Leading Florida Latinos
Luis Capdevila
Name : Hector Vega What is your Profession ? Business owner What is the Company Name : Dulce Cafe & Bakery Your Pais : Puerto Rico Hometown : Tampa , Florida
Hector Vega
Latin Times : Tell us about what you do for a living . Hector Vega : I am the owner of Dulce Cafe Bakery in South Tampa and I am a training coach for Capital One Finance .
Latin Times : Having worked both in corporate America and as an entrepreneur / small business owner – which do you prefer and why ? Hector Vega : While there are positives to both , there is nothing like owning your own business . Having a hand in every aspect and feeling like you have a major impact on whether you succeed or fail , gives me the best sense of accomplishment .
Latin Times : Tell us about a big challenge in your career or life , that you managed to overcome and how you overcame it . Hector Vega : With starting your own business , you have many challenges , more so when you still have your corporate job . My biggest challenge has been to build a business from the ground up without any financial backing or experience . I feel I am not where I want to be yet , but everyday I ’ m inching towards my goal of the vision that me and my wife set out to accomplish .
Latin Times : What plans do you have for yourself as a business owner in the future Hector Vega : I would like to establish Dulce Cafe as a Latin Tampa staple and open multiple locations . On a personal level , I would like to get more involved with giving back to the community and possibly starting my own organization .
Latin Times : Tell us about the Puffy Cuban , and your Gluten Free Cuban , and how you will be competing in the National Cuban Sandwich Festival this year ! Hector Vega : When we learned about the non-traditional category for the Cuban sandwich festival , we saw a great opportunity to incorporate our bakery products with the competition . We came up with a delicious variation of the Cuban sandwich in puff pastry and a gluten free cheesy bread version . The few fortunate ones that have tried it absolutely love it !
Latin Times : As a business man with diverse businesses , tell us about which business / businesses you focus on daily ? LA Capdevila : While our businesses are multifaceted , two restaurants , bakery , catering , banquets , fleamarket & business center , properties and rentals ; I also have ministries responsibilities such as church planting , counseling and a new internet church that is being powered up soon , I am also involved in a great network marketing company called Organo Gold . I oversee all of them and I work with my managers to make sure we are focus on our companies ’ success .
Latin Times : Tell us about your ministry LA Capdevila : My wife Anita and I pastored a Church for 24 years until a few years ago and have been planting churches throughout central and south Americas and the Caribbean for the same amount of years . Most recently I have started to plant churches in Pakistan and I want to be part of the revival that will hit the Middle East soon . I have also authored nine books that can be seen on lacapdevila . com .
Latin Times : Tell us about your family history and the impact it has had on West Tampa and Tampa Bay in general LA Capdevila : We are celebrating our 52 years in this wonderful country and 42 years in business . We are so grateful to God for all the support that we have had from our community throughout the years , we are visited by thousands every month and we are indebted to them and we do not take our success for granted . Even though I was born in Cuba , I am a Tampeño or Tampañian and proud of it .
Latin Times : Who is a hero / role model that you admire ( Living or deceased ) and why do you admire them ? LA Capdevila : I have too many heroes to mention them all , but my Father Maximino is one of my hero ’ s , even though he is gone to be with the Lord . His life and principals still live on in me and in our family . There are many successful men and women that I admire because they have given their all and have taken many risks to become a success in their professions and in turn they are now touching many others with their stories of struggles and victories . I want to express a special thanks to all those who may not reach public recognition but in their everyday life they touch others with acts of kindness and labor of love . What this world really needs is for all of us to rise up to the occasion , regardless of political persuasions , color or race and touch those who are searching and are lacking and wanting to be loved and accepted .
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