America Selects Top Hispanic Business Visionary
Carlos Devis, Owner of Bosa Systems in Washington DC, has been Named Winner of Ford's 'El Visionario' Online Contest!
DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 16 -- After three rounds of elimination and thousands of online votes cast, the search for America's top Hispanic entrepreneur is over. Carlos Devis, owner of Bosa Systems in Washington DC, is the winner of El Visionario ("The Visionary"), the online contest for Hispanic small business owners sponsored by Ford Motor Company and AOL Latino. Mr. Devis received the highest number of online votes in the final phase of the contest and will take home $100,000 in cash and prizes, including an all- new 2006 Mercury Mountaineer.
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An educational and community development organization, Bosa Systems was founded by Mr. Devis in 2001 and offers personal growth and empowerment programs to schools, universities and businesses across the U.S. Over the last 20 years, Mr. Devis has helped thousands of people to believe in their dreams, plan for the future and make the most out of life through his community outreach and http://www.clubpositivo.com/ website.
"We are proud to name Carlos Devis El Visionario because we feel he is the true embodiment of the Hispanic entrepreneurial spirit," said Armando Ojeda, director of Supplier Diversity Development, Ford Motor Company. "Ford would like to thank all the contestants for participating in this contest and we look forward to continuing to support the entire Hispanic business community through the Ford Mi Negocio website and other programs like El Visionario."
"Mr. Devis is a great example of a successful Latino entrepreneur who is playing a major role in America today," said Nely Galan, a successful Latina entrepreneur, producer and creator of Fox-TV's The Swan. "It was an honor to participate as one of the panel of advisors for Ford Mi Negocio, which provides a great platform for the El Visionario contestants and other Latinos to fulfill their business dreams."
For winning the contest, Mr. Devis will receive a grand prize that includes a $25,000 cash award towards his small business, $25,000 in business services (legal, finance, and/or marketing), the 2006 Mercury Mountaineer and a business profile in Hispanic Business and Hispanic Magazine, for a total estimated value of $100,000.
"I am very honored to be selected as El Visionario and I want to thank Ford and everyone who voted for me for making my dreams come true!" said Mr. Devis, owner of Bosa Systems and winner of El Visionario. "With the resources I've been awarded, I hope to continue to grow my business and enrich other Latinos by sharing my experiences."
Ford in partnership with AOL Latino launched the online contest in July 2005 to discover the next Hispanic business visionary, someone who demonstrated that Hispanics are leaders in successful small business ownership. During the final phase of the contest (October 18th - November 11th) the general public was invited to vote for their favorite of the five El Visionario finalists at the Ford Mi Negocio website, http://www.ford.com/go/minegocio , based on a video profile and answers to questions regarding their businesses and future strategies for success.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With nearly 325,000 employees and 110 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Aston Martin, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Motor Credit Company and Hertz. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit http://www.fordvehicles.com/ .
About AOL(R) Latino
AOL Latino, the leading Internet service provider for U.S. Hispanics, offers comprehensive Spanish product features and content including U.S. and Latin American news, the latest in music, entertainment and sports, as well as access to all the existing English language content available on the AOL service for no extra cost.
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