Prospera hosted its annual signature event in Tampa, FL, presented by Duke Energy, at TPepin’s Hospitality Centre. Stakeholders of the nonprofit, economic development organization came together at the Synergy for Progress–themed 2023 Prospera Success Stories to raise funds for the mission, celebrate successful local small business owners who have received Prospera’s assistance, and showcase collaborations that have strengthened the local entrepreneurial ecosystem.

2023 Prospera Success Stories Honorees, Speakers, and Staff

“Duke Energy Florida is proud to serve such a diverse business community, with more than 81,000 small and medium business customers located throughout our service territory, and we’re committed to keeping their unique needs our priority,” says Duke Energy Florida Vice President of Government and Community Relations Sharon Arroyo. “That’s why we are honored to work with organizations like Prospera, which is critical to empower Hispanic entrepreneurs and businesses, helping them access economic opportunities and upward mobility to drive our economy forward.”

These successful entrepreneurs, whose stories illustrate synergy for progress, were recognized:

• Damaris & Uziel Ortega, co-owners of Ortega Custom Cabinets
• Diego Burbano & Cafay Chan, co-owners of Total Control Solutions
• Ketty Miles, owner of CimentArt
• Cesar Dorante, owner of Leños

City of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor delivered remarks during the special event. Led by Prospera West Coast of Florida Vice President Fabian Yepez, the program highlighted the impact of Prospera’s services on small businesses and local entrepreneurship for the funders, volunteers, partners, clients, and other local leaders in the audience. To showcase examples of successful ecosystem collaborations to leverage resources for entrepreneurs, Yepez had a dialogue on stage with a past Prospera client and two local partners:

• Bob Rohrlack, President & CEO, Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce
• Terrie Daniel, Assistant Vice President, Office of Supplier Diversity, University of South Florida
• Tony Selvaggio, past Prospera client, owner of eSmart Recycling

“This event is a celebration of the collaboration between Prospera and our clients, funders, and partners. The successful entrepreneurs we showcased today represent thousands of clients Prospera has helped, and their individual journeys illustrate the synergy for progress in our local ecosystem,” says Yepez.

In addition to Presenting Sponsor Duke Energy, the event was presented with the support of the following sponsors:

• Hosts: Bank of America, CITY Furniture, TECO, Wells Fargo, and Visit Tampa Bay
• Champions: GTE Financial, Hill Ward Henderson, JPMorgan Chase, Regions, Suncoast Credit Union, and TD Bank

Prospera is an economic development, nonprofit organization that has specialized since 1991 in providing bilingual assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs who want to start, sustain, and grow their business. In the last five years alone, Prospera facilitated over $70 million in loans for small business clients, trained 17,300 entrepreneurs, and helped consulting clients create or retain more than 16,000 jobs. Prospera currently serves Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia.