MBN USA Portal

MBN USA

September 22, 2023

Silvana Rosero

Silvana Rosero

President and CEO

Laguna Media Group

Q: Tell us a bit about your company. When and why was it started?

A: Laguna Media Group is located in Grand Prairie, Texas, with a diverse multinational remote team. It started as Small Pond Video Productions in 2002. In 2004, I came to the business as a partner to add project management and communications expertise. In 2008, the company became a certified minority and woman-owned enterprise, and I began leading the business. At this time, we realized that there was a niche to also offer high-quality creative production services to big corporations and to the public sector with the efficiency and agility of a small business.

As a result, the company started to diversify its client portfolio with projects for companies such as Oncor, University of Texas at Arlington, Ericsson, Ana G. Mendez University System, Accenture, DART [Dallas Area Rapid Transportation], DFW [Dallas/Fort Worth International] Airport, Vistra and Teltech Group, among many others. With communications technology evolution, we decided to expand the scope of services and added solutions that would complement our video and audio-visual areas and to offer digital support to its clients. Subsequently, the company went through a rebranding in 2018, renaming the business as Laguna Media Group. Today, in addition to the original video and event production services, the company offers expertise including web development, digital and social media strategy, social media management and SEO [search engine optimization]. Learn more at www.lagunamg.com.

Q: What sets your company apart from your competition?

A: There are several aspects that makes us different in the industry. At Laguna Media Group, we believe our client’s agenda is our agenda. Our clients are the subject matter experts, and our job is to enhance how these ideas can be communicated more effectively to affect change — whether it’s learning, culture or behavior response. We do this by using the best, talented professionals and latest technology. While our diverse team approaches creative through different cultural lenses, technology provides a platform to enhance processes, speed performance and measure results. In the end, as a minority and woman-owned business, we have a unique combination with the flexibility and the structure of a small business to tackle clients’ challenges and meet their needs.

Q: What is your biggest challenge as a Hispanic business enterprise (HBE), and how do you combat that?

A: Whether it is boards of directors, C-suite positions, management or procurement, we need more Latinos at the decision-making table! Our diverse point of view is needed at all levels to shape and execute strategy. However, our current representation in these areas is still lacking. We need an “ecosystem” where Latinos can be more supportive of each other in multiple areas and levels.

My way to combat this is by putting myself out for leadership positions and boards, mentoring young professionals that will be filling the leadership pipeline, and building personal relationships in all of the aforementioned areas. Leading by example and following through whenever I commit to support someone is a great way to personally affect change in creating a sense of an inclusive business community.

Q: What is your biggest opportunity, and how are you capitalizing on that?

A: Being a business owner has opened the door to do what we love while making a meaningful difference. A current challenge for HBEs is the protection of their digital assets and their brands. We have a huge opportunity to offer our years of experience to assist HBEs in identifying at-risk areas where best digital communications practices need to be implemented. Once risks have been addressed, the next step is data collection and interpretation to leverage insights to inform marketing and communications strategy decisions.

To learn more about Laguna media group, visit lagunamg.com.

Robert Hernandez

Vice President of Sales

Solo Printing LLC

Q: Tell us a bit about your company. When and why was it started?

A: Solo Printing, a minority-owned and family-operated business, was established in the heart of Miami, Florida. Our journey began in 1985, driven by a passion for quality printing and a commitment to serving the local business community. Our founders, brothers Manny and Jorge Hernandez, recognized the need for a printing partner that not only delivered exceptional results but also understood the unique challenges and aspirations of businesses in the area.

Hernandez brothers wanted to focus on a stronger commitment to technology, quality and simply “doing things the right way.” This led to the inception of Solo Printing. Today, we currently operate out of a 180,000-square-foot facility, with over 165 highly trained and dedicated employees, and with some of the most well-recognized brands in retail, travel and other industries.

Q: What sets your company apart from your competition?

A: What truly distinguishes Solo Printing is our unwavering dedication to authenticity, customer service and quality excellence. “You need to make customer service No. 1 to be successful in any industry,” says co-founder Jorge Hernandez. As a minority-owned and family-operated enterprise, we work closely to ensure a deep sense of connection and integrity in every project we produce. Our clients aren’t just customers – they’re valued partners. Our state-of-the-art technology, paired with our employee expertise, allows us to create print materials that not only look stunning but also resonate with the diverse audience of Miami and the nation beyond it. We truly believe that a blend of genuine care for the success of our clients’ brands, top-tier expertise and innovative machinery truly sets us apart.

Q: What is your biggest challenge as a Hispanic business enterprise (HBE), and how do you combat that?

A: As an HBE, one of our ongoing challenges is ensuring that we have equal access to opportunities in a competitive market. However, we view challenges as opportunities for growth. We combat this by proactively networking within the local business community, participating in supplier diversity programs and showcasing the value we bring as a minority-owned enterprise. By consistently delivering exceptional results, we demonstrate that diversity and quality go hand in hand.

Q: What is your biggest opportunity, and how are you capitalizing on that?

A: Our biggest opportunity lies in the growing demand for authentic, locally-rooted businesses that understand the cultural nuances and preferences of the Miami market. We are capitalizing on this by deepening our community engagement and forming strategic partnerships with other local businesses. Moreover, we’re leveraging digital platforms to reach a wider audience while still maintaining our personalized approach. By staying true to our roots and adapting to evolving trends, we position ourselves to become the go-to choice for businesses seeking meaningful connections and exceptional printing solutions.

To learn more about Solo Printing, visit soloprinting.com.

Nina Vaca

Chairman and CEO

Pinnacle Group

Q: Tell us a bit about your company. When and why was it started?

A: Pinnacle Group was founded by our Chairman and CEO Nina Vaca in 1996 from her apartment’s living room. As a child of immigrants who left their home country to rebuild in America, her entrepreneurial spirit is deep-rooted in constant pursuit of what’s possible. Vaca founded Pinnacle Group to provide companies with the IT [information technology]/professional talent they needed. Since then, Pinnacle has grown into a full-service contingent workforce solutions company serving customers globally.

Over the last 27 years, the company has used that spirit as fuel to guide us toward our purpose — connecting people with opportunity — and as both an MBE [minority business enterprise] and WBE [woman-owned business enterprise], being able to serve as a platform and advocate for other diverse and woman-owned businesses.

Pinnacle Group has since grown from its humble beginnings to be the largest Hispanic-owned provider of IT/professional contingent labor and MSP [managed service provider] services in North America, serving a range of Fortune 500 clientele across multiple industry verticals globally.

Q: What sets your company apart from your competition?

A: Our singular focus is on client impact – both in business and in the communities in which we live and work. We help our customers solve their most complex talent needs at scale. Our goal is not to be the largest provider in our space, but to be the most innovative and transformative. This has resulted in decades-long partnerships with our customers that are constantly and proactively reinvented and reinvested in to ensure the solutions we provide keep pace with their business needs.

Our investments in people and technology reflect our priorities. Pinnacle Group’s innovative and agile culture is built on a foundation of flawless execution and a constant drive toward excellence supported by an enterprise-grade technology stack. This ensures that we consistently meet and exceed client expectations, making us a trusted partner.

Q: What is your biggest challenge as an HBE, and how do you combat that?

A: Perception. Despite our collective accomplishments and expertise, there can often be a perception — sometimes even unconscious — that diverse and/or women-owned businesses are somehow ‘less than’ or not as capable as their non-diverse counterparts. This perception can often be a roadblock in our fight for a seat at the table, particularly for more strategically impactful and/or scalable opportunities.

We’ve been actively combatting these challenges for the past 27 years, so they’re not new. Central to our strategy is a continual focus on a culture of excellence and scalability, with our people, processes and technology functioning as the cornerstones of that approach. Additionally, by sharing the impact of our numerous client programs (we are proud to serve over 20% of the Fortune 100), we are changing perceptions and opening the door for more HBEs.

Our success story underscores the monumental impact that working with diverse and woman-owned businesses can have not only on our clients and on communities at large.

Q: What is your biggest opportunity, and how are you capitalizing on that?

A: Pinnacle Group’s biggest opportunity is always and everywhere to create meaningful, strategic and highly impactful partnerships with our customers that transform their contingent workforce programs, improve their supplier and worker diversity, and create exceptional business outcomes. This is the entire reason for our existence and success over nearly three decades. We have had significant success in this area, including being featured by customers in both media coverage and their internal publications. The key to our success in this area is partnering with customers who see diversity as central to their long-term vision and mission, not simply a set of performance metrics. Our greatest success is serving companies willing to not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk.

To learn more about The Pinnacle Group, visit pinnacle1.com.

Gregg Ontiveros

Principal Owner

Group O Inc.

Q: Tell us a bit about your company. When and why was it started?

A: As with many start-ups, Group O began with humble origins. The company was founded as Bi-State Packaging on Oct. 1, 1974, when Bob Ontiveros quit his job to start his own business selling packaging supplies out of his family station wagon. As one of 10 children born to second-generation Mexican immigrants in the working-class Floreciente neighborhood of Moline, Illinois, Ontiveros knew that he wanted something more – and that he could create his own opportunities.

Nearly 50 years later, Group O has grown into a $900 million-plus multifaceted business process outsourcing provider, specializing not only in packaging solutions but supply chain, mobile device testing and incentive marketing solutions.

Q: What sets your company apart from your competition?

A: Flexibility, continuous improvement, passion. Group O’s growth can be credited to leveraging innovative thinking, entrepreneurial spirit and a can-do approach to addressing our client’s unique challenges. What sets us apart from our competition is our willingness and ability to evolve alongside our clients to deliver end-to-end solutions with a single point of contact.

Q: What is your biggest challenge as an HBE, and how do you combat that?

A: Group O faces similar challenges to non-HBEs. In a post-pandemic world, combined with today’s economic environment, we continue to navigate and manage through material shortages, longer lead times and staffing challenges.

In today’s tight labor market, job seekers across the country have many options. What sets Group O apart from other organizations is our strong employer brand built on our values and culture. Being a Hispanic, family-owned company is an integral part of that culture.

Q: What is your biggest opportunity, and how are you capitalizing on that?

A: Sustainability is a key focus for most companies. Group O has increased our focus on solutions to help our customers achieve their sustainability goals through waste reduction efforts, efficiency programs, automation and technology. Whether it is through our custom-engineered, sustainable packaging solutions, process automation or optimization services, we are not only reducing costs for our clients but reducing negative impacts on the environment.

Another area of focus is the energy and utilities industry. Both in Illinois and across the U.S., state utility commissions and other governing bodies have expressed the need for supplier diversity and the use of minority-owned businesses in delivering services to critical consumer programs such as energy optimization, energy efficiency outreach and others. Over the past 12 months, Group O has established partnerships with several energy companies and energy consulting businesses that enables us to bring our world-class services to their marketplaces and customers. These services range from management and execution of incentive and rebate programs to customer care and kitting and fulfillment activities.

To learn more about Group O, visit groupo.com.