Hispanic Heritage Month: Business and Career Advice from Three Entrepreneurs

October 13, 2022
Christopher Munoz is an International Trade Specialist with the U.S. Commercial Service in Miami, Florida.

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It’s an important time in America. September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, and this year’s theme, “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation,” acknowledges that our nation becomes stronger as we combine our diverse cultural talents and values.

At ITA, we use this time to honor the contributions of those in the Hispanic community, including those in the field of international business and trade. At our recent Discover Global Markets: The Blue Economy event—ITA’s flagship business networking forum—we spoke with three exporters of Hispanic descent representing the fields of marine science, port security, and dredging. Each spoke about their experiences and their advice for entrepreneurs interested in exploring exporting.

Tony Lizarraga is the international sales director of Novak Technologies in Miami, Florida. Tony’s wife founded their business in 2013 based on opportunities she saw to sell U.S.-made security products to countries/governments in Central and South America. When they encountered business financing issues, Tony and his wife consulted ITA’s U.S. Commercial Service in Miami, which connected them with the Florida Export Finance Corporation, resulting in the financing they needed to take revenues from $200K in 2013 to $6.5 million in 2022. Our team also connected them with key decision makers in several countries in the realms of government, ports, airports and more, which helped Novak Security pitch its products. Tony’s advice is “do not hesitate to reach out and ask for help and resources from the U.S. government.”
Jaime Lara has worked for 8 years at Hydronalix in Green Valley, Arizona, which produces drones used in crisis/natural impacted areas to assist with rescue operations and more. Impressed with Hydronalix’s humanitarian work, Jaime applied for an internship there and received a full-time position afterward. An electrical engineer by training, Jaime was given autonomy over his projects and thought of uses for drones that the company did not originally see. He is now a project manager with several National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) research grant proposals under his belt – he says nearly every product Hydronalix developed started as a NOAA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. Jaime recommends that young professionals “take risks, put yourself out there, apply for scholarships, and work hard.”
Andres Borasino is International Sales Manager at Ellicott Dredge, LLC in Houston, which makes dredging equipment for navigation, mining and infrastructure projects. He came to the United States after college in Peru led to an internship at Shell. He then became the Latin American sales rep for a solar company in Texas. Andres says that coming from a diverse background gave him an awareness and appreciation for diverse business cultures which can frustrate people who are not used to working outside of the United States. Andres has been working with our U.S. Commercial Service for the past 15 years and got involved with the Houston District Council in 2022. His advice is to “stick with an opportunity until you get the most of it. Immerse yourself in an experience.”

In addition to grants and opportunities offered by ITA and Commerce bureaus (to include the Minority Business Development Agency), we encourage women and minority-owned small and medium-size enterprise owners also consider reaching out to agencies and organizations such as the Small Business Administration 8(a) Business Development Program, Latino Business Action Network, and United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

As an International Trade Specialist with the U.S. Commercial Service’s office in Miami, I encourage all in the Hispanic community to consider the benefits of exporting internationally. Please reach out to our team so we can help you in your pursuits to provide solutions and deliver results that benefit all communities.