HE used to describe his corporate world as “pretty small and limited” but when the company he worked for joined one of the active local business chambers, Stanley Go saw a turnaround in his corporate life, business and advocacy.
“My world was pretty small before. My focus that time was only my family and the business but when the company signed up to be a member of the MCCI (Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry) it opened more doors of opportunities,” said Stanley Go, vice-president for sales and marketing of Virginia Foods Inc. (VFI), a Cebuano meat processing company.
“It is different when you are part of the chamber because your inner longing to help other people is heightened knowing that your fellow member companies have the same advocacy as you do for the local business community,” Go said.
He said volunteering time for the Mandaue chamber also allowed his family to give back blessings they’ve received to people, through the chamber’s advocacies.
“This allowed us to channel all our efforts and energy together to create a much bigger impact on the business community,” he said.
Go is married to Janice Chua-Go, who co-manages Figaro at Asiatown I.T. Park and the family’s rice business. The couple has two children, Caitlyn Elise and Aidan Matthew.
He credited his success as a businessman to his previous employment in Dole Asia, Dole Fresh Food and L’Oreal Philippines Inc., where he gained more insights to improve business operations, particularly in sales and marketing.
He now oversees the sales and production of all VFI products, whose factory is located in Compostela, Cebu City.
Go, who is a graduate of Management Engineering at the Ateneo de Manila University in 1998, is this year’s chairman of the Mandaue Business Movement (MBM), formerly called Mandaue Business Month, which will open in August.
He said that although he did not pursue the appointment, it is an opportunity for him to serve the chamber and his fellow Cebuanos.
In last year’s MBM Halangdon event, Go was introduced by the MCCI board as the chair of this year’s MBM to Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
“Perhaps this appointment challenges me to go into the direction where MCCI as an organization would go into the effective promotion of entrepreneurship, where help and support is there regardless of what size your company is,” he said.
In MBM 2010, MCCI said businesses will lead in using environmentally-friendly technology, practicing social responsibility, integrating human resource development and enforcing policies that promote responsible business performance while achieving growth.
The event that used to be celebrated only in August will now be a year-long business activity.