Food provider
Jonatan Rodriguez
Age: 23
Title: Chief Marketing Officer
Name of Organization: El Encanto Products Inc.
Jonatan Rodriguez works as chief marketing officer for the family business, El Encanto Products, a wholesale food distribution company catering to the Hispanic community.
Born in Mexico, Rodriguez immigrated to the United States with his family at age 3. Growing up in Chicago, he was raised with the traditional values and beliefs of a Mexican household. By age 10 he was already involved in his family’s business. While his duties initially consisted of simple tasks like moving boxes or receiving payments, he steadily branched out to other positions.
He graduated from St. Joseph Catholic High School and pursued higher education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in May 2021. Throughout his education, he balanced classes with business. A normal day consisted of classes in the morning and work in the afternoon. As he continued to learn about the family business, he moved from order picker to accounts receivable, and eventually to general manager.
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By drawing on the experience from work and classes at school, he was able to create and launch a product of his own: Encanto Juice, an all-natural fruit juice drink. Since its inception, Encanto has achieved an increasing amount of success among Hispanic retailers across the Midwest. Rodriguez credits his success to the support and guidance he’s received from his family and friends.
Outside of work, he involves himself in the Catholic Church. He has organized numerous food donations for churches in Chicagoland. He is a key contributor to the summer carnivals near his home, and his donations have included trucks, supplies, and food.
WORDS OF WISDOM: “Success is not only achieved with hard work but also with a lot of sacrifice.”
