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Ex-Bay Area dean now the Willy Wonka at Romeo Chocolates
By Cristina DC Pastor How does one go from being college dean to chocolatier with a plan? If you are Romeo Garcia, 38, you simply drop everything and fast-forward to a chocolate academy in Antwerp where Belgian bonbons are handcrafted and made with respect for tradition. That’s what he did in 2014 when he stepped ...
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How Napa Valley seized the Philippine wine market from the French
By Rene Pastor Tess Tabada loves to sit back at the end of a sultry day with a glass of red Paul Masson, her eyes closed and her thoughts nowhere near the university where she teaches. “I prefer the red wine because it’s better for the heart,” she told the website Commodities According to Rene ...
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Snapchat billionaire Bobby Murphy just got richer after company IPO
By Cristina DC Pastor Bobby Murphy’s net worth climbed to almost $5 billion, cementing a title Forbes has bestowed on the Filipino American tech entrepreneur as one of the youngest billionaires in the world. Murphy, 28, has a net worth of $4.9 billion as chief technology officer of Snap, Inc., a social media company that ...
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Apple designer, NYC restaurateur among 2015 FYLPRO fellows
Freddy Anzures, a designer for Apple Inc., and restaurant owner Nicole Adrienne Ponseca are among the 10 outstanding young professionals who will travel to the Philippines to meet with influential personalities and deepen their understanding of issues affecting the country. Anzures is from San Francisco, as Apple Inc. is headquartered in Cupertino, California. Ponseca, now ...
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Global Filipinos are going home, giving back: CFO
Are ‘balikbayans’ now returning to the Motherland for good? Whether it’s for professional growth, familial ties, or personal relations, more and more Filipinos are now buying a one-way ticket back to the Philippines, according to the Commission of Filipinos Overseas (CFO). And they’re not just talking about Manila. Thirty-one-year-old social innovation consultant and artist Jo ...
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Wells Fargo waives remittance fees till Dec. 14
Wells Fargo & Company is extending until December 14 a temporary remittance transfer fee waiver for customers who want to send money to the Philippines to support friends and family. Earlier this month, the company announced that, in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, it would temporarily waive all remittance transfer fees for ExpressSend transfers from ...
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Calamansi juice goes mainstream, now sold at Wal-Mart, Cost Plus stores
It takes a village to raise a child or grow an idea. Nothing can be farther from the truth for Victor Elizaga, founder and CEO of Pacific Fruit and Beverage of California. It was the Filipino community’s support for his All-Natural Calamansi juice drinks that got them on the shelves of major retailers, including Cost ...
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Dado Banatao urges Philippines to invest in science & technology
The Philippines should pour more money into science and technology to further boost its standing as Asia’s new tiger economy. This was the gist of the keynote speech of Silicon Valley venture capitalist and technopreneur Diosdado Banatao at the 2nd Philippine Investment Seminar which was held in Boston on April 26 as part of the ...