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Businesswoman succeed in the mattress industry

Minority Enterprise Development in Philadelphia awarded the boricua, Virgen Ortiz for providing new job opportunities to ex-convicts.  

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In order to face the current crisis, Virgen Ortiz decided to load her mattresses on to a truck and sell them on Saturdays in the states near Pennsylvania.

The Puerto Rican, who has a factory in Northern Philadelphia, did not wait for her clients to come to her, but instead went to seek them in Virginia, Maryland, Nuew Jersey and Washington.

She was one of the nine minority employers awarded last October 10 by the Minority Enterprise Development (MED) organization.

Metro Matress also stands out because thirteen of its 15 employees are ex cons, and of the 15, thirteen are Hispanic and two, African Americans.

“I began working for the company in the customer service area and six months later the owner was diagnosed with cancer and he promoted me to manager.  Later he told me that he wanted to sell the company and so I sold my mother’s home to be able to purchase it”, Ortiz recalls.

At the age of 36, Ortiz has not only struggled for her business in the professional field, but has also had to face personal challenges.

The business woman had to leave her job for two years to take care of her father who lost his legs to diabetes.  “It was very difficult because my mother couldn’t take care of him, but when my father passed away, I immediately decided to get to work and succeed.”

Ortiz’s factory supplies the majority of furniture stores in the so-called Golden Block; she has, however, lost many clients in Philadelphia due to the crisis.

“Yes, we have been hit by the economic crisis, we have tried to reduce costs, but without affecting the quality of the product”, explained Ortiz, who has now been in charge of the business for three years.

“I am basically on my own.  My mom and two sons, 19 and 17 years old, help me with the business”, stated Ortiz.

“Approximately six months ago, Mayor Michael Nutter promised that he would grant us a $500 loan for each ex con we hired.  Thirteen of my employees have been in jail and I have never received such loan.  At first I did it to help the company, but I later understood that they deserved a second chance”, said Ortiz.

“They have also been loyal with me.  For instance, last year some vandals burnt nine of my trucks and my employees worked night and day, for a whole week, to help move the merchandise that we had to deliver”, said Ortiz.

Ortiz’s effort and dedication were rewarded with the MED New Horizons prize.

“I requested the PCDC for a loan to help me recover from the loss of my trucks and Evelyn Montalvo, the Loan Executive, was in charge of reviewing my case, learning about my story and all that I had gone through.  She nominated me for the prize and I won”, says Ortiz.

What is Med Week?

Each year, during the second week of October, Philadelphia celebrates MED week, dedicated to recognizing the work of those people belonging to a minority group.

It is a local event, though it is also celebrated nation-wide during the month of September.  MED week was first celebrated in 1983, when President Ronald Reagan decided to dedicate a week to acknowledge the efforts made by minority enterprises.

It is made up of a committee of 14 members from different public and private entities such as the Office of Economic Opportunity, the University of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corporation (PCDC) and others.  Participants are nominated by the 14 members of the committee.

 

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