Forward Janesville - TheReport - First Quarter 2024

16 | FORWARD JANESVILLE Nurturing the Network THE SUAREZ FAMILY Owners, La Kermes Consejo Empresarial Latino/Latino Business Council The Suarezes are originally from Tuxtepec, a small community between the cities of Oaxaca and Veracruz in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. They’ve been in Janesville for 30 years and own La Kermes, a staple of the local food truck community and hit at February’s Rock Regional Business Expo. Like many entrepreneurs, their business began with a desire to share their passion. From selling authentic Mexican food out of their car at soccer games, to a booth at the Janesville Farmers Market, to a traveling food truck, Esperanza and Edgar Suarez built their business over time and rely on each other and their daughter Emily to keep growing. Esperanza and Edgar are founding members of the Consejo Empresarial Latino and became involved to help other small business owners achieve their dreams. What do you enjoy most about being part of the Consejo? We love the meetings. It’s great to see friends, meet new people, make connections, and exchange ideas. With all the information provided to us, the Consejo helps us learn. It also motivates us to never give up on our goal of being successful business owners. Why are you involved in the Consejo and other organizations in the area? We want to help everyone grow and be successful. When we started out, we did not have any help. We were blessed with hard work and were able to save up for our food truck. It took a lot of sweat and tears to accomplish. We became involved in the Consejo to help other small Hispanic business owners. Many Hispanic business owners haven’t received support like this before. We’re also involved with our community church and donate food whenever it’s needed. What do you like most about being part of the food industry? We enjoy cooking and being able to do it with love. It motivates us when customers tell us our food is one of the best things they’ve ever had. It’s also motivating when we see them come back. We’re very blessed to have each and every one of our customers. One of the best pieces of advice we ever received was from a customer who said “Don’t change the way you cook or seasonings!! Keep on going for your dream and please never change.” KARA BLUE Operations Manager, Workforce and Community Development Division, Blackhawk Technical College Forward Janesville Ambassador Kara is a dedicated ambassador who builds deep relationships with member businesses, guiding them on how to best utilize resources, expand their network, and showcase their unique offerings to the Forward Janesville community and beyond. She is always on the lookout for ways to improve the member experience and brings a wealth of insight to her ambassador role through her background in workforce and small business development, entrepreneurship, employment initiatives, and information resources. Kara is going into her third year as an ambassador. In her volunteer time with the organization, she has made a strong impact on member businesses and Forward Janesville events. What motivated you to join the Ambassadors and how does it dovetail with your professional role? I wanted to connect and network with the business community. At the time I joined, I was a reference librarian Relationships are the core of Forward Janesville. Esperanza and Edgar Suarez are founding members of the Consejo Empresarial Latino and have played an instrumental role in mentoring other Hispanic small business owners in developing their dreams. Kara Blue is a Forward Janesville Ambassador who enhances the member experience by linking FJI businesses and organizations to events, information, and each other. Todd Needham is Vice Chair of the Government Relations Council (GRC) and his guidance has led GRC on a path to tackling some of our community’s most pressing issues through collaboration. We are thankful for these volunteer leaders and the network they’re nurturing.