Immigration reform

Cuando Maritza Gómez no pudo conseguir un trabajo, tomó el asunto en sus propias manos y puso en marcha un negocio.

Maritza, propietaria de MG Custom Printing en Riverside, California, se mudó a los Estados Unidos desde México cuando tenía nueve años. Después de comenzar su negocio, decidió estudiar administración de empresas en la Universidad Estatal de California, San Bernardino. Mientras estaba en la escuela, participó en los programas de administración de empresas en el campus, los cuales desarrollaron aún más su espíritu empresarial.

At 1,300 members strong and representing more than 50,000 jobs in the Central Valley region of California, the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce is a heavyweight small business champion.

Since 1920, the Bakersfield Chamber has provided leadership, business education and networking opportunities to ensure a healthy business community, said Cynthia Pollard, president and CEO of the chamber.

There are many complex policy issues that have a major impact on the small business community. Each week, we’re going to help break one of those issues down so small business owners can stay in the know and remain aware of their stake in these national issues. This week’s Issue Q&A is on immigration reform.

Q: Why is immigration reform a small business issue?

Lorenzo Harris, CEO of Janico Building Services

Lorenzo Harris makes a living sweeping away the dirt. But he certainly is not swept away by the state of our nation’s current immigration system.

As the CEO and principal of Janico Building Services, a full-service building maintenance and cleaning contractor with 40 employees in Sacramento, Harris understands first-hand how undocumented immigrants affect the cleaning industry, particularly when it comes to the hiring process.

As a successful woman small business owner in Colorado, Lisa Goodbee knows first-hand the hardships that go into starting a business from scratch.

With blood, sweat and tears, Goodbee has turned her small business, Goodbee & Associates, into a standout woman-owned engineering firm since its founding in 1994.

It’s this experience and the opportunities that were available to her that shape Goodbee’s stance on immigration reform, something she strongly believes in.

From humble beginnings to an out of this world small business, Jay-Mee Del Rosario clawed her way to the American Dream. As the CEO of International Metal Source, a minority and women owned small business that distributes raw metals to the space, aerospace and defense industries, Del Rosario’s launch to the top was one of extreme hardship. 

Born in the Philippines, she immigrated to the United States when she was just 9 years old. Due to her immigration status, she faced obstacles in obtaining jobs and a higher education.

Tsui Yee pours her family’s hard work and sacrifice into running a successful small business and a passionate stance on immigration.

As a founding partner of an immigration law firm, Guerrero Yee LLP, in New York City, it goes without saying that Yee avidly supports comprehensive immigration reform. But it’s her personal upbringing that really shapes her views.