Saturday, October 20, 2007 10 NorMin traders cited in 'Go Negosyo' caravan By Danilo V. Adorador III
TEN outstanding businessmen from Northern Mindanao were recognized Friday during the Go-Negosyo Conference, where some of the country's leading business mentors exhorted locals to be entrepreneurs.
Go Negosyo's Cagayan de Oro-league brought the team's entrepreneurial mentoring program to the region, providing micro, small and medium businessmen--and even students--relevant knowledge on entrepreneurship.
Jose Concepcion III, presidential adviser on entrepreneurship and chairman and CEO of RFM Corp., said the Go Negosyo program aims to "foster a culture of enterprise" by increasing public awareness on entrepreneurship and opening to them the financial support system to fund their ventures--no matter how small.
"We're not saying that being a paid employee is bad. We're telling Filipinos to try entrepreneurship, try the business side," said Concepcion, founder of the Philippine for Entrepreneurship (PCE), where GO Negosyo was conceived.
Fostering entrepreneurial spirit, Concepcion said, also means bringing the success stories of local businessmen who "promote innovation" and "best business practices" that budding entrepreneurs can immolate.
Along that line, Go Negosyo recognized 10 "inspiring entrepreneurs" in the local scene in an awarding ceremony that also capped the three-day Oro Best Expo.
Cerge Remonde, Presidential Management Staff chief, attended the ceremony in behalf of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Oro Best Expo, organized by the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (Oro Chamber), brought together local and American companies in business clinic sessions for budding entrepreneurs.
Recipients of the Inspiring Entrepreneurs Award are: Media mogul Henry Canoy of the Radio Mindanao Network (RMN), Alonzo Chiong of the Oro Asian Automotive, Eleanor Jose of the locally popular pastel Vjandeep, Alfonso Lim of Limketkai and Sons, Mercedes Meja of food giant SLERS, cable king Elpidio Paras of Parasat, Reynaldo Rafisura of Salay Handmade Paper Industries, Iligan -based vinegar king Rene Stuart del Rosario who is the maker of Sukang Pinakurat, peanut queen Isidra Tan of Cheding's Peanut and Henrik Kelly Yu of fastfood chain Bigby's.
