Roberto E. Barragan President, Valley Economic Development Center As the President of Valley Economic Development Center (VEDC), Mr. Roberto Barragan manages the largest small business development non-profit organization in Los Angeles managing a $4 million budget with 42 employees in 7 offices. VEDC serves over 6,000 businesses yearly with financing, training and direct business assistance.
Previously, as Vice President of Business Lending, Mr. Barragan managed a $6 million Revolving Loan Fund established by the United States Economic Development Administration and $2 million in Lending Programs consisting of commercial, small business and microloans from $1,000 to $700,000. The Lending Division consists of 5 individual loan programs: RLF, SBA Microloan, State Guarantee Loan Program, LACDB ($20 million) loan servicing, Pacoima Microloan. The current portfolio generates over $500,000 yearly in program income.
He has over 20 years experience managing non-profit organizations, including the last sixteen involved in community economic development, technical assistance to for-profit and non-profit entities and financial resource development. Mr. Barragan is a nationally recognized expert on loan funds and microlending. Previous experience includes work in minority and non-minority owned businesses, startup company market strategy development, feasibility studies, financial evaluation, fund raising as well as development of non-profit coalitions.
Mr. Barragan was previously Executive Director for the Community Financial Resource Center of South Central Los Angeles, a joint venture of 32 member banks and the Community Development Department of the City of Los Angeles.
Between 1989 and 1993, Mr. Barragan was Executive Director for the Mission Economic Development Association in San Francisco, California. As Director he was responsible for the completion of the 24th Street Revitalization Project, including the creation of art/public space improvement projects, the Mission Theater District Revitalization Project, the overall Economic Development Plan for the Mission District, the acquisition and rehabilitation of a 350 car parking garage. Between 1987 and 1989, he was the Executive Director of Adelante Inc., a community development organization located in Berkeley, California.
Dale R. Bond Senior Client Partner with FranklinCovey Co
Dale R. Bond has more than 30 years of business experience in a wide variety of roles.Since 1994 he has worked as a Senior Client Partner with FranklinCovey Co.In this role he has managed corporate and organizational accounts in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Kern and San Luis Obispo Counties. He works closely with FranklinCovey’s clients to increase effectiveness and productivity, to build leadership and communication skills and to create cultures of execution in achieving their most critical strategic objectives. Prior to joining FranklinCovey, through his consulting firm D.R. Bond & Associates, he provided advisory services to large national banks as well as struggling organizations.Services provided to large national banks included business plan evaluation, management assessments, forensic accounting, collateral monitoring, loan workout support and litigation support. Mr. Bond provided consulting services to organizational debtors in business turnaround plan development, financial forecasting, crisis management, cash management systems, strategic planning and financial reporting systems development. He has testified as an expert witness in areas of business management and financial analysis in bankruptcy court.He was also appointed as court receiver by a Florida State Court judge to seize the business of a troubled debtor and preside over its liquidation. Additional varied business experience includes working as Chief Operating Officer for a pavement maintenance franchise operation, Chief Operating Officer of a Seafood processing plant, high performing trader of heavy fuel oil on the high seas, extensive work as mergers and acquisition analyst and financial analyst for Transmission and Chassis Division of Ford Motor Company. Dale has lived in Brazil for two years and has engaged in business transactions in Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, Algeria, and Ireland. Dale earned an M.B.A. degree from Brigham Young University, Graduate School ofManagement in Financial Analysis and Quantitative Skills, and a Bachelor of Science degree from BYU in Zoology and Genetics.
He and his wife Julie are the proud parents of five children and eight grandchildren.
Felipe Fuentes Assemblyman
The grandson of Mexican immigrants, Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes was elected in a special election May 15, 2007 to represent the 39th Assembly District. Located in the Northeast San Fernando Valley, the 39th Assembly District includes the communities of Arleta, Mission Hills, Pacoima, Panorama City, Sun Valley and Sylmar.
Assemblyman Fuentes has deep roots in the 39th Assembly District. The Fuentes family has lived and worked in Arleta, Pacoima, Panorama City and Sylmar for over fifty years. Felipe attended local schools, graduating form San Fernando High School and later earning degrees from UCLA and the Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine University.
Felipe has a long history of service to residents of the San Fernando Valley having served as Deputy Mayor for the Valley and Chief of Staff to then Los Angeles City Council President Alex Padilla. His hard work helped launch such successful projects as the construction and revitalization of police and fire stations, libraries and infrastructure improvements in the Northeast Valley. In addition, Felipe led the effort to turn Hansen Dam into an educational and recreational center.
In addition, Fuentes helped establish the “Safe Routes to Schools” program, created effective anti-gang programs and played a key role in bringing the San Fernando Valley its first new police station in twenty-five years.
Having lived in Pacoima and Arleta, Assemblyman Fuentes now resides in Sylmar with his wife, Lena Wu-Fuentes, owner of a successful Los Angeles-based children’s apparel company. Felipe and Lena are proud parents to one-year old IIiana Flor Fuentes.
Maritza S. Mendizabal President of MSM & ASSOCIATES
Maritza S. Mendizabal is president of MSM & ASSOCIATES, an International Public Relations, multi-lingual communications firm. Her clients include some of the largest both in the U.S. and Mexico. A Former manager of WellPoint Health Networks, Ms. Mendizabal created the community relations program at Blue Cross of California. After serving for thirty years, Ms. Mendizabal retired from WellPoint to form her own firm. She is also vice-president of community relations of the American Lung Association of Los Angeles County.
Martiza´s dedication and commitment have led to profound community involment. She is the former Chair of the Board of Directors of the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation. Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Latin Business Associations. She is an advisory board member of the California State University at Northridge, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Sha has also served as a board member of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, the Girls Scout Council of San Fernando Valley, and the Valley Cultural Foundations. She is the former advisory board member of the May company and the LA County Transportation Commission. She is a current board member of the Century Council and the Hispanic Business Network.
Ms. Mendizabal has featured in the “Life and Style” section of The Los Angeles Times, the Daily News and La Opinion newspaper and Hispanic imes magazine. Also she has appeared on various television and radio programas both in English and Spanish. Ms. Mendizabal has met in the White House with former President Carter and has received numerous national, state, county and city awards. She is the recipient of the YWCA Community Leadership Award, the Spirit of HOPE for Lifetime Achievement Award, and the PRSA “Silver Anvil” Award. She has also been named “Woman of the Year” during National Hispanic Women´s Conference and received the Advocate of the Year Award by the Latin Business Association. She is also the recipient of the “Distinguished Service” Award by the March of Dimes and the California Hispanic- American Medical Association. “Pioner Woman” Award by LA County human Relations Commissions and Los Pobladores “Heritage” Award. Only recently she received the “Human Relations” Awards by the SFVIC.
Maritza and her husband Manuel have two children, Marytza Joy and Myrna Lynn.
Kenn Phillips Director of Workforce & Education Investment ECONOMIC ALLIANCE of the SAN FERNANDO VALLEY
As the Director of Economic Alliance, he brings two decades of business, management, and life long educational experience. Utilizing Total Quality Management (TQM) principles, he specializes in assisting his clients in collaborative and adding operational efficiency. He has established a proven track record of creating consensus among diverse audiences within the organizations he serves. Since Chair, the San Fernando Valley Work Force Collaborative has gained employment for more than 10,000 unemployed low skill citizens through a unique Train-to-Hire model.
Phillips is a graduate of CSUN with a Bachelor in Science.
Ed Rose has lived in the East San Fernando Valley since 1941. He received his BA degree from CSUN in 1961. Ed had 32 years experience in administration and finance at Lockheed Martin Aircraft. The last 15 years was on the F117 Stealth Fighter Project. He was active for many years in the Management Clubs-Student Motivation Program at Lockheed.
During those years, he was also an active volunteer, devoting time to help organize for the UFW. He also collected clothing and furniture to donate to people in need, using his own garage to store and distribute the donated items. After four years, he, along with 14 other volunteers worked out of three garages and then a storefront in Pacoima and established the program as a non-profit organization, MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity). MEND has become the largest non-profit poverty agency serving the San Fernando Valley, providing comprehensive services to thousands of individuals from its new facility in Pacoima. Ed is Co-Founder and Board Member of MEND, which is run primarily by volunteers; over the years, those volunteers have included Ed’s wife, Carolyn, all 5 of his children and most of his 10 grandchildren.
In addition to his work with MEND, Ed has worked internationally on behalf of human rights. In the 1980’s, he traveled to a number of Central American countries and lived in a refugee camp, helping to protect the Salvadorans housed there. In 1995 Ed traveled to Haiti as a human rights observer during that country’s elections.
Through the years, Ed has also been involved with many community organizations including the Santa Rosa Immigration Services, Cesar Chavez Commemorative Committee of San Fernando, Cesar Chavez Memorial Committee of San Fernando, Pacoima Partners, San Fernando Valley MAPA and Justice and Peace Committee of Our Lady of Peace Church in North Hills.
Hispanic Business Network - 16209 Victory Blvd #110 - Lake Balboa. CA 91406 - Tel. 818.602.4087 - Fax. 818.672.1265 - hbn@hispanicgroup.com
