Aflac Awards Hispanic Business Owners for Community Service – Insurer and The Latino Coalition Join to Present California Small Business Owners With The Aflac Civic Award.

“Aflac awarded four Southern California entrepreneurs for their work in community service on March 21 at the Hispanic small business workshop hosted by the Latino Coalition. The award marked the first in a series of regional awards that will honor Hispanic business owners across the country.

Hector Barreto, chairman of the Latino Coalition, and Vilma Salaverria, vice president of Policy Service at Aflac, presented each winner with a $500 U.S. Savings Bond for their designated cause. “Aflac is proud to honor these business owners for their unique contributions to civic and charitable activities while providing them with valuable information during these workshops that will help them grow their business,” said Salaverria.

“Our goal at the workshops is to bring specific opportunities for financial, technical and marketing assistance to local Hispanic entrepreneurs,” Barreto said. “Aflac sets a great example for corporate America by supporting diversity opportunities in jobs, contracts and community activities.”

Aflac Civic Awards were presented to the following entrepreneurs:

— Roy Hernandez, President of Third Wave Corporation, a Los Angeles-based
IT company, was awarded for his two decades of community support for
the Center for Improvement of Child Caring. Hernandez also counsels
Latino and other minority students on career opportunities in
architecture, engineering and IT.
— Mary Jean Duran, President of Duran-Alvarez, a Newport Beach marketing
consulting firm, was recognized for her service to HOPE, a nonprofit
organization dedicated to inspiring Latina leadership. She is also
active in supporting the Boys and Girls Clubs of California, and
founded a chapter of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs.
— Ernie Garza, a Viet Nam veteran and owner of Swiftgraphics, a Culver
City printing and graphics company, was honored for his leadership in
the growth of the California Disabled Veterans Alliance which supports
the needs of Californias 225,000 disabled veterans. Garza is also a
leader at the Culver City Youth Health Center.
— Cristantos Hajibrahim, founder of the Santa Monica College Veterans
Association and owner of Virus Woman in Westwood, an information
technology service firm, was honored for launching Vet Tech, a
coalition of small businesses committed to retraining and re-employing
veterans in various fields of technology.

On May 2, Aflac will present a national civic award during the Latino Coalition National Small Business Summit. For more information and a nomination form, visit aflac.com or enespanol.aflac.com. The deadline for entries is April 5.

About Aflac

For more than 50 years, Aflac products have given policyholders the opportunity to direct cash where it is needed most when a life-interrupting medical event causes financial challenges. Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States and the number one insurance company in terms of individual insurance policies in force in Japan. Our insurance products provide protection to more than 40 million people worldwide. Aflac has been included in Fortune magazines listing of Americas Most Admired Companies for seven consecutive years and in Fortune magazines list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for nine consecutive years. Aflac has also been recognized three times by both Fortune magazines listing of the Top 50 Employers for Minorities and Working Mother magazines listing of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com.

About the Latino Coalition

The Latino Coalition is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Washington, D.C. TLC was established to address policy issues that directly affect the well-being of Hispanics in the United States. TLCs agenda is to develop and promote policies that will foster economic equivalency and enhance overall business, economic and social development of Hispanics. For more information, visit www.thelatinocoalition.com/.
Website: http://www.aflac.com/
Website: http://www.thelatinocoalition.com/
Website: http://www.enespanol.aflac.com/ “

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