Stephannie Cetoute took over the reins of the family business, Amer Plus Janitorial Maintenance, in 2018. While she had a background in economics and finance and from time to time helped out her father who started the business in 1998, going in “full throttle” to run a business for the […]
Success Stories
Race car driver turned entrepreneur finds winning team at FSBDC at FIU
Starting over in a new country with a business of any kind is difficult. Setting up a manufacturing company in a new country for both exports and domestic sales is even more challenging. Now throw in a global pandemic. Despite it all, Carmine Colarusso, owner of Ultra1Plus, maker and seller […]
FSBDC at FIU helps Creativo Dance Studio make the right moves toward full recovery
Daysi Cepeda never thought about closing her Creativo Dance Studio before 2020, when the pandemic shook her to her core. Since 2002, Cepeda had been teaching young students dance in her studio locations, watching them blossom into happy, self-confident girls and boys. She adjusted the programming over the years and […]
Pandemic brought need for a successful new strategy for Inspiration Design Lab
In 2018, sisters Astrid and Katherine Lentino launched Inspiration Design Lab after searching for a business idea that would be an outlet for their creativity. They wanted to sell all-natural products that would bring happiness to people and were good for their health, without doing harm to the environment. “In […]
TREND Group USA explores a world of opportunity for its high-design sustainable product made in Florida
Whether you want to save the world or just save time in installation and upkeep, Charlotte Russell says her company offers an engineered stone product that is as beautiful as granite but doesn’t kill mountains in the process. Best of all it is manufactured right here in Florida. Russell is […]
Smart strategies help Alpha Behavior Solutions survive COVID – and grow
Jessica McClung always had the passion to succeed as a business owner. As a former high school teacher and now the founder and clinical director of Alpha Behavior Solutions and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, McClung has devoted her life to helping children with special needs. Alpha Behavior Solutions, based […]
For Jones Benitez Corporation, it’s all about building a company on a strong foundation
If you live in South Florida, you’ve likely walked on or driven over the work of Jones Benitez Corporation. Jones Benitez Corporation, or JBC, is a construction company specializing in highway and heavy civil construction projects. The company’s work has included highway bridge widening projects, sea wall reconstruction, roadway improvements […]
HVAC exporter NESI Solutions now focusing on Florida, with action plan in hand
Nesi Solutions, a small business founded in 2007 by Flor and Alfredo Utset, designs, implements and maintains HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) systems and building automation solutions for its commercial clients, using today’s technology to improve performance and energy savings while providing clean, comfortable air. Among its many services, NESI […]
Owners of CAO Bakery & Café cook up a sweet success
Caution: this story may make you crave a pastelito, or three. Step into a CAO Bakery & Café and you’ll find a menu of original Cuban and Cuban-American favorites. The small business takes the beloved Cuban bakery tradition into the next generation, offering cafecitos, pastelitos and croquetas, along with a […]
Demand surges for manufacturer of specialized medical transport solutions
In the healthcare field, the ability to transport medical specimens quickly, safely and at the proper temperatures is essential because lives literally depend on it – especially during the global pandemic. The packaging of specimens such as blood cultures, organs, COVID test swabs and hopefully soon, vaccines, is critical to […]