[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 128 (Friday, July 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ANTONIO ``TONY'' VEGA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON BACON

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 28, 2017

  Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a leader in the Hispanic, 
small business community of my congressional district in Omaha, 
Nebraska. A Nebraska immigrant, Mr. Antonio ``Tony'' Vega's career of 
entrepreneurship and mentorship is recognized through his commitment to 
service and upholding the values of hard work.
  Mr. Vega was born and raised in Zapotlan El Grande, a city about 80 
miles south of Guadalajara, in Mexico. He was raised by a single mother 
who considered his education to be her highest priority. She sacrificed 
greatly for his higher education by immigrating to the United States to 
earn enough money to pay for Tony's education back in Mexico. Tony also 
attributes his strong morals, values and work ethic to his 
grandparents, who influenced him during his childhood. As a result, 
Tony successfully completed a Bachelor's Degree in Tourism and Travel 
Management at the Universidad de Guadalajara in 1987.
  Following graduation, Tony's first job was with the State of Jalisco 
tourism agency as the Deputy Delegate, overseeing 16 counties and 
developing relations with all county dignitaries. He later became the 
Director of Small Business Development for his hometown of Zapotlan El 
Grande, where he was the coordinator for the annual festival Feria 
Zapotlan, which runs during the entire month of October with a variety 
of cultural activities and national attractions.
  In 1994, he immigrated to the United States to reside in San Gabriel, 
CA. It was there that he met a wholesale leather goods distributor who 
taught him about Hispanic, small businesses. Mr. Vega worked Monday 
through Friday at Arambula Hats. During the weekend, he explored ways 
to develop more efficient shipping routes throughout the pacific coast 
from Southern California to Oregon.
  Tony came to Omaha, Nebraska in 2000 to work as an administrator at 
Plaza Latina. Mr. Vega implemented a new management style for retail 
through an inventive strategy of connecting small businesses in a 
single retail, one-stop location. His concept was praised by the owners 
of Plaza Latina, who offered to sell the whole business and building to 
Mr. Vega along with a 5-year financing deal, requiring no lawyers be 
involved. This led Mr. Vega to construct an incubator for a Hispanic, 
small business. Using the small retail spaces and resources at Plaza 
Latina, new entrepreneurs had an opportunity to succeed within one 
community and location.
  This concept for small business development caught the attention of 
Dr. Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, a faculty member at the University of 
Nebraska--Omaha, who wanted to know more about Mr. Vega's modern 
marketing and business approach. Dr. Benjamin-Alvarado brought the 
University of Nebraska's College of Business' students from all 
campuses to experience his business concept. This partnership was the 
initial catalyst that led to the success of the many businesses that 
Tony helped.
  In 2005, the Hispanic business community in South Omaha started to 
take off and the first major bank moved into the area. First National 
Bank of Omaha broke ground on a new Spanish-speaking branch, solely 
focused on Hispanic clients and businesses along the 24th Street 
corridor. This would eventually become the main financier in South 
Omaha. The move by the bank was initially received with reluctance by 
local Latino business. However, due to the quick actions of Mr. Vega, 
seven core businesses gathered for a meeting at Guacamaya Restaurant on 
the 2nd of March. Mr. Vega proposed the local Hispanic Business 
Community integrate with the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC).
  On April 7, 2005 by unanimous vote, Mr. Vega's Hispanic Business 
Group became a member of the USHCC and grew from 7 Hispanic businesses 
to 28 in their first month. Tony became the first President of the 
Nebraska Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and held the position for the 
first 3 years. He paved the way for the current business model of 
incubating, developing and empowering small business success.
  Today, Mr. Vega is the owner of Factor Latino magazine. Published 
monthly in Spanish, it is catered to the Latino and Hispanic business 
community leaders in Nebraska. An avid fan of Mexican Lucha Libre 
(Wrestling) since childhood; he is the founder and President of Midwest 
Mexican Wrestling. Additionally, he created TV Latina Nebraska to serve 
the online Latino community. It is a platform that provides coverage on 
local politics, community support programs and leaders within the 
Hispanic community in Omaha.
  Mr. Vega is happily married to the love of his life, Eliana Ortiz 
since 1992. He is a father to three boys: Braulio, Omar and Nicolas, 
and two girls: Jessica and Grecia. His everyday passions include 
communications, road trips, Mexican wrestling and hosting gatherings of 
friends and family. I am proud to recognize all of Mr. Vega's 
accomplishments and am confident that he will continue to inspire and 
enhance the Hispanic, small business community in Nebraska.

                          ____________________