Lee ee ee +66.15 at 13,507.28 4.19.27 at 2557.19 ..+8.22 at 1515.73 Saturday, May 26, 2007 oA Hispanic business leaders Ronee Entrepreneurs from the Top of Utah well-represented _| BY JESUS LOPEZ JR. Standard-Examiner staff jlopez@standard.net | SALT LAKE CITY — The Top of Utah was well-represented among the recipients of Zions Bank Hispanic Business Awards. Latino entrepreneurs were recognized at the ceremony this week at the Grand America Hotel. Ogden day care center Creative Times Academy received the Community Service Business Award. Between 25 percent and 50 percent of John and Genevieve Romero’s cli- ents are low-income, so they provide nourishment for their young wards. The Romeros are actively involved in the South Ogden Business Alliance and volunteer with Weber County Head Start and the Ogden-Weber Community Action Partnership. The award will provide Creative Times Academy with an advertise- ment package, valued at $20,000. Genevieve Romero said they hope to expand the business to central Ogden and Salt Lake City to offer “more quality child care. Two Ogden-based businesses were among the Five Top Hispanic Businesses to Watch: Restaurant EI Pollo Rico and U.S. Translation Company, which provides translation services, received that award given to Utahbased, Latino-owned businesses with 100 or fewer employees. El Pollo Rico owner, Jose Luis Ponce de Leon, said these awards are a boon for businesses the size of his. “Can you believe it? For me it’s another accomplishment for small businesses,” Ponce de Leon said. “Being taken into account is good for us because we’re struggling too. All we want is a little boost.” One of the top award winners was also from the Ogden-area. CTI Construction, owned by Ogden Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chairman Don Salazar, received Zi_ons Bank President’s Award of Excel- lence. Salazar saw his business grow after earning contracts with the U.S. General Services Administration, which oversees many federal construction projects. Speaking at the awards ceremony was Latino Coalition Chairman Hector Barreto. The Latino Coalition is a na- tional advocacy group for the Hispanic community working with business, government and faith-based organizations. He also served as administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration. With about 40 million Latinos in the United States with almost $1 trillion in spending power, Barreto said it is important to recognize the community’s economic contributions. Barreto said it is important to recognize the successful businesses as well. “One of the things they do is shine a big spotlight on people,” Barreto said. Acknowledging local businesses motivates the community and provides role models, Barreto said. He said he is often asked who are the leaders of the Latino community. Barreto said there probably is not one recognizable person because Latinos are not a monolithic group. Instead, the leadership roles are spread out. ) “The truth is we have millions of them,” Barreto said. “A lot of times we just don’t know their names.”