Puerto Rican firms seek success in area

Angel López Irizarry is among hundreds of Puerto Rican entrepreneurs opening or moving new businesses to Central Florida, according to local organizers of relief efforts.

López, 33, is trying to set up a bakery here for his father’s popular 90-year-old Puerto Rican company Ricomini and to get approval to export baked goods to Florida.

Because of Hurricane Maria’s destruction, many evacuees are moving branch offices, professional firms and headquarters to the U.S. Others are setting up their own new businesses as contractors, especially in construction. Many Spanish speakers who have recently arrived from the island express hope, but also desperation, for their new lives.

“Before the hurricane, there were only a few companies in Puerto Rico exporting to the U.S.,” said López, who is also a municipal judge in western Puerto Rico. “But now, any business that can export must because the

sales are just not there in Puerto Rico now.”

Prospera, a nonprofit bilingual economic development agency, helps businesses gain a footing by going over incentives, licensing, regulations and logistics with entrepreneurs. Instructors also teach that a solid business plan is necessary, said Vanessa Rincon, a business development consultant with the organization.

“It’s very stressful for everyone, and we tell them, it will continue to be stressful, and they must prepare,” she said. “Just because they were successful in Puerto Rico doesn’t mean they will be a success here.”

The level of licensing and regulation required in Florida is foreign to many arrivals, and so is the competition on the mainland.

Other groups helping new arrivals with financial and business issues include the city of Orlando’s Hispanic Office for Local Assistance, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, Hispanic Federation and a variety of charities and nonprofits, such as Goodwill and Salvation Army. And three Puerto Rican universities have Orlando locations: Ana G. Méndez University, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico and Interamerican University of Puerto Rico.

Prospera tries to help people set realistic goals, have a solid business plan and often encourages them to get a job here first to have a fallback option. A recent Orlando seminar for Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs was packed with 120 people, and almost all were from the island.

Attorney Miguel Santo Domingo wants to move his law practice to Orlando. He has to pay about $6,800 to train for and take the Florida Bar exam. In the meantime, he took a job with New York Life as a financial adviser. He was at the seminar to help his new employer line up new clients among the evacuees.

“Business is very difficult on the island, yes. It’s not the Puerto Rico that I knew anymore,” he said.

An estimated 150,000 people have already moved to Central Florida from Puerto Rico, following many others who already live here. Economists have said the Orlando could experience some problems at first, but the end result will be economic expansion.

Coffee shop owner Melvin J. Hernández Nieves, of Aguada, Puerto Rico, wants to open a shop in Orlando. He said his shop, Melvo’s Café, was once very successful there, but now he is only open on the weekends. He and many others said they always considered expanding or moving to Florida, and the hurricane forced their decision.

More than half the island still doesn’t have reliable power, he said.

“I just decided to put all the energy into expanding the business to Florida,” Hernández said. “Hopefully I can keep paying my employees and contribute to the economy in Puerto Rico, too.”

He hopes to open a new shop in the Lake Nona area, where he has friends, or downtown sometime this spring.

The hardest thing for him is just understanding Florida’s workplace and tax regulations. He said he doesn’t want to invest and make a mistake that could shut him down.

Prospera and the city of Orlando, along with Ana G. Méndez University, backed the recent seminar, which included breakout sessions on food service businesses and construction. Prospera has an ongoing series of seminars planned for entrepreneurs.

Lopez’ company, Ricomini, is known for its jelly rolls, or brazos gitanos (the gypsy’s arm). It’s based in Mayagüez on the island’s west coast. He said the Prospera seminar at the university was helpful.

“There’s a big lack of knowledge about doing business in the U.S.,” he said. “With Prospera, its been easier.”

Arranging exports also means negotiating the federal Jones Act, which requires goods shipped within the United States to be carried on vessels owned, operated and built by Americans. A limited number of shippers carry cargo from the island to the mainland, Lopez said.

Eventually, Ricomini plans a bakery and production in Orlando.

“We will have a few people move to Florida, but we will also be creating jobs and hiring in Florida,” he said.