economic impact. "Prospera has provided services to these business owners, who have since then shown impressive results thanks to their hard work, dedication and talent," said Fabian Yepez, Prospera regional vice president.

The following entrepreneurs were honored:

• Santiago Cabrera, owner of Natural Esthetics: Established 33 years ago, this dental laboratory specializes in all crown and bridge applications, including ceramics and implants. It employs six highly skilled technicians and is fully equipped with the latest technology.
• Virginia Torres, owner of Cakes Plus Tampa: This family-operated business, established 30 years ago, offers top quality cakes, a variety of baked goods, training and baking supplies for home bakers, and even a coffee shop at one of its two locations. They have trained over 2,500 people in their baking classes.   
• Manuel Marín, owner of LevelUp Flooring: They offer residential and commercial installation of tile, carpet, wood laminate vinyl and natural stone. The business started with two employees and a 1,500-square foot office. Today, they have 25 employees, 75 subcontractors, several locations in Florida, and are expanding outside of the state.

The 2017 Prospera Success Stories Luncheon was made possible thanks to these sponsors: Host – Bank of America, BB&T, Hillsborough County, Nielsen, PNC, Regions Bank, Wells Fargo; Champion – Florida Blue, Suncoast Credit Union, Walt Disney World Resort; Honorary – Art & Sounds, JPMorgan Chase, RC Howard & Associates, USAmeriBank; Media – Centro Tampa, Estrella TV, Rumba 106.5, Spectrum, Telemundo Tampa; and Photo Booth Sponsor Telemundo Tampa.

Prospera (formerly HBIF) is an economic development, nonprofit organization that since 1991 has specialized in providing bilingual assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs who want to establish or expand their business. Its offices are located across Florida's central, south and west coast regions, and in Charlotte, NC. For more information, visit www.prosperausa.org or call 813-634-6246.

CONTACT: Fabian Yepez, 813-230-0059, [email protected]

SOURCE Prospera

Related Links

http://www.prosperausa.org/