TEW Talks: Global Entrepreneurship Week
“Life Lessons from Successful Global Businesswomen”
Wednesday, November 17th 6 pm-7:30 pm via Zoom
Women are making a huge impact on the Global market. Join us and meet three incredible Global leaders who are making a difference! They will share their story, their company journey, opportunities, lessons learned, and we will have a special Q&A Session.
TEW Board Member and 2019 Woman on the Move Soledad Tanner, MIB – Founder & CEO STC Consultant, will host the event.
Panelists Include:
Sonia Clayton, President & CEO, Virtual Intelligence Providers (VIP)
Sonia Clayton, is the President and CEO of VIRTUAL INTELLIGENCE PROVIDERS, LLC. She holds a double Bachelor in Business Administration and Business Management and is a Harvard MBA and a Harvard Business School Certified Negotiator. She is also a graduate of the Stanford University Entrepreneur Program. Sonia is the chairman of 3 Non-Profit Organizations and the recipient of over 30 Awards of Excellence including White House and State of Texas Recognition.
Maria Alicia Padilla Gonzalez – Managing Director, Mama Lycha
María Alícia Padilla-Gonzalez was born in Lakewood, NJ when her parents came to the U.S. fleeing the civil war in El Salvador. She has grown up as an only child.
María graduated with a double Bachelors degree in International Studies and Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. She chose this career path because traveling and learning about different cultures has always intrigued her, as well as the business side after seeing the successful example of her parents’ entrepreneurship. After working an internship at the US Immigration offices and thereafter on the HEB Houston Procurement team, she decided to try and incorporate herself into the fastest growing part of her family’s businesses, Mama Lycha Foods. She now holds the role of General Director of Mamá Lycha with more than 16 years of work experience in importing and distributing Latin American food products to retailers, restaurants, mom & pop stores, and wholesalers across the country. One of her most challenging, yet rewarding experiences has been managing over 100 direct employees and 140 indirect employees in their food manufacturing facilities in El Salvador and Nicaragua. Thousands of job opportunities are created, families are supported, as well as people’s economic statuses are improved through Mama Lycha.
María has been married for 12 years to Carlos M Gonzalez, her college sweet heart. She has two handsome young boys, Nico and Luca, as well as a pet dog named Chloe. The family currently lives in Spring, Texas.
Ana Abrahams – Owner & CEO, Supernova Furniture
In 1984, Ana began working in the furniture industry. At first, she worked part-time in sales on the weekends only. This then evolved into a full-time job. Very shortly thereafter, she decided to open her own furniture business at Cole’s Antique Village and Flea Market in Pearland, Texas. As she mentions, this was the easiest place to start, since there was almost no monetary investment necessary. Her incursion into the furniture business began there, in a 200 Sq Ft., ten foot by twenty foot flea market spot with only four mattress sets, king, queen, full and twin. The mattress sets were given to her “On Consignment” by a local furniture distributor. The sales area spots cost her 40 dollars for the entire weekend. That was the seed that began SuperNova Furniture.
Ana and her husband always had a dream of building and supporting a non-profit hospital and research facility to help the children of our community and the world. They dreamt of supporting doctors and scientists in their research and development of new cures for the ills of little ones. It was this dream that was the cause of the company’s expansion from the first very small, but profitable store, to what is now: the most well-known furniture company in Houston’s Hispanic community.
SuperNova Furniture has supported the community of Houston, Texas, and the surrounding areas for more than 30 years. From supporting students with scholarships to helping people in times of natural disasters. Ana and SuperNova Furniture have the goal to make this world a better place.
