Video: THE N BEAT - Originally aired July 13, 2013
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Hosted by Theresa Gutierrez, with special contributions by ABC 7's John
Garcia, Stacey Baca, and Michelle Gallardo, THE N BEAT is a rich tapestry of
profiles highlighting the contributions of Chicago's Latino community. THE N
BEAT airs Saturday, July 13 at 6:00 pm with an encore presentation on Sunday,
July 14 at 2:30 pm. THE N BEAT is an Emmy Award winning series of special
programs produced by ABC 7 Chicago.
This edition of THE N BEAT profiles restaurateur Sylvia X'imenez, a first generation Mexican American who has taken the hospitality industry by storm in the Western suburbs by opening three restaurants. Sylvia talks candidly about her ascension to success, starting at the bottom as a dishwasher and climbing the ladder to become the proud restaurant owner she is today.
Then, Omar Duque, the President and CEO of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce talks about how his organization has been working to grow Hispanic businesses in the Chicago area.
Salvador Sandoval launched Cityvida.com when he thought that Latino bands and entertainers were often overlooked by mainstream media. His website covers the full spectrum of Latino entertainment from concerts and community events to movie reviews. Sandoval publishes his site in English hoping to introduce Latino entertainers and events to a broader audience.
Next, Laura Sanchez talks about the concept behind SWATware, the "boutique" information technology company she founded five years ago. SWATware specializes in helping small business owners use technology to get their companies to the next level. Sanchez also tries to give back to the community by teaching free technology classes to small business owners in both English and Spanish.
THE N BEAT looks at the world of Salsa, Mambo and Tango through the eyes of Andres Meneses who began his career as a dancer and instructor. Born in Puerto Rico, music and dancing have always been a part of Meneses's life and after opening up Latin Street Dancing Studio in 1998, Meneses also launched his own recording label to help produce and promote Latin bands.
Finally, THE N BEAT profiles Juan Gabriel Moreno, who launched his own architectural firm, JGMA, in Chicago a few years ago. The mission for Moreno is to give those living in dilapidated neighborhoods a "beacon of hope" through his modern designs like UNO Soccer Academy in Gage Park and his re-design of Pilsen's Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy. His buildings are not only changing the face of Chicago but his work has left a mark around the world.
"The N Beat" will be available on-demand at
www.abc7chicago.com
"The N Beat" is produced by Rubye Lane and Holly Grisham.
Episode Information:
Salvador Sandoval/Cityvida.com
Feeling that Latino bands and entertainers in Chicago were largely being
overlooked by mainstream media, Salvador Sandoval launched Cityvida.com five
years ago. He runs the Latino entertainment website himself, with the help of
volunteer contributors who write about everything from community events and
concerts to movie reviews. While you might expect a website with the name
Cityvida.com to be written in Spanish, Sandoval says he hopes by publishing his
site in English, that he can help promote Latino entertainers and events to an
even broader audience.
For information, log onto:
www.cityvida.com
Laura Sanchez/SWATware
Laura founded SWATware five years ago.. it's a boutique Information Technology
company that specializes in helping small business owners use technology to take
their business to the next level. She has a staff of 10 programmers and
designers that help SWATware be a one-stop shop for Web design, social media and
IT consulting. She even gives back to the community by teaching free technology
classes to small business owners, in both English and Spanish.
For information:
SWATware
5228 West 51st Street
Chicago
773-634-9394
www.swat-ware.com
Andres Meneses/Latin Street Music
Born in Puerto Rico, music and dancing have always been part of Andres Meneses' life. In fact, Andres and his wife, Lisa La Boriqua, opened up Latin Street Dancing in 1998, to teach Chicagoans the Salsa, Mambo and Tango. While demand for their many classes grew, Andres noticed more and more people asking about the –bands- playing the classic Latin music. So, not long after opening the dance studio, he launched his own recording label and began producing bands like Angel Melendez and the 911 Mambo Orchestra. His work with Melendez even garnered him a Grammy nomination in 2004. These days, if live Salsa music is happening in Chicago, chances are Andres produced the event!
For information:
Latin Street Dancing/Latin Street Music
1335 West Lake St.
Chicago
312-427-2572
www.latinstreetmusic.com
Juan Gabriel Moreno
All too often, largely Latino neighborhoods in Chicago are considered
dilapidated and rundown… but those notions will change, if Juan Gabriel Moreno
has anything to say about it. This native of Bogota, Colombia launched his own
Architectural firm, JGMA, in Chicago just a few years ago… and since then, his
passion has become giving the Latino community what he calls a 'beacon of hope'
through his modern UNO Soccer Academy in Gage Park… and his re-design of
Pilsen's Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy. And while his buildings are
changing the face of Chicago, he has designed projects all over North America,
Latin America, Asia and the Middle East.
For information:
JGMA
218 South Wabash
Chicago
312-895-4438
www.jgma.co
Sylvia Ximenez, Restauranteur
As the the proud owner of three restaurants and counting, Sylvia talks candidly
about how she started from the bottom as a dishwasher and worked her way up the
restaurant ladder to become the proud owner she is today.
Aguamiel Restaurant
30 S Prospect Ave
Clarendon Hills, IL 60514
(630) 537-1966
www.aguamielrestaurante.com
Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Omar Duque, the President and CEO of Illinois' Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
talks to us about how his organization hopes to develop the growing number of
Hispanic businesses in the Chicago area. Business Owner, Rolando Madrid takes us
on a tour inside his company that has been helping educate Hispanics for the
past eight months.
www.ihccbusiness.net
855 W Adams St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 425-9500
www.tutorialatina.com
5342 W Cermak Rd
Cicero, Illinois 60804
(312) 804-3920
Fashion Designers
Every year, a number of rising stars debut their clothing line during Chicago's
Latino Fashion Week. The show gets up close and personal with two Rock Star
Fashion Designers Noelia Cruz and Claudia Urrutia for a sneak peek into their
collections that have taken runways by storm.
www.claudiaurrutiadesigns.com
40 East New York Street
Aurora, IL 60505
630.244.9322
