Richard Wight, Marc McKinney, and Oscar Solis
Marc and Richard love the jewelry business and their customers! They specialize in diamond engagement rings and finding the perfect diamond for your setting. They have been in the jewelry business for 8+ years in the Pasadena and Clear Lake area but Oscar is the real nuts and bolts of the operation, with 18+ years of bench jeweler experience. He doesn’t just solder your chain or size your ring. He has a great imagination when it comes to creating a one-of-a-kind custom piece, restoring Great Grandma’s wedding ring or re-purposing an old piece into something new and trendy. Read more>>
Viktor Kopic
Originally hailing from Croatia, and leaving the European country together with my parents during the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990’s, my initial path in life was one that led me to several places across the world before landing in the United States. It was a path and experience that from a young age taught me about both positive and negative elements of humanity, and would leave a lasting impact. Read more>>
Dion McInnis
What I am now is what I have been for a long time. I tell people, “I’ve been a photographer since six, a writer since 12 and a poet since birth.” Those senses and sensibilities have carried me through a variety of career paths and life. I was born in San Antonio, but my family moved to Houston very, very soon thereafter. I lived in the same house in Houston all my life, until I married. I grew up in an area that had the look, feel, happiness and magic of the setting of the TV show, “Wonder Years.” It couldn’t have been more wonderful!. Read more>>
Henry Keculah Jr.
After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, I decided to serve as a high school teacher with Teach for America in Houston, Texas. Many of my junior and senior class students were interested in going to college, but didn’t how to go about getting started. So I took it upon myself to take them on trips to college campuses – sort of “college tours” to schools like UT-Austin, Georgetown and Howard Universities, to name a few – and also created an in-class curriculum that helped students prepare for their ACT/SAT, personal statements and learn how to assemble a strong resume. Read more>>
Sandy Gaitz
Started in 1968. My Dad owned a Real Estate Company and was having trouble getting real estate yard signs. I had a friend of mine who owned a silk screen supply company and ask them to make me a silk screen so I could print them myself. Over the next years other Real Estate Brokers ask me to do theirs, and then ask me to make larger signs for tracts of land. One thing led to another and before I knew it they needed sign painters. Eventually I went after the Apartment industry and landed several of the largest apartment owners in the city. I was on the ground floor of the Houston apartment association growth spurt. Read more>>
Art Merino
After working for many years on the Supply Chain organizations for 500 fortune companies such as Clorox, Amgen, Baxter, The Gillette company, I decided to become a business owner. I started the company with a simple mission of teaching people and organizations the importance of safety compliance in the work place. My goal was to help companies to improve safety awareness and provide an effective and practical forklift training to ensure compliance with Federal regulations and to help avoid penalties and expenses associated with OSHA inspections. Read more>>
Rick Nizol
Dynamic Solutions opened for business in 2007. This was a huge leap of faith for me. It all began when I became unemployed from my job as lead technician and service manager at a local auto repair shop. To put it simply, business just wasn’t doing well there. Financially, times were really hard! My wife and I were already struggling to make ends meet while also raising two teenage daughters. Cars are my passion but to be honest I had every intention of finding a new way of living. Read more>>
Monica Ahluwalia and Carlos Giron
Monica Ahluwalia & Carlos Giron met and became pals at their ‘real job’ at a company called INTECH Process Automation here in Houston. Monica is an originally from Kenya; she has lived in, and traveled to many countries, and within the US. Monica has a degree in Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin, and a degree in Art-Illustration from the Pratt Institute of Art in NYC. She had to leave Kenya permanently and settle in US in 1999 after a tragedy took the life of her Father and Brother at the same time. She has lived in Houston with her mother since 2005. Read more>>
Mike Pillsbury
My wife of 22 years, Tracy and I had to stop driving cross country truck due to her failing health. We spent most of our savings in the first two years of building our business, but by year three we began to make a small profit. Our business grew because of our dedication to quality and customer service. We know that, because we have a zero advertising budget. We worked gun shows for the first eight months, and “Word of Mouth” kicked in after that. Read more>>
Jason Hane
I have always been a fan of electronics. When I turned 18, I became a mobile disc jockey. This furthered my passion for electronics and music. I also, started installing commercial systems during the week for bars, restaurants, church’s, etc. When I moved to the Houston area, I started working for Tweeter/Home Entertainment. They were a high end audio video company that installed consumer electronics. I worked for them for over 3 years and then they went bankrupt and I lost my job. Read more>>
Joshua Erickson
I began my career in Accounting working for a large Medical and Dental Provider. It was there I knew one day I would launch a company that provided medical billing and physicians services. After years of Executive level Accounting I decided to launch Progressus Revenue and help Physician’s like I first envisioned. Physicians are unfortunately having a harder time than ever pursuing and/or maintaining a career in private practice. I started Progressus Revenue to provide Physicians with a replacement for the subpar service(s) they are used to receiving. Read more>>
Christine Nguyen
Rolando Balmaceda, founder and co-owner of ReveMoto, originally got into the automotive business by buying a used car from a mechanic and trying to sell parts off of the car for extra income. When he told me the profits he received from selling that single vehicle, we started brainstorming ways to purchase more vehicles and have him focus on this full-time. One day, while driving home from dinner, he pointed out the affordable price listed on a sign for a commercial center that was still under construction. Read more>>
Keith Rosen of Houston
In 2000, I started my tour company, now known as Houston Historical Tours. It was a natural segue as I had taught primarily history classes since 1981 in middle and high schools and colleges and universities. As a research historian, I used my knowledge and skills that had been cultivated for decades to create a business. I continued to teach mostly at night with community colleges until 2015 when I retired from formal education. I enjoy continuing to conduct tours. I now conduct hundreds of different tours and hundreds of tours annually. Read more>>
Kim Pham
Growing up, I had always HATED going to the dentist! Whether it was constantly having new cavities filled or braces tightened every month (for three whole years!), it seemed like gloved hands were always in my mouth. Yes, I was eventually rewarded with a healthy and functional smile, but as I grew to learn, not everyone gets that privilege. My experiences inspired me to pursue dentistry as a career. Read more>>
Amadou Thiam
I’m originally from Senegal West Africa I was a cab driver first for 10 years consequently I started developing clientele. With the advice of one of my favorite client I went with a lot of courage to buy my first Suv suburban now I got couple cars running. It hasn’t been a smooth road. I’m still looking for more business the main obstacle is developing more clients and dealing with all the overheads. Read more>>
