Maritime professionals and entrepreneurs
IS it possible to be a maritime professional and an entrepreneur at the same time? In our last column, we shared the stories of seafarers who achieved distinction through knowledge-sharing as well as showing courage in life-saving and rescue operations. This time I would like to share stories of marine professionals who show a different kind of courage: the courage of entrepreneurs.
In the early 18th century, an Irishman
used the word “entrepreneur,” combining two Latin words: entre, meaning to swim out, and prendes, to grasp, to capture. It was Cantillon who portrayed the entrepreneur as a risk-taker. Later, in 1800, French economist and businessman Jean Baptiste Say called the “entrepreneur” an “adventurer.”
And what is a seafarer if not someone who “swims out,” and takes risks? What could be more natural, then, than for a seafarer to become an entrepreneur? Here are only seven shining examples:
Gandhi A. Alarde has sailed for the past 22 years. But only three years into his seafaring career, he decided to branch out into entrepreneurship. Using savings from his initial earnings, he established his own sari-sari store in Bagong Silang, Caloocan City. His small venture grew while he continued to persevere and excel in his job as a chief cook. The second store he opened in San Jose Del Monte, Bu
Another successful seafarer-entrepreneur is Samuel Cuballes. Sailing as a second en
role in commercial shipping operations over the past 18 years. As an entrepreneur, he is driven by the same passion to move the world by helping deliver essential goods from sea to land through KTS Trucking Services, a business he established and has been successfully operating for over ten years now. Through this initiative, Second Engineer Cuballes not only gives his family an additional source of income, but also helps provide employment to members of his community in Sampaloc, Dasmarinas, Cavite.
Meanwhile, Leonardo M. Doroja, having proven his abilities as a maritime professional over the past six years, decided to apply his skills as an electrician on land by establishing his own motor rewinding business. An excellent and dedicated worker with plenty of initiative onboard, Doroja ensures that he is able to give the same level of service quality to his customers at his LMD Motor Rewinding Shop. As he continues to advance his seafaring career to higher levels, Doroja is working hard to likewise grow his business for the sake of his family and the members of his community.
Chief Engineer Joel Fernan is regarded