Who will be the next Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines?

The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2017 has concluded its search for the country’s most inspiring entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines is a program of the SGV Foundation, Inc. with the participation of co-presenters Department of Trade and Industry, the Philippine Business for Social Progress, and the Philippine Stock Exchange. In the next few weeks, BusinessWorld will feature each finalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2017. THE SEARCH for the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2017 concludes tomorrow night in a much-awaited awards gala at the Makati Shangri-La hotel.

This year’s search has identified 19 outstanding entrepreneurs from diverse industries across the country. SGV Foundation Vice-Chairman J. Carlitos G. Cruz emphasized the importance of vision and innovation, saying that, “Now, more than ever, entrepreneurs are disrupting the way people do business, encouraging others to be more resourceful, ingenious and creative.

“For this year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines program celebrates inspiring Filipino business leaders who, by igniting innovation in their respective companies, pursue, develop and promote new opportunities that help generate income, create more jobs and, ultimately, contribute to Philippine economic development.”

Robert John L.

Blancaflor gave up a successful banking career to pursue an undeniable creative calling to pioneer the first events styling company in the Philippines. The success of his first project — his brother’s wedding — elevated his profile as a professional event stylist. He officially established Robert Blancaflor Group, Inc. in 1997 and has since styled celebrity weddings and has also worked on local and international government and social events including the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and Association of Southeast Asian Nations summits held recently in the Philippines.

Natividad Y. Cheng and her husband established a company to manufacture foam products as a means of overcoming poverty. Despite facing challenges over the years, Multiflex RNC Philippines, Inc. (Uratex) has grown to become a trusted,

industry- defining organization with a 50-year track record for quality foam products. Today, Uratex is a leading provider of industrial foam, mattresses, food containers, textiles, monoblock furniture and automotive original equipment parts, including car seats, radiators and mufflers, among others.

Melesa D. Chua was a banker before she discovered her knack for and enjoyment in planning and building homes. Sensing growth potential, urgency and demand in real estate, she established CDC Holdings, Inc. to develop affordable yet comfortable housing projects, especially for the overseas Filipino worker community. Leveraging on her principle of building deep and lasting relationships with customers and stakeholders, she has expanded the company’s projects to include low- cost and mass housing, mid-rise condominium, townhomes and condotels.

Levy V. Espiritu leveraged on developing innovative building technologies to help his company DATEM, Inc. establish itself as one of the country’s leading construction firms. DATEM introduced prefixed structural and architectural reinforced concrete precast wall systems, transfloor half- slab precast system and reinforced concrete precast intermediate beam systems for the structural component of their projects, innovations that have helped enhance the construction industry.

Francis S. Ganzon believes that trust and integrity have always been essential qualities in the financial industry. These values are what motivated him when he took over Bangko Kabayan, a private development bank dedicated to improving and empowering small and medium- sized enterprises. In 2000, the bank adopted microfinance programs as a main product to give the poor access to credit and opportunities to uplift their lives. Bangko Kabayan’s vision since then is to be the preferred credit provider for small and medium businesses in Region IV, opening 23 branches in the provinces of Batangas, Quezon and Laguna.

Octavia D. Hizon started a small food business out of her own kitchen to cook for friends. Seeing the need to increase her income to help her husband support their growing family, she expanded her business info a fullscale catering business. Through sheer hard work and determination, Hizon’s Restaurant and Catering Services, Inc. now has the capacity to handle up to 21 catering events per day, as well as corporate events for as many as 15,000 guests.

Rommel T. Juan recalls how his father would encourage him to go into business while he was growing up. In college, he tried his hand at other entrepreneurial pursuits, such as selling T-shirts and a printing business. This early knowledge and experience would prove invaluable when he established Binalot Fiesta Foods, Inc., now a leading Filipino fastfood restaurant and franchiser. It has grown from a humble stall along Shaw Boulevard to a 37-store major franchise player.

Ricardo F. Lagdameo was raised in a family of entrepreneurs and knew early on that he would inevitably take over a family business. Although land development was unfamiliar to him, he decided to take on the challenge of transforming the then fledgling Damosa Land, Inc., the real estate arm of Anflo Management Investment Corp. Group of Companies. Among the first to introduce and build an urban mixed-use development in Mindanao, Damosa Land, Inc. is now a flourishing, homegrown real estate company in Mindanao.

Peter Ira P. Laurel has continued the vision of Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU), which has been committed to providing quality education and developing leaders, lifelong learners and globally competitive professionals, particularly at the Batangas and Laguna campuses, which he supervises directly. Under his leadership, LPU Batangas has become the country’s first private, non- sectarian, autonomous university.

Maynard S. Ngu wanted to prove that a local mobile brand could be just as competitive at a time when the mobile phone industry was dominated by international brands. With this goal of developing mobile phones specifically for Filipino users, he launched Cherry Mobile in 2009. Since its establishment, Cherry Mobile has become the leading local mobile phone brand in the Philippines.

Ma. Estela O. Nievera knew as early as in elementary school that she wanted to be successful and independent. Armed with this ambition and a love for good food, she opened the very first Cabalen restaurant in 1986 along West Avenue in Quezon City. Realizing that her initial concept of being a high- end turo- turo had to change to fit market demand, she developed Cabalen’s present buffet concept. Today, Cabalen Management Company, Inc. has over 30 branches — including joint ventures and franchises — nationwide, and one branch in San Francisco, California.

Cristino L. Panlilio took over Balibago Waterworks System, Inc. ( BWSI) in 1997. He realized that there was an untapped opportunity in the revised Local Government Code of 1991, which allowed municipalities and barangays to establish their own waterworks systems. This allowed him to expand his franchise by approaching local governments directly with an offer to service provincial residents, most of whom did not have access to potable water. He was able to expand BWSI to 58 branches, serving 16 provinces and an estimated 200,000 households in 19 years.

Samuel L. Po encountered numerous challenges in his entrepreneurial journey. With tenacity and perseverance, he was able grow his company, JS Unitrade Merchandise, Inc., and cement its position as the country’s market leader in consumer paper products. JS brands include EQ Baby Diapers, Caress Adult Diapers and Charmee Feminine Pads. The company currently has a 30% market share and claims to be the leader in baby diapers, adult diapers and feminine products.

Jose R. Soberano III cites passion as the prime motivator that drives him to pursue his enterprises with “zeal and zest.” In 2003, he established Cebu Landmasters, Inc. (CLI), seeking to address housing needs of workers in Cebu’s emerging industrial sites in his hometown, Pinamungahan. In just 14 years, CLI has grown to be recognized as one of the top local developers in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Charles M. Streegan took over his father’s company, Pacific Traders and Manufacturing Corporation/HCS Management, which started out as a rattan pole trader, when the Philippine furniture industry was at its peak. It has since grown and evolved to become one of the country’s foremost manufacturers of rattan, wood, teak and outdoor furniture. Under his leadership, Pacific Traders, under the HCS Management Corp. Group, has become a company known for the quality of its products and designs, catering to many of the best global brands, while creating and managing its own furniture lines.

Antonio S. Tan’s determination resulted from a fire that destroyed his family’s businesses, Liberty Bazaar, when he was younger. He made it his mission to grow his family’s shop once it was rebuilt. This determination and his innate knack for finding solutions helped transform the dry goods store into a retail conglomerate in Bicol, Liberty Commercial Corp., with 74 outlets of varied formats. Lion Commercial Corp. was incorporated in 2006 to meet the demand of the growing retail market.

Rissa Mananquil Trillo, fueled by her own personal insights and experiences, conceptualized Happy Skin Cosmetics, a cosmetics brand that combined skin care with make-up – tailored specifically for Filipinas. She and her team worked closely with suppliers from Taiwan, Japan and Korea to develop their unique formulations. She is closely involved in all aspects of production, from the vibrant and unique packaging to the witty labels for each product. In 2013, Happy Skin officially launched its first five counters with the tagline: “Make-up that cares for your skin.” Since then, it has grown to 85 counters and 14 stores nationwide.

Lester Mark E. Yee believed that rural communities had spending power, but not much choice in terms of product varieties. This inspired him to set up Esprutingkle Food Corp., a multiunit franchise company to introduce various brands and products to the provinces, starting from his hometown of Antique. Since 2004, the company has branched out into fuel, baked goods, meat products and convenience stores, with over 45 outlets in 11 provinces.

Lester C. Yu started his career as a banker. But wanting to pursue entrepreneurship fulltime, he left his job and tried his hand at various businesses. He eventually came up with the idea behind Fruitas when, in the process of changing his own diet, he realized that there were no affordable fresh juice providers to sustain a growing trend of healthy living. From a one- man kiosk that he often operated himself, Fruitas Holdings, Inc. has grown to a network of over 850 stores nationwide, with 18 food brands in its portfolio.

From among these 19 finalists, one winner will be named the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2017 and will represent the country at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year awards in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2018.