As part of the Toronto Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 20^th anniversary celebration, we are pleased to recognize the work of outstanding entrepreneurs and professionals that have excelled in their corresponding industries and areas of expertise.

Although there are many inspiring histories in the Canadian Hispanic community, we have chosen five based on the consultations made to community leaders, consulate delegates and the media.

The Toronto Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is proud to present its five Hispanic Excellence Leadership Awardees:

FELIX VALDEZ – CEO & PRESIDENT of OBN

OBN is a unique security related corporate services company that has successfully dedicated itself to aiding in the continued survival of corporations  in an increasingly uncertain and dangerous world for over 20 years

Felix Valdez, president and CEO created OBN over 20 years ago. Valdez is a well-trained crime investigation professional who gained most of his experience by participating in sophisticated police operations both in Canada and abroad.

Currently, OBN provides a wide range of services including but are not limited to the following:
Background and pre-employment screening, Plain clothes and undercover surveillance, Labour dispute management, Executive protection, Investigations – insurance, WSIB, harassment, due diligence, Witness interviews; statement gathering, Security threat and risk assessments, Mobile and stationary uniformed security, Armed security – asset protection, and Civil, criminal investigation including court preparation, and Technology services.

OBN is recognized as one of the more flexible structures and a is comprised of a diverse staff of multilingual, multi-ethnic with over 200 license individuals making it one of the most demanded companies in the industry

ENRIQUE (KIKE) VALDEZ, JAIME ZAMBRANO AND ESTEBAN BENITEZ – CO-OWNERS VARIOUS RESTAURANTS AT FIRKIN PUB CHAIN

Enrique (Kike) Lopez, Jaime Zambrano and Esteban Martinez are a group of entrepreneurs and co-owners of several locations of the Firkin Pubs chain, becoming one of the most successful Latin American-born operators with seven restaurants of the chain.

Their business model and managing style have allowed them to gradually grow the number of locations owned. Their primary clientele is made by locals from the mainstream that enjoy not only their food and service but also their friendly way of conducting business

Their business was put to a test during the past massive lock down, where their doors had to remain closed for almost 2 years. Their strategic plan to keep their business alive involved an addition of an unconventional line of businesses including an innovative menu of Burritos that injected the necessary cash flow to the business.

After reopening the sky’s, the limit for this group of entrepreneurs who have found alternative ways to grow even during difficult times

MATEO MASLOV, ISMAEL RAMIREZ, AND ARMANDO FERRARO – CO-OWNERS OF LOLA’s FOOD

LOLA’s FOOD is a relatively new company created by Venezuelan born Mateo Maslov, Ismael Ramirez and Armando Ferraro. It started its operations in 2017 as a takeout Venezuelan FOOD Restaurant, with the mission of making it easier for Latin families in Canada to eat high-quality Latin food every day and to proudly share a piece of our culture with people from all over the world. They achieve the taste of the authentic Venezuelan and Latin-American cuisine with ingredients supplied by local farmers and sources. In five years they have expanded their business exponentially, growing from a home made food company into a Food distribution company which supplies their products to major retailers of the mainstream

MAESTRO CARLOS BASTIDAS

Born in Colombia, Maestro Carlos Bastidas studied bassoon, composition, conducting and chamber music at the University of Ottawa. His honours include playing as section bassoonist with National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada (1996) and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (2001).

Maestro Bastidas received the arts and heritage award by the Transformation Institute in Toronto in 2019. He also was named one of TD’s 10 most influential Hispanic Canadians 2019.

Maestro Bastidas has served as adjudicator for the Ontario Arts Council and the Ottawa Arts Council. His conducting appearances include Open Doors Toronto, Classical 96.3 FM, and the official opening of the “Canada 150” Celebrations at the Ajax City Hall.

Since founding the Ontario Pops in 2014, Carlos has steadily built its following and developed one of the most diverse professional orchestras in Canada. Since taking over as Music Director of the Durham Chamber Orchestra in 2016, Carlos has contributed to the orchestra’s success such that they had to change venues to accommodate their increased audiences.

CARLOS CHALICO

Focused on supporting organizations to effectively face their challenges on Privacy, Cybersecurity, IT Risk and IT Governance matters. Carlos Chalico has over 24 years of experience and has had the opportunity of assisting organizations in America, Europe and Asia.

Chalico started his career with EY in 1996 in Mexico City, then made a pause in 2012 to migrate to Canada. Worked for Ouest Business Solutions and Nymity to then rejoin EY, now the Toronto office, in 2018.

In addition to my consulting activities, He is an instructor with the University of Toronto (UofT) School of Continuing Studies for the Cybersecurity Management program. Over time, Chalico has also been connected as instructor or content developer to other programs like: Privacy, Data Analytics and IT Governance, all with UofT. I enjoy every single chance he has to deliver a conference and, in his free time, he reads, writes, goes route-cycling and volunteers for the ISACA Toronto Chapter, the IAPP and Hispanotech. Currently is president of ALPHA (Canadian Chapter), an organization that groups Hispanic professionals in North America