In celebration of Philippine Independence Day on June 12, we profile young Filipino entrepreneurs who are making a big impact in BC. Spanning a variety of industries from finance to home care, these young entrepreneurs are changing the way people do business in the city and beyond.

 

Melissa Guillergan, Owner, Maid in Vancouver

 

Entrepreneurship is in Melissa’s blood; her mother and uncles have been building successful businesses in Canada and the Philippines for years. However, it wasn't until last October that the SFU Beedie School of Business graduate saw a large need in the market, mainly from friends and colleagues, and went out to proactively fill it.

Maid in Vancouver is a referral-only cleaning company specializing in residential cleaning. Relying on the power of word-of-mouth and great customer service, the company has grown to over 100 clients since it started. Melissa’s primary clients include top real estate agents and other small business owners.

“The safety and happiness of my cleaners is my priority,” she says. “I see this business as an opportunity for me to empower those in the workforce looking for additional income, allow them to build meaningful relationships with clients, and give them flexibility that other jobs may not offer.” For more information email Melissa@maidinvan.ca.

 

Bryan Panganiban, CFP CHS BComm Hons, Associate Partner, Bajus Financial Partners Ltd.

 

A transplant from Winnipeg, Bryan moved to Vancouver to build his already-successful insurance and wealth management business on the West Coast. 

In his role as associate partner at BFP, Bryan primarily focuses on financial plans and risk solutions for professionals and small businesses, managing over $50M in assets. While his business keeps him very busy, he has found the time to start a group that was needed in Vancouver’s young Filipino community, the Young Filipino Professional Network.

“YFPN connects the next generation of Filipino business owners, professionals, artists and entrepreneurs,” says Bryan. “This association is for today’s Filipino professionals that handle business and networking in today’s ever-evolving business landscape.” Visit www.yfpn.ca for more information. 

 

Lloyd Jacinto, Owner, Pandora 

 

From an early age, Lloyd knew his career would focus on caring and helping others. Born and raised in Vanouver, he graduated from Douglas College as a registered psychiatric nurse in 2007 and began his career in geriatrics. 

For the last six years, Lloyd has been working with children and adolescents; this experience has fueled his passion for helping others outside of standard treatment centres and hospitals. Using his knowledge of how healthcare facilities run and leveraging his vast network in Vancouver, Lloyd set out to build his own home care company that would take a more personal, customized and one-on-one approach that not all facilities could offer. 

In 2011, Lloyd successfully started Pandora Services, which focuses on the health and wellbeing of children and young adults with psychiatric disorders, as well as those with autism and developmental delays. For more information on Pandora services, visit www.pandoraservicesbc.com

 

Christine and Jay Ocol, Owners, Fliptop Filipino Fusion food truck

 

Fliptop Filipino Fusion is a local food truck created by a brother-sister duo, Christine and Jay Ocol. With Christine’s background in travel and sales, and Jay’s chef experience in fine dining, the duo knew that together, they had what it took to start a food truck 

The idea, which started off as a joke with family, came to reality when both Christine and Jay were laid off from their jobs. Instead of seeing a door close, they opened up a window, deciding that it was time to put Filipino food on the growing food truck map in Vancouver.

Fliptop first “flipped” its top in August 2013. Offering Filipino inspired dishes infused with familiar North American favorites, the truck has quickly become a favourite amoung Vancouver food truck lovers. 

You can find Fliptop in various locations throughout the Vancouver. Download the Street Food App on your mobile and make Fliptop a favourite for daily updates on their schedules, or visit www.facebook.com/Fliptopfoodtruck.

 

Sammie Jo, Kimberly and Vinelli Rumbaua, Owners, The Power of Threee

 

Sammie Jo Rumbaua has always been a self-driven young woman. Earlier, she was involved in the Vancouver event scene, working on weddings, club promotions and release parties. Leading the coordination of countless events, she founded her own company called Sammie Jo Productions that is still well known to this day.

It was inevitable that her two younger sisters would also have a knack for coordinating events. Being very close siblings that do almost everything together, they decided to brand themselves as “The Power of Threee.” Each ‘e’ represents a unique trait about each sister: Sammie Jo - empower others; Kimberly - express yourself; and Vinelli – experience everything. Once you meet this unstoppable trio, it is uncanny how suitable each word is.

The Power of Threee does everything from day-of-wedding coordination, to referring DJs to make up artists, to creating logos and flyers. This savvy entrepreneur sister trio is a one-stop-shop for all events in Vancouver. For more information email powerofthreee@gmail.com. 

 

Lorelei Tolosa, Benz Qualified Platinum Executive, Zija International

 

Lorelei is a Film Major Graduate from UBC, and a choreographer with SVS Style, a hip-hop dance company she co-founded in 2004. She has several years of experience in the Film & Entertainment industries, but she was forced to look for an alternate, viable way to make full-time income from home after having her first-born son in 2011.

As an independent distributor for Zija, Lorelei’s business quickly excelled, qualifying for the company’s free Mercedes Benz program in just five months. She is a major leader and team trainer, and has become the highest-ranking Zija executive located in the Metro Vancouver area.

Zija is a company that specializes in the highest purest quality of moringa/malunggay organic whole-food nutrition supplements in the world, covering the full spectrum of health, weight management, and performance.

For more information, email ljt.mymoringa@gmail.com.