Entrepreneurship is an attitude
Business World Online
October 3, 2010
Edgar J. Sia II
Chairman and CEO
Mang Inasal Philippines, Inc.
The Philippines is the 12th most populous country in the world with over 90 million mouths to feed. Without a doubt, getting into the food business remains a very viable opportunity for entrepreneurs. But with so many players, how does one stand out to be noticed? More importantly, how can another food business make it big time?
Edgar "Injap" J. Sia II answered these questions by conducting his research in a very methodical manner. He looked at the 16 different regions in the Philippines and recognized that each has a unique set of culinary traditions and eating habits. He then analyzed and identified what type of food would have the most potential and mass appeal. This was the ubiquitous barbeque (inasal in Ilonggo).
With much perseverance, innovative thinking and a deep understanding of business, Mr. Sia created Mang Inasal in Iloilo City in 2003. Today it has emerged as the country’s sixth largest fast food chain and its growth seems to be unstoppable.
That the boyish Mr. Sia would venture into business comes as no surprise. Born into a family of Chinese-Filipino entrepreneurs, he was exposed to business from a very young age.
He recounts how, at the age of 10, he would spend his after-school hours stacking merchandise or manning the counter in his parents’ grocery store in Roxas City. "While many of my friends were playing or riding their bikes, I would be moving inventory and counting soap," he recalls.
The family store became the training ground that cultivated Mr. Sia’s drive for success. Learning from the example of his industrious parents, Mr. Sia developed what he refers to as an almost "sixth sense" for business. At 20, he was already running multiple businesses -- a photo developing franchise, a 58-room three-star hotel and a laundry shop in Iloilo City.
Mr. Sia seized another opportunity that came knocking in December 2003 when he was offered a 250-square meter space behind Robinson’s Place Iloilo. The space, in an unused car park, was being offered at a very attractive price. Listening to his well-honed business instincts, he jumped at the chance to acquire it. In retrospect, Mr. Sia admits that he acted on a hunch.
"The price was so attractive that I couldn’t forego it, even if I had no business plan in mind. I bought the space not knowing what to do with it! You can say that the space came ahead of the concept."
While mulling over ideas, Mr. Sia was sure of one thing -- whatever he came up with had to have the potential to expand on a nationwide scale. After much consideration, he eventually decided to go for the time-tested appeal of the Ilonggo’s comfort food, chicken barbeque or inasal, served fast-food style. Mang Inasal fuses Filipino cuisine with the fast food dine-in concept.
Mang Inasal was Mr. Sia’s first venture into the food industry and the challenges he encountered were daunting. When he started, the concept of a fast food restaurant serving traditional Filipino dishes was a novelty and Mr. Sia knew he was up against the top players in the Philippine fast food industry. Without a real system in place during his first year of operation and no commissary to supply their raw materials, he had to learn the hard way.
Mr. Sia in fact had to do most of the work, from managing the business to preparing and serving the food to cleaning up afterwards. This complete lack of hesitation to do backbreaking work, however, enabled Mr. Sia to achieve in seven years what others have taken twice as long to achieve.
Barely a year after Mang Inasal opened, Mr. Sia was able to set up another branch, this time in his native Roxas City. Their second year of operation saw six more branch openings and, in their third year, over 20 more. This phenomenal growth brought an flood of franchise offers but Mr. Sia held back until 2005 when he was completely confident of the stability and brand recall of the business. Only after a year of sustaining market demand and developing his customer base was he convinced that Mang Inasal was en route to expansion.
When Mr. Sia finally opened Mang Inasal for franchising, he concentrated his efforts on his own backyard -- Visayas and Mindanao -- where inasal is most popular. Not long afterwards, potential franchises from Luzon showed much interest, paving the way for Mang Inasal to penetrate Metro Manila. Mang Inasal now counts 260 branches nationwide of which 28 are company owned.
As Mang Inasal gained popularity, there was a need to maintain top quality. To safeguard consistency in all aspects of the business, such as product quality and cleanliness, Mr. Sia established several monitoring systems and procedures. A highly skilled research and development team was tasked to handle product development and guarantee a consistent inasal taste. To facilitate smooth transactions with their commissaries and ensure consistent supplies, Mr. Sia implemented an advanced online supply ordering system for his branches.
Mr. Sia considers sheer hard work and innovation as the primary reasons of Mang Inasal’s success. He also cites the uniqueness that allowed him to beat the odds as a new player in the fast food industry.
He says, "Mang Inasal is a truly Filipino-style fast food chain. Our concept, ambiance and even the way our food is served on banana leaves is authentically Filipino."
This, according to Mr. Sia, differentiates them from the other fast food giants in the country. In addition, Mang Inasal was one of the first quick service restaurants to offer unlimited rice, which strongly appealed to diners.
Despite the success of Mang Inasal, Mr. Sia recognizes there’s still a lot that can be done to even make it bigger. He is constantly thinking up new ideas to maintain Mang Inasal’s competitive edge, such as their recently launched delivery service.
Variations in the breakfast menu are being developed and he is also looking at giving fast food dining a whole new feel with patented combo cups. The company is preparing to go public by the end of 2010 to solidify its stronghold in the Philippine fast food industry.
While he listens to his instinct, Mr. Sia is very calculated and strategic in his approach to business. He firmly believes in hard work and perseverance, and encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to do the same.
He also urges them to believe in their capacity to make their dreams come true, saying "Nothing is impossible with the right attitude. Do not be intimidated by problems. Instead, look at them as opportunities for growth. I was lucky to acquire the right entrepreneurial attitude as a young boy. You could say I developed the right asal (behavior) for inasal," he quips.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. Official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on 12 October 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2011. The Entrepreneur Of The Year is produced globally by Ernst & Young.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Quality to crow about
Quality to crow about
Business World Online
October 1, 2010
Tennyson G. Chen
President
Bounty Fresh Food Inc.
When asked when Tennyson Chen first considered himself an entrepreneur, he laughingly replied, "Me? I consider myself a farmer. When people ask what I do, I tell them ‘I grow chickens’." But behind this humble statement lies a deep passion for innovation and quality, one that has propelled Bounty Fresh Food, Inc. (BFFI) to preeminence as one of the country’s largest and most reputable food producers. The quality of Bounty Fresh chickens is undeniable. Last year, the company won the 2009 Asian Livestock Industry Award, the first time any company from the Philippines had ever won this prestigious regional accolade.
No stranger to change, Mr. Chen started out doing general construction work after graduating from the De La Salle University with a degree in Industrial Engineering. However, when the business took a downturn in the mid-’80s, Mr. Chen decided to switch tracks and explore the food production industry. With his siblings, he started an egg layer farm. After a few years, however, feeling that the business wasn’t growing enough, Mr. Chen once again changed directions. This time, he decided to try his hand at breeding and growing broiler chickens, which are young and tender chickens used primarily for roasting.
"We knew nothing about the business," he confides. "So my siblings and I went to live on a broiler farm for six months to learn everything we could about the breeder business." In 1993, Mr. Chen applied for a Board of Investments incentive and set up the company which later became BFFI. Yet, Mr. Chen and his siblings still had much to learn -- on their first day, it took them 16 hours to dress 1,000 chickens. A stark contrast to the 6,000 birds an hour produced today with BFFI’s state-of-the-art facilities. By 2005, the company was producing 70 to 80 million birds a year, doubling the industry volume. Today, sales are estimated at P9-11 billion annually.
In addition to the steep learning curve, Mr. Chen also had problems dealing with wet market vendors with unscrupulous practices. Fortunately, he was able to land a contract to supply Makro and business started improving. "Our first delivery, we could hardly supply the order. We didn’t know anything, really. We had to go through the process of learning from scratch." He also relates how other integrators in the market gave them just six months to survive. But with persistence, determination and a keen eye for opportunities, Mr. Chen was able to push the business into becoming the billion-peso enterprise it is today.
From the very onset, Mr. Chen believed that technology would be a powerful differentiator in the industry. Making a leap of faith, he scoured the world for the most advanced industry technology, and brought them into the country. Despite being a smaller start-up, Bounty Fresh pioneered many of the systems now used by the country’s other integrators, such as temperature and climate control, single-stage hatcheries and others. "The industry needed to upgrade itself. Some of the practices were over 30 years old. I felt that we needed to modernize if we were to compete with our Asian neighbors."
With the technology he brought in, Mr. Chen was able to keep a tight control over costs while ensuring top quality for his products. "For example, we brought the first climate-controlled single-stage hatchery into the country in 2000. This allowed us to ensure better sanitation, bio-security, and control over the climate and humidity. The chicks grow healthier and stronger, and the resulting chickens are of better quality."
Unsurprisingly, this commitment to quality has translated into ISO certification in Quality Management Systems, Food Safety Management Systems, Environmental Management Systems and Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems for BFFI, as well as a string of national and regional awards such as the Philippine Grand Slam Award for Best Meat Establishment from 2006 to 2009.
Every stage of the production process is imbued with the same focus on technology, even down to the vacuum packaging and tamper-proof trays for their products. "We’re very critical about ensuring food safety and freshness. Do you know that the amount of bacteria on a chicken in ambient temperature doubles every hour? To ensure that no bacteria comes in contact with our products, our chickens are processed, chilled and vacuum-packed immediately to seal in the freshness. Our technology also allows us to keep our costs low, so we can give more value to our consumers."
This commitment to value is what prompted Mr. Chen to take BFFI into the next stage of its evolution in 2008. Through Bounty Agroventure, Inc., a sister company of BFFI, he conceptualized the Chooks To Go brand to retail freshly roasted chicken directly to consumers. "When we first opened, we sold our cooked chicken for P139. People went crazy over them! That year, in December, the Urdaneta branch sold 900 heads. People queued for almost 100 meters just to buy our chicken," he relates in amazement. In just two years, Chooks To Go has mushroomed, with over 700 outlets around the country. The brand opens three to four outlets a day and retails 100 million chickens a year.
Mr. Chen candidly shares that he still doesn’t know how they did it, but he attributes the success of the business to the dedication and capabilities of his people. The company works with close to 1,000 contract growers, toll feedmills, hatcheries and other partners around the country. BFFI helps these groups modernize their facilities and improve their productivity by providing advice, feasibility studies, technology recommendations, assistance acquiring land or equipment, and other support.
The company also gives back to the community, in particular the town of Pulilan, Bulacan, where the main plant is based. They support Pulilan children through education grants and feeding programs, engage in tree-planting, conduct blood donation drives, support medical missions, provide antirabies injections, and recently established a livelihood project for farmers in Abra. Their waste water, which is rich in natural fertilizer, is also provided to local farmers.
Under his leadership, BFFI continues to advance and improve its facilities and processes. "We’re employing foreign technology in our facilities, which cost more. But they can perform better in the long run. I want to buy the best technology and look at it in the next 20 years. The point of view of a contract grower is they want return in as short a time as possible. That’s not my philosophy. I want to spend on the best technology and invest in a long-term strategy." Today, the company’s feedmill in Tarlac is considered the best in the country. They have also begun construction of an even more advanced hatchery, and their next generation feedmill is already on the drawing board.
Thinking back on the challenges he had to overcome to bring his company to where it is today, Mr. Chen believes that risks should always be viewed as opportunities. "You have to act quickly and decisively," he advises would-be entrepreneurs. "Do the best you can, employ the best technology, and keep moving forward. Tackle issues, don’t hide from them."
Sage advice from a self-proclaimed farmer whose vision has revolutionized an entire industry.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. Official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on 12 October 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2011. The Entrepreneur Of The Year is produced globally by Ernst & Young.
Business World Online
October 1, 2010
Tennyson G. Chen
President
Bounty Fresh Food Inc.
When asked when Tennyson Chen first considered himself an entrepreneur, he laughingly replied, "Me? I consider myself a farmer. When people ask what I do, I tell them ‘I grow chickens’." But behind this humble statement lies a deep passion for innovation and quality, one that has propelled Bounty Fresh Food, Inc. (BFFI) to preeminence as one of the country’s largest and most reputable food producers. The quality of Bounty Fresh chickens is undeniable. Last year, the company won the 2009 Asian Livestock Industry Award, the first time any company from the Philippines had ever won this prestigious regional accolade.
No stranger to change, Mr. Chen started out doing general construction work after graduating from the De La Salle University with a degree in Industrial Engineering. However, when the business took a downturn in the mid-’80s, Mr. Chen decided to switch tracks and explore the food production industry. With his siblings, he started an egg layer farm. After a few years, however, feeling that the business wasn’t growing enough, Mr. Chen once again changed directions. This time, he decided to try his hand at breeding and growing broiler chickens, which are young and tender chickens used primarily for roasting.
"We knew nothing about the business," he confides. "So my siblings and I went to live on a broiler farm for six months to learn everything we could about the breeder business." In 1993, Mr. Chen applied for a Board of Investments incentive and set up the company which later became BFFI. Yet, Mr. Chen and his siblings still had much to learn -- on their first day, it took them 16 hours to dress 1,000 chickens. A stark contrast to the 6,000 birds an hour produced today with BFFI’s state-of-the-art facilities. By 2005, the company was producing 70 to 80 million birds a year, doubling the industry volume. Today, sales are estimated at P9-11 billion annually.
In addition to the steep learning curve, Mr. Chen also had problems dealing with wet market vendors with unscrupulous practices. Fortunately, he was able to land a contract to supply Makro and business started improving. "Our first delivery, we could hardly supply the order. We didn’t know anything, really. We had to go through the process of learning from scratch." He also relates how other integrators in the market gave them just six months to survive. But with persistence, determination and a keen eye for opportunities, Mr. Chen was able to push the business into becoming the billion-peso enterprise it is today.
From the very onset, Mr. Chen believed that technology would be a powerful differentiator in the industry. Making a leap of faith, he scoured the world for the most advanced industry technology, and brought them into the country. Despite being a smaller start-up, Bounty Fresh pioneered many of the systems now used by the country’s other integrators, such as temperature and climate control, single-stage hatcheries and others. "The industry needed to upgrade itself. Some of the practices were over 30 years old. I felt that we needed to modernize if we were to compete with our Asian neighbors."
With the technology he brought in, Mr. Chen was able to keep a tight control over costs while ensuring top quality for his products. "For example, we brought the first climate-controlled single-stage hatchery into the country in 2000. This allowed us to ensure better sanitation, bio-security, and control over the climate and humidity. The chicks grow healthier and stronger, and the resulting chickens are of better quality."
Unsurprisingly, this commitment to quality has translated into ISO certification in Quality Management Systems, Food Safety Management Systems, Environmental Management Systems and Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems for BFFI, as well as a string of national and regional awards such as the Philippine Grand Slam Award for Best Meat Establishment from 2006 to 2009.
Every stage of the production process is imbued with the same focus on technology, even down to the vacuum packaging and tamper-proof trays for their products. "We’re very critical about ensuring food safety and freshness. Do you know that the amount of bacteria on a chicken in ambient temperature doubles every hour? To ensure that no bacteria comes in contact with our products, our chickens are processed, chilled and vacuum-packed immediately to seal in the freshness. Our technology also allows us to keep our costs low, so we can give more value to our consumers."
This commitment to value is what prompted Mr. Chen to take BFFI into the next stage of its evolution in 2008. Through Bounty Agroventure, Inc., a sister company of BFFI, he conceptualized the Chooks To Go brand to retail freshly roasted chicken directly to consumers. "When we first opened, we sold our cooked chicken for P139. People went crazy over them! That year, in December, the Urdaneta branch sold 900 heads. People queued for almost 100 meters just to buy our chicken," he relates in amazement. In just two years, Chooks To Go has mushroomed, with over 700 outlets around the country. The brand opens three to four outlets a day and retails 100 million chickens a year.
Mr. Chen candidly shares that he still doesn’t know how they did it, but he attributes the success of the business to the dedication and capabilities of his people. The company works with close to 1,000 contract growers, toll feedmills, hatcheries and other partners around the country. BFFI helps these groups modernize their facilities and improve their productivity by providing advice, feasibility studies, technology recommendations, assistance acquiring land or equipment, and other support.
The company also gives back to the community, in particular the town of Pulilan, Bulacan, where the main plant is based. They support Pulilan children through education grants and feeding programs, engage in tree-planting, conduct blood donation drives, support medical missions, provide antirabies injections, and recently established a livelihood project for farmers in Abra. Their waste water, which is rich in natural fertilizer, is also provided to local farmers.
Under his leadership, BFFI continues to advance and improve its facilities and processes. "We’re employing foreign technology in our facilities, which cost more. But they can perform better in the long run. I want to buy the best technology and look at it in the next 20 years. The point of view of a contract grower is they want return in as short a time as possible. That’s not my philosophy. I want to spend on the best technology and invest in a long-term strategy." Today, the company’s feedmill in Tarlac is considered the best in the country. They have also begun construction of an even more advanced hatchery, and their next generation feedmill is already on the drawing board.
Thinking back on the challenges he had to overcome to bring his company to where it is today, Mr. Chen believes that risks should always be viewed as opportunities. "You have to act quickly and decisively," he advises would-be entrepreneurs. "Do the best you can, employ the best technology, and keep moving forward. Tackle issues, don’t hide from them."
Sage advice from a self-proclaimed farmer whose vision has revolutionized an entire industry.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. Official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on 12 October 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2011. The Entrepreneur Of The Year is produced globally by Ernst & Young.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Entrepreneurial diplomacy
Entrepreneurial diplomacy
Business World Online
September 30, 2010
Junie S. Del Mundo
Chief Executive Officer
EON
In communications, the way one packages a message is often as important as the content of the message itself. In a rapidly digitizing and intensely sensory world, people are bombarded with thousands of messages each day, making it even more challenging to ensure that messages are transmitted with unequivocal precision. Particularly in sectors such as business or politics, misunderstandings can have extensive repercussions. This is the world of professional communicators like Teodoro "Junie" S. Del Mundo, CEO of EON.
Educated in the Philippines, the United States and France, Mr. Del Mundo spent 13 years of his professional life strengthening ties between countries. He built a career in foreign service with postings in the Philippine embassies in Paris, France and Dakar, Senegal and at the Philippine Mission for UNESCO in Paris. After deciding to return home for good in 1995, Mr. Del Mundo felt a burning need to explore other avenues for his career and future. Serendipitously, he was asked to help organize the 1996 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila. Gaining much knowledge and confidence from this experience, he followed his instincts and entrepreneurial spirit, making the jump from government service to the private sector. He founded EON in 1998 and focused on events organizing.
His past experience in facilitating communications and bridging ideas proved invaluable in helping him build trust and cooperation -- this time among clients, media, investors, businesses, and government and nongovernment organizations.
Happy with EON’s events management services, Mr. Del Mundo’s clients also requested him to handle their publicity requirements. This opened up a new avenue of opportunity, enabling EON to evolve into a full-service communications agency. EON’s services expanded to include public relations, corporate communications and stakeholder relations. The company also affiliated itself with Edelman, one of the world’s largest global public relations network.
A defining service that EON provides to its clients is stakeholder relations, which involves building trust-based relationships between an organization and its stakeholders such as media, the government and business entities. "Different stakeholders will necessarily have different issues and concerns. We need to internalize the unique needs of each stakeholder, then tailor tightly focused strategies for each group. Using a broad-based communications platform just won’t work," Mr. Del Mundo explains.
EON is a forerunner in rendering this innovative and personalized communications model. To help others understand stakeholder relations, Mr. Del Mundo illustrates it with the work done recently for a client. "We managed a corporate social responsibility project for one of our clients, a global oil and gas company with drilling operations in the Sulu Sea. They wanted to do something for the town closest to their operations, so they initiated a water pumping project. To make this work, not only did we need to raise awareness of community’s very pressing needs for potable water, we also needed government and media groups to buy in and support the whole thing."
In addition to developing an effective community profile for their client, EON also facilitated dialogues with media and government groups, including arranging for these concerned groups to see the situation for themselves.
Over the years, EON’s client base has grown to include both local and regional companies, 95% of which are multinational corporations. EON has done projects in Uzbekistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Del Mundo hopes to win more regional projects within the next five years. The firm has been accredited by the Asian Development Bank and is the only Filipino agency with a specialization in Central Asia. He intends for EON to be a regional player using the Philippines as a hub, believing in the creativity, ability and resourcefulness of Filipino professionals. He draws encouragement from the success of projects such as one done in Uzbekistan, where all online requirements were done out of the Philippines.
Recognizing the huge potential and growing importance of the online landscape, Mr. Del Mundo created a separate company called Tangerine in July 2010. This spin-off company will offer web content development and design, blogging research and Web site-related interaction.
In an industry that relies hugely on talent and aptitude, quality people will always be a professional services company’s greatest asset. Mr. Del Mundo expects his people to differentiate themselves from competition in terms of professionalism, immediacy and quality of response, speed in delivery, and intelligence. To ensure that EON can deliver consistent high-quality work to meet the specialized requirements of its clients, he also focused on building a strong and experienced management team to guide and mentor the young and enthusiastic staff. From 36 people in 2009, the company has now grown to 60 employees in 2010.
One of EON’s core values is joy. Mr. Del Mundo constantly works to promote a happy, friendly, light and interactive culture within the company. He is involved with Hands On Manila and the League of Corporate Foundations and encourages his employees to fully embrace the ideal of personal and corporate social responsibility. With his staff members, they support 10 scholars under World Vision by contributing through voluntary salary deduction.
While he may have left the foreign service and has found his niche in entrepreneurship, Mr. Del Mundo remains a diplomat at heart. "I still get to apply my people-relation skills because we do a lot of business with local and foreign governments. And really, if you think about it, our job is to act as envoys for companies and organizations. I’m really still building bridges and connecting ideas between people," he muses.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on October 12, 2010 at a banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Business World Online
September 30, 2010
Junie S. Del Mundo
Chief Executive Officer
EON
In communications, the way one packages a message is often as important as the content of the message itself. In a rapidly digitizing and intensely sensory world, people are bombarded with thousands of messages each day, making it even more challenging to ensure that messages are transmitted with unequivocal precision. Particularly in sectors such as business or politics, misunderstandings can have extensive repercussions. This is the world of professional communicators like Teodoro "Junie" S. Del Mundo, CEO of EON.
Educated in the Philippines, the United States and France, Mr. Del Mundo spent 13 years of his professional life strengthening ties between countries. He built a career in foreign service with postings in the Philippine embassies in Paris, France and Dakar, Senegal and at the Philippine Mission for UNESCO in Paris. After deciding to return home for good in 1995, Mr. Del Mundo felt a burning need to explore other avenues for his career and future. Serendipitously, he was asked to help organize the 1996 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Manila. Gaining much knowledge and confidence from this experience, he followed his instincts and entrepreneurial spirit, making the jump from government service to the private sector. He founded EON in 1998 and focused on events organizing.
His past experience in facilitating communications and bridging ideas proved invaluable in helping him build trust and cooperation -- this time among clients, media, investors, businesses, and government and nongovernment organizations.
Happy with EON’s events management services, Mr. Del Mundo’s clients also requested him to handle their publicity requirements. This opened up a new avenue of opportunity, enabling EON to evolve into a full-service communications agency. EON’s services expanded to include public relations, corporate communications and stakeholder relations. The company also affiliated itself with Edelman, one of the world’s largest global public relations network.
A defining service that EON provides to its clients is stakeholder relations, which involves building trust-based relationships between an organization and its stakeholders such as media, the government and business entities. "Different stakeholders will necessarily have different issues and concerns. We need to internalize the unique needs of each stakeholder, then tailor tightly focused strategies for each group. Using a broad-based communications platform just won’t work," Mr. Del Mundo explains.
EON is a forerunner in rendering this innovative and personalized communications model. To help others understand stakeholder relations, Mr. Del Mundo illustrates it with the work done recently for a client. "We managed a corporate social responsibility project for one of our clients, a global oil and gas company with drilling operations in the Sulu Sea. They wanted to do something for the town closest to their operations, so they initiated a water pumping project. To make this work, not only did we need to raise awareness of community’s very pressing needs for potable water, we also needed government and media groups to buy in and support the whole thing."
In addition to developing an effective community profile for their client, EON also facilitated dialogues with media and government groups, including arranging for these concerned groups to see the situation for themselves.
Over the years, EON’s client base has grown to include both local and regional companies, 95% of which are multinational corporations. EON has done projects in Uzbekistan, Singapore, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Del Mundo hopes to win more regional projects within the next five years. The firm has been accredited by the Asian Development Bank and is the only Filipino agency with a specialization in Central Asia. He intends for EON to be a regional player using the Philippines as a hub, believing in the creativity, ability and resourcefulness of Filipino professionals. He draws encouragement from the success of projects such as one done in Uzbekistan, where all online requirements were done out of the Philippines.
Recognizing the huge potential and growing importance of the online landscape, Mr. Del Mundo created a separate company called Tangerine in July 2010. This spin-off company will offer web content development and design, blogging research and Web site-related interaction.
In an industry that relies hugely on talent and aptitude, quality people will always be a professional services company’s greatest asset. Mr. Del Mundo expects his people to differentiate themselves from competition in terms of professionalism, immediacy and quality of response, speed in delivery, and intelligence. To ensure that EON can deliver consistent high-quality work to meet the specialized requirements of its clients, he also focused on building a strong and experienced management team to guide and mentor the young and enthusiastic staff. From 36 people in 2009, the company has now grown to 60 employees in 2010.
One of EON’s core values is joy. Mr. Del Mundo constantly works to promote a happy, friendly, light and interactive culture within the company. He is involved with Hands On Manila and the League of Corporate Foundations and encourages his employees to fully embrace the ideal of personal and corporate social responsibility. With his staff members, they support 10 scholars under World Vision by contributing through voluntary salary deduction.
While he may have left the foreign service and has found his niche in entrepreneurship, Mr. Del Mundo remains a diplomat at heart. "I still get to apply my people-relation skills because we do a lot of business with local and foreign governments. And really, if you think about it, our job is to act as envoys for companies and organizations. I’m really still building bridges and connecting ideas between people," he muses.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on October 12, 2010 at a banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
The branding of non-brands
The branding of non-brands
Business World Online
September 29, 2010
Benjamin I. Liuson
President
The Generics Pharmacy Franchising Corp.
For a country where medical treatment is both prohibitively expensive and sadly insufficient, the concept of generic medicine is a godsend. With little government subsidy on health, Filipino families are hard-pressed to provide for their family’s needs. According to latest data, Filipino families spent an estimated P127.3 billion on healthcare in 2007, 54.3% of the Philippines’ total health expenditure.
The Generics Pharmacy, under the leadership of Benjamin I. Liuson, is doing its best to help society and the pharmaceutical industry by carrying only generic medicines. The company traces its roots back to Pacific Insular Co., a German wholesaler and importer of medicine in 1949. In 1960, Mr. Liuson’s parents bought the firm, which he joined in 1970. He eventually took over in 1974 when his father passed away.
Under Mr. Liuson’s guidance, the company started implementing innovative marketing strategies in 1983. Seeing how the average consumer struggled to make ends meet, they lowered their gross margin to around 30% from the usual 400%. To save on costs, they also did not give out samples and did not employ an agent. Instead, they sold directly to doctors and hospitals. After the Generics Act of 1988 was implemented, the firm established DLI Generics, to serve the needs of government hospitals.
In 1996, doctors from the Philippine General Hospital started referring their patients to the DLI Generics’ office in Quezon City. Mr. Liuson recalls that they had to turn the patients away since the company was a wholesaler and therefore not allowed to sell products to them. This inspired him to open the Philippines’ first generics-only retail store, DLI Pharmacy, in 2001. To set it apart, they focused on selling generic medicines exclusively. They also carry only one generic product for every type of medication. "When a consumer is in a rush to buy medicine, the last thing they need is to get confused by too many brands or chemical names. It also makes inventory-keeping simpler and more efficient," he explains.
The drugstore started to gain acceptance and in 2006, regular customers complained that the lone branch in Quezon City was not accessible to provincial residents. With this, Mr. Liuson re-branded DLI Generics into The Generics Pharmacy in July 2007. They also began franchising outlets through The Generics Pharmacy Franchising Corp.
To help jumpstart the franchise stores, Mr. Liuson had all stocks in the stores on consignment. Having been in the pharmaceutical business for 50 years, he was confident that they understood the needs of their market. Second, as a concession to the first 100 outlets, the company offered to refund the franchising fee should the franchisees opt out for any reason in the first three years.
"We might have been in hot water had it not clicked," Mr. Liuson muses. The strategies seem to be working because the firm now counts over 300 franchisees nationwide. To date, The Generics Pharmacy has 900 franchise stores, only one of which is company-owned. "With only one company store, our franchisees trust us more because they know that we’re not competing with them ourselves," Mr. Liuson says.
Because it only sells generics, the firm can set its own retail price for all its products for the franchisees to follow. It encourages franchisees to put up outlets in areas with heavy foot traffic, even if there are already big drugstores in the vicinity. "Being near a big drugstore is one of my key success criteria. Consumers can more easily compare products. In the end, the public wins," he says.
Over the next three years, the company plans to open 450 more stores. By December 2013, it expects to have a network of 1,500 pharmacies. Mr. Liuson says that they are also considering opening outlets in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and the United States.
The company also plans to introduce more products. In the pipeline are dermatological, cosmetic and antiseptic products, as well as medical supplies.
Mr. Liuson believes in the value of building long-term trust and partnership relationships with franchisees, suppliers and retailers. "We work closely with those who share our goals," he relates, "An example is one supplier who, despite objections from a huge competing drugstore chain, chose to continue working with us because their CEO shared our vision of providing the public with affordable and effective medicine." The Generics Pharmacy would eventually become the supplier’s biggest local client.
Besides sound business relationships, Mr. Liuson emphasizes the importance of quality, affordability, accessibility, communication, God’s help and social responsibility to maintain his company’s growth. A deeply religious man, Mr. Liuson acknowledges God’s help in all his achievements. That is why, aside from the usual corporate social responsibility projects, the firm is also involved in what he calls "corporate spiritual responsibility." For three years now, the company sponsors the printing of 200,000 Bibles annually through the Philippine Bible Society. Free copies are distributed with the aim of having one Bible in every home in the country. Copies are also sent to the country’s top corporations.
Reflecting on the company’s success, Mr. Liuson shares that he received the best comment from a franchisee -- that Generics Pharmacy was heaven-sent. This affirmation of how much the company helps people provides powerful motivation to work even harder. "The more people you help, the more successful you are," Mr. Liuson says.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. Winners will be announced on October 12, 2010 at a banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Business World Online
September 29, 2010
Benjamin I. Liuson
President
The Generics Pharmacy Franchising Corp.
For a country where medical treatment is both prohibitively expensive and sadly insufficient, the concept of generic medicine is a godsend. With little government subsidy on health, Filipino families are hard-pressed to provide for their family’s needs. According to latest data, Filipino families spent an estimated P127.3 billion on healthcare in 2007, 54.3% of the Philippines’ total health expenditure.
The Generics Pharmacy, under the leadership of Benjamin I. Liuson, is doing its best to help society and the pharmaceutical industry by carrying only generic medicines. The company traces its roots back to Pacific Insular Co., a German wholesaler and importer of medicine in 1949. In 1960, Mr. Liuson’s parents bought the firm, which he joined in 1970. He eventually took over in 1974 when his father passed away.
Under Mr. Liuson’s guidance, the company started implementing innovative marketing strategies in 1983. Seeing how the average consumer struggled to make ends meet, they lowered their gross margin to around 30% from the usual 400%. To save on costs, they also did not give out samples and did not employ an agent. Instead, they sold directly to doctors and hospitals. After the Generics Act of 1988 was implemented, the firm established DLI Generics, to serve the needs of government hospitals.
In 1996, doctors from the Philippine General Hospital started referring their patients to the DLI Generics’ office in Quezon City. Mr. Liuson recalls that they had to turn the patients away since the company was a wholesaler and therefore not allowed to sell products to them. This inspired him to open the Philippines’ first generics-only retail store, DLI Pharmacy, in 2001. To set it apart, they focused on selling generic medicines exclusively. They also carry only one generic product for every type of medication. "When a consumer is in a rush to buy medicine, the last thing they need is to get confused by too many brands or chemical names. It also makes inventory-keeping simpler and more efficient," he explains.
The drugstore started to gain acceptance and in 2006, regular customers complained that the lone branch in Quezon City was not accessible to provincial residents. With this, Mr. Liuson re-branded DLI Generics into The Generics Pharmacy in July 2007. They also began franchising outlets through The Generics Pharmacy Franchising Corp.
To help jumpstart the franchise stores, Mr. Liuson had all stocks in the stores on consignment. Having been in the pharmaceutical business for 50 years, he was confident that they understood the needs of their market. Second, as a concession to the first 100 outlets, the company offered to refund the franchising fee should the franchisees opt out for any reason in the first three years.
"We might have been in hot water had it not clicked," Mr. Liuson muses. The strategies seem to be working because the firm now counts over 300 franchisees nationwide. To date, The Generics Pharmacy has 900 franchise stores, only one of which is company-owned. "With only one company store, our franchisees trust us more because they know that we’re not competing with them ourselves," Mr. Liuson says.
Because it only sells generics, the firm can set its own retail price for all its products for the franchisees to follow. It encourages franchisees to put up outlets in areas with heavy foot traffic, even if there are already big drugstores in the vicinity. "Being near a big drugstore is one of my key success criteria. Consumers can more easily compare products. In the end, the public wins," he says.
Over the next three years, the company plans to open 450 more stores. By December 2013, it expects to have a network of 1,500 pharmacies. Mr. Liuson says that they are also considering opening outlets in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and the United States.
The company also plans to introduce more products. In the pipeline are dermatological, cosmetic and antiseptic products, as well as medical supplies.
Mr. Liuson believes in the value of building long-term trust and partnership relationships with franchisees, suppliers and retailers. "We work closely with those who share our goals," he relates, "An example is one supplier who, despite objections from a huge competing drugstore chain, chose to continue working with us because their CEO shared our vision of providing the public with affordable and effective medicine." The Generics Pharmacy would eventually become the supplier’s biggest local client.
Besides sound business relationships, Mr. Liuson emphasizes the importance of quality, affordability, accessibility, communication, God’s help and social responsibility to maintain his company’s growth. A deeply religious man, Mr. Liuson acknowledges God’s help in all his achievements. That is why, aside from the usual corporate social responsibility projects, the firm is also involved in what he calls "corporate spiritual responsibility." For three years now, the company sponsors the printing of 200,000 Bibles annually through the Philippine Bible Society. Free copies are distributed with the aim of having one Bible in every home in the country. Copies are also sent to the country’s top corporations.
Reflecting on the company’s success, Mr. Liuson shares that he received the best comment from a franchisee -- that Generics Pharmacy was heaven-sent. This affirmation of how much the company helps people provides powerful motivation to work even harder. "The more people you help, the more successful you are," Mr. Liuson says.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. Winners will be announced on October 12, 2010 at a banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Teacher builder
Teacher builder
Business World Online
September 28, 2010
Engr. Remegio Salanatin
Corporate President
R.G. Salanatin Construction
Civil engineer Remegio Salanatin, founder and president of R.G. Salanatin Construction, considers himself a "lucky entrepreneur" because he never planned things to happen but they just fell into place. And while he attributes his good fortune to "getting the right breaks at the right time," he blended vision, insight and expertise to transform this luck into a thriving construction business.
Entrepreneurship was not Mr. Salanatin’s original career track; it was in academe. After graduating valedictorian from the University of San Agustin in 1965 and placing second in the civil engineering board exams, he took up graduate studies in Structural Engineering at the University of the Philippines and Business Administration at the De La Salle University. He worked in Manila briefly before returning to the province to pursue his interest in education and learning. He joined the faculty of the Notre Dame Midsayap College and taught introductory courses on engineering.
However, it seemed that a quiet life as an educator was not his destiny when he was approached by two big schools in Cotabato City to help them with the construction of their buildings. Seeing an opportunity to put his knowledge into practice, he established R.G. Salanatin Construction in 1967. These initial projects became the foundation of his reputation as a dependable contractor. Looking back he says, "In those days, if people know that you are a faculty member, your credibility increases. Suppliers trusted me because they trusted my credentials."
Mr. Salanatin added innovation to his credibility. He developed two strategies that would be the hallmark of his company: the Design & Build (D&B) construction scheme, and Easy-to-Pay (ETP) terms.
D&B is a holistic approach to construction, offering the full suite of services from planning to design and the actual physical construction. This differs from the costly industry practice where owners first seek architects for the project design and then hire a builder.
Mr. Salanatin also offered the ETP option which would require his clients to pay only 30-70% of the contract price upon the project’s completion. The balance would then be paid off monthly over a six to 24-month period. Again, this was not typical in the industry where a downpayment and periodic payments are the norm.
While the D&B and ETP proved very popular with clients, Mr. Salanatin also came up with other methodologies to increase construction work efficiency. He formulated a unique construction scheduling method for project managers and supervisors called Milestone dates, on top of the standard Time Bar Chart construction schedule. This was done to enhance overall efficiency on project completion.
Mr. Salanatin also takes pride in having authored a handbook for construction supervisors. Based on his own experiences, this handbook serves as a best practices guide on how to become an efficient supervisor. He emphasizes the importance of completing a project on schedule with quality workmanship and within budget. He encourages construction supervisors to be committed to achieving these goals, as they largely determine the success of a project.
With his methodic and pedagogic approach to his business it is not surprising that majority of R.G. Salanatin Construction Company’s clients are academic institutions. The company lists among its many projects educational structures, including libraries, gymnasiums, high school and grade school buildings, and faculty and student housing. "Learning has always been a part of my life," he says with a smile. "From being a student, to a teacher, and now, as a builder of learning institutions. I help the country because I build schools, which is essential for education."
Having established the company’s reputation in the Cotabato region, Mr. Salanatin relocated to Davao in 1980, aspiring to become one of the five leading construction companies there. With determination, he was able to build up his company in Davao in less than five years. The company is now looking to expand further in the country, eyeing the Visayas region for potential opportunities.
Still a teacher at heart, Mr. Salanatin encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to do their best while still in school. He says, "Always strive for excellence even as a student. It is a person’s innate competence that will define his level of self-confidence. And you can’t be a true leader or manager without confidence."
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. This year’s winners will be announced on October 12, 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2011.
Business World Online
September 28, 2010
Engr. Remegio Salanatin
Corporate President
R.G. Salanatin Construction
Civil engineer Remegio Salanatin, founder and president of R.G. Salanatin Construction, considers himself a "lucky entrepreneur" because he never planned things to happen but they just fell into place. And while he attributes his good fortune to "getting the right breaks at the right time," he blended vision, insight and expertise to transform this luck into a thriving construction business.
Entrepreneurship was not Mr. Salanatin’s original career track; it was in academe. After graduating valedictorian from the University of San Agustin in 1965 and placing second in the civil engineering board exams, he took up graduate studies in Structural Engineering at the University of the Philippines and Business Administration at the De La Salle University. He worked in Manila briefly before returning to the province to pursue his interest in education and learning. He joined the faculty of the Notre Dame Midsayap College and taught introductory courses on engineering.
However, it seemed that a quiet life as an educator was not his destiny when he was approached by two big schools in Cotabato City to help them with the construction of their buildings. Seeing an opportunity to put his knowledge into practice, he established R.G. Salanatin Construction in 1967. These initial projects became the foundation of his reputation as a dependable contractor. Looking back he says, "In those days, if people know that you are a faculty member, your credibility increases. Suppliers trusted me because they trusted my credentials."
Mr. Salanatin added innovation to his credibility. He developed two strategies that would be the hallmark of his company: the Design & Build (D&B) construction scheme, and Easy-to-Pay (ETP) terms.
D&B is a holistic approach to construction, offering the full suite of services from planning to design and the actual physical construction. This differs from the costly industry practice where owners first seek architects for the project design and then hire a builder.
Mr. Salanatin also offered the ETP option which would require his clients to pay only 30-70% of the contract price upon the project’s completion. The balance would then be paid off monthly over a six to 24-month period. Again, this was not typical in the industry where a downpayment and periodic payments are the norm.
While the D&B and ETP proved very popular with clients, Mr. Salanatin also came up with other methodologies to increase construction work efficiency. He formulated a unique construction scheduling method for project managers and supervisors called Milestone dates, on top of the standard Time Bar Chart construction schedule. This was done to enhance overall efficiency on project completion.
Mr. Salanatin also takes pride in having authored a handbook for construction supervisors. Based on his own experiences, this handbook serves as a best practices guide on how to become an efficient supervisor. He emphasizes the importance of completing a project on schedule with quality workmanship and within budget. He encourages construction supervisors to be committed to achieving these goals, as they largely determine the success of a project.
With his methodic and pedagogic approach to his business it is not surprising that majority of R.G. Salanatin Construction Company’s clients are academic institutions. The company lists among its many projects educational structures, including libraries, gymnasiums, high school and grade school buildings, and faculty and student housing. "Learning has always been a part of my life," he says with a smile. "From being a student, to a teacher, and now, as a builder of learning institutions. I help the country because I build schools, which is essential for education."
Having established the company’s reputation in the Cotabato region, Mr. Salanatin relocated to Davao in 1980, aspiring to become one of the five leading construction companies there. With determination, he was able to build up his company in Davao in less than five years. The company is now looking to expand further in the country, eyeing the Visayas region for potential opportunities.
Still a teacher at heart, Mr. Salanatin encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to do their best while still in school. He says, "Always strive for excellence even as a student. It is a person’s innate competence that will define his level of self-confidence. And you can’t be a true leader or manager without confidence."
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. This year’s winners will be announced on October 12, 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2011.
Monday, September 27, 2010
From hotelier to rainmaker
From hotelier to rainmaker
Business World Online
September 27, 2010
Annabella Santos-Wisniewski
President and CEO
Raintree Management Partners, Inc.
Seasoned travelers rave about two major observations on the Philippines. First is the ethereal, almost unearthly beauty of the land; second is the endearing warmth and hospitality of Filipinos in general. These two standout qualities were the fundamental strengths on which Annabella Santos-Wisniewski capitalized to build her business, Raintree Management Partners, Inc.
Mrs. Wisniewski has built a tourism development group that leverages on the best aspects of the Philippines. Raintree-managed properties attract a sizeable chunk of local and international tourists. These include Discovery Shores Boracay and Discovery Country Suites Tagaytay. Combining her extensive experience in the hospitality industry with an innate entrepreneurial spirit, she has helped to greatly enhance the standards of quality and service in the travel industry.
Mrs. Wisniewski says that she was born with entrepreneurship running in her veins. She began her entrepreneurial journey in the United States where she worked in various segments of the hospitality industry for over 20 years, renovating and reselling foreclosed hotels with much success. She reprised her success in Singapore where she helped jumpstart the Ascott chain of serviced residences. She was recognized to have been instrumental in the company’s success, which led to its going public in 1987.
In 1995, the chairman of the Ascott group asked her to return to the Philippines to head their local country operations. However, instead of accepting the offer, Mrs. Wisniewski experienced an epiphany and decided to establish her own company instead: "I thought to myself -- ‘The Philippines is a goldmine! Why am I doing things for other countries when there is so much to do for my own?"
In 1996, Mrs. Wisniewski set up Raintree Management Partners, Inc. as an independent consulting services firm serving established hotel chains such as the Four Seasons and the Shangri-La. Mrs. Wisniewski recalls that she started small, "Really small! It was just my driver, my secretary and I." She now has 1,000 employees.
In addition to the consulting business, Mrs. Wisniewski ventured into operations to build market presence. HSAI Raintree Hospitality Management was formed to operate luxury hotels. In 1998, Raintree entered into a technical service and a long-term management agreement with Discovery Suites to pioneer the full serviced-apartment concept. The tie-up received international recognition and the company was named the Best Employer for Asia in 2003 by Hewitt Associates.
Raintree Management Partners, Inc. believes in injecting innovation into their projects such as providing free Wi-Fi in all Raintree-managed luxury hotels and resorts; revolutionizing corporate food service; and giving quality dining experience in their tastefully designed restaurants that occasionally feature art exhibits and other events.
Mrs. Wisniewski ensures that each innovative approach is market driven and location specific. "After all, we are in the ‘people business’ and it is the people who lounge by our infinity pools and enjoy the amenities our luxury hotels and resorts provide," she states.
Quick to recognize opportunities, Mrs. Wisniewski likewise went into the food service business when she was approached with a proposal to develop a food court at the Enterprise Center on Ayala Avenue. She pioneered a new concept -- themed food parks in a corporate setting, combining easy and affordable dining with events and entertainment. With the initial success of The Enterprise Center Food Court, Raintree started to receive numerous inquiries and offers from other Makati building owners.
To manage the growing demand, she created FoodParks by Raintree in 1998. At present, FoodParks operates the Food Park at the Enterprise Center, Food Odyssey at the LKG Tower, Food & Art Galerie at GT Tower, Food Patio at the PBCom Tower and Food Arcade at the PhilAm Tower.
Being revenue minded, Mrs. Wisniewski knew that it was not financially sufficient to just sublease spaces in the food parks. She organized a subgroup, the Retail Food Group, to operate various food and beverage stalls like Lola’s Kitchen, Pinoy Sizzlers, City Bites, the New York Cafe and FP Express. Seeing that the business was rapidly growing, Mrs. Wisniewski asked her son Andrej to oversee the FoodParks business. The Wisniewski family is very involved in the business and in fact, she says: "My husband and my sons are major players in all my endeavors, and their support and encouragement constantly inspire me."
From FoodParks emerged yet another division -- Raintree Restaurants. The division runs the M Cafe in the Ayala Museum Complex. This was followed by Chelsea Market & Cafe at Serendra, Mr. Jones in Greenbelt 5 and Momo in the Eastwood Mall.
Mrs. Wisniewski’s deep knowledge of the hospitality industry provides Raintree with its competitive edge and is primarily responsible for the group’s market leadership and successful ventures. Moving forward, plans are underway to launch a new generation of hotels and resorts. It is currently developing two beachfront properties in Baler -- one is moderately priced for the budget-conscious traveler and the other, an exclusive high-quality resort and an eco-adventure destination. Discovery Bay Albay will also be opening soon.
While being aggressive in growing the business, Mrs. Wisniewski is also passionate about people development. Key people are sent for training to institutions like Cornell University and the Asian Institute of Management and industry experts are invited to conduct in-house seminars.
With a robust organizational structure backed by a solid business framework, Raintree’s growth has been impressive, but Mrs. Wisniewski recalls when it wasn’t so. "At the beginning, we had to overcome the perception that only international hotel groups could deliver world-class quality." This did not deter her as she steadfastly believed that commitment, effort, optimism and passion can overcome any difficulties: "There’s just no substitute for tenacity and hard work. These are valuable traits that anyone must live by."
Annabella Santos-Wisniewski tirelessly works to enhance and develop the country’s best qualities, particularly its people. Her advice to young entrepreneurs is this: The Filipino can! Success takes a lot of believing. Believe in yourself and in your dreams, and do not fear failure. In the end, it is not the falling but the rising that counts.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on October 12, 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Business World Online
September 27, 2010
Annabella Santos-Wisniewski
President and CEO
Raintree Management Partners, Inc.
Seasoned travelers rave about two major observations on the Philippines. First is the ethereal, almost unearthly beauty of the land; second is the endearing warmth and hospitality of Filipinos in general. These two standout qualities were the fundamental strengths on which Annabella Santos-Wisniewski capitalized to build her business, Raintree Management Partners, Inc.
Mrs. Wisniewski has built a tourism development group that leverages on the best aspects of the Philippines. Raintree-managed properties attract a sizeable chunk of local and international tourists. These include Discovery Shores Boracay and Discovery Country Suites Tagaytay. Combining her extensive experience in the hospitality industry with an innate entrepreneurial spirit, she has helped to greatly enhance the standards of quality and service in the travel industry.
Mrs. Wisniewski says that she was born with entrepreneurship running in her veins. She began her entrepreneurial journey in the United States where she worked in various segments of the hospitality industry for over 20 years, renovating and reselling foreclosed hotels with much success. She reprised her success in Singapore where she helped jumpstart the Ascott chain of serviced residences. She was recognized to have been instrumental in the company’s success, which led to its going public in 1987.
In 1995, the chairman of the Ascott group asked her to return to the Philippines to head their local country operations. However, instead of accepting the offer, Mrs. Wisniewski experienced an epiphany and decided to establish her own company instead: "I thought to myself -- ‘The Philippines is a goldmine! Why am I doing things for other countries when there is so much to do for my own?"
In 1996, Mrs. Wisniewski set up Raintree Management Partners, Inc. as an independent consulting services firm serving established hotel chains such as the Four Seasons and the Shangri-La. Mrs. Wisniewski recalls that she started small, "Really small! It was just my driver, my secretary and I." She now has 1,000 employees.
In addition to the consulting business, Mrs. Wisniewski ventured into operations to build market presence. HSAI Raintree Hospitality Management was formed to operate luxury hotels. In 1998, Raintree entered into a technical service and a long-term management agreement with Discovery Suites to pioneer the full serviced-apartment concept. The tie-up received international recognition and the company was named the Best Employer for Asia in 2003 by Hewitt Associates.
Raintree Management Partners, Inc. believes in injecting innovation into their projects such as providing free Wi-Fi in all Raintree-managed luxury hotels and resorts; revolutionizing corporate food service; and giving quality dining experience in their tastefully designed restaurants that occasionally feature art exhibits and other events.
Mrs. Wisniewski ensures that each innovative approach is market driven and location specific. "After all, we are in the ‘people business’ and it is the people who lounge by our infinity pools and enjoy the amenities our luxury hotels and resorts provide," she states.
Quick to recognize opportunities, Mrs. Wisniewski likewise went into the food service business when she was approached with a proposal to develop a food court at the Enterprise Center on Ayala Avenue. She pioneered a new concept -- themed food parks in a corporate setting, combining easy and affordable dining with events and entertainment. With the initial success of The Enterprise Center Food Court, Raintree started to receive numerous inquiries and offers from other Makati building owners.
To manage the growing demand, she created FoodParks by Raintree in 1998. At present, FoodParks operates the Food Park at the Enterprise Center, Food Odyssey at the LKG Tower, Food & Art Galerie at GT Tower, Food Patio at the PBCom Tower and Food Arcade at the PhilAm Tower.
Being revenue minded, Mrs. Wisniewski knew that it was not financially sufficient to just sublease spaces in the food parks. She organized a subgroup, the Retail Food Group, to operate various food and beverage stalls like Lola’s Kitchen, Pinoy Sizzlers, City Bites, the New York Cafe and FP Express. Seeing that the business was rapidly growing, Mrs. Wisniewski asked her son Andrej to oversee the FoodParks business. The Wisniewski family is very involved in the business and in fact, she says: "My husband and my sons are major players in all my endeavors, and their support and encouragement constantly inspire me."
From FoodParks emerged yet another division -- Raintree Restaurants. The division runs the M Cafe in the Ayala Museum Complex. This was followed by Chelsea Market & Cafe at Serendra, Mr. Jones in Greenbelt 5 and Momo in the Eastwood Mall.
Mrs. Wisniewski’s deep knowledge of the hospitality industry provides Raintree with its competitive edge and is primarily responsible for the group’s market leadership and successful ventures. Moving forward, plans are underway to launch a new generation of hotels and resorts. It is currently developing two beachfront properties in Baler -- one is moderately priced for the budget-conscious traveler and the other, an exclusive high-quality resort and an eco-adventure destination. Discovery Bay Albay will also be opening soon.
While being aggressive in growing the business, Mrs. Wisniewski is also passionate about people development. Key people are sent for training to institutions like Cornell University and the Asian Institute of Management and industry experts are invited to conduct in-house seminars.
With a robust organizational structure backed by a solid business framework, Raintree’s growth has been impressive, but Mrs. Wisniewski recalls when it wasn’t so. "At the beginning, we had to overcome the perception that only international hotel groups could deliver world-class quality." This did not deter her as she steadfastly believed that commitment, effort, optimism and passion can overcome any difficulties: "There’s just no substitute for tenacity and hard work. These are valuable traits that anyone must live by."
Annabella Santos-Wisniewski tirelessly works to enhance and develop the country’s best qualities, particularly its people. Her advice to young entrepreneurs is this: The Filipino can! Success takes a lot of believing. Believe in yourself and in your dreams, and do not fear failure. In the end, it is not the falling but the rising that counts.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on October 12, 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Finding strength and happiness - in numbers
Finding strength and happiness -- in numbers
Business World Online
September 24, 2010
Paolo Benigno Aquino IV
Mark Joaquin Ruiz
President/Managing Director
MicroVentures, Inc.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." These often-quoted lines by poet Robert Frost aptly describe the journey of school friends Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV and Mark Joaquin Ruiz. Years later, their minds would meet and together would embark courageously on the road not taken. They would co-create a revolutionary microenterprise business model to address the economic and social inequity for those marginalized by the status quo -- the more than 50% of the total Filipino population who lives on less than $2 a day.
They had gone on different career tracks after graduating with Management Engineering degrees from the Ateneo de Manila. After college, Mr. Aquino established himself in the public service sector, while Mr. Ruiz ventured into the corporate world.
"I always considered myself a social entrepreneur," Mr. Aquino says, "because I was driven by a strong public service perspective." As a fresh graduate, he joined the ABS-CBN Foundation’s Special Projects Group and was involved in a rehabilitation center for abused and neglected children, disaster management projects, relief operations and volunteer recruitment. He then spearheaded the National Youth Commission as its commissioner-at-large in 2001 before becoming its chairman and CEO in 2003. "In government, I witnessed programs that had short-term gains but no long-term effects for the people it served. That influenced me to think of something that could make a lasting, transforming difference for Filipinos."
Mr. Ruiz, on the other hand, joined global company Unilever as customer development executive and merchandising supervisor. There he honed his skills in customer marketing, promotions development and planning. In just six years, he rose to the position of senior customer marketing manager and CMD head. Mr. Ruiz says, "Unlike Bam, I only considered myself an entrepreneur when I resigned from Unilever to collaborate with him. But being in sales and marketing, I always pushed for social development through innovation and entrepreneurship -- the intersection of my passions and skills."
Mr. Ruiz’s experience in marketing fast-moving consumer goods led to the idea of leveraging on the Filipino sari-sari or convenience stores, usually found in lower-income communities, that make up around 40% of total retail sales in the country. Seeing both the problems and the potentials of the sector, they theorized that for the stores to grow and be truly viable, they needed to enter a new phase of microentrepreneurship development.
After exchanging ideas on innovative microfinance development with like-minded individuals -- among them Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip, founder of the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development-Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD-MRI) and with whom they would eventually tie up -- Mr. Aquino and Mr. Ruiz concretized their plans and developed a business plan for aggregating microretail outlets, which led to MicroVentures, Inc. (MVI)
MVI started its formal operations in 2007 as a social business enterprise working with CARD-MRI and its borrowers through its flagship project, the "Hapinoy Store Program." A combination of the words "happy" and "Pinoy," Hapinoy aims to "make every Filipino happy" by using an ecosystem management approach to improve local microenterprises. Through the program, a borrower who has top credit scores can borrow capital to convert an existing convenience store into a small Hapinoy Store or a larger Hapinoy Community Store, which serves over 50 small stores.
Recognizing that sari-sari stores are usually owned and run by the woman of the household (the mother or nanay), the Hapinoy Program focuses on increasing these Nanays’ profitability. Nanays are given access to business management and marketing knowledge through the "Path to Prosperity," a four-tiered program designed to assist a fledgling Hapinoy store. Mr. Ruiz says, "We believe that empowering the woman microentrepreneur is a pivotal factor in reducing poverty. Increasing her profitability leads to an improved quality of life for her family and her community as well."
The Hapinoy Program harnesses the potential of smaller enterprises through microfinancing, aggregation, value chain integration, business model innovation, branding and training. By linking Hapinoy Stores with established manufacturers and microproducers, MVI brings sari-sari stores into an organized supply chain. Moreover, MVI is able to get goods directly and at a lower cost and is able to pass these savings on to Hapinoy Stores. "Our partner companies do very well on their own, but they also see the intrinsic value in helping the community," Mr. Aquino says.
As marketing and branding consultant, merchandise consolidator and training provider, MVI teaches each Nanay to make her own business more resilient, profitable and sustainable. Through a training program named Sariskwela, members are equipped with best practices on pricing, inventory and credit management, business expansion and goal setting. Veering away from the traditional patronage relationship between an organization and its beneficiary, Hapinoy empowers each Nanay to be a proactive manager accountable for her own business decisions. While the program teaches each Nanay ways to increase her monthly earnings from P3,000 to P18,000 within six to eight months, MVI’s ultimate goal is to improve her entrepreneurial ability and, consequently, her family’s livelihood, self-esteem and dignity.
In this respect, the Hapinoy Program is different from similar microfinancing or social enterprise models in Mexico or India, where the main focus is on raising funds for the organization’s goals. Village stores in Southeast Asia exist but are not consolidated systematically. Mr. Ruiz mentions that international microfinancing organization Grameen Foundation has singled out Hapinoy’s uniqueness -- while social in nature, it is run like a real business.
"We envisioned Hapinoy as a flexible and wide-ranging platform, giving us more areas of application such as retail, production, mobile banking, technology and healthcare," Mr. Aquino adds. In fact, a grant from the Science and Technology Innovations for the Base of the Pyramid in Southeast Asia has enabled MVI to pilot its Hapinoy Health Hub, which makes affordable medicine available in Hapinoy communities.
Currently, there are 150 Hapinoy Communities of around 10,000 stores concentrated in Southern Luzon. MVI hopes to expand operations in North Luzon by next year and, eventually, establish a Hapinoy presence in every town in the country. Groups in other countries have also expressed interest in replicating the program, and both Mr. Aquino and Mr. Ruiz foresee international expansion.
Mr. Ruiz acknowledges, however, that the present business environment is not quite ready for large-scale social enterprises; for example, there is not much "patient" (long-term) capital source available given the developmental aspect, and for-profit organizations cannot accept donations without being taxed. Mr. Aquino sees this as an opportunity for advocacy, saying that, "It’s time more people push for social entrepreneurship. As donations for non-government organizations get scarcer, social enterprises need to take the lead." Both believe that in the long term, they can help microenterprises integrate into the formal economy and create a system of entrepreneurs helping other entrepreneurs. They dream of changing the world, one happy Pinoy at a time -- it is the road they have taken.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. Official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on October 12, 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Business World Online
September 24, 2010
Paolo Benigno Aquino IV
Mark Joaquin Ruiz
President/Managing Director
MicroVentures, Inc.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." These often-quoted lines by poet Robert Frost aptly describe the journey of school friends Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino IV and Mark Joaquin Ruiz. Years later, their minds would meet and together would embark courageously on the road not taken. They would co-create a revolutionary microenterprise business model to address the economic and social inequity for those marginalized by the status quo -- the more than 50% of the total Filipino population who lives on less than $2 a day.
They had gone on different career tracks after graduating with Management Engineering degrees from the Ateneo de Manila. After college, Mr. Aquino established himself in the public service sector, while Mr. Ruiz ventured into the corporate world.
"I always considered myself a social entrepreneur," Mr. Aquino says, "because I was driven by a strong public service perspective." As a fresh graduate, he joined the ABS-CBN Foundation’s Special Projects Group and was involved in a rehabilitation center for abused and neglected children, disaster management projects, relief operations and volunteer recruitment. He then spearheaded the National Youth Commission as its commissioner-at-large in 2001 before becoming its chairman and CEO in 2003. "In government, I witnessed programs that had short-term gains but no long-term effects for the people it served. That influenced me to think of something that could make a lasting, transforming difference for Filipinos."
Mr. Ruiz, on the other hand, joined global company Unilever as customer development executive and merchandising supervisor. There he honed his skills in customer marketing, promotions development and planning. In just six years, he rose to the position of senior customer marketing manager and CMD head. Mr. Ruiz says, "Unlike Bam, I only considered myself an entrepreneur when I resigned from Unilever to collaborate with him. But being in sales and marketing, I always pushed for social development through innovation and entrepreneurship -- the intersection of my passions and skills."
Mr. Ruiz’s experience in marketing fast-moving consumer goods led to the idea of leveraging on the Filipino sari-sari or convenience stores, usually found in lower-income communities, that make up around 40% of total retail sales in the country. Seeing both the problems and the potentials of the sector, they theorized that for the stores to grow and be truly viable, they needed to enter a new phase of microentrepreneurship development.
After exchanging ideas on innovative microfinance development with like-minded individuals -- among them Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip, founder of the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development-Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD-MRI) and with whom they would eventually tie up -- Mr. Aquino and Mr. Ruiz concretized their plans and developed a business plan for aggregating microretail outlets, which led to MicroVentures, Inc. (MVI)
MVI started its formal operations in 2007 as a social business enterprise working with CARD-MRI and its borrowers through its flagship project, the "Hapinoy Store Program." A combination of the words "happy" and "Pinoy," Hapinoy aims to "make every Filipino happy" by using an ecosystem management approach to improve local microenterprises. Through the program, a borrower who has top credit scores can borrow capital to convert an existing convenience store into a small Hapinoy Store or a larger Hapinoy Community Store, which serves over 50 small stores.
Recognizing that sari-sari stores are usually owned and run by the woman of the household (the mother or nanay), the Hapinoy Program focuses on increasing these Nanays’ profitability. Nanays are given access to business management and marketing knowledge through the "Path to Prosperity," a four-tiered program designed to assist a fledgling Hapinoy store. Mr. Ruiz says, "We believe that empowering the woman microentrepreneur is a pivotal factor in reducing poverty. Increasing her profitability leads to an improved quality of life for her family and her community as well."
The Hapinoy Program harnesses the potential of smaller enterprises through microfinancing, aggregation, value chain integration, business model innovation, branding and training. By linking Hapinoy Stores with established manufacturers and microproducers, MVI brings sari-sari stores into an organized supply chain. Moreover, MVI is able to get goods directly and at a lower cost and is able to pass these savings on to Hapinoy Stores. "Our partner companies do very well on their own, but they also see the intrinsic value in helping the community," Mr. Aquino says.
As marketing and branding consultant, merchandise consolidator and training provider, MVI teaches each Nanay to make her own business more resilient, profitable and sustainable. Through a training program named Sariskwela, members are equipped with best practices on pricing, inventory and credit management, business expansion and goal setting. Veering away from the traditional patronage relationship between an organization and its beneficiary, Hapinoy empowers each Nanay to be a proactive manager accountable for her own business decisions. While the program teaches each Nanay ways to increase her monthly earnings from P3,000 to P18,000 within six to eight months, MVI’s ultimate goal is to improve her entrepreneurial ability and, consequently, her family’s livelihood, self-esteem and dignity.
In this respect, the Hapinoy Program is different from similar microfinancing or social enterprise models in Mexico or India, where the main focus is on raising funds for the organization’s goals. Village stores in Southeast Asia exist but are not consolidated systematically. Mr. Ruiz mentions that international microfinancing organization Grameen Foundation has singled out Hapinoy’s uniqueness -- while social in nature, it is run like a real business.
"We envisioned Hapinoy as a flexible and wide-ranging platform, giving us more areas of application such as retail, production, mobile banking, technology and healthcare," Mr. Aquino adds. In fact, a grant from the Science and Technology Innovations for the Base of the Pyramid in Southeast Asia has enabled MVI to pilot its Hapinoy Health Hub, which makes affordable medicine available in Hapinoy communities.
Currently, there are 150 Hapinoy Communities of around 10,000 stores concentrated in Southern Luzon. MVI hopes to expand operations in North Luzon by next year and, eventually, establish a Hapinoy presence in every town in the country. Groups in other countries have also expressed interest in replicating the program, and both Mr. Aquino and Mr. Ruiz foresee international expansion.
Mr. Ruiz acknowledges, however, that the present business environment is not quite ready for large-scale social enterprises; for example, there is not much "patient" (long-term) capital source available given the developmental aspect, and for-profit organizations cannot accept donations without being taxed. Mr. Aquino sees this as an opportunity for advocacy, saying that, "It’s time more people push for social entrepreneurship. As donations for non-government organizations get scarcer, social enterprises need to take the lead." Both believe that in the long term, they can help microenterprises integrate into the formal economy and create a system of entrepreneurs helping other entrepreneurs. They dream of changing the world, one happy Pinoy at a time -- it is the road they have taken.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. Official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on October 12, 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Soup is good food...and business
Soup is good food... and business
Business World Online
September 23, 2010
Adelfa Lepura Borro
President and CEO
Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy
The humble batchoy -- comfort food to many Ilonggos -- has become the iconic food of Iloilo. A bowl of steaming batchoy may look appetizing yet simple but, if one digs deeper, you will find an interesting story of an entrepreneur and his progeny.
Teodoro "Ted" Lepura invested all of his 10 pesos to start his eatery in a public market. He served what became his signature dish -- La Paz batchoy. While the soup originates from the town of La Paz, Mr. Lepura perfected its broth and added round noodles called meke. This was way back in 1945 when he sold batchoy at 20 centavos a bowl.
Among his children, it would be his daughter Adelfa (now Borro) who would inherit both his penchant for cooking and entrepreneurial spirit. At 10, she was already trained to be the cook and templadora (one who mixes and adjusts the taste of the broth). To this day, she has maintained the original flavor of her father’s famous batchoy or as what others may say, "just like the old times." Indeed, a bowl of Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy holds much history.
For as long as he was alive, Mr. Lepura lorded over his kitchen. Ms. Borro took over managing the business only after acquiring her Commerce degree from the Western Institute of Technology in 1973. By that time, the business had grown from its stall in the La Paz Public Market into a full-fledged restaurant called Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy. Mrs. Borro’s skills in the kitchen and her inherent understanding of the Filipino merienda mentality were instrumental in helping the business thrive.
"One of the things we needed to ensure was a consistent ’old-timer taste’ for every bowl of batchoy," she relates. "Some of our loyal patrons had been coming to us for years and we couldn’t disappoint them."
Banking on the Filipino habit of merienda (mid-morning or late afternoon snacks), Mrs. Borro decided to use her own savings and a bank loan to expand the family business. She opened a branch on Valeria Street, Iloilo City in 1985.
At first, the restaurant served batchoy with puto or pan de sal as side dishes. She started to introduce batchoy options like other choices of noodles. She also came up with Namit (Yummy) Meals, All-Day Breakfast Meals and Pancit Guisado Specials. These new products were well-received by customers, kept competitors at bay and generated more sales for businesses.
"Sipag (hard work), tiyaga (perseverance) at tibay ng loob (guts)," Mrs. Borro says, are the necessary ingredients to success.
These values have continually pushed Ted’s to its steady growth. Seeing that the business was gaining a major foothold in the market, she started streamlining operations in 2002 by establishing a company profile and formalizing the operations manual. A year later, Mrs. Borro embarked on a more aggressive expansion route through franchising. Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy now has 12 franchises all over the Philippines in addition to 23 company-owned restaurants.
However, expanding the business came with its own set of challenges. When the company decided to open a branch in Mindanao, they were faced with a non-pork eating clientele. Mrs. Borro responded by introducing the beef batchoy.
"Although the basic ingredient is beef, it still has the rich meaty taste and distinct flavor of the original recipe. You can barely tell the difference!" she enthuses.
The beef batchoy became a huge hit and is now offered in all Ted’s branches nationwide.
Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy has already become a household name in the food industry with branches all over the country and still growing.
Yet Mrs. Borro has never been one to rest on her laurels. Understanding the need to nurture the business into the future, she began to explore the next stage in Ted’s evolution. She initiated renovations at all her restaurants, outfitting then with modern decor and architecture.
In keeping with the times, she started exploring the cafe concept where ambience and comfort complement delicious and affordable food. When Ted’s opened its newest branch on May 16, 2010 at Diversion Road in Iloilo City, this cafe concept was adopted. The food offerings now include a variety of coffee concoctions and an assortment of cakes and pastries for Dulgie’s -- Ted’s sister company owned by Mrs. Borro’s daughter, Allen Mae. Eventually, steaks and grilled specialties will be worked into the menu.
These innovations helped Mrs. Borro score a coup for Ted’s; the concept became popular not only among longtime patrons but also among the young and upwardly mobile crowd. She is also looking at ways to target home consumers.
Working close-ly with the Department of Science and Technology, Mrs. Borro is planning to develop an instant noodle version of the famed dish. She is confident that the product will stay true to the taste of the original La Paz batchoy. Richer in flavor and fuller in taste, Mrs. Borro believes that her instant La Paz Batchoy will be unlike any other being sold in the market.
Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy has been recognized for its excellent reputation and customer service. In 2005, it was declared the Best La Paz Batchoy by the National Shoppers’ Choice Awards. Mrs. Borro is committed to maintaining this position by focusing her efforts on continuously enhancing product quality, restaurant ambience and customer service.
"I always remind my employees that their good service reflects not only on the business but on the Ilonggo culture where good food must be prepared and served with the highest quality," she emphasizes.
She also believes in adopting a hands-on management approach to running the business. "As an entrepreneur," she reasons, "you have to stay on top of operations and know every aspect of the business. Being hands-on is crucial in driving business growth."
A formidable business figure in her own right, Mrs. Borro has come a long way from being her father’s little kitchen helper. Now the visionary behind Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy, Mrs. Borro knows all too well the value of hard work and perseverance. Of all the lessons Adelfa Lepura Borro has learned since taking over Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy, the most lasting is that a strong belief in oneself and the fearlessness to take on calculated risks can do wonders for the business. Her father’s legacy has taught her that good old hard work almost always results in abundance.
"As an entrepreneur, you have your work cut out for you. And yet all you really need is the determination to see it through," she says.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 has concluded its search for the country’s most successful and inspiring entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines is a program of the SGV Foundation, Inc. with the participation of co-presenters De La Salle University, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Philippine Stock Exchange and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
Business World Online
September 23, 2010
Adelfa Lepura Borro
President and CEO
Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy
The humble batchoy -- comfort food to many Ilonggos -- has become the iconic food of Iloilo. A bowl of steaming batchoy may look appetizing yet simple but, if one digs deeper, you will find an interesting story of an entrepreneur and his progeny.
Teodoro "Ted" Lepura invested all of his 10 pesos to start his eatery in a public market. He served what became his signature dish -- La Paz batchoy. While the soup originates from the town of La Paz, Mr. Lepura perfected its broth and added round noodles called meke. This was way back in 1945 when he sold batchoy at 20 centavos a bowl.
Among his children, it would be his daughter Adelfa (now Borro) who would inherit both his penchant for cooking and entrepreneurial spirit. At 10, she was already trained to be the cook and templadora (one who mixes and adjusts the taste of the broth). To this day, she has maintained the original flavor of her father’s famous batchoy or as what others may say, "just like the old times." Indeed, a bowl of Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy holds much history.
For as long as he was alive, Mr. Lepura lorded over his kitchen. Ms. Borro took over managing the business only after acquiring her Commerce degree from the Western Institute of Technology in 1973. By that time, the business had grown from its stall in the La Paz Public Market into a full-fledged restaurant called Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy. Mrs. Borro’s skills in the kitchen and her inherent understanding of the Filipino merienda mentality were instrumental in helping the business thrive.
"One of the things we needed to ensure was a consistent ’old-timer taste’ for every bowl of batchoy," she relates. "Some of our loyal patrons had been coming to us for years and we couldn’t disappoint them."
Banking on the Filipino habit of merienda (mid-morning or late afternoon snacks), Mrs. Borro decided to use her own savings and a bank loan to expand the family business. She opened a branch on Valeria Street, Iloilo City in 1985.
At first, the restaurant served batchoy with puto or pan de sal as side dishes. She started to introduce batchoy options like other choices of noodles. She also came up with Namit (Yummy) Meals, All-Day Breakfast Meals and Pancit Guisado Specials. These new products were well-received by customers, kept competitors at bay and generated more sales for businesses.
"Sipag (hard work), tiyaga (perseverance) at tibay ng loob (guts)," Mrs. Borro says, are the necessary ingredients to success.
These values have continually pushed Ted’s to its steady growth. Seeing that the business was gaining a major foothold in the market, she started streamlining operations in 2002 by establishing a company profile and formalizing the operations manual. A year later, Mrs. Borro embarked on a more aggressive expansion route through franchising. Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy now has 12 franchises all over the Philippines in addition to 23 company-owned restaurants.
However, expanding the business came with its own set of challenges. When the company decided to open a branch in Mindanao, they were faced with a non-pork eating clientele. Mrs. Borro responded by introducing the beef batchoy.
"Although the basic ingredient is beef, it still has the rich meaty taste and distinct flavor of the original recipe. You can barely tell the difference!" she enthuses.
The beef batchoy became a huge hit and is now offered in all Ted’s branches nationwide.
Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy has already become a household name in the food industry with branches all over the country and still growing.
Yet Mrs. Borro has never been one to rest on her laurels. Understanding the need to nurture the business into the future, she began to explore the next stage in Ted’s evolution. She initiated renovations at all her restaurants, outfitting then with modern decor and architecture.
In keeping with the times, she started exploring the cafe concept where ambience and comfort complement delicious and affordable food. When Ted’s opened its newest branch on May 16, 2010 at Diversion Road in Iloilo City, this cafe concept was adopted. The food offerings now include a variety of coffee concoctions and an assortment of cakes and pastries for Dulgie’s -- Ted’s sister company owned by Mrs. Borro’s daughter, Allen Mae. Eventually, steaks and grilled specialties will be worked into the menu.
These innovations helped Mrs. Borro score a coup for Ted’s; the concept became popular not only among longtime patrons but also among the young and upwardly mobile crowd. She is also looking at ways to target home consumers.
Working close-ly with the Department of Science and Technology, Mrs. Borro is planning to develop an instant noodle version of the famed dish. She is confident that the product will stay true to the taste of the original La Paz batchoy. Richer in flavor and fuller in taste, Mrs. Borro believes that her instant La Paz Batchoy will be unlike any other being sold in the market.
Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy has been recognized for its excellent reputation and customer service. In 2005, it was declared the Best La Paz Batchoy by the National Shoppers’ Choice Awards. Mrs. Borro is committed to maintaining this position by focusing her efforts on continuously enhancing product quality, restaurant ambience and customer service.
"I always remind my employees that their good service reflects not only on the business but on the Ilonggo culture where good food must be prepared and served with the highest quality," she emphasizes.
She also believes in adopting a hands-on management approach to running the business. "As an entrepreneur," she reasons, "you have to stay on top of operations and know every aspect of the business. Being hands-on is crucial in driving business growth."
A formidable business figure in her own right, Mrs. Borro has come a long way from being her father’s little kitchen helper. Now the visionary behind Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy, Mrs. Borro knows all too well the value of hard work and perseverance. Of all the lessons Adelfa Lepura Borro has learned since taking over Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy, the most lasting is that a strong belief in oneself and the fearlessness to take on calculated risks can do wonders for the business. Her father’s legacy has taught her that good old hard work almost always results in abundance.
"As an entrepreneur, you have your work cut out for you. And yet all you really need is the determination to see it through," she says.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 has concluded its search for the country’s most successful and inspiring entrepreneurs. Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines is a program of the SGV Foundation, Inc. with the participation of co-presenters De La Salle University, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Philippine Stock Exchange and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Wealth in and of water
Wealth in and of water
Business World Online
September 22, 2010
Gabino M. Abejo, Jr.
Abejo Builders Corp.
Cebu City is the hub of trade, industry, tourism and education in the Visayas. Steeped in history and rich in local traditions, it has been consistently rated among the top island destinations in Asia. However, it is also a known fact that Metro Cebu has had a water supply problem for some time now because of deforestation and seawater seeping into its underground water supply. That water is a basic human necessity cannot be ignored in this populous area and 27-year-old Gabino M. Abejo, Jr. has risen to this challenge. He has channeled his drive, energy and boundless enthusiasm into projects to provide clean, safe water to barangays in Talisay and Consolacion, Cebu.
Leveraging on the resources and experience of Abejo Builders Corp., Mr. Abejo guided his family’s business into diversifying from construction into bulk water production. The company was created in 1999 as a family-owned construction business based in Mandaue City. At that time, Mr. Abejo’s brother Gerry headed the company that was involved in small piping projects with the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD). Seeing an opportunity to supply potable water by engineering their own water delivery system, the Abejo family began shifting their focus to water production. The company partnered with a Manila-based water distribution consultant to learn more about the industry.
A big break occurred in 2003 when the company won a bid to supply a minimum of 4,000 cubic meters (cu. m.) of potable water to the MCWD for distribution in Talisay City. As this was the company’s first venture into the business, it took 12 months to build the system. In 2005, Gerry stepped down, and his younger brother, Gabino, took over as vice-president of the business.
Mr. Abejo has had some experience in the water industry. After graduating from Northwood University in Florida in 2004, he came home and set up a water refilling station in Mactan, where water is mostly brackish. The success of his business led to two more branches within the next nine months.
As head of the company, Mr. Abejo saw the huge potential of expanding into the bulk water system. He decided to restructure the company with water supply as its primary service and construction as a secondary service. Under his leadership, the company made significant investments in their water system model to ensure cost efficiency. This allowed the company to offer reasonable and competitive prices to both customers and water districts.
From an initial supply of 4,000 cu. m. daily, the Talisay bulk water system increased production to an average of 5,600 cu. m. daily by 2007. A year later, the company won another MWCD contract to supply a minimum of 7,000 cu. m. daily of potable water to the town of Consolacion. Despite being a fledgling in the water business, they were able to supply the MCWD with up to 15,000 cu. m. a day.
Moreover, lessons from their previous project enabled Abejo Builders to complete the new system in just six months or half the time it took to complete their first water system. The six-month turnaround is now a standard guarantee in their contracts.
With an eye for opportunity, Mr. Abejo also envisioned a way to help the communities where their bulk water supply system was located. Noting that not all houses in the barangays had ready access to the water supplied by the MCWD, Abejo Builders provided communal faucets in as many as 12 to 15 areas in the barangay. Water is available 24 hours a day and is free of charge. This was the start of his "Barangayan Water Project."
However, the water needs of the community proved to be too great, prompting Mr. Abejo to expand the project into a level three water supply system. This meant installing water meters in all houses and providing water directly to the barangay residents, at no cost to the local government.
Mr. Abejo also pegged the price per cubic meter at P1 lower than the MCWD’s to further subsidize the expenses in the community. The connection fee of P4,000 is also charged over a 12-month installment plan.
Mr. Abejo sees this as building a sense of social responsibility in his company. He hopes to replicate this system in other barangays wherever the company’s bulk water supply system is located.
Inspired by his company’s rapid growth and success, Mr. Abejo aggressively pushes on, aiming to further increase the volume he supplies to the MCWD by an additional 25,000 cu. m.
This year, he has already won five new supply contracts, two systems of which they have started to build. Apart from servicing the MCWD, Mr. Abejo is also in talks with two private companies to supply them with 4,000 cu. m. a day using surface water technology and brackish water desalination technology.
To undertake new and bigger projects, Mr. Abejo relies on his employees to deliver. To him, they are the company’s strongest assets, and he makes it a point to meet with his management and staff regularly to discuss problems and opportunities.
Every six months the company also organizes team building activities for the staff. He believes that employees continually become more efficient and innovative due to their culture of mutual trust, respect and teaming. He considers this to be the key to Abejo Builders’ growing competitiveness.
Confident of his team and optimistic about the opportunities in the water sector, Mr. Abejo is keen about the company’s expansion. There are plans to list on the Philippine Stock Exchange, acquire other bulk water supplier companies with existing contracts, and to bid on projects for other water districts outside Cebu, such as in Southern Luzon and other parts in the Visayas and Mindanao.
With youthful exuberance, Mr. Abejo is charting a course that he hopes will help improve the lives of his fellow Cebuanos and other Filipinos.
"It truly motivates me when I see poor people in the barangays living better and healthier lives because of the 24-hour potable water our company supplies directly to their houses. The never-ending show of gratitude whenever I visit these barangays inspires me to work harder and to duplicate this project in areas not served by the local water district," he says.
--
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on October 12, 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2011. The Entrepreneur Of The Year is produced globally by Ernst & Young.
Business World Online
September 22, 2010
Gabino M. Abejo, Jr.
Abejo Builders Corp.
Cebu City is the hub of trade, industry, tourism and education in the Visayas. Steeped in history and rich in local traditions, it has been consistently rated among the top island destinations in Asia. However, it is also a known fact that Metro Cebu has had a water supply problem for some time now because of deforestation and seawater seeping into its underground water supply. That water is a basic human necessity cannot be ignored in this populous area and 27-year-old Gabino M. Abejo, Jr. has risen to this challenge. He has channeled his drive, energy and boundless enthusiasm into projects to provide clean, safe water to barangays in Talisay and Consolacion, Cebu.
Leveraging on the resources and experience of Abejo Builders Corp., Mr. Abejo guided his family’s business into diversifying from construction into bulk water production. The company was created in 1999 as a family-owned construction business based in Mandaue City. At that time, Mr. Abejo’s brother Gerry headed the company that was involved in small piping projects with the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD). Seeing an opportunity to supply potable water by engineering their own water delivery system, the Abejo family began shifting their focus to water production. The company partnered with a Manila-based water distribution consultant to learn more about the industry.
A big break occurred in 2003 when the company won a bid to supply a minimum of 4,000 cubic meters (cu. m.) of potable water to the MCWD for distribution in Talisay City. As this was the company’s first venture into the business, it took 12 months to build the system. In 2005, Gerry stepped down, and his younger brother, Gabino, took over as vice-president of the business.
Mr. Abejo has had some experience in the water industry. After graduating from Northwood University in Florida in 2004, he came home and set up a water refilling station in Mactan, where water is mostly brackish. The success of his business led to two more branches within the next nine months.
As head of the company, Mr. Abejo saw the huge potential of expanding into the bulk water system. He decided to restructure the company with water supply as its primary service and construction as a secondary service. Under his leadership, the company made significant investments in their water system model to ensure cost efficiency. This allowed the company to offer reasonable and competitive prices to both customers and water districts.
From an initial supply of 4,000 cu. m. daily, the Talisay bulk water system increased production to an average of 5,600 cu. m. daily by 2007. A year later, the company won another MWCD contract to supply a minimum of 7,000 cu. m. daily of potable water to the town of Consolacion. Despite being a fledgling in the water business, they were able to supply the MCWD with up to 15,000 cu. m. a day.
Moreover, lessons from their previous project enabled Abejo Builders to complete the new system in just six months or half the time it took to complete their first water system. The six-month turnaround is now a standard guarantee in their contracts.
With an eye for opportunity, Mr. Abejo also envisioned a way to help the communities where their bulk water supply system was located. Noting that not all houses in the barangays had ready access to the water supplied by the MCWD, Abejo Builders provided communal faucets in as many as 12 to 15 areas in the barangay. Water is available 24 hours a day and is free of charge. This was the start of his "Barangayan Water Project."
However, the water needs of the community proved to be too great, prompting Mr. Abejo to expand the project into a level three water supply system. This meant installing water meters in all houses and providing water directly to the barangay residents, at no cost to the local government.
Mr. Abejo also pegged the price per cubic meter at P1 lower than the MCWD’s to further subsidize the expenses in the community. The connection fee of P4,000 is also charged over a 12-month installment plan.
Mr. Abejo sees this as building a sense of social responsibility in his company. He hopes to replicate this system in other barangays wherever the company’s bulk water supply system is located.
Inspired by his company’s rapid growth and success, Mr. Abejo aggressively pushes on, aiming to further increase the volume he supplies to the MCWD by an additional 25,000 cu. m.
This year, he has already won five new supply contracts, two systems of which they have started to build. Apart from servicing the MCWD, Mr. Abejo is also in talks with two private companies to supply them with 4,000 cu. m. a day using surface water technology and brackish water desalination technology.
To undertake new and bigger projects, Mr. Abejo relies on his employees to deliver. To him, they are the company’s strongest assets, and he makes it a point to meet with his management and staff regularly to discuss problems and opportunities.
Every six months the company also organizes team building activities for the staff. He believes that employees continually become more efficient and innovative due to their culture of mutual trust, respect and teaming. He considers this to be the key to Abejo Builders’ growing competitiveness.
Confident of his team and optimistic about the opportunities in the water sector, Mr. Abejo is keen about the company’s expansion. There are plans to list on the Philippine Stock Exchange, acquire other bulk water supplier companies with existing contracts, and to bid on projects for other water districts outside Cebu, such as in Southern Luzon and other parts in the Visayas and Mindanao.
With youthful exuberance, Mr. Abejo is charting a course that he hopes will help improve the lives of his fellow Cebuanos and other Filipinos.
"It truly motivates me when I see poor people in the barangays living better and healthier lives because of the 24-hour potable water our company supplies directly to their houses. The never-ending show of gratitude whenever I visit these barangays inspires me to work harder and to duplicate this project in areas not served by the local water district," he says.
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The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group in the Philippines. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on October 12, 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines will represent the country in the World Entrepreneur Of The Year 2010 in Monte Carlo, Monaco in June 2011. The Entrepreneur Of The Year is produced globally by Ernst & Young.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The resolute grocer
The resolute grocer
Business World Online
September 21, 2010
Corazon Pineda-Aquino
Chief Finance Officer
C & Triple A Supermarket, Inc.
Just like her famous namesake, Corazon Pineda-Aquino is a woman with steely determination. Since childhood, her sense of entrepreneurship has always found a way to express itself.
Born in Tarlac to working-class parents, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino always sought out opportunities to earn additional income. As a young girl, she would collect and sell used bottles of vinegar and soy sauce. Because her family lived near a movie theater, she would harvest star apples from their backyard and sell them to hungry moviegoers.
She later earned a Commerce degree from the University of Baguio and married shortly after. To supplement the family income, she would sell eggs and tocino from their apartment. She even convinced her banker husband to sell to his coworkers. Borrowing a relative’s car, the couple also offered their products to sari-sari stores around town. In two years, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino opened a stall, named Triple A Poultry Products, in the Baguio Public Market.
With their retail store’s success, Mr. Aquino decided to resign and help his wife manage their business full-time. Unfortunately, fire hit the marketplace only a few months after they started their business, destroying their entire inventory. It was a very difficult time as the Aquinos could not get any financial assistance to rebuild their business. "Just thinking about it again is heartbreaking," she admits, "but the trial actually defined my business principle: there are no obstacles too big for a determined woman."
Unwilling to let the misfortune deter her, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino fell back on her instinct and resourcefulness. With a fierce determination, she peddled sisig and barbeque on the sidewalks of Burnham Park. Business picked up and she was able to rent a space near the public market, where she put up a small sari-sari store. A few years later, she spotted a prime location along Zandueta Street and opened a 10-square meter mini-grocery.
With prudence and careful planning, the mini-grocery expanded into a 450-square meter establishment called C & Triple A Supermarket. Initially a sole proprietorship, C & Triple A has expanded into several corporations: C & Triple A Supermarket, Inc. and Pakjaz Corporation which operate three supermarket chains, A-Pine Marketing, Inc. to handle the supermarket’s marketing efforts, and Northern Luzon Market Associates Corporation for distribution.
One of the supermarkets of choice in Baguio City, C & Triple A caters to the C, D and E classes, especially local sari-sari stores that purchase items in bulk. It implements a fully integrated point-of-sale system, enabling management to monitor all transactions. This is managed by her son Patrick, who is her executive assistant in retail and the company’s IT head. "I always learn from the younger ones. Older entrepreneurs like me should always be open to innovations, especially if they help the growth of the business or benefit the customers," Mrs. Aquino-Pineda reveals.
Other innovations in the pipeline include a C & Triple A Customer Loyalty Card and a sales database to provide suppliers with sales offtake data.
While C & Triple A was enjoying modest growth, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino was aware that smaller trading channels such as sari-sari stores would regularly encounter problems in acquiring goods from Manila-based distribution companies. As a consequence, pricing in these channels became exorbitant. This prompted her to venture into distribution in 2000. To strike a win-win balance for all parties, she established A-Pine Marketing in partnership with her principal suppliers. She created a hybrid distribution model, concentrating efforts on developing marginal accounts and making value-for-money goods available to smaller channels. Soon, the smaller trade channels started to enjoy more efficient business because A-Pine’s parity pricing allowed them lower prices while achieving better margins. Today, A-Pine Marketing is the distributor of choice for sari-sari stores in Baguio.
C & Triple A aims to provide consumers with a one-stop shop for their food and grocery needs. The building is currently being renovated to add a second level which will house a meat shop, chicken station, fresh vegetables counter and an ice cream station. The distribution firms will also be starting the construction of a second warehouse and an office building for anticipated new principals.
While Mrs. Pineda-Aquino considers herself an aggressive entrepreneur, she carefully evaluates whether an opportunity should be seized by conducting feasibility studies and holding board meetings to gather insights. "I’m not afraid of moving forward," she says, "but taking risks doesn’t mean blindly jumping right in. It’s still about making calculated choices." This prudent attitude is reflected in the group’s success -- consolidated annual income more than doubled in the past year. More importantly, she measures success in the number of people her business is able to help and support. Thus, C & Triple A holds regular skills training programs to improve customer service. She also cultivates a close-knit culture among her employees and says they treat each other like family.
Having undergone misfortune and hardship firsthand, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino believes that corporate social responsibility can make a real difference in the community. Among its regular projects are providing in-kind donations such as tables and chairs to day care centers; supplying computer equipment to local police; and supporting various community projects. She also considers her two-year stint as president of the Baguio-Benguet Entrepreneurs and Traders Association as one of her successes. "Bringing these emerging entrepreneurs together for a common cause was an enlightening experience," she says. "It inspires me even more, knowing there are other like-minded people who share my passion for helping the poor and marginalized."
Looking back on the challenges she faced, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino says that she never considered just giving up and muses, "When things get tough, I rely on hard work, perseverance and faith." This woman entrepreneur from Baguio City certainly knows how to keep her cool in the face of adversity.
---
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on 12 October 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Business World Online
September 21, 2010
Corazon Pineda-Aquino
Chief Finance Officer
C & Triple A Supermarket, Inc.
Just like her famous namesake, Corazon Pineda-Aquino is a woman with steely determination. Since childhood, her sense of entrepreneurship has always found a way to express itself.
Born in Tarlac to working-class parents, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino always sought out opportunities to earn additional income. As a young girl, she would collect and sell used bottles of vinegar and soy sauce. Because her family lived near a movie theater, she would harvest star apples from their backyard and sell them to hungry moviegoers.
She later earned a Commerce degree from the University of Baguio and married shortly after. To supplement the family income, she would sell eggs and tocino from their apartment. She even convinced her banker husband to sell to his coworkers. Borrowing a relative’s car, the couple also offered their products to sari-sari stores around town. In two years, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino opened a stall, named Triple A Poultry Products, in the Baguio Public Market.
With their retail store’s success, Mr. Aquino decided to resign and help his wife manage their business full-time. Unfortunately, fire hit the marketplace only a few months after they started their business, destroying their entire inventory. It was a very difficult time as the Aquinos could not get any financial assistance to rebuild their business. "Just thinking about it again is heartbreaking," she admits, "but the trial actually defined my business principle: there are no obstacles too big for a determined woman."
Unwilling to let the misfortune deter her, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino fell back on her instinct and resourcefulness. With a fierce determination, she peddled sisig and barbeque on the sidewalks of Burnham Park. Business picked up and she was able to rent a space near the public market, where she put up a small sari-sari store. A few years later, she spotted a prime location along Zandueta Street and opened a 10-square meter mini-grocery.
With prudence and careful planning, the mini-grocery expanded into a 450-square meter establishment called C & Triple A Supermarket. Initially a sole proprietorship, C & Triple A has expanded into several corporations: C & Triple A Supermarket, Inc. and Pakjaz Corporation which operate three supermarket chains, A-Pine Marketing, Inc. to handle the supermarket’s marketing efforts, and Northern Luzon Market Associates Corporation for distribution.
One of the supermarkets of choice in Baguio City, C & Triple A caters to the C, D and E classes, especially local sari-sari stores that purchase items in bulk. It implements a fully integrated point-of-sale system, enabling management to monitor all transactions. This is managed by her son Patrick, who is her executive assistant in retail and the company’s IT head. "I always learn from the younger ones. Older entrepreneurs like me should always be open to innovations, especially if they help the growth of the business or benefit the customers," Mrs. Aquino-Pineda reveals.
Other innovations in the pipeline include a C & Triple A Customer Loyalty Card and a sales database to provide suppliers with sales offtake data.
While C & Triple A was enjoying modest growth, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino was aware that smaller trading channels such as sari-sari stores would regularly encounter problems in acquiring goods from Manila-based distribution companies. As a consequence, pricing in these channels became exorbitant. This prompted her to venture into distribution in 2000. To strike a win-win balance for all parties, she established A-Pine Marketing in partnership with her principal suppliers. She created a hybrid distribution model, concentrating efforts on developing marginal accounts and making value-for-money goods available to smaller channels. Soon, the smaller trade channels started to enjoy more efficient business because A-Pine’s parity pricing allowed them lower prices while achieving better margins. Today, A-Pine Marketing is the distributor of choice for sari-sari stores in Baguio.
C & Triple A aims to provide consumers with a one-stop shop for their food and grocery needs. The building is currently being renovated to add a second level which will house a meat shop, chicken station, fresh vegetables counter and an ice cream station. The distribution firms will also be starting the construction of a second warehouse and an office building for anticipated new principals.
While Mrs. Pineda-Aquino considers herself an aggressive entrepreneur, she carefully evaluates whether an opportunity should be seized by conducting feasibility studies and holding board meetings to gather insights. "I’m not afraid of moving forward," she says, "but taking risks doesn’t mean blindly jumping right in. It’s still about making calculated choices." This prudent attitude is reflected in the group’s success -- consolidated annual income more than doubled in the past year. More importantly, she measures success in the number of people her business is able to help and support. Thus, C & Triple A holds regular skills training programs to improve customer service. She also cultivates a close-knit culture among her employees and says they treat each other like family.
Having undergone misfortune and hardship firsthand, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino believes that corporate social responsibility can make a real difference in the community. Among its regular projects are providing in-kind donations such as tables and chairs to day care centers; supplying computer equipment to local police; and supporting various community projects. She also considers her two-year stint as president of the Baguio-Benguet Entrepreneurs and Traders Association as one of her successes. "Bringing these emerging entrepreneurs together for a common cause was an enlightening experience," she says. "It inspires me even more, knowing there are other like-minded people who share my passion for helping the poor and marginalized."
Looking back on the challenges she faced, Mrs. Pineda-Aquino says that she never considered just giving up and muses, "When things get tough, I rely on hard work, perseverance and faith." This woman entrepreneur from Baguio City certainly knows how to keep her cool in the face of adversity.
---
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 is sponsored by SAP Philippines. The official airline is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, operating on behalf of the Air-France KLM Group. Media sponsors are BusinessWorld and the ABS-CBN News Channel. The winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year Philippines 2010 will be announced on 12 October 2010 at an awards banquet at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
A Day at the Farm
A Day at the Farm
By Maria Eleanor Valeros
The Freeman – Lifestyle
July 27, 2010
Despite the still sad state of roads leading to the interior portions of Cebu City’s mountain barangays of Sudlon II and Tabunan, the media farm tour pulled through last July 10, giving us an on-location overview of organic farming and the quality of farm produce sold at the Kumprahan SuperMerkado.
To better promote healthy living among the Cebuano populace, Kumprahan saw the need to tap the media for an effective launch of its campaign. Thus, the idea of a media farm tour was hatched in coordination with the Philippine Business for Social Progress.
Sudlon and Tabunan have always been subjects of interest in my previous road trips since 2002 because of their cutflower farms, interesting caves and that small lake in Cantipla (a sitio of Tabunan), so the weekend visit, in part, poses again the question: “Where is the promised improved road network?” Or have the farmers got some point there in their suspicion of “farm-to-pocket” moves instead of “farm-to-market” roads?
In Sudlon II, members of the PBSP-cooperative-beneficiary Sudlon Farmers Livelihood and Training Services, Foundation (responsible for bringing to the “bagsakan” 1,000 tons of produce weekly) are grateful of PBSP’s help like the introduction of vermicomposting which is integral in the shift to organically grown produce – as with the growing of tomatoes, sweet corn, eggplants, lettuce, string beans, among others. PBSP, a non-profit foundation, commits to the reduction of poverty in the country by assisting farmers through technology intervention.
However, farm leader Aladin Pagatpat of the 50-member SUFALTRAS mentioned that if only they could be provided with four-wheel tractors to aid contour farming in rolling terrains and a cold chain facility that would store lettuce, baguio beans, tomatoes and atsal (bell pepper), then that would be the next big help to look forward to in line with empowering farmers and invigorating the countryside.
“Sa handling gyod problema. If a cold storage is available, that would help prolong the shell life most especially of lettuce,” he added.
On the health side, most of us grew up with the knowledge that vegetables, in general, are good for our health. It lowers cholesterol, prevents heart diseases and helps brain development, among many other healthful benefits, but never knew a word about organic.
Organic literally means natural, but generally it refers to the growing, raising, or processing of food without pesticides, drugs, synthetic chemicals, or hormones, using methods that conserve natural resources and limit the effects on the environment.
However, Pagatpat admitted of encountering difficulty in dramatically shifting to 100-percent organic growing of vegetables because of the need to control pests with the use of commercial fertilizers. “However, we assure that farm produce are already 70 to 75 percent organically grown,” he said. And with vermiculture, or the use of earthworms to turn organic wastes into very high quality compost, at hand, the shift to 100-percent organic farming is within feasible grounds.
To cater to the need for locally grown Korean veggies, SUFALTRAS looks at the prospect of producing wombok, cucumber and radish in the 500-600 hectares cultivated land of the total 2,000 hectares of arable land in Sudlon II. “It was tested in Cebu south, pero pait man ang radish so maybe if we can facilitate a test with Sudlon soil, makita nato unsay laing factor to consider. Basin it has something to do with soil moisture or the soil component.”
Growing Korean veggies would also introduce a direct delivery system to the very doorsteps of Korean resident-consumers.
Had we only left the assembly area a bit earlier, we could have made a stop at the greenhouse in Sudlon. Meantime, that opportunity has to wait.
After Sudlon, we proceeded to Tabunan, a place I used to frequent back in the late 90s for the annual Mt. Manunggal climb. It has also been chronicled in the book of Col. Manuel F. Segura that this had been the seat of the guerrilla movement during the Japanese-American War. Decades after, it serves as home to “green revolution” with farm leaders of the Battalion Irrigators Association tilling 26 hectares of cultivated land of a total of 3,000 hectares of available agricultural land.
Farm leaders Nonencio Arcayan and Nerio Pador take pride in the disposal of 4,000 kilos a week of eggplants despite the still unfinished road concreting project there.
Because we all believe that the future is not set in stone for these farmers, we would somehow appeal for other agencies to offer a helping hand. Ironically, on the list of partners of the cooperative beneficiaries (PBSP, Department of Agriculture, Presko – Ang Sekreto sa mga Suheto, St. Vincent Neighborhood Multipurpose Coop, Coop Centrum, Carcar United Lowland Farmers Irrigators Assoc., and Bridges Town Square), the missing link is that entity responsible for road improvements.
As for Kumprahan SuperMerkado, it aims to establish itself as the only “bagsakan” for organically grown and organically raised produce in Cebu. Its Grand Farmers Day gives the farmers the opportunity to earn more and the public to buy directly from the farmers, thereby eliminating the middlemen – who control the prices – out of the picture. Due to incessant public demand, Grand Farmers Day became a Grand Farmers Weekend event at Kumprahan.
This, in effect, signifies Kumprahan’s serious intentions to become an all-organic community market, according to Kumprahan chief organizer Jon Ramos.
At Kumprahan, customers can buy their farm products at farmgate prices directly from the farmers on weekends. The Grand Farmers Weekend at Kumprahan is aimed at helping the farmers earn more through direct selling.
“We are also inviting people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and go organic,” Ramos said, referring to the healthful benefits that organic food offers.
Kumprahan SuperMerkado is an innovative community store, the first community market in the Visayas and Mindanao that provides products at merkado prices and freshness, yet at the convenience of a mall supermarket. It is located in Bridges Town Square, Plaridel St., Alang-Alang, Mandaue City.
By Maria Eleanor Valeros
The Freeman – Lifestyle
July 27, 2010
Despite the still sad state of roads leading to the interior portions of Cebu City’s mountain barangays of Sudlon II and Tabunan, the media farm tour pulled through last July 10, giving us an on-location overview of organic farming and the quality of farm produce sold at the Kumprahan SuperMerkado.
To better promote healthy living among the Cebuano populace, Kumprahan saw the need to tap the media for an effective launch of its campaign. Thus, the idea of a media farm tour was hatched in coordination with the Philippine Business for Social Progress.
Sudlon and Tabunan have always been subjects of interest in my previous road trips since 2002 because of their cutflower farms, interesting caves and that small lake in Cantipla (a sitio of Tabunan), so the weekend visit, in part, poses again the question: “Where is the promised improved road network?” Or have the farmers got some point there in their suspicion of “farm-to-pocket” moves instead of “farm-to-market” roads?
In Sudlon II, members of the PBSP-cooperative-beneficiary Sudlon Farmers Livelihood and Training Services, Foundation (responsible for bringing to the “bagsakan” 1,000 tons of produce weekly) are grateful of PBSP’s help like the introduction of vermicomposting which is integral in the shift to organically grown produce – as with the growing of tomatoes, sweet corn, eggplants, lettuce, string beans, among others. PBSP, a non-profit foundation, commits to the reduction of poverty in the country by assisting farmers through technology intervention.
However, farm leader Aladin Pagatpat of the 50-member SUFALTRAS mentioned that if only they could be provided with four-wheel tractors to aid contour farming in rolling terrains and a cold chain facility that would store lettuce, baguio beans, tomatoes and atsal (bell pepper), then that would be the next big help to look forward to in line with empowering farmers and invigorating the countryside.
“Sa handling gyod problema. If a cold storage is available, that would help prolong the shell life most especially of lettuce,” he added.
On the health side, most of us grew up with the knowledge that vegetables, in general, are good for our health. It lowers cholesterol, prevents heart diseases and helps brain development, among many other healthful benefits, but never knew a word about organic.
Organic literally means natural, but generally it refers to the growing, raising, or processing of food without pesticides, drugs, synthetic chemicals, or hormones, using methods that conserve natural resources and limit the effects on the environment.
However, Pagatpat admitted of encountering difficulty in dramatically shifting to 100-percent organic growing of vegetables because of the need to control pests with the use of commercial fertilizers. “However, we assure that farm produce are already 70 to 75 percent organically grown,” he said. And with vermiculture, or the use of earthworms to turn organic wastes into very high quality compost, at hand, the shift to 100-percent organic farming is within feasible grounds.
To cater to the need for locally grown Korean veggies, SUFALTRAS looks at the prospect of producing wombok, cucumber and radish in the 500-600 hectares cultivated land of the total 2,000 hectares of arable land in Sudlon II. “It was tested in Cebu south, pero pait man ang radish so maybe if we can facilitate a test with Sudlon soil, makita nato unsay laing factor to consider. Basin it has something to do with soil moisture or the soil component.”
Growing Korean veggies would also introduce a direct delivery system to the very doorsteps of Korean resident-consumers.
Had we only left the assembly area a bit earlier, we could have made a stop at the greenhouse in Sudlon. Meantime, that opportunity has to wait.
After Sudlon, we proceeded to Tabunan, a place I used to frequent back in the late 90s for the annual Mt. Manunggal climb. It has also been chronicled in the book of Col. Manuel F. Segura that this had been the seat of the guerrilla movement during the Japanese-American War. Decades after, it serves as home to “green revolution” with farm leaders of the Battalion Irrigators Association tilling 26 hectares of cultivated land of a total of 3,000 hectares of available agricultural land.
Farm leaders Nonencio Arcayan and Nerio Pador take pride in the disposal of 4,000 kilos a week of eggplants despite the still unfinished road concreting project there.
Because we all believe that the future is not set in stone for these farmers, we would somehow appeal for other agencies to offer a helping hand. Ironically, on the list of partners of the cooperative beneficiaries (PBSP, Department of Agriculture, Presko – Ang Sekreto sa mga Suheto, St. Vincent Neighborhood Multipurpose Coop, Coop Centrum, Carcar United Lowland Farmers Irrigators Assoc., and Bridges Town Square), the missing link is that entity responsible for road improvements.
As for Kumprahan SuperMerkado, it aims to establish itself as the only “bagsakan” for organically grown and organically raised produce in Cebu. Its Grand Farmers Day gives the farmers the opportunity to earn more and the public to buy directly from the farmers, thereby eliminating the middlemen – who control the prices – out of the picture. Due to incessant public demand, Grand Farmers Day became a Grand Farmers Weekend event at Kumprahan.
This, in effect, signifies Kumprahan’s serious intentions to become an all-organic community market, according to Kumprahan chief organizer Jon Ramos.
At Kumprahan, customers can buy their farm products at farmgate prices directly from the farmers on weekends. The Grand Farmers Weekend at Kumprahan is aimed at helping the farmers earn more through direct selling.
“We are also inviting people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and go organic,” Ramos said, referring to the healthful benefits that organic food offers.
Kumprahan SuperMerkado is an innovative community store, the first community market in the Visayas and Mindanao that provides products at merkado prices and freshness, yet at the convenience of a mall supermarket. It is located in Bridges Town Square, Plaridel St., Alang-Alang, Mandaue City.
Partnerships for development
Map Insights
By Edgardo C. Amistad
BusinessWorld Online
July 26, 2010
Partnerships for development
Nation building, while government led, should be the concern of everyone. The just concluded 9th annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Expo held on July 14 and 15, with the theme "Synergizing for Change," provides a platform for every citizen to do his part for nation building, through public-private partnerships.
The engagement among the government, the private sector, civil society, academe, and grassroots organizations is indispensable. The passionate response of the members of the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) to the challenge of nation building was palpable during the conference and should bode well for the administration of President Aquino which brings with it a fresh enthusiasm for serious and genuine change for a better tomorrow.
Public-private partnerships, in the context of CSR, is unlike its traditional meaning involving a contract between the government and a private party where the latter assumes financial, technical, and operational risks in providing a public service or project, while the former provides support such as revenue subsidies or tax breaks. For the members of the LCF, partnering with government to provide a public service means formulating a sustainable project that is integrated with the member’s core business. It is by no means philanthropy since the project, by itself, should be sustainable. Responsibility for the success of the project is shared among all stakeholders including the community for which the project is set up. Each partner in the undertaking brings with him his own unique expertise, strength and resources to create synergy.
Managing a partnership, though, is easier said than done. Partnerships require commitment and a culture of innovation and learning among all stakeholders for a project to be successful. Other elements include the realization that each partner is inextricable from the other and that partners must be willing to retain an open mind and address issues amidst tensions or conflicts. They must not compete but rather complement each other. These bring about synergy -- and synergy is the force behind partnerships.
It must be emphasized, though, that the provision of a public service through strategic alliances must be done within the bounds of sustainable development, i.e., bringing about improvement in the quality of life of a community while observing proper natural resource stewardship. Promotion of the well-being of the current generation must not be done by sacrificing the welfare of the future generation. In fact, at the back of mind should be the goal of paving the way for a better future for all. The proper use of natural resources cannot be over emphasized especially with climate change currently staring us in the face.
Taking this a step further, the objective of providing a public service should be to bring the disadvantaged sector to a level where it could take off on its own toward the path of sustained development. This is the other face of sustainable development. Still another facet is that the project being undertaken must be financially self-sustaining. Neither the government nor the private sector can afford to waste resources.
The task of nation building is enormous. It is too big a task for just a single organization, or just a few. Happily, most of the members of the LCF have already embarked on partnerships to contribute to nation building. One very good example is the 57-75 Movement that aims to reverse the education crisis through focused interventions and school-community action, toward system-wide performance improvements. The partners involved are the Ateneo Center for Educational Development, the Foundation for Worldwide People Power, the LCF, Philippine Business for Education, the Philippine Business for Social Progress and the Synergeia Foundation.
The immensity of the task at hand for the Philipines is enough reason for all the members of the LCF to come together and tap their collective intelligence as they walk their talk with CSR in their hearts. While the members of the LCF may continue the various poverty reduction projects that they have already started, more alliances need to be built and deepened but in a more systematic way. The LCF can develop an inclusive development agenda, then break it down to smaller parts or specific projects which the close to 80 member foundations can choose from or adopt. These 80 member foundations, backed by their respective companies, can provide a well-spring of resources and special skills that can start the ball rolling which in turn can create a swell of efforts towards poverty reduction.
The inclusive development agenda can be based on identified needs or projects suggested by government. Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman proposed a coherent program with three legs to improve human well-being: projects for the family, the community, and sustainable livelihood. Likewise, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that the country will need 200,000 classrooms, 7 million desks, 145,000 toilets and 126,000 teachers in the next two years. UP Economics Prof. Arsenio Balisacan suggested policy levers to promote a sustained income growth which is fundamental to poverty reduction. These are in the areas of health, education, infrastructure, land distribution, demographics and population management, strengthening of institutions, promoting geographical advantages and surmounting initial unfavorable conditions. The millennium development goals (MDGs) provide a basic framework to begin the development agenda.
Consideration should be given to the fact that the Philippines is an agricultural country and that the vast majority of our poor are in the rural areas. Focus should therefore also be given to projects in the countryside.
Indeed, a lot of work needs to be done not only for us to be able to catch up with our Asian neighbors, or to achieve the MDGs, but more importantly for our people to be able to live a life of dignity. This is a serious challenge for the LCF. Fortunately, although there may be principal companies of the LCF that are business competitors, their corporate foundations have created partnerships, cooperation, and alliances in the work against poverty.
The article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines. The author is president of UCPB-CIIF Finance and Development Corporation and chair of LCF. Feedback at map@globelines.com.ph. For previous articles, please visit.
By Edgardo C. Amistad
BusinessWorld Online
July 26, 2010
Partnerships for development
Nation building, while government led, should be the concern of everyone. The just concluded 9th annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Expo held on July 14 and 15, with the theme "Synergizing for Change," provides a platform for every citizen to do his part for nation building, through public-private partnerships.
The engagement among the government, the private sector, civil society, academe, and grassroots organizations is indispensable. The passionate response of the members of the League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) to the challenge of nation building was palpable during the conference and should bode well for the administration of President Aquino which brings with it a fresh enthusiasm for serious and genuine change for a better tomorrow.
Public-private partnerships, in the context of CSR, is unlike its traditional meaning involving a contract between the government and a private party where the latter assumes financial, technical, and operational risks in providing a public service or project, while the former provides support such as revenue subsidies or tax breaks. For the members of the LCF, partnering with government to provide a public service means formulating a sustainable project that is integrated with the member’s core business. It is by no means philanthropy since the project, by itself, should be sustainable. Responsibility for the success of the project is shared among all stakeholders including the community for which the project is set up. Each partner in the undertaking brings with him his own unique expertise, strength and resources to create synergy.
Managing a partnership, though, is easier said than done. Partnerships require commitment and a culture of innovation and learning among all stakeholders for a project to be successful. Other elements include the realization that each partner is inextricable from the other and that partners must be willing to retain an open mind and address issues amidst tensions or conflicts. They must not compete but rather complement each other. These bring about synergy -- and synergy is the force behind partnerships.
It must be emphasized, though, that the provision of a public service through strategic alliances must be done within the bounds of sustainable development, i.e., bringing about improvement in the quality of life of a community while observing proper natural resource stewardship. Promotion of the well-being of the current generation must not be done by sacrificing the welfare of the future generation. In fact, at the back of mind should be the goal of paving the way for a better future for all. The proper use of natural resources cannot be over emphasized especially with climate change currently staring us in the face.
Taking this a step further, the objective of providing a public service should be to bring the disadvantaged sector to a level where it could take off on its own toward the path of sustained development. This is the other face of sustainable development. Still another facet is that the project being undertaken must be financially self-sustaining. Neither the government nor the private sector can afford to waste resources.
The task of nation building is enormous. It is too big a task for just a single organization, or just a few. Happily, most of the members of the LCF have already embarked on partnerships to contribute to nation building. One very good example is the 57-75 Movement that aims to reverse the education crisis through focused interventions and school-community action, toward system-wide performance improvements. The partners involved are the Ateneo Center for Educational Development, the Foundation for Worldwide People Power, the LCF, Philippine Business for Education, the Philippine Business for Social Progress and the Synergeia Foundation.
The immensity of the task at hand for the Philipines is enough reason for all the members of the LCF to come together and tap their collective intelligence as they walk their talk with CSR in their hearts. While the members of the LCF may continue the various poverty reduction projects that they have already started, more alliances need to be built and deepened but in a more systematic way. The LCF can develop an inclusive development agenda, then break it down to smaller parts or specific projects which the close to 80 member foundations can choose from or adopt. These 80 member foundations, backed by their respective companies, can provide a well-spring of resources and special skills that can start the ball rolling which in turn can create a swell of efforts towards poverty reduction.
The inclusive development agenda can be based on identified needs or projects suggested by government. Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman proposed a coherent program with three legs to improve human well-being: projects for the family, the community, and sustainable livelihood. Likewise, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that the country will need 200,000 classrooms, 7 million desks, 145,000 toilets and 126,000 teachers in the next two years. UP Economics Prof. Arsenio Balisacan suggested policy levers to promote a sustained income growth which is fundamental to poverty reduction. These are in the areas of health, education, infrastructure, land distribution, demographics and population management, strengthening of institutions, promoting geographical advantages and surmounting initial unfavorable conditions. The millennium development goals (MDGs) provide a basic framework to begin the development agenda.
Consideration should be given to the fact that the Philippines is an agricultural country and that the vast majority of our poor are in the rural areas. Focus should therefore also be given to projects in the countryside.
Indeed, a lot of work needs to be done not only for us to be able to catch up with our Asian neighbors, or to achieve the MDGs, but more importantly for our people to be able to live a life of dignity. This is a serious challenge for the LCF. Fortunately, although there may be principal companies of the LCF that are business competitors, their corporate foundations have created partnerships, cooperation, and alliances in the work against poverty.
The article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines. The author is president of UCPB-CIIF Finance and Development Corporation and chair of LCF. Feedback at map@globelines.com.ph. For previous articles, please visit
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Feeding our future
Feeding our future
Cebu Daily News, Editorial
July 14, 2010
“With enough and the right kind of food, a baby’s normal weight is ensured,” reads the theme of Nutrition Month this July 2010.
In these parts—where Fire Prevention Month (March) sees a spike in fires and Environment Month (June) reminds people that it’s again payback time to a degraded ecology—that aphorism prescribes rather than describes.
Emma Gaviola, assistant nutrition coordinator, revealed early this month that malnutrition continues to hound Cebu City’s children.
The city’s child malnutrition rate has gone down to 4.32 percent this year from 5.60 percent last year.
That still translates to 35,739 malnourished kids.
Ermita, a depressed barangay in the north district posted 2010’s highest malnutrition prevalence among 130,383 city children below the age of six.
Child malnutrition also plagues barangays Mambaling, Buot Taup, Inayawan, Duljo-Fatima, Sapangdaku, Pamutan, Agsungot, Pahina San-Nicolas and Punta Princesa.
Gaviola attributed the poor nourishment of children not to scarce food but to congestion (Ermita is a magnet for indigents seeking a better life in the city), lack of sanitation and neglectful parenting—many parents, Gaviola says, are engaged in tong-its, mahjong and other forms of gambling.
It’s not entirely innacurate to count these conditions as easy excuses for the city government’s failure to stamp out malnutrition.
After all, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama promised to raise the allotment for nutrition in his planned request for a P200-million supplemental budget only after learning that the city placed fifth in a National Nutrition Council ranking of Central Visayas cities with high malnutrition.
But Gaviola is also on point when she said that fathers and mothers should not consign child-rearing to the government.
With Joelito Baclayon, city agriculturist, seeing a bumper harvest from the hillylands in October, groups like the Philippine Business for Social Progress transferring organic farming technology to food producers and more barangay composting facilities a potential source of nutrients to replenish our eroded farmland topsoil, there’s just no reason able-bodied parents can’t work to earn sufficient, nutritious daily bread.
This is where the government can step creatively in its parens patria role to care for children.
The new program to encourage indigents to clean their surroundings in exchange for food may be a good start. Aside from reducing the probability of floods, it would shelter children from dirt-borne diseases that trump healthful nutrition.
But with Gaviola’s report, gambling turns out to be also a formidable front in the fight against hunger and poor nutrition.
Newly appointed Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo launched a probe against big-time jueteng.
Local government should also crack down on gambling that siphons away families’ food budget.
Persistent childhood malnutrition and hunger in general makes the late national artist for film Fernando Poe Jr. sound prophetic when he said: “The problem of the Filipino is breakfast, lunch and supper.”
Cebu Daily News, Editorial
July 14, 2010
“With enough and the right kind of food, a baby’s normal weight is ensured,” reads the theme of Nutrition Month this July 2010.
In these parts—where Fire Prevention Month (March) sees a spike in fires and Environment Month (June) reminds people that it’s again payback time to a degraded ecology—that aphorism prescribes rather than describes.
Emma Gaviola, assistant nutrition coordinator, revealed early this month that malnutrition continues to hound Cebu City’s children.
The city’s child malnutrition rate has gone down to 4.32 percent this year from 5.60 percent last year.
That still translates to 35,739 malnourished kids.
Ermita, a depressed barangay in the north district posted 2010’s highest malnutrition prevalence among 130,383 city children below the age of six.
Child malnutrition also plagues barangays Mambaling, Buot Taup, Inayawan, Duljo-Fatima, Sapangdaku, Pamutan, Agsungot, Pahina San-Nicolas and Punta Princesa.
Gaviola attributed the poor nourishment of children not to scarce food but to congestion (Ermita is a magnet for indigents seeking a better life in the city), lack of sanitation and neglectful parenting—many parents, Gaviola says, are engaged in tong-its, mahjong and other forms of gambling.
It’s not entirely innacurate to count these conditions as easy excuses for the city government’s failure to stamp out malnutrition.
After all, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama promised to raise the allotment for nutrition in his planned request for a P200-million supplemental budget only after learning that the city placed fifth in a National Nutrition Council ranking of Central Visayas cities with high malnutrition.
But Gaviola is also on point when she said that fathers and mothers should not consign child-rearing to the government.
With Joelito Baclayon, city agriculturist, seeing a bumper harvest from the hillylands in October, groups like the Philippine Business for Social Progress transferring organic farming technology to food producers and more barangay composting facilities a potential source of nutrients to replenish our eroded farmland topsoil, there’s just no reason able-bodied parents can’t work to earn sufficient, nutritious daily bread.
This is where the government can step creatively in its parens patria role to care for children.
The new program to encourage indigents to clean their surroundings in exchange for food may be a good start. Aside from reducing the probability of floods, it would shelter children from dirt-borne diseases that trump healthful nutrition.
But with Gaviola’s report, gambling turns out to be also a formidable front in the fight against hunger and poor nutrition.
Newly appointed Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo launched a probe against big-time jueteng.
Local government should also crack down on gambling that siphons away families’ food budget.
Persistent childhood malnutrition and hunger in general makes the late national artist for film Fernando Poe Jr. sound prophetic when he said: “The problem of the Filipino is breakfast, lunch and supper.”
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Organic farmers eye Korean market in Cebu
Organic farmers eye Korean market in Cebu
By Aileen Garcia-Yap
Cebu Daily News – Enterprise
July 13, 2010
Organic farmers in Cebu City's hillylands plan to tap the growing market of Koreans in Cebu who number almost 50,000.
While local farmers look for ways to do this, they need the help of market operators and the government for linkages and farm equipment.
“We know that there are many Koreans here and most of them eat vegetables. We just need help, said farmer Aladin Pagatpat of barangay Sudlon, in Cebuano.
For now, the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a corporate-led foundation, is teaching barangay farmers how to use natural fertilizers.
“But we also need help in selling our produce straight to the Koreans,” said Pagatpat, one of the farmer beneficiaries of PBSP.
The group known as Sufaltas or Sudlon Farmers Livelihood Training and Services Foundation, are in charge of 600 hectares of land and produce organically grown egglants, tomatoes and chili.
Pagatpat uses natural methods of fertilizing his one-hectare farm, like vermicast or worm waste.
Member farmers avoid using synthetic or chemical fertilizers and genetically modified organisms to influence the growth of crops.
However, their produce is “70 per cent organic” and not 100 per cent because some vegetables like lettuce still use inorganic fertilizers such as potassium fertilizers right before harvest to prevent pest attacks.
Vermicast - the waste of nightcrawler worms tended in the farm - is usually applied during the early stages of growth.
Farmers also scatter reject vegetables like tomatoes on the ground to provide additional nutrients to the soil.
The group is tapping the Korean Association of Groceries in Cebu which sells vegetables important to kimchi-loving Koreans like radish and Chinese pechay.
Aside from the Koreans, Pagatpat said farmers see a potential large demand for organic produce from establishments like hotels and restaurants in Cebu.
“There is a big demand but we haven’t really sat down to discuss this with them,” Pagatpat said.
He said farmers hope the new Agriculture Secretary would give attention to farmers like them who need three things from the new administration: assistance in farm equipment, capital support and market access.
“We need the farm equipment to help us handle our produce. If they can arrange to let us loan the equipment, similar to how it was done in the cold storage project, that would be good. Most of us don't have any capital. We hope the government can give us access to loans,” he said.
For market access, he suggested a similar setup as the Kumprahan Supermerkado in Mandaue City where farmers can sell their produce directly in a well-planned market without have to to deal with middlemen.
This empowers farmers to have control over how they price their produce.
Nonencio Arcayan of Batallion Irrigators, a farmers group in barangay Tabunan, said infrastructure support is also needed like roads to ease delivery of the farm products.
Jon Ramos, chief organizer of Kumprahan Supermerkado, told Pagatpat that he is leaving for Manila soon because Department of Agriculture executives want to talk to him about the business model of the Kumprahan Supermerkado.
“They want this concept to be duplicated in other areas. I think they're already seeing this as a way to help farmers like you,” Ramos said.
By Aileen Garcia-Yap
Cebu Daily News – Enterprise
July 13, 2010
Organic farmers in Cebu City's hillylands plan to tap the growing market of Koreans in Cebu who number almost 50,000.
While local farmers look for ways to do this, they need the help of market operators and the government for linkages and farm equipment.
“We know that there are many Koreans here and most of them eat vegetables. We just need help, said farmer Aladin Pagatpat of barangay Sudlon, in Cebuano.
For now, the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a corporate-led foundation, is teaching barangay farmers how to use natural fertilizers.
“But we also need help in selling our produce straight to the Koreans,” said Pagatpat, one of the farmer beneficiaries of PBSP.
The group known as Sufaltas or Sudlon Farmers Livelihood Training and Services Foundation, are in charge of 600 hectares of land and produce organically grown egglants, tomatoes and chili.
Pagatpat uses natural methods of fertilizing his one-hectare farm, like vermicast or worm waste.
Member farmers avoid using synthetic or chemical fertilizers and genetically modified organisms to influence the growth of crops.
However, their produce is “70 per cent organic” and not 100 per cent because some vegetables like lettuce still use inorganic fertilizers such as potassium fertilizers right before harvest to prevent pest attacks.
Vermicast - the waste of nightcrawler worms tended in the farm - is usually applied during the early stages of growth.
Farmers also scatter reject vegetables like tomatoes on the ground to provide additional nutrients to the soil.
The group is tapping the Korean Association of Groceries in Cebu which sells vegetables important to kimchi-loving Koreans like radish and Chinese pechay.
Aside from the Koreans, Pagatpat said farmers see a potential large demand for organic produce from establishments like hotels and restaurants in Cebu.
“There is a big demand but we haven’t really sat down to discuss this with them,” Pagatpat said.
He said farmers hope the new Agriculture Secretary would give attention to farmers like them who need three things from the new administration: assistance in farm equipment, capital support and market access.
“We need the farm equipment to help us handle our produce. If they can arrange to let us loan the equipment, similar to how it was done in the cold storage project, that would be good. Most of us don't have any capital. We hope the government can give us access to loans,” he said.
For market access, he suggested a similar setup as the Kumprahan Supermerkado in Mandaue City where farmers can sell their produce directly in a well-planned market without have to to deal with middlemen.
This empowers farmers to have control over how they price their produce.
Nonencio Arcayan of Batallion Irrigators, a farmers group in barangay Tabunan, said infrastructure support is also needed like roads to ease delivery of the farm products.
Jon Ramos, chief organizer of Kumprahan Supermerkado, told Pagatpat that he is leaving for Manila soon because Department of Agriculture executives want to talk to him about the business model of the Kumprahan Supermerkado.
“They want this concept to be duplicated in other areas. I think they're already seeing this as a way to help farmers like you,” Ramos said.
Organic farmers earn more, but still seek help
Organic farmers earn more, but still seek help
By Katlene O. Cacho
Sun.Star Cebu – Business
July 13, 2010
Increases in farm output and income are among the benefits the farmers of Sudlon II and Tabunan have been enjoying since they gradually shifted from the inorganic to the organic type of farming.
This has also opened the way for both barangays to become vegetable suppliers of Kumprahan Supermerkado, an innovative community store that provides products at market prices art Bridges Town Square in Mandaue City.
Aladin Pagatpat, 34, a farmer of Barangay Sudlon II, said organic farming has allowed him to reduce production costs and increase income at the same time.
“I normally spent P2,000 for the production and earned a net income P4,000. But when I shifted to organic farming, my production cost went down to P900 and I earned a net income of P4,100 every harvest,” said Pagatpat during the Organic Farm Tour last Saturday.
Demand
This increased income was due in part to increased demand for organic products, as well as the elimination of the middlemen in the selling process.
Pagatpat is a member of the Sudlon Farmers Livelihood and Training Services Association (Sufaltras). He owns a hectare of land planted with high-value crops like lettuce, beans and tomatoes, among others. He said his vegetables are 70 percent organic and 30 percent inorganic.
Capt. Pricillo Alborez of Sudlon II said Sudlon farmers have slowly shifted to organic farming because of the growing demand for a healthy lifestyle among consumers.
He said the technology intervention of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) has helped farmers improve the quality of their vegetables, which they supply to the market. Sudlon II has about 2,000 residents whose primary source of living is farming.
PBSP, Alborez said, introduced vermicomposting, a process of producing
organic fertilizer (vermicompost) from biodegradable materials with the help of earthworms.
PBSP is the largest corporate-led social development foundation in the Philippines. It is the first of its kind in Asia, leading the promotion and practice of corporate social responsibility.
Loans
Despite the benefits of organic farming, farmers of both areas still need full support from the government in terms of the supply of farm equipment, loans and market access.
“We hope the Aquino administration will extend its full support to the farmers, especially in helping us market our products directly to companies or restaurants without having to course these through the middlemen,” said Alborez.
The farmer-members of the Battalion Irrigators Association of Tabunan have likewise asked for support infrastructure like road improvements to help them transport their goods to the market.
Tabunan is estimated to be more than 30 kilometers away from JY Square in the city proper.
By Katlene O. Cacho
Sun.Star Cebu – Business
July 13, 2010
Increases in farm output and income are among the benefits the farmers of Sudlon II and Tabunan have been enjoying since they gradually shifted from the inorganic to the organic type of farming.
This has also opened the way for both barangays to become vegetable suppliers of Kumprahan Supermerkado, an innovative community store that provides products at market prices art Bridges Town Square in Mandaue City.
Aladin Pagatpat, 34, a farmer of Barangay Sudlon II, said organic farming has allowed him to reduce production costs and increase income at the same time.
“I normally spent P2,000 for the production and earned a net income P4,000. But when I shifted to organic farming, my production cost went down to P900 and I earned a net income of P4,100 every harvest,” said Pagatpat during the Organic Farm Tour last Saturday.
Demand
This increased income was due in part to increased demand for organic products, as well as the elimination of the middlemen in the selling process.
Pagatpat is a member of the Sudlon Farmers Livelihood and Training Services Association (Sufaltras). He owns a hectare of land planted with high-value crops like lettuce, beans and tomatoes, among others. He said his vegetables are 70 percent organic and 30 percent inorganic.
Capt. Pricillo Alborez of Sudlon II said Sudlon farmers have slowly shifted to organic farming because of the growing demand for a healthy lifestyle among consumers.
He said the technology intervention of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) has helped farmers improve the quality of their vegetables, which they supply to the market. Sudlon II has about 2,000 residents whose primary source of living is farming.
PBSP, Alborez said, introduced vermicomposting, a process of producing
organic fertilizer (vermicompost) from biodegradable materials with the help of earthworms.
PBSP is the largest corporate-led social development foundation in the Philippines. It is the first of its kind in Asia, leading the promotion and practice of corporate social responsibility.
Loans
Despite the benefits of organic farming, farmers of both areas still need full support from the government in terms of the supply of farm equipment, loans and market access.
“We hope the Aquino administration will extend its full support to the farmers, especially in helping us market our products directly to companies or restaurants without having to course these through the middlemen,” said Alborez.
The farmer-members of the Battalion Irrigators Association of Tabunan have likewise asked for support infrastructure like road improvements to help them transport their goods to the market.
Tabunan is estimated to be more than 30 kilometers away from JY Square in the city proper.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
'Bagsakan' opens in Mandaue
'Bagsakan' opens in Mandaue
By Rebelander S. Basilan
Sun.Star Cebu
July 11, 2010
THE desire to promote a healthy lifestyle among Cebuanos and uplift the lives of local farmers has led a young investor to organize an innovative community store in Mandaue City.
Jon Ramos opened last May what he claimed to be the “first community market in the Visayas and Mindanao that provides products at `merkado’ prices and freshness.”
The Kumprahan SuperMerkado at the Bridges Town Square in Barangay Alang-Alang seeks to offer local farmers the opportunity to enjoy higher profit and the public the opportunity to “buy directly from farmers.”
Ramos said the store will be a place where consumers can buy organic fruits and vegetables.
Going organic
“We are inviting people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and go organic,” he said.
“Kumprahan SuperMerkado is a community market or a ‘bagsakan’ for organically-grown produce in Cebu. Our profit here is only incidental. We want this to spur economic development in the province,” he said.
The store also offers consumers a community membership card, so they can enjoy discounts.
Ramos said he aims to provide a 200-square meter area, or equivalent to 10 stalls, in the store where farmers can directly sell their products to buyers.
He said he is working on a partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Tourism to promote the One Town One Product program.
Ramos and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a non-profit foundation, toured the media yesterday to the farms in Sudlon II and Tabunan, Cebu City.
Complaint
Nonencio Arcayan, who grows eggplants and flowers in Tabunan, lamented they don’t make enough profit selling in Carbon because of middlemen.
Ramos said the community market seeks to eliminate middlemen, who control the prices for the farmers’ produce.
Reggie Marie Barrientos, PBSP communications officer, said the foundation is committed to uplift the lives of farmers.
By Rebelander S. Basilan
Sun.Star Cebu
July 11, 2010
THE desire to promote a healthy lifestyle among Cebuanos and uplift the lives of local farmers has led a young investor to organize an innovative community store in Mandaue City.
Jon Ramos opened last May what he claimed to be the “first community market in the Visayas and Mindanao that provides products at `merkado’ prices and freshness.”
The Kumprahan SuperMerkado at the Bridges Town Square in Barangay Alang-Alang seeks to offer local farmers the opportunity to enjoy higher profit and the public the opportunity to “buy directly from farmers.”
Ramos said the store will be a place where consumers can buy organic fruits and vegetables.
Going organic
“We are inviting people to adopt a healthy lifestyle and go organic,” he said.
“Kumprahan SuperMerkado is a community market or a ‘bagsakan’ for organically-grown produce in Cebu. Our profit here is only incidental. We want this to spur economic development in the province,” he said.
The store also offers consumers a community membership card, so they can enjoy discounts.
Ramos said he aims to provide a 200-square meter area, or equivalent to 10 stalls, in the store where farmers can directly sell their products to buyers.
He said he is working on a partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Tourism to promote the One Town One Product program.
Ramos and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a non-profit foundation, toured the media yesterday to the farms in Sudlon II and Tabunan, Cebu City.
Complaint
Nonencio Arcayan, who grows eggplants and flowers in Tabunan, lamented they don’t make enough profit selling in Carbon because of middlemen.
Ramos said the community market seeks to eliminate middlemen, who control the prices for the farmers’ produce.
Reggie Marie Barrientos, PBSP communications officer, said the foundation is committed to uplift the lives of farmers.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Lady jeweler shines in Netherlands tilt
Lady jeweler shines in Netherlands tilt
By Juan Escandor Jr.
Inquirer Southern Luzon
July 3, 2010
NAGA CITY – A plan of a costume jewelry business here to expand and systematize direct selling through the e-commerce and local networking recently won an international competition.
Marianne Olaño, owner and designer of Baycrafts Jewelry, dislodged four other finalists in the category retail business for women coming from the so-called emerging markets, in the Women in Business Retail Prize during the international Business in Development Challenge (BiD) held in The Netherlands from May 28 to June 5.
Her proposed budget is 18,000 euros (P1.45 million).
This year’s competition included another finalist from the Philippines, one from Colombia and two from India.
For winning the top prize in the BiD’s international event, Olaño received a certificate and 10,000 euros (P570,000) which will be used to implement the business plan she developed to improve the sales of the microbusiness and help women in the locality earn additional income.
In an article written by Susan Randall for www.bidnetwork.org, she noted the Philippines as a role model in empowering women in business, saying that “several women from the Philippines attending the session found it hard to relate to some of the obstacles faced by women elsewhere. They said that in their country, women commonly held strong positions of leadership in companies, and didn’t face such high obstacles when starting their own business.”
Randall continued: “In fact, the Philippines has been consistently ranked in the top 10 of the Gender Gap Index over the last four years (6 of the top 10 ranked countries located in northern Europe), and is also the highest ranking in Asian country.
This index, which is published every year by the World Economic Forum, quantifies the efforts of countries in narrowing and eradication the gap between men and women, based on data measuring Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. Last year, the Philippines was one of only two countries in Asia (along with Mongolia) to have closed the gender gap on both health and education.”
Olaño, who arrived Sunday from Europe, was sponsored by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and the BiD in The Netherlands.
“The BiD Challenge is an online business plan competition among enterprising ideas that combine profit with the improvement of living standards in a country,” according to an official release from the organizers.
Olaño says the main competition was the “pitch session” with three-member jury who grilled finalists for 30 minutes with their practical queries that tended to shoot the plan presented after a two-minute pitch.
She says she presented her two-minute pitch with her experience in putting up the Baycrafts Jewelry to the present selling strategy through e-commerce, trade fairs and direct selling.
Olaño explains her plan to harness the Internet through formalization of terms between direct sellers and the Baycrafts Jewelry regarding the products it sells, starting with website application where terms and conditions are stipulated for signing in to access other services like catalogues of products with brand and prices.
The information for members included other information like FAQ (frequently asked question) and other references, she adds.
Olaño estimates she still needs at least 8,000 euros (P456,000) to fully put her business plan in operation.
The plan includes expenses in updating and producing downloadable soft copy of the catalogue, ordering brand tags of the Baycrafts Jewelry, packaging materials and establishment of a center where she could conduct direct selling orientation for prospective women sellers.
She targets to provide incentives of 30-35 percent earnings to direct sellers of Baycrafts Jewelry products from the present earning incentive of 20 percent.
Olaño is the sole proprietor of Baycrafts Jewelry which she started four years ago after she quit her work in a department store in Manila and a media network.
She graduated cum laude in AB Development Communication at the Ateneo de Naga University in 1997 with a perspective to make it big in the media industry until she decided to shift career from news hen to an entrepreneur of custom-made jewelry using indigenous and synthetic materials such as pearls, wood, fiber, seeds, glass and crystals.
“We make one-of-a-kind fashion jewelry by buying beads from different sources and assembling them in our factory in Naga City. We also make our own components by mixing media such as seeds, textiles, fabric and etc.,” she reveals.
Olaño says her product market are women 30 years old and above who feel the need to become fashionable without busting their budget by the offer of the Baycrafts Jewelry’s one-of-a-kind accessories which are affordable and wearable.
At present, Baycrafts Jewelry has resellers in Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Baguio, Pangasinan, Leyte, Legazpi City and Iriga City as well as distributors in US, Canada and UK.
Olaño says with the business plan that won her the top prize in Women in Business Retail she hopes to grow from micro to medium enterprise by selling earrings, bracelets, necklaces, hair ornaments, rings and feet accessories.
By Juan Escandor Jr.
Inquirer Southern Luzon
July 3, 2010
NAGA CITY – A plan of a costume jewelry business here to expand and systematize direct selling through the e-commerce and local networking recently won an international competition.
Marianne Olaño, owner and designer of Baycrafts Jewelry, dislodged four other finalists in the category retail business for women coming from the so-called emerging markets, in the Women in Business Retail Prize during the international Business in Development Challenge (BiD) held in The Netherlands from May 28 to June 5.
Her proposed budget is 18,000 euros (P1.45 million).
This year’s competition included another finalist from the Philippines, one from Colombia and two from India.
For winning the top prize in the BiD’s international event, Olaño received a certificate and 10,000 euros (P570,000) which will be used to implement the business plan she developed to improve the sales of the microbusiness and help women in the locality earn additional income.
In an article written by Susan Randall for www.bidnetwork.org, she noted the Philippines as a role model in empowering women in business, saying that “several women from the Philippines attending the session found it hard to relate to some of the obstacles faced by women elsewhere. They said that in their country, women commonly held strong positions of leadership in companies, and didn’t face such high obstacles when starting their own business.”
Randall continued: “In fact, the Philippines has been consistently ranked in the top 10 of the Gender Gap Index over the last four years (6 of the top 10 ranked countries located in northern Europe), and is also the highest ranking in Asian country.
This index, which is published every year by the World Economic Forum, quantifies the efforts of countries in narrowing and eradication the gap between men and women, based on data measuring Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. Last year, the Philippines was one of only two countries in Asia (along with Mongolia) to have closed the gender gap on both health and education.”
Olaño, who arrived Sunday from Europe, was sponsored by the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and the BiD in The Netherlands.
“The BiD Challenge is an online business plan competition among enterprising ideas that combine profit with the improvement of living standards in a country,” according to an official release from the organizers.
Olaño says the main competition was the “pitch session” with three-member jury who grilled finalists for 30 minutes with their practical queries that tended to shoot the plan presented after a two-minute pitch.
She says she presented her two-minute pitch with her experience in putting up the Baycrafts Jewelry to the present selling strategy through e-commerce, trade fairs and direct selling.
Olaño explains her plan to harness the Internet through formalization of terms between direct sellers and the Baycrafts Jewelry regarding the products it sells, starting with website application where terms and conditions are stipulated for signing in to access other services like catalogues of products with brand and prices.
The information for members included other information like FAQ (frequently asked question) and other references, she adds.
Olaño estimates she still needs at least 8,000 euros (P456,000) to fully put her business plan in operation.
The plan includes expenses in updating and producing downloadable soft copy of the catalogue, ordering brand tags of the Baycrafts Jewelry, packaging materials and establishment of a center where she could conduct direct selling orientation for prospective women sellers.
She targets to provide incentives of 30-35 percent earnings to direct sellers of Baycrafts Jewelry products from the present earning incentive of 20 percent.
Olaño is the sole proprietor of Baycrafts Jewelry which she started four years ago after she quit her work in a department store in Manila and a media network.
She graduated cum laude in AB Development Communication at the Ateneo de Naga University in 1997 with a perspective to make it big in the media industry until she decided to shift career from news hen to an entrepreneur of custom-made jewelry using indigenous and synthetic materials such as pearls, wood, fiber, seeds, glass and crystals.
“We make one-of-a-kind fashion jewelry by buying beads from different sources and assembling them in our factory in Naga City. We also make our own components by mixing media such as seeds, textiles, fabric and etc.,” she reveals.
Olaño says her product market are women 30 years old and above who feel the need to become fashionable without busting their budget by the offer of the Baycrafts Jewelry’s one-of-a-kind accessories which are affordable and wearable.
At present, Baycrafts Jewelry has resellers in Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Baguio, Pangasinan, Leyte, Legazpi City and Iriga City as well as distributors in US, Canada and UK.
Olaño says with the business plan that won her the top prize in Women in Business Retail she hopes to grow from micro to medium enterprise by selling earrings, bracelets, necklaces, hair ornaments, rings and feet accessories.
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