Dominican Restaurateur
Age: 35
Title: Co-Founder
Name of Organization: Tropical Juice Bar
From Sabana Grande de Boya, Monte Planta In the Dominican Republic, Carlos David Lopez is a Hispanic leader and restaurateur. He was born in the campo with a vision for success and passion for the great American dream. He moved to Passaic, NJ when he was twelve years old with his family. He became a distinguished student, against the language barrier, and discrimination. While working on his passion, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in business finance from William Paterson University. Following his family roots of dedicated work ethics, with over seventeen years of experience in the hospitality industry, he has become an expert in restaurant operations management.
His passion for entrepreneurship and vision for community development led to the opening of Tropical Juice Bar in 2010, with his brother. Now they have seven corporate locations and a fully operational franchise business to offer opportunities for other entrepreneurs who are passionate about the hospitality industry. Currently, he serves as Chief Operations Officer of the company.
Carlos serves his hometown of Passaic NJ, as a trustee of the Passaic Affordable Housing Coalition, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to build and sell affordable homes for low-income families. In addition, he developed a mentorship program to help raise future leaders in the community and his company, by coaching local leaders and mentoring them to achieve their desired goals, while empowering others.
Carlos’s personal mission is to inspire people to “go be great” in whatever calls them.
He often speaks to small mentorship groups, high school students, and universities about making a decision to find their calling and pursue their dreams and passion.
